Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

  PART ONE The prophesied 70 year Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people had finally come to an end. There were three deportations of the Jews to Babylon including in the years 605, 597, and 586 BC. The Medo-Persian king Cyrus the Great gave a decree that the Jews could return to Judah and rebuild the House of the Lord in Jerusalem. A minority of Jews heeded the call. Among the returnees were an older man named Haggai and a younger man Zerubbabel. Just as there were three deportations to Babylon, so there were three returns from Babylon: Return One : Haggai and Zerubbabel (536 BC); Return Two: Ezra (457 BC); Return Three : Nehemiah (444 BC). As Cyrus encouraged, the returning Jews set about to rebuild the ruined temple of Solomon. The mere attempt of bringing back the sacred precincts stirred up furious opposition from the non-Israelite neighbours, leading to a decree to cease building. The temple languished for about 16 years while the Jews in Judah sought to recreat...

For thus saith the LORD, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place - Jeremiah 29:10 The Hebrew people were prophesied to go into captivity because of their sin; yet, in grace and mercy, after 70 years they would return home to Judah. The Book of Ezra, which was once attached to Nehemiah as one book, tells the needful story of the fulfilment of this prophecy. Ezra was the religious and Nehemiah the political leader. The twin-themes of the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament was condemnation for sin yet comfort and consolation in mercy; of rebuke and restoration; of reprobation and revival. We see in Ezra that there is hope in God and He always keeps His promises. HEBREW NAME ‘Ezra’ is the Aramaic version of the the Hebrew ezer. It means ‘help,’ which is something God is more than willing to do. AUTHOR Ezra is universally considered to be the author of the ...