For years, many in Israel denied, dishonored, persecuted, fought, and rebelled against the prophets. Malachi was the last of the true prophets in Israel in the Old Testament period of which we have a record. Without prophets, Israel could only yearn for the oracles with which they were once blessed.
God wanted Israel to be a holy nation, His peculiar treasure (see Exodus 19:5–6). He had promised her riches, glory, and power:
“I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
“I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy” (Psalm 132:15–16).
But He desired to have Israel pure so that He could dwell in her cities. Israel was to become Zion, in which the Lord declared He would make His abode forever (see Psalm 132:13–14). After the ministry of Malachi (around 430 B.C.) Israel entered a period in which the learning of scribes gained precedence over revelation. Though some of the priests and Levites continued to honor the priesthood, corruption crept into the religious, social, and political life of Judea. This was a time when the people mourned the loss of the prophets and yearned for their authoritative voice. They began to gather, preserve, and reproduce the words of the prophets who had died.
When the Jews returned from exile in Babylon (around 537 B.C.) a number of changes in their society became evident. One of these was the increased use of scribes. Scribes originally were educated men who made their livelihood as record keepers and as copyists of the scriptures. These they studied diligently, both to understand their meaning and to detect scribal errors. The scribes supplied copies of the scriptures to the growing number of synagogues and also became teachers of the law. While Israel had prophets, the scribes remained copyists and teachers. But when the prophetic voice ceased in Israel, these experts in the law of Moses began to fill the vacuum.
Ezra, one such scribe, brought back part of the exiles from captivity and taught Israel “statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10; see also Nehemiah 8:9–12). Along with Nehemiah he took steps to teach, not just the priests and Levites, but all the people in the Mosaic law. This new emphasis on the open reading of the scriptures came to be one of the most distinguishing features of Jewish national life.
A major factor contributing to the rising power of the scribes was the shift of the common language of the people from Hebrew to Aramaic. Though sister tongues, the languages were different enough that Jews who spoke only Aramaic had trouble understanding the scriptures. So the people had to rely on the scholars to interpret and explain them. It should not be surprising that there was no unity of interpretation among these scholars, nor that they worked to bring others to their different viewpoints.
In the closing years of the fourth century B.C., a new power emerged: the Greeks. King Philip of Macedonia united the whole Greek peninsula and prepared to challenge the supremacy of the Persians. In 334 B.C., Philip’s son Alexander attacked the Persian empire and defeated it. From there he quickly swept through the entire Middle East, conquering all the nations that lay before him, including Judea. Behind him came Greek colonists—merchants, craftsmen, laborers—eager to impose Greek culture. Within a few years Alexander died, but the Hellenic, or Greek, influence was felt in Judea for centuries.
After the death of Alexander (323 B.C.), his generals fought to gain control of his empire. Seleucus (pronounced se-Lu-kas) conquered Syria and the northern part of the Middle East. Ptolemy (Toll-ah-mee) took Egypt. Judea lay directly between the two rivals. It changed hands several times during the next few years, with disastrous results for the population of Judea. In 302 B.C. Judea finally fell to the Ptolemies of Egypt, to whom it belonged for one hundred years. In 198 B.C. the Seleucids (se-Lu-sids) were able to capture and hold Judea.
During this period the Jewish population continued to increase. Many Jews lived outside of Judea. The city of Alexandria in Egypt, for example, had a large Jewish community. There were also large colonies in Babylon and other cities. The Jews of the Diaspora (scattering or dispersion) outnumbered the Jews of Judea.
When Antiochus Epiphanes, a Seleucid king, came to power in 175 B.C., he decided the Greeks had been tolerant long enough of what he saw as Jewish narrowness and superstition. He attempted to destroy the religion of the Jews by imposing Greek religion upon them. In 169 B.C., the temple was plundered under his orders. Shortly thereafter Jerusalem’s walls were knocked down, and a garrison was established in a fortress built near the desecrated Temple Mount. The limited temple worship that had taken place was soon suspended. Sabbath observance, celebrations, and circumcision were forbidden on penalty of death. Pigs, unclean under the Mosaic law and viewed by the Jews as a great abomination, were offered in sacrifice as the troops of Antiochus stood watch. The people were forced to worship idols of Zeus and other false gods.
The efforts of Antiochus to stamp out Judaism became more and more brutal. Instead of obediently submitting, the Jews stiffened their resistance, and hatred for Antiochus and his Greek soldiers spread. In 167 B.C., in the small village of Modin, Syrian soldiers gathered the people and demanded that Mattathias, an old priest, offer a sacrifice to the pagan god. Even though threatened with death, Mattathias refused. Another priest stepped forward and agreed to do as the soldier demanded. As this weaker priest lifted the knife, an enraged Mattathias grabbed a sword and killed both the priest and the Syrian officer. Mattathias and his five sons then fled to the hills and called on all of Judah to join them (see 1 Maccabees 2:1–30). The revolt had begun. It raged through the land, gathering support on every side as the Jews turned on the hated Syrians. By the time Antiochus took the revolt seriously, he faced an entire nation thirsting for freedom.
Since Mattathias was a priest seeking to defend the Mosaic code, the Jews threw their support behind his family, the Hasmoneans. Mattathias died shortly after the revolt began, but his son Judas took over. Judas was a military genius and repeatedly exhorted his vastly outnumbered and poorly equipped troops to have faith in God and the righteousness of their cause. Again and again he devastated enemy forces two to four times the size of his own.
By 165 B.C. the Jews had recaptured Jerusalem, cleansed the temple of its impurities, and rededicated it to the worship of Jehovah. Judea was independent of foreign domination for the first time in over four hundred years. The Hasmonean revolt is more commonly known as the Maccabean revolt because Mattathias’s son was called Judas Maccabees, which means “Judas the Hammerer.” The hard-won victories of Mattathias and his sons were short-lived, however. Very quickly, the descendants of the Hasmoneans forgot that it was the Lord who had delivered them. Like Saul and David and Solomon, the members of the new dynasty were corrupted by the power and glory of the courts of power. The sons and grandsons of the Maccabees degenerated into a mode of politics as usual, and just over a hundred years later, in 63 B.C., Israel was conquered by the Roman general Pompey.
During the second century B.C., two important Jewish groups emerged: the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees promoted the observance of Jewish rituals and the study of the Torah (the five books of Moses). Some of them took vows to separate themselves from the impurities of the Hellenistic influences that had crept into Jewish life and to strictly follow their interpretation of the law. They not only maintained the validity of the Torah as the source of their religion, but they enlarged on this background, trying to adapt old codes to new conditions. This interpretation became known as the oral law, since for the most part it was memorized and passed on by word of mouth. The Pharisees believed in a combination of free will and predestination, in the Resurrection, and in a judgment resulting in reward or punishment in the life to come.
The Pharisees were dedicated to the preservation of the Mosaic code. To counteract the Greek influences, they turned to strict obedience to the law. Because of their attempts to keep themselves separate from the worldly taint of false ideas, they were called Perushim, a Hebrew word meaning “separated ones.” The name Pharisees comes from the Greek transliteration of Perushim. In a time of growing alarm over the abandonment of the traditional values of Judaism, the Pharisees increased in popularity until they came to represent the religious views of the majority of the Jewish people.
While the Pharisees were primarily from the common people, the Sadducees were from the upper level of society: priests, merchants, and aristocrats. The name of the sect (Zedukim in Hebrew) is probably derived from Zadok, the high priest in the days of King David. Ezekiel entrusted Zadok’s family with control of the temple (see Ezekiel 40:46; 43:19; 44:10–15), and the descendants of this family controlled the temple hierarchy until about 200 B.C. The name Sadducees may have referred to those who were sympathetic with the Zadokites.
The Sadducees, on the whole, were conservative. Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees rejected the oral law as binding except for that part based on the Torah. They placed emphasis on the sacrifices in the temple and rejected a belief in angels and the Resurrection. The Sadducees generally represented the wealthy class that accepted Greek culture; thus, the Sadducees were not popular with the majority of the people.
The Essenes attempted to avoid religious impurity by completely separating from society. The name probably means “the pious ones.” Interest in this group was aroused in the late 1940s with the discovery at Qumran of what most scholars believe to be their sacred writings, known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Qumran group believed in strict separation from the world. They followed a “teacher of righteousness” who they believed received revelation. They practiced a communal order, strictly followed the law of Moses, and devoutly studied the scriptures. They believed that a Messiah was soon coming who would lead them in a last great battle against the sons of darkness.
When Pompey took Judea for Rome, he appointed one of the Hasmoneans to be king. Antipater (an-Tip-i-ter), an adviser to the Jewish puppet-king, quickly ingratiated himself with Rome and took over power. Antipater was an Idumean, a people the Jews hated. He consolidated his power by helping Rome in their struggle against the Parthians, an enemy from the east that constantly threatened Rome’s interests. For this aid, Antipater was granted the right to have his son appointed king of Judea. Thus came on the scene Herod the Great, a man who profoundly affected the history of the Jews. Herod the Great was brutal and vicious (this was the Herod who ordered infanticide in an attempt to kill Jesus) but was an able administrator. The Romans were pleased, for he kept control in what was well known to be a troublesome province, and he was completely loyal to Rome. The Jews were given very limited political power through the Sanhedrin, a religious and political body traditionally composed of seventy-one men and presided over by the high priest.
Herod was a supporter of Hellenic and Roman culture and reinstated it in Judea. In conjunction with this Hellenization, he undertook great building programs throughout his province. In order to gain favor with his subjects, he began an elaborate expansion program on the temple mount, eventually making the temple into one of the marvels of the ancient world. This building program was still in progress in Christ’s day. Herod the Great died shortly after the birth of Jesus, and the Romans divided the kingdom among Herod’s three sons. Philip ruled north and east of Galilee; Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea; and Archelaus ruled Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. Because of his ineptitude, Archelaus was removed by Rome in A.D. 6. His territory became a Roman province ruled by prefects appointed by Rome.
A group of Jews favored the reign of Herod Antipas and urged the people to support his sovereignty. For that reason they were called Herodians. The Herodians saw Herod Antipas’s rise to power as the fulfillment of certain messianic ideas then current. They preached their ideas and opposed any whom they felt might upset the status quo. This political party joined forces with the religious sect of the Pharisees to oppose Jesus (see Matthew 22:16) since they saw Him as a threat to their political aims.
In opposition to the Herodians stood the Zealots. They opposed gentile rule and influence and desired to keep Judea free. Some Zealots reasoned that violence was justified in seeking to overthrow Rome. Their rebellion in A.D. 6 was successfully suppressed by Herod Antipas on behalf of the Romans. After the death of Jesus, it was primarily the Zealots who led the revolt against Rome that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
At times during the intertestamental period temple services were interrupted, but the rites continued during most of that period. Priests made the proper sacrifice on the great altar, and the people continued to pray daily as a priest offered incense upon the altar in the holy place. Then one day a priest named Zacharias did not reappear as quickly as he should have from the holy place after his service. The people began to marvel, and well they might, for once again the veil had been lifted. The humble and aged Zacharias stood in the presence of an angel. “Thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son. . . .
“And he shall go . . . in the spirit and power of Elias . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:13, 17). This child would be John the Baptist, whose name in Hebrew means “gift of God.” Israel had a prophet once again, a forerunner who would prepare the way for Jehovah’s coming to earth as the Son of God and the Messiah Judah had awaited for so long. (For additional material see enrichment section K in Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi [religion 302, 2003], pp. 359–65.)
|
Statement in the Scriptures |
Pharisees |
Blind Man |
Parents |
|
1. “A man . . . called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said . . . wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight” (John 9:11). |
|
|
|
|
2. “This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath” (v. 16). |
|
|
|
|
3. “How can . . . a sinner do such miracles?” (v. 16). |
|
|
|
|
4. “He is a prophet” (v. 17). |
|
|
|
|
5. “Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?” (v. 19; they did not believe he had been born blind). |
|
|
|
|
6. “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind” (v. 20). |
|
|
|
|
7. “They feared the Jews” (v. 22). |
|
|
|
|
8. “We know that this man [Jesus] is a sinner” (v. 24). |
|
|
|
|
9. “I have told you already, and ye did not hear” (v. 27). |
|
|
|
|
10. “Thou art his [Jesus’] disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples” (v. 28). |
|
|
|
|
11. “Ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes” (v. 30). |
|
|
|
|
12. “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing” (v. 33). |
|
|
|
|
13. “Lord, I believe” (v. 38). |
|
|
|
|
14. “Are we blind also?” (v. 40). |
|
|
|
|
Scripture References |
Significance |
|
“A colt tied, whereon yet never man sat” (Luke 19:30; see vv. 30–35; see also Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:2–7; Mark 11:2–7; John 12:14–15). |
“He came riding on an ass, in token of peace, acclaimed by the Hosanna shouts of multitudes; not on a caparisoned steed with the panoply of combat and the accompaniment of bugle blasts and fanfare of trumpets. . . . The ass has been designated in literature as ‘the ancient symbol of Jewish royalty,’ and one riding upon an ass as the type of peaceful progress” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 516–17). |
|
“They spread their clothes in the way” (Luke 19:36; see also Matthew 21:8; Mark 1:8). |
“Only kings and conquerors received such an extraordinary token of respect as this. (2 Kings 9:13.) In every part of this triumphal entry to Jerusalem, Jesus seems not only to permit but to court the adulation and homage normally reserved for kings and great rulers” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1966–73], 1:578). |
|
“Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him” (John 12:13; see also Matthew 21:8; Mark 11:8). |
“Amid shouts of praise and pleas for salvation and deliverance, we see the disciples strewing our Lord’s course with palm branches in token of victory and triumph. This whole dramatic scene prefigures that yet future assembly when ‘a great multitude,’ which no man can number, ‘of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,’ shall stand ‘before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands,’ crying with a loud voice, ‘Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.’ (Rev. 7:9–10.)” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:578). |
|
“Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9; see also Mark 11:9–10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13). |
“No other man ever lived to whom such inspired acclamations of adulation, reverence, and worship have been or could properly be made. Here we see great multitudes bearing testimony of our Lord’s divine Sonship. In plain language they are hailing Jesus as the Son of David, the Deliverer of Israel, their Savior and Redeemer, the promised Messiah, the Son of God. And they are doing it wittingly, deliberately using the sacred expression, Hosanna, and quoting from the Messianic prophecy which ascribes salvation and triumph to the promised Son of David. “Hosanna means literally, save now, or save we pray, or save we beseech thee, and is taken from the Messianic prophecy which foretold that such would be the entreaty of Israel to their Messiah in the day of his coming [see Psalm 118:22–26]” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:578–79). |
|
“If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40; see also John 12:19). |
“The purpose of Christ in thus yielding Himself for the day to the desires of the people and accepting their homage with kingly grace may not be fully comprehended by us of finite mind. That the occasion was no accidental or fortuitous happening, of which He took advantage without preconceived intention, is evident. He knew beforehand what would be, and what He would do. It was no meaningless pageantry; but the actual advent of the King into His royal city, and His entry into the temple, the house of the King of kings” (Jesus the Christ, 517). |
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
The sixth day before Passover |
Bethany, Bethphage |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A supper at Martha and Mary’s |
Bethany |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jesus anointed by Mary |
Bethany |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Judas’s protest |
Bethany |
|
|
|
|
|
|
People gather to Jesus, Lazarus |
Bethany? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conspiracy against Lazarus |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
The fifth day before Passover |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prophecy fulfilled |
Mount of Olives |
|
|
|||
|
Triumphal entry |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Pharisees disapprove |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greeks wish to see Jesus |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Discourse: Jesus sent by the Father |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moneychangers cast out |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
The fourth day before Passover |
|
|
|
|
||
|
Fig tree cursed, withers |
Near Bethany |
see 13:6–9 |
|
|
||
|
Priests challenge Jesus’ authority |
Temple |
|
|
|||
|
Parable: Two sons |
Temple |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parable: Wicked husbandmen |
Temple |
|
|
|||
|
Parable: Wedding of a king’s son |
Temple |
|
see 14:1–24 |
|
|
|
|
Tribute to Caesar: Pharisees and Herodians |
Temple |
|
|
|||
|
Marriage, seven husbands: Sadducees |
Temple |
|
|
|||
|
Great commandment: Pharisees |
Temple |
|
|
|||
|
Pharisees put to silence |
Temple |
|
|
|||
|
Widow’s mite |
Temple |
|
|
|
||
|
Denunciation of hypocrisy |
Temple |
|
|
|||
|
Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
Discourse: Signs of Second Coming |
Mount of Olives |
|
||||
|
Parable: Ten virgins |
Mount of Olives |
|
see 12:35–36 |
|
||
|
Parable: Talents |
Mount of Olives |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parable: Sheep, goats |
Mount of Olives |
|
|
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
The third day before Passover |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(No actions or sermons recorded) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
The second day before Passover |
|
|
|
|
||
|
Jesus’ prophecy of Passover Crucifixion |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conspiracy at Caiaphas’s palace |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
Feast with Simon the Pharisee |
Bethany |
|
|
|||
|
Jesus anointed by a woman |
Bethany |
|
|
|||
|
Judas’s conspiracy to betray Jesus |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
The first day of unleavened bread |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
Eve of the Passover |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
“One of you shall betray me” |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Betrayer identified |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
Sacrament instituted |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Jesus washes disciples’ feet |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter ’s protest |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
Jesus’ example |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A new commandment |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jesus comforts the disciples |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another Comforter |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The True Vine |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Love one another |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hatred of the world |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Spirit of truth testifies |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warnings to the Apostles |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Comforter |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Opposition: Joy and sorrow |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prophecy: Flock to be scattered |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Jesus’ intercessory prayer |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Retirement to Gethsemane |
Mount of Olives |
|
||||
|
Peter: “When thou art converted . . .” |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prophecy: “Before the cock crow” |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
“Reckoned among the transgressors” |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jesus’ suffering and prayers |
Gethsemane |
|
||||
|
Judas’s betrayal |
Gethsemane |
|
||||
|
Arresting officers fall |
Gethsemane |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter defends Jesus with a sword |
Gethsemane |
|
||||
|
Disciples flee |
Gethsemane |
|
|
|
||
|
Jesus arrested |
Gethsemane |
|
||||
|
Hearing before chief priests |
Caiaphas’s palace |
|
||||
|
Peter’s denial |
Caiaphas’s palace |
|
||||
|
Soldiers mock Jesus |
Caiaphas’s palace |
|
|
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
The next morning |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Hearing before Caiaphas |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Hearing before Pilate |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Judas’s remorse and death |
Temple |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hearing before Herod |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Herod and soldiers mock Jesus |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Second hearing before Pilate |
Antonia |
|
|
|||
|
A murderer released |
Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Blood guiltiness |
Jerusalem |
|
see 23:4, 14, 22 |
see 19:4 |
|
|
|
Jesus scourged and mocked |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Jesus taken to Golgotha |
Near Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
The Crucifixion |
Calvary |
|||||
|
Soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ robe |
Calvary near Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
The sign: King of the Jews |
Calvary near Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Darkness: Sixth to ninth hour |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Jesus’ mother put in John’s care |
Calvary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Death of Jesus Christ |
Calvary |
|
||||
|
Earthquake: Veil of temple rent |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Pierced by a spear |
Calvary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Passover scripture fulfilled |
Calvary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Watchers near the cross |
Calvary |
|
|
|||
|
Jesus’ burial |
Near Jerusalem |
|
||||
|
Chief priests and Pharisees seal the tomb |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
First day: Earthquake, angels open tomb |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Mary Magdalene comes to the open tomb |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter and John run to the tomb |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
“Woman, why weepest thou?” |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
“Touch me not” |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Disciples told but disbelieve |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Two Marys come to the tomb |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Angels: “He is risen” |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Women meet Jesus |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
Officials bribe soldiers |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jesus appears to two disciples |
Emmaus |
|
|
|
||
|
Two tell others who disbelieve |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
Evening: Jesus appears to disciples |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|||
|
Thomas, absent, does not believe |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
Event |
Location |
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
John |
Latter-day Revelation |
|
Eight days later: With Thomas |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purpose of John’s Gospel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter: “I go a fishing” |
Sea of Galilee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter inquires about John |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Testimony about John |
Jerusalem |
|
|
|
||
|
The great commission to the Twelve |
A mountain of Galilee |
|
|
|||
|
Ascension, proclamation |
Near Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
| [PDF] [Bitmap] |
|
Exodus of Israel from Egypt |
A New Exodus |
|
God led the children of Israel through the wilderness by the Red Sea (see Exodus 13:18). |
|
|
Moses “came to the mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1; see also v. 12; 19:1–3). |
|
|
Jehovah multiplied signs and wonders (see Exodus 7:3; see also Exodus 7–11). |
|
|
The Lord instituted the Feast of the Passover (see Exodus 12). |
(John 6:4) |
|
God gave Israel manna or “bread from heaven” (Exodus 16:4; see vv. 3–35; Deuteronomy 8:3). |
|
|
The Lord told the people to gather only what they needed each day so nothing was wasted (see Exodus 16:16–30). |
|
|
The Lord promised to raise up a Prophet like Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15–18). |
|
|
The Lord saved the Israelites by parting the Red Sea; they walked through on dry ground (see Exodus 14). The account emphasizes darkness and wind (see vv. 20–21). |
|
|
Israel murmured against the Lord (see Exodus 15:24; 16:8; 17:3; Numbers 11:4–6). |
|
|
Prophets testified concerning the significance of the Exodus (see Exodus 14:31–15:21; Numbers 20:12; Deuteronomy 4:33, 35; 6; 26:5–9; Isaiah 51:9–16; 52:1–6; 1 Nephi 17; 2 Nephi 25:20; see also D&C 136:22). |
|
 |
| [PDF] [Bitmap] |
(Note: Dates are approximate.)
|
Journey |
Companions |
Cities/Countries |
Significant Events |
Epistles Written |
|
First missionary journey (A.D. 47–49); Acts 13–14; see Bible map 13 |
Barnabas, John Mark (see Acts 13:2, 5, 13) |
Antioch and Seleucia in Syria; Salamis and Paphos on Isle of Cyprus; Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe in Galatia |
Confronted by Elymas, a sorcerer; preached and healed on Sabbath; was persecuted and expelled from Antioch; stoned and thought to be dead; revived and preached again |
None known |
|
Jerusalem conference (A.D. 49–50); Acts 15; Galatians 2:1–10 |
Barnabas, Titus (see Acts 15:2; Galatians 2:3) |
Jerusalem |
Honored by Church leaders as a champion of the Gentiles in the gospel cause |
None known |
|
Second missionary journey (A.D. 50–53); Acts 15:36–18:22; see Bible map 13 |
Silas (see Acts 15:40), Timothy (see Acts 16:1–3), Luke (see Acts 16:10) |
Antioch in Syria; Tarsus, Derbe, Iconium, Lystra, and Antioch in Galatia; Troas; Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea in Macedonia; Athens and Corinth in Greece; Ephesus in Lydia; Jerusalem |
Directed in vision to teach in Macedonia; cast evil spirit out of damsel in Philippi; beaten and imprisoned with Silas; converted jailor; preached at Mars’ Hill |
1 Thessalonians (A.D. 50–51); 2 Thessalonians (A.D. 50–51); both Epistles written from Corinth (see Bible Dictionary, “Pauline Epistles,” p. 743) |
|
Third missionary journey (A.D. 54–58); Acts 18:23–21:15; see Bible map 13 |
Timothy, Erastus (see Acts 19:22); Gaius of Macedonia, Aristarchus (see Acts 19:29); Sopater, Secundus, Gaius of Derbe, Tychicus, Trophimus (see Acts 20:4); Luke (see Acts 20:5–6) |
Antioch in Syria; Tarsus, Iconium, and Antioch in Galatia; Ephesus, Troas; Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea in Macedonia; Corinth; Miletus, Patara; Tyre, Caesarea, and Jerusalem |
Conferred gift of Holy Ghost by laying on of hands; special miracles wrought of God through Paul; confronted worshipers of Diana; raised Eutychus from dead; foretold his own arrest and death |
A lost epistle (see 1 Corinthians 5:9); 1 Corinthians (A.D. 55 from Ephesus); 2 Corinthians (A.D. 56 from Macedonia); Galatians (A.D. 56 from Macedonia); Romans (A.D. 57 from Corinth) |
|
Arrest at Jerusalem and imprisonment at Caesarea (A.D. 58–59); Acts 21:16–26:32 |
Unknown |
Jerusalem and Caesarea |
Persecuted, arrested, bound; recounted story of his conversion; was tried before Ananias and Sanhedrin; the Lord appeared to him; brought before Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa; appealed to Caesar |
None known |
|
Journey to Rome (A.D. 59–60); Acts 27:1–28:16; see Bible map 13 |
Aristarchus, Luke (see Acts 27:2) |
Caesarea and Sidon; Islands of Crete, Malta, and Sicily; Puteoli to Rome along the Appian Way |
Perilous voyage to Rome; comforted by an angel; prophesied of danger; shipwrecked at Malta; bitten by viper but unharmed |
None known |
|
First Roman imprisonment (house arrest; A.D. 60–62); Acts 28:16–31 |
Epaphroditus (see Philippians 4:18), Epaphras (see Philemon 1:23), Timothy (see Philippians 1:1), Tychicus (see Ephesians 6:21), Justus (see Colossians 4:11) |
Rome |
Guarded daily by Roman soldier; preached to many visitors |
Philippians; Colossians; Ephesians; Philemon; Hebrews; all written from Rome between A.D. 60–62 |
|
Between Roman imprisonments (A.D. 62–65) |
Unknown |
Asia, Macedonia, Crete, and perhaps Spain (see Bible Dictionary, “Paul,” pp. 742–43) |
Sent counsel to priesthood leaders in letters |
1 Timothy (A.D. 64 from Macedonia); Titus (A.D. 65 from Ephesus) |
|
Second Roman imprisonment (A.D. 65) |
Luke (see 2 Timothy 4:11) |
Rome |
Wrote final testimony in 2 Timothy |
2 Timothy (A.D. 65 from Rome) |
|
City |
Description of Christ |
What They Did Right |
What They Did Wrong |
The Lord’s Correction |
The Lord’s Promise |
|
Ephesus (2:1–7) |
“He that holdeth the seven stars [the leaders of the seven churches] in his right hand” (2:1). |
“I know thy ________, and thy ________, and thy ________” (2:2; see vv. 2–3, 6). |
“Thou hast left thy first love [Christ]” (2:4). |
“Repent, and do the first ________” (2:5). |
“To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the ________ ____ ________” (2:7). |
|
Smyrna (2:8–11) |
“The ________ and the ________, which was dead, and is alive” (2:8). |
“I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty” (2:9). |
None given |
“Fear none of those things . . . : be thou ________ unto death” (2:10). |
“I will give thee a ________ of ________. “. . . He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the ________ ________” (2:10–11). |
|
Pergamos (2:12–17) |
“He which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (2:12). |
“Thou holdest fast my ________, and hast not denied my ________” (2:13). |
Some had accepted false teachers and were following false doctrines (see 2:14–15). |
“Repent” (2:16). |
“To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna” (2:17). Manna, or the bread of life, symbolizes Jesus Christ (see John 6:31–35, 48). |
|
Thyatira (2:18–29) |
“The Son of God, who hath . . . eyes like unto a flame of ________, and his feet are like ________” (2:18). |
“I know thy ________, and ________, and ________, and faith, and thy patience” (2:19). |
Some were suffering (allowing) false doctrines to be taught and were committing fornication (see 2:20–23). |
“I will give unto every one of you according to your works” (2:23). |
“To him who overcometh . . . will I give power over many kingdoms. “And he shall rule them with the ________ ____ ________” (JST, 2:26–27). |
|
Sardis (3:1–6) |
“He who hath the seven stars, which are the seven servants of God” (JST, 3:1). |
“Thou hast a few . . . which have not defiled their ________ [were not spiritually filthy]” (3:4). |
“I have not found thy works perfect before God” (3:2). |
“Hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not ________, I will come on thee as a ________ [suddenly]” (3:3). |
“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in ________ ________; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (3:5). |
|
Philadelphia (3:7–13) |
“He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the ________ ___ ________” (3:7). |
“Thou . . . hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (3:8; see also v. 10). |
Those “which say they are Jews, and are not” become “the synagogue of ________” (3:9). |
“Hold that fast which thou hast” (3:11). |
They will become ________ in the temple of God and will have the names of God and of the New Jerusalem written on them (see 3:12–13). |
|
Laodicea (3:14–22) |
“The _____, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God” (3:14). |
None given |
They were “neither ________ nor ________.” They were “________” (3:15–16). |
Buy gold from Christ (obtain treasure in heaven), clothe themselves with ________ ________ (become pure), and anoint their eyes (so they could see spiritually; see 3:18). |
“If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him. . . . “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne” (3:20–21). |
 |
| [PDF] [Bitmap] |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| [PDF] [HTML] [Bitmap] |
 |
| [PDF] [HTML] [Bitmap] |
 |
| [Bitmap] |
 |
 |
|
| [Bitmap] | [Bitmap] |
 |
 |
|
| [Bitmap] | [Bitmap] |