In 722 B.C. Northern Israel fell to the Assyrians. More than one hundred years later, the Southern kingdom fell, and the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. In 586 B/C. Israel, according to scripture, spent 70 years in exile and then returned to their land. The return to Jerusalem began with Zerubbabel and would be completed with Ezra and Nehemiah’s journey. This was completed in 445 B.C with the rebuilding of the Temple. In 434, The last O. T. prophet Malachi, said that God would send Elijah before the great and coming day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5/6.) When the Messiah came, this time-period was over four hundred years. The Elijah-type is John the Baptist. God apparently is through talking to His false-god seeking people. There is nothing to say, no words can bring about peace in their attitudes or ideas. God told them how to restore the broken relationship, but the people wanted their own leaders. When it was obvious the Israelites were not going to repair that brokenness, God sent hard times in hopes the folks would see and change. Our own experiences with family members has shown that in a contest of wills, the willful will go their own way. Most always, they won’t have any idea what the future holds but they feel comfortable they can succeed on their own. This was the picture of Israel. God’s words no longer had an impact and He was not going to continue the back and forth dialogue. Thus, the silence! God then prepared for the Messiah’s entrance into His own world. In the beginning of Genesis we see the Messiah as one of three Heavenly People creating the Universe. Why shouldn’t the Messiah be Jesus? Time dwindled to the birth of Christ. True to form, He was rejected! Christians should be thankful ’cause that rejection gave us the opportunity to become believers. By belief in the Messiah, we can have eternal salvation. Since Israel’s rejection of Christ, their timeline continues to run parallel to the Gentile’s. When we are relieved of the preaching commitment, Israel will have one last chance to accept Jesus. In Matthew 22:28-32. Perhaps God’s silence in those 400 years was His way of saying. further talk is useless. It’s done and it is what it is: and we have choices to make.