Bible Timeline · About 430 BC

Malachi and the 400 Quiet Years

Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament, preaching about 460 to 430 BC. He promised God would send a messenger and Elijah before the Lord came. Then for about 400 years no new prophet spoke, until John the Baptist.

Read it in the Bible: Malachi 3:1 Malachi 4:5-6 Matthew 11:10-14 Luke 1:17 Galatians 4:4

Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He preached in Jerusalem sometime around 460 to 430 BC, after the temple was rebuilt and while the Jews lived under Persian rule. His book ends with a promise that God would send His messenger, Elijah the prophet, before the great day of the Lord. Then the prophetic voice went quiet. For about 400 years no new prophet spoke, until John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness. That gap is often called the 400 silent years or the 400 quiet years.

Who Was Malachi?

We know almost nothing about him. His name means My messenger, and some even think it might be a title rather than a name. The Owner's Manual dates the book about 460 to 430 BC. The temple was rebuilt and running, a Persian governor was in charge, and the sins Malachi named are the same ones Nehemiah fought in Nehemiah 13.

What Was Malachi's Message?

The people had come home from exile with big hopes. Decades later, life was ordinary and a bit disappointing. Faith had gone stale. Malachi's book is set up as a series of arguments. God makes a statement, the people talk back, and God answers.

“I have loved you,” says Yahweh. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares Yahweh. “Yet Jacob I have loved, Malachi 1:2

That is the opening. God says I have loved you, and they answer, How? You can almost hear the eye roll. Then God lists the problems:

Priests were offering blind and sick animals, the leftovers nobody wanted, in Malachi 1:8.
Men were divorcing the wives of their youth, Malachi 2:14 to 16.
People complained that God did not care about justice, Malachi 2:17.
They were holding back their tithes, robbing God, Malachi 3:8 to 10.

In the middle of the scolding is a beautiful promise. God has not changed, and that is the only reason they have not been wiped out.

“Because I, Yahweh, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. Malachi 3:6

What Did Malachi Promise About the Messenger and Elijah?

Malachi ends with two promises that point straight to the New Testament. The first is about a messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord.

“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Malachi 3:1

The second is the very last word of the Old Testament in Christian Bibles.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of Yahweh. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:5 to 6

Because of this promise, Jewish families still set a cup for Elijah at the Passover meal and open the door for him, hoping he will come.

How Was Malachi Fulfilled in John the Baptist?

Four hundred years later, an angel told the priest Zechariah that his son John would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, Luke 1:17. The Gospels quote Malachi 3:1 about John. Jesus said it plainly.

This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew 11:10 to 11

And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Matthew 11:14

When people asked John if he was Elijah, he said no in John 1:21. That is not a contradiction. John was not Elijah come back from heaven in person. He came in Elijah's spirit and power, wearing camel hair and calling a nation to repent, just like Elijah. And at the Transfiguration, Elijah himself showed up on the mountain with Jesus.

What Happened During the 400 Quiet Years?

The years between Malachi and John the Baptist were quiet only in one way. No new prophet added to Scripture. Jewish writers felt this. The book of 1 Maccabees, written about 100 BC, speaks of a time when prophets had stopped appearing, 1 Maccabees 9:27, and of waiting until a true prophet would come, 1 Maccabees 4:46. Later rabbis taught that after Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, prophecy had ceased in Israel.

But history was anything but quiet. In those years:

Alexander the Great conquered the Persian empire and spread the Greek language everywhere.
The Old Testament was translated into Greek, the Septuagint.
Antiochus IV tried to wipe out Jewish worship, and the Maccabees fought back, giving us Hanukkah.
Groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes formed, and synagogues spread.
Rome took over Judea in 63 BC, and Herod the Great became king.
Roman roads and peace made travel easier than ever before.

Paul said Jesus came when the time had fully come, Galatians 4:4. Looking back, the quiet years were God setting the stage. The New Testament Introduction on this site covers the 400 Quiet Years in more detail.

Why Does the Old Testament End With Malachi?

In Christian Bibles, Malachi is the last book, so the Old Testament ends looking forward to Elijah and the coming Lord. The very next page is Matthew, with the birth of the Messiah. That is a great cliffhanger.

The Hebrew Bible arranges the same books differently. It ends with 2 Chronicles and Cyrus inviting God's people to go up to Jerusalem. Both endings look forward. One looks forward to going home, the other to God Himself coming.

What Does Malachi Mean for You Today?

Malachi speaks to anyone whose faith has gone stale. When church feels routine, it is easy to give God the leftovers. Malachi says God still loves you, God still has not changed, and God deserves your best.

And Malachi points to Jesus. The Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to His temple, Malachi 3:1 says. That is exactly what happened when Jesus was brought to the temple as a baby and later taught there. Malachi also promised that for those who fear God, the sun of righteousness would rise with healing in its wings in Malachi 4:2. After 400 years of quiet, the Light of the world arrived.

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Questions People Ask

Who was the last prophet in the Old Testament?

Malachi is the last prophet in the Christian order of the Old Testament, preaching about 460 to 430 BC. Haggai and Zechariah also preached after the exile, and Jewish tradition counts all three as the last prophets.

What are the 400 silent years?

The 400 silent years are the time between Malachi, about 430 BC, and John the Baptist, around AD 28. No new prophet added to Scripture, but Greek and then Roman rule, the Septuagint and the Maccabees all prepared the world for Jesus.

Was John the Baptist Elijah?

Jesus said John was the Elijah who was to come in Matthew 11:14. John himself denied being Elijah in person in John 1:21. Luke 1:17 explains it: John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, fulfilling Malachi's promise.

What does Malachi say about tithing?

Malachi 3:8 to 10 says the people were robbing God by holding back tithes and offerings. God told them to bring the full tithe into the storehouse and test Him to see if He would not pour out blessing. It was a call to trust God with their resources.

Sources

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