The Theft of the Scepter and the Sanctuary
Have you ever looked at your bible, and asked yourself; Why is there such a huge gap of time between the Old and New Testaments? It wasn’t because history had nothing to say for roughly four hundred years. Truthfully, it is because the people who gave you the bible did not want you to see what happened during that time frame. What happened you say? That time period began the greatest quadruple theft the world has ever encountered, and it has dramatically effected every person’s life on this planet! That is exactly why that blank gap exists in your bible.
To understand the theft, you have to look at the treasure. In the days of the Old Guard, the lines were drawn in stone: the King ruled, and the Priest served. It was a balance that had stood for centuries. But as the last of the prophets went silent, a new breed of men began to eye the Temple—not as a place of worship, but as a seat of total power. The stage was set for the first ‘Inside Job’. The tension comes from the fact that while the people thought they were safe behind the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem, the greed for those two positions was already simmering in the hearts of men who weren’t supposed to have them.
The true treasure of the kingdom that brought forth their protection and their wealth were the two ultimate and separate power structures of the kingdom. The royal line of the throne, and the separate and royal line of the Priesthood. That was the very physical foundation that kept the Holy Nation together.
After Judah’s 70 year captivity was up at the conclusion of their punishment, and they were allowed to return to rebuild Jerusalem, The Davidic Royal Line for the King returned with them. However, beings they were still under another nations rule, they could not be crowned as Kings. Instead, they were given the title of governor, but within the nation they still held the rightful Davidic King power. The last of this true line of Davidic power was Zerubbel (c. 538 B.C.), and the last recorded true Levite (Zadok line) was Jaddua (c. 330 B.C.)
Now we have to shift from the biblical accounts to the historical accounts of what took place. The start of the first betrayal is recorded down in history as occurring circa 175 B.C. when The legitimate High Priest, Onias III (the Zadokite “Old Guard”), was deposed by his own brother, Jason. Jason did not use scripture or bloodright to take the office; he used a massive bribe of silver to buy the appointment from the Greek King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This event shattered the “stone-drawn lines” for the first time in history, the High Priesthood was no longer a divine calling—it was a commodity for sale. The Price: 360 talents of silver (plus an extra 80 from other revenues).