Between the closing words of Malachi to the opening words of Matthew, 400 years passed without a Word from the Lord. 400 years with ‘radio silence’ from God. Some exciting preparations took place during that time of "silence". The world scene had changed as Rome had taken over Israel and became the major world power. We had the prophecies of Isaiah and the other prophets that spoke of the future Messiah, but no glimpse of the promises…..Last week we looked at the silence being broken by the cries of a baby.
The time of Jesus's birth was at God's appointed time. It was God that brought it to fulfilment. Nothing could bring it about 1 millisecond before God said so, and nothing could delay it. During this time, He rearranged the scenes of history, much like a stage crew rearranges the sets after the curtain has been drawn, and when the curtain rises again there is an entirely new scene.
"When the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son." Now was the time!
