Lesson 7

What is the Bible?

• Jonah 793-753 B.C.             Jonah
  • God had asked Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach to the wicked people of that city. I don't want to go to Nineveh
  • Jonah fled on a ship. God caused a great storm to occur. Jonah was cast off the ship when the crew realized he was running from God
  • God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah. He was inside the fish for 3 days and 3 nights before he finally consented to do God's bidding
  • He was to go to Nineveh to tell them their city would be destroyed because of their wickedness in 40 days
  • The people repented and God saved them. Jonah pouted
• Prophets speak            
  • Joel, Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habakkuk
• Assyria - Israel - Scatter             2 Kings 17-18
  • 722 B.C.
• Babylonia - Judah Exile             2 Kings 25
  • 605 B.C.
• Daniel             605-536 B.C.
  • Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon. He destroyed Jerusalem and Judah. He took captives to be trained as his personal servants
  • Daniel was one of those bright young men. Along with Daniel were Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah. The king changed their names to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
  • The king found out that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not worship a golden statue and had them thrown into the firey furnace. The three men were not harmed; even their clothes were not burned. An angel had been in there with them. The king promoted them to higher office and declared no one could speak against their God
  • Nebuchadnezzar dies. Daniel interprets the new kings dream. Daniel was elevated to the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night the new king was killed and Darius the Mede became the new ruler
  • Daniel was thrown in the lion's den for praying daily to God. Daniel was unharmed because an angel closed the mouths of the lions
  • Darius declares that everyone should fear Daniel's God
• 70 years             2 Chronicles 36
  • Total years in captivity in Babylon
• Persia - Judah Return             2 Chronicles 36; Ezra 1
  • The children of Israel return to Jerusalem
• Esther - Queen             478 B.C. Esther 1-9
  • The story of Queen Esther's life fits in the five decades occurring between chapter 6 and 7 of Ezra, between the first return led by Zerubbabel and the second led by Ezra
    1. It provides the only biblical portrait of the vast majority of Jews who chose to remain in Persia rather than return to Palestine after the exile
    2. God's hand of providence and protection on behalf of His people is evident throughout the book, though His name does not appear once
• Zerubbabel - Temple             Ezra 1-6
  • The head of the tribe of Judah leads the first return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian Captivity
  • He was to rebuild the temple
• Ezra - People             Ezra 7-10
  • Lead the second return and he was to rebuild the spiritual condition of the people
  • Ezra was a scribe and a priest
• Nehemiah - Wall             Nehemiah 1-6
  • He led the third and final return from exile to Jerusalem
  • He was Ezra's contemporary and cupbearer to the king in the Persian palace
  • He rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem
• 400 years - Silence            
  • Not another word was heard from 400 B.C. till 0 A.D.

Questionaire

1. Name one of the men in the firey furnace?
2. What did the king change Daniel's name to?
3. Who was the king of Babylon?
4. Where did God send Jonah?
5. How many years were the children of Israel in Babylon?
6. Who built the temple when they returned from Babylon?