spiritual life of Israel began to deteriorate. God’s final word, through the prophet Malachi, was primarily a rebuke for Israel’s sinfulness. But included in that message was the promise that the Lord and His messenger would someday come (Mal. 3:1; 4:5–6). That promise would not be fulfilled for about four hundred years, when John the Baptist (the messenger) would announce the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF PROPHETIC SILENCE CAPTIVITY Ezra Nehemiah — 400 years — The Gospels