The Silence Era is personified by swelled with pride religious leaders, absorbed with their own importance, causing hypocrisy, leading to more disappointing spiritual guidance from the Sanhedrin. 

This ERA creates an atmosphere much like the democrats and republicans and congress of today, they mainly promoted an external adherence to laws while promoting little desire for Godliness. 

During that time they instead created an antagonism toward God's ordained coming of Jesus. 

Although the Jews ended up with a common language, a great culture, and a usable government with relative peace, and the ability to extensively travel, they suffered from religious persecution and humiliation.

Their created inference of self inflicted turmoil made them anxious for a messiah of their own invention.

If you want to know more, read on.

Understanding the Bible, Part Six

Robbie L. Rogers

Last we dealt with the Return Era: or seventy years in Babylonian captivity and the consequent return to refocus their worship of God.  Remember just as Daniel encouraged them, so does the scripture do for us today.

The POETICAL BOOKS: Job to Song of Solomon, broken into: Lyrical (accompanied by music like a song); Instructional, teaching principles of living; Dramatic, telling a story.

They often use Parallelism of six types: Synonymous or matching ideas; Synthetic or second thought completing the first one; Antithetic or second thought contrasting with first; Emblematic or first uses figure of speech to illustrate second line; Climactic or second repeats first except last word or words; Formal or both lines used to complete a thought.

Figures of speech used: Similes or comparisons between two unlike things; Metaphors or comparison which one thing said to be another; Hyperbole or deliberate overstatement to emphasize question, or asking to make a statement; Personification or giving human characteristics to lifeless objects.

JOB: Shows how we can suffer and displays God's sovereignty.  Job was very wealthy but loses it all, his: health, wealth, and family, plunging him into profound suffering, with a series of debates with three of his friends trying to understand God's prospective. Job's questions are never answered, but he willingly submits to God and everything is restored.

PSALMS: Worshipful Public Praise, Lyrical poetry, half of them written by King David.

PROVERBS: Poetry giving the wisdom and skill needed for living God's life, highlighting: practical, discernment, self-discipline, and moral courage; also includes money, morals, speech, industry, and honesty.

ECCLESIASTES: Poetry showing the futility of unrighteous or temporal pursuits.

SONG OF SOLOMON: Poetry of God's marriage manual, showing intimate love.

The PROPHETICAL BOOKS or Isaiah to Malachi tend to grab us by the collar.

Why is that?  Because man always wants to know what the future has in store for us or what God intends to do before He does it.

God hung a veil hung a veil between Himself and His people until Christ, except for the prophet's ministries.

What is happening now? The fulfillment of the Word!

How can we tell a true prophet from a false one?

God's prophets are 100% right.  Actually during the old testament times, if they were wrong what happened to them?  They were stoned to death!  Consequently not many false prophets stepped forward, at least who had much of a life expectancy.

These books break into MAJOR & MINOR PROPHETICAL BOOKS.

The Major Prophetical being: Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel; and Daniel, the remaining Books are classified as Minor.

Why are they broken thusly?  Theologians simply break them down according to how long they are.

The Time Period: breaks into: Pre-exile; Exile or post exile.

LOOK AT the COROLLARY chart, follow Era 7 down, see where the time periods are, it should be self explanatory.

The difference between a Foretelling prophesy verses a Forthtelling one should be readily apparent and are sometimes both found in the same prophets ministry.

Foretelling simply, tells us before it happens, or tells us what God is going to do. Forthtelling, exposes sins, calling for a higher life style, warning of judgment if changes not performed, and proclaiming the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.