TIME TO RETURN TO THE LAND! LESSONS FOR TODAY

From Egypt to the Promised Land From the Promised Land To Exile Babylon and

Assyria From Babylon Exile back to the Promised

Land From The Promised Land To The Diaspora From The Diaspora to the Return to the Land The Final Great Exodus- The Reunification of

ALL of Israel-Judah and Ephraim under Messiah Yeshua

Israel was divided into two houses; Israel and Judah

1 Kings 11:11-13,26,31-35 1 Kings 12:15,24 11 Chronicles 11:4 Isaiah 8:14

Ephraim was later sent into captivity in Assyria and Judah into Babylon

11 Kings 17: 6,24 1 Chronicles 5:26 Ezekiel 1:1 1 Kings 14:15

Crash Course Jewish History The Babylonians think G-d has

abandoned the Jews and celebrate. But they have a surprise coming.

Psalm 137:1-6 The destruction of the Temp and the

exile to Babylon represents shock to the Jewish people.

ISRAEL BEFORE CAPTIVITY

In those days normative Judaism meant living with the constant presence of G-d, whish was always accessible at the Temple. Miracles occurred there daily and could be witnessed by anyone. For example, whichever way the wind was blowing, the smoke of the sacrifices always went straight to heaven.

DURING CAPTIVITY

However, even in exile G-d is looking after the Jewish people, even if His presence is now concealed. When the Babylonians first attached Israel the took away 10,000 of the best and the brightest with them. Because of this the Jews had an infrastructure in place

Yeshivas have been established

There is a Kosher butcher And a Mikveh Jewish life can continue and

as a result we see hardly any assimulation during the Babylonian exile.

Aramaic was the international language of this time (closely related to Hebrew)

Leviticus 26:44

The last King of Babylon is Belshazzar, he is well versed in Jewish prophecy and new that the G-d of Israel had a reputation. He had to be reckoned with and therefore the rulers kept up with Jewish beliefs and took Jewish prophets, such as Jeremiah seriously.

Jeremiah 25:11-12 Jeremiah 29:10 Daniel 5:1-5 He lets his guard down thinking

that he is now safe from judgment. WRONG! Daniel 5:25-28 That night the Persians and Medes attack

Another feast celebrating G-d’s abandonment of Israel puts in motion a plot to annihilate the Jews.

The armies of the Medes under Darius and the armies of Persia under Cyrus march into Babylon and conquer it. The Babylonian Empire ceases to exist and it is now absorbed by the new Persian Empire

Ezra 1:3 370 CE Cyrus issues a decree allowing all the indigenous peoples that had been exiled by the now-defunct Babylonian empire to go back to the homeland.

You would think that the Jews would jump up, pack up and go. But that’s not what happens. Of what is probably a millions Jews living in the empire only 42,000 go back-only about 5% of those that went into exile 70 years earlier go back and the remaining 95% stays put.

The same thing happened in 1948 when the state of Israel was declared. There were about 12 millinon Jews in the world at that time and only 600,000 or 5% settled the land. The rest of the 95% prefered to stay in exile. WHY?

The answer is the same for 370 BCE, as it is for 1948, as it is for today. The Diaspora is nice, its more comfortable to live in Brooklyn or Los Angeles or Toronto the in Israel. Why move if you have a nice big house in America and a nice standard of living and two cars, and you have nice schools.

Exiled to Babylon, they witness the fall of a mighty empire before their very eyes as the Persians invade

Permitted to return to the land of Israel by the Persian emperor Cyrus in 370 BCE, they reluctantly take up the offer, with only 42,000 of their number actually returning.

The returnees attemps to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem are aborted early as their angry neighbors, the not so good Samaritans complain to the emperor

In Persia, Haman, the chief minister to King Ashashverosh, hatches a plot to annilate the Jews. But Queen Esther (who is secretly Jewish) comes to the rescue in 355 BCE.

The next Persian monarch, Darius II, Esthers son, allows the rebuilding of the Temple in 347 BCE

EZRA – Ezra 1:1-11 Scribe and Cohen Built Alter Temple Foundation

NEHEMIAH Govenor Rebuilder of the

Walls of Jerusalem

The book of Nehemiah is not only a wonderful record of a crucial period in the history of Israel, but is also has amazing paraells to Israel today and the Restoration of ALL of Israel

FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF NEHEMIAH

•COMPASSION•COURAGE•CONFIDENCE•COOPERATON

Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king, a position of influence and honor. He lived in the palace, and his life was one of physical ease. Yet, he was a man who maintained a passion for the truth of God and Torah and therefore embodied four characteristics that made him Gods man for the hour.

Chapter 1

Nehemiah 1:2-4 Jerusalem’s condition caused him grief In his day, the condition of a city’s walls was not

only indicative of a city’s vulnerability, but also of the strength of its god’s. If a wall was large and fortified, it meant that the gods of that city were powerful and well able to protect the people from attack. But a city whose walls were in disrepair had a god who was weak and ineffectual, unable to repel an attacking enemy. Nehemiah wept and fasted many days when he realized that the Lord God of Israel’s reputation was being defamed by the broken down walls of his own city.

Nehemiah 2 The book of Nehemiah is filled with his acts

of courageous leadership and personal bravery.

Ancient kings were men of absolute power, sometimes benevolent and sometimes cruel. In Shushan, there were strict rules of etiquette that governed when and how one appeared before the King (i.e. Esther). If the King did not raise his sceptor to indicate permission to enter and speak, would be visitor could be subject to prison or death.

His confidence was not in himself but in the God that he served!

Prayer was the key to Nehemiahs success

Nehemiah was able to transmit his own vision and passion to others as he acknowledged God as the source of all success and the only solution to every problem

Nehemiah was a man who understood the necessity of cooperation in order to achieve Gods purposes. He was a team builder extraordinaire!

He is a picture ofGods rebuilding ofThe House Of DavidEzekiel 37

Report from Jerusalem Nehemiahs Prayer Other National Confession

Daniel 9:5-9 Isaiah 59:10-21 11 Chron 7:14

Nehemiah inspects the Wall Vs. 10- Displeases the enemy the he is

concerned for the welfare of Israel Scoffers Prov 1:22, 3:34, 13:1, 14:6, 19:29

Rebuilding the Wall. Everyone worked in unity to rebuild the wall. Unity is the key to accomplishing G0ds purpose and will.

1 Cor 12

Opposition to the Work vs 1-14 i.e. opposition against Israel today and

those who support them Fear Not Genesis 26:24 1 Kings 17:13 11 Kings 6:16 Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:1-3 Mattiyahu 10:30-31, Revelation 1:17-18

Opposition we hear today from those in the traditional Christian Church against us who are returning to Torah and our Hebrew Roots in Yeshua. We are walking the walk He walked!

Lies Torah is a burden The Law is fulfilled The Law is not Spiritual Yeshua’s Law replaced the Law of Moses We have the Spirit who needs the letter of the

law Your trying to be Jewish- (my answer thank you,

yes Just like Yeshua our Redeemer and Messiah) Etc etc. we will deal with these issues later