Tara-Leigh Cobble

First, the Assyrians defeat northern Israel and take them into captivity.

Southern Judah eventually falls under siege by the Babylonians.

When southern Judah falls, many of God's people in Jerusalem are carried off into exile.

But God promises them that there's a timeline on this exile.

He'll bring them back to the land in 70 years.

Not only that, but he'll punish the enemies who are oppressing them.

And he doesn't leave them alone during their exile in Babylon.

He sends prophets to remind them of his promises and the fact that his character has remained the same through all the generations, through all their sins.

He's always been working out his plan for restoration.

When the 70 years are up, he brings in Persia to defeat Babylon, and God causes the Persian kings to show favor to the exiles, not only letting them return to Jerusalem, but paying the bill for them to rebuild the city the Babylonians destroyed.

They finish the temple and begin to offer sacrifices and celebrate feasts again, but they quickly fall back into their old sin patterns, oppressing the poor, marrying people who don't love Yahweh, dishonoring God and his Sabbath and his laws.

God sends more prophets to rebuke them.

The people are turning away because God's promises don't seem to be coming true.

But he reminds them that he has been fulfilling the promises.

He brought them back to the land on his exact timeline and rebuilt their city.

The end of the Old Testament marks the beginning of a period known as the 400 years of silence.

During that time period, we have no written records of God's engagement with mankind, but we know he's there, working out his plan in the meantime, in and through his people.

During this time, the Roman Empire starts to rise up and takes control of Israel in 63 BC.

The Jews are tired and they're ready for rescue.

They've been driven from their land, had their cities destroyed, have lived as exiles and as slaves, had to rebuild their cities, and are now living back in their homeland under the oppression of one of the cruelest empires in the history of mankind.