Articles
Providence Between Testaments
Providence Between The Testaments
God's providence can often only be seen in hindsight, and even then we miss most of it. Such is true during the 400 years between the testaments. Although God did not raise up a prophet to inform men what He was doing, He was busy controlling and guiding His creation.
He had foretold in the last chapters of Daniel some of what would transpire during these years. The number and nature of world powers was delineated and fulfilled: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The very character of these powers was foretold. Even some of the specifics of various battles, leaders, and interaction were foretold in Daniel 11 and 12. Yet such just shows us the framework of what God was doing.
Concerning the Greeks, as Alexander the Great conquered the various places he implanted both the Greek language and much of the Greek ideology. The uniting of the known world with a common language was the foundation of the New Testament revelation which was written in Greek. Such provided the ability to have this revelation known throughout the world.
With the coming of the Romans and the shift of language to Latin, we see the Greek language become a 'dead language'. NOT that no one spoke it, but that it no longer was the main language. Therefore, it 'died' in the sense that, not being used, it didn't change. This provides a wealth of ability to go back and see how the language was used in the first century.
Along with the gift of a universal language we see God providing a governmental framework where the gospel could be spread. The Roman peace allowed travel throughout the Roman Empire. The early Christians had the freedom and ability to take the gospel into all the world. The Romans also facilitated such travel by building roads and providing sea travel all over the Mediterranean Sea coast. The apostles could travel by land or by sea and take the gospel everywhere.
These are just some of the obvious providential provisions that God made for the gospel's success. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law…" (Gal. 4:4). Thus Jesus could say: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Hugh DeLong
