Introduction to the Return (with Jeff Cavins) - 2026
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What is the “Return” period and why does it matter for biblical history?
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. Speaking of the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, once again, we are blessed as we go into the next time period of the Great Adventure Bible Timeline to have the creator. Of the Great Adventure Bible Timeline. Jeff Cabin's with us once again. Ah, gosh, we're excited. He was just with us maybe, gosh, a little over a week ago as we were introduced to Matthew, the gospel of Matthew.
And here we are, new time period. We've left behind the exile and all the prophets. And now heading into this next time period, which is the returns. Jeff, thank you once again for joining us and helping us on these steps forward.
Well, it's good to be with you again. And uh I'm excited to always go from exile to the return, brighter days ahead. Right. And that's the uh that's the yellow period on the Bible timeline chart. And and it is, it's a new beginning and I'm looking forward to going through it with you.
Yeah, that's so good. Because I'm I mean, I think I don't know how much people have paid attention to the colors of the Bible timeline. Hopefully they have, because that's one of those mnemonic devices that you had come up with that just helps the baby blues in that sense, or singing singing the blues uh in exile. And just it's been so long. Um, it was interesting for me at least to be able to journey according to the Bible timeline, right? And in that chronological journey of here is the stories of The kings and chronicles that led into exile, and then to be able to hear the prophets talking about, yes, here's what's coming. So to know the story and then to hear the prophets' voices in the context of the story was I it was just it was fascinating for me.
But to realize the story's not over, right? Even though you have Jeremiah and those who were left behind over in Egypt and they're they're gonna die there, and you have the the other Jews who were brought up to Babylon and and they're Not going to be left. They're not going to be abandoned. They're not exiled forever. But there is the next step. And that's our step today. So I I can't wait for uh this introduction.
Yeah, it well, you know, when you get to the period of the return, it is brighter days ahead and and it it has been rough, hasn't it? You know, he went into exile and seventy years in Babylon. And during that period, a lot of things really developed. They didn't have the temple. And so this is really the rise of the synagogue during this time period. It's also the rise of the the party of the Pharisees who are really the teachers and the kitchen table really becomes the place where sacrifice is is realized in a deeper way because they don't have the temple. So they have all of the kosher rules that are starting to develop uh in Judaism during that time, which we hear about when Jesus uh comes and dwells among us.
And so when they leave exile, it It should remind us of something, and that is coming out of Egypt, because this whole pattern of exile and return, exile and return, is is really, really important. We see it in uh the Exodus, we see it in the book of Judges, we see it here.
How did the rise of the synagogue and the Pharisees change Jewish worship after exile?
We're also going to see it in the New Testament because Jesus in Luke is going To he is going to announce the great return from exile, and the story that he uses to really illustrate it is Luke 15, which is the prodigal son. And so not only is this a pattern in the Old Testament. It is a pattern in our own lives as well. And there's so much that we can learn that we can learn from it. So it's uh it's a very exciting time period.
That is, and and I really appreciate the fact that you highlighted because I think for probably a lot of people who have been journeying with us um through the Bible in a year, one of the things that is a question is often what is the role of the synagogue versus the role of the temple?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the “Return” period and why does it matter for biblical history?
0:04–3:17
2
How did the rise of the synagogue and the Pharisees change Jewish worship after exile?
3:17–7:55
3
Why does God use Cyrus the Great to enable the Israelites’ return to Jerusalem?
7:55–11:42
4
What roles do Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah play in rebuilding the temple, law, and walls?
11:42–14:47
5
How does the story of the prodigal son illustrate the pattern of exile and return?
14:47–18:32
6
What can modern believers learn from the three‑fold “tripod” of sacraments, Scripture, and community?
18:32–22:21
7
How do the prophetic books Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi speak to the challenges of rebuilding?
22:21–25:54
8
Why is this period of return a model for personal restoration after life’s hardships?
25:54–29:43