Week 32 Tutorial: Jewish Exiles Return and Rebuild (Ezra 1–6; Psalm 137; Haggai; Zechariah; Esther)

Week 32 Readings of our 2025 Chronological Bible-in-a-Year Reading Challenge see us begin the narrative book of Ezra, as we witness the first wave of Babylonian exiles return to Judah in order to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah feature in this part of the story as they encourage God's people to persist in the rebuilding, despite the opposition and discouragement they face. Meanwhile, back in Babylon/Persia, a conspiracy is afoot to extinguish the Jewish population from the Persian Empire. This plan is fortuitously thwarted thanks to the wisdom of a man named Mordecai and the heroism of his young niece, Esther.

In this video, Chad Mansbridge first takes a step back and describes the Bible's 'story so far' in terms of 6 major ages: the 'Age of Second-Temple Judaism' being the one commencing here in this time period. He then introduces us to some of the major characters in this part of the story including Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the High Priest, the Persian kings, Israel's Samaritan neighbours and local Prophets who, as always, have both words of encouragement and warning for God's covenant people.

Believe it or not, despite the restoration taking place in this period of pre-exilic history, another ‘Day of the Lord’ is predicted against Jerusalem, to take place at some point in her future…

https://www.chadmansbridge.com

Participation in this Challenge is free and open to all!
1. Download & Print the PDF Reading Schedule here: https://bit.ly/2025BiblePlanPDF
2. Watch Chad's Weekly Videos at our Playlist: https://rumble.com/playlists/NLkJpY1qMHI
3. Set aside 90-120 mins every week (approx.) to work through the readings. This format has you walking through the Bible in a chronological manner: with psalms, prophets and epistles being inserted into the narrative at appropriate points.

Web: https://www.chadmansbridge.com
Facebook: / chad.m.mansbridge
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Enjoy this tutorial, get stuck into your readings... another one coming next weekend!