Between the Testaments
Teacher
Lesson Summary
The teacher guided the class through the intertestamental period, emphasizing that although the biblical record contains a 400‑year gap of no new prophecy, God was still actively shaping events. He described Antiochus Epiphanes as the oppressive Hellenizing ruler whose actions fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 8, 11). The instructor then recounted the Maccabean revolt, highlighting Mattathias and his son Judah (Maccabee) as the spark of resistance that led to the Hasmonean dynasty. The discussion moved to the dynasty’s evolution under Simon, who transformed a religious uprising into a political kingdom, and later to John Hyrcanus, whose expansionist policies and harsh treatment of Samaritans and Edomites caused internal strife. The teacher contrasted the purist Hasidim—ancestors of the Pharisees—with the more Hellenizing Sadducees, noting how these factions influenced later Jewish history. Throughout, the class connected ancient persecution with modern examples, urging gratitude for religious freedom and the continued relevance of God’s work across ages.
Key Scriptures
Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to the one who was speaking, 'For how long will the vision about the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, the giving over of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the law of truth, last?' And he said to me, 'Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.'
And some of the wise ones of the people shall fall, to refine them, to purify them, and to make them white, until the time of the end; for it is still to come at the appointed time.