22. Artaxerxes, Ezra, and Nehemiah

The last great king of the Persians, Artaxerxes I, authorized the return of Ezra to the Holy Land to deal with deficiencies in the practice of worship among the people of God, and Nehemiah, who dealt with political problems, and oversaw the rebuilding of the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Later Malachi brought the last prophetic word to God's people before the lengthy 'intertestamental period' that would end with the ministry of John the Baptist.