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September 22, 2025

Soaring Through Scripture: A High-Flying Tour from Zephaniah to Matthew

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Zephaniah 1 – Matthew 7

This week, similarly to last week, we’ll be doing a brief flyby over five different biblical books in keeping with our Bible reading plan. Please fasten your seatbelt and be sure to look out your window so you can enjoy the view. As we take off, we pass over the book of Zephaniah.

Zephaniah (628 - 621 B.C.) preached to the Southern Kingdom, Judah. The theme of this book is the day of the Lord (see 1:7-9; 2:3). Zephaniah helps us date the book by identifying the reigning king, Josiah, who was considered a good king (i.e., meaning he followed the Mosaic Covenant). To appreciate the context of this book, it might be helpful to read 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35. At the tender age of eight, Josiah became king. Zephaniah was called by God to assist King Josiah to bring the nation back to God. Despite the spiritual revival the nation experienced under Josiah, the evil of previous kings was too great; judgment was coming.

Post-exilic prophets. The last three prophetic books in the Old Testament were prophets who preached and wrote to the nation following their return to the land after being exiled in Babylon. If you recall, there were three deportations to the land of Babylon (i.e., 605 B.C., 597 B.C., & 586 B.C.).  After being held captive for 70 years, King Cyrus, who conquered the Babylonians, issued a decree that the Hebrews could return to their land if they wished to do so (see 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10). An interesting tidbit to demonstrate the omniscience of God can be found in Isaiah 44:28 and Isaiah 45:1-7 where God foretold the name of the political ruler who would issue a declaration that Israel could return to their homeland 150-200 years before it happened.

Haggai (520 B.C.) preached to the first group of Hebrews who returned to the land. The theme of the book is rebuilding the Temple (see 1:2-8, 12; 2:4). The first returning group was estimated to be around 50,000 people. Haggai was called by God to preach a message of exhortation to the leaders of the nation to get their spiritual priorities in order by rebuilding the Temple. Work on the Temple started once they were back in the land, but it suddenly came to a stop due to threats of a legal suit (see Ezra 4). Fifteen years had gone by, and the Temple still lay in ruins. Haggai steps up and encourages the people to finish what they started, and the nation resumes its work. Four years later, the Temple was complete (516 B.C.).

Zechariah (518 - 480 B.C.) preached to those who returned from exile. The theme of this book is the coming Messiah (see 12:10; 14:1-4). The first verse of chapter one identifies Zechariah as the “son of Berechiah, and grandson of Iddo” (see 1:1, NLT). Iddo was a priest who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon (see Nehemiah 12:4, 16). This tells the reader that Zechariah was a priest who also served as a prophet. He was also a contemporary of Haggai (see Ezra 5:1; 6:14). Zechariah encourages the people by declaring that one day the Messiah will return, defeat his enemies, and reign over “all the earth” (see Zechariah 14:9, NLT). This prophetic vision coincides with what we see in Revelation 19-20.

Malachi (433 – 425 B.C.) preached to the priests, leaders, and people in Jerusalem. The theme of this book is the fear of the Lord (see 1:6-13). The nation, again, failed to take God seriously as evidenced by offering less than the best as offerings to God (see Deuteronomy 15:21; Malachi 1:6-13). They also divorced their wives and refused to pay their tithes to the Temple, as detailed in Leviticus 27:30-32, Numbers 18:21-24, and Malachi 3:10. For a deeper look at what the Old Testament required for offerings, read Deuteronomy 14:22-29, and for the New Testament's perspective on giving, see 2 Corinthians 8-9.  

400 Years of Silence. Between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the first book of the New Testament, Matthew, there is a period of what’s commonly referred to as 400 years of silence. It is called this because no prophet spoke for God, nor was there any book written that was deemed as scripture. Nevertheless, when one opens the book by Matthew, they discover the Romans are in authority. In between these two Testaments, there were three governing powers. Here’s a sneak peek:

The Greek period (331 – 143 B.C.) saw Alexander the Great rise to power.

The Hasmonean period (143 – 63 B.C.).

The Roman period (63 B.C. – New Testament).

Matthew (A.D. 45-55) was written by one of the original Apostles of Jesus (see Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 5:27-32). The Gospel of Matthew, like the other gospels, has a specific purpose. The gospel opens with a genealogy tying the lineage of Jesus back to two significant people, Abraham and David (see 1:1). These two people are important because God made unconditional promises to both Abraham (see Genesis 12 & 15) and David (see 2 Samuel 7). To Abraham, God promised the land of Israel would belong to him and his descendants forever and that God would bless the world through him. To David, God promised that one of his descendants would reign on his throne forever. The promise of blessing to the whole world and an ultimate ruler to sit on David’s throne find their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth.

Matthew’s purpose is to answer the question: if Jesus was the promised Messiah, and offered the Davidic Kingdom to the nation (see 2 Samuel 7; Matthew 4:17), then why was it not established in the first century? Answer: Because the nation rejected Jesus’ offer. The religious leaders, as well as the nation, after seeing the miracles of Jesus, which attested to his Messianic office, rejected him. The religious leaders rejected him by attributing his miracles to Satan (see Matthew 12:22-32), and the nation, unfortunately, followed the cues of their leaders and rejected him by having him crucified (see Matthew 27:15-61).

Well, there you have it. Another quick flyby. I hope you enjoyed seeing the major landmarks on our flight. Keep reading your Bible!