You can start to study the times of the Prophets and Kings by clicking on these pictures. This period of 500 years was a torrid time. Along with some of the main players of Israel, there were 39 kings, who include King Ahab, King Rehoboam, King Hoshea and King Zedekiah, and a large number of prophets, who include Jeremiah, Malachi and Zechariah.

750BC – King Jotham the 11th and a good King of Judah

2 Kings 15:32-38 and 2 Chronicles 27:1-9. Jotham became king at 25 years and ruled for 16 years. King Jotham did what was pleasing to the Lord. He also built the North Gate of the Temple. King Jotham conquered the Ammonites and the Ammonites paid Jotham yearly a large sum of money. King Jotham became powerful because he walked steadfastly with the Lord God of Israel. Jotham in Hebrew means: God is perfect or complete. Background Reading: 32 Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah during the second year of the reign of Remaliah’s son Pekah,   Read more »

Isaiah the Prophet (739BC-680BC) wrote the book Isaiah

2 Kings 18:1-20:21. Isaiah the Prophet (739BC-680BC) wrote the book Isaiah and his name appears in a number of other books. Isaiah prophesied in Judah during the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He was murdered by King Hezekiah's son King Manasseh. Isaiah in Hebrew means: Yahweh is savior. Background Reading: 1:1 This is the vision that Amoz’s son Isaiah had about Judah and Jerusalem during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Listen, you heavens, and let the earth pay attention, because the LORD has spoken:   Read more »

735BC – King Ahaz the 12th King of Judah

2 Kings 16:1-20 and 2 Chronicles 28:1-27. Ahaz became king at the age of 20 and ruled in Jerusalem for 16 years. He did not do what was pleasing to the Lord God. During his troubled reign King Ahaz turned away from the living Lord. In so doing he just heaped more trouble on himself and his kingdom. King Ahaz died a natural death, unlike a number of kings of Judah and Israel. Ahaz in Hebrew means: has held. Background Reading: 1 During the seventeenth year of the reign of Remaliah’s son Pekah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king of Judah.   Read more »

735BC-700BC – Micah the Prophet

The Old Testament includes writings which are called major and minor prophets. They are major or minor because of their size, e.g., Isaiah and Jeremiah are called major prophets because they are large books. By contrast, there are twelve books which we call minor prophets because they are small books. The writers of the major and minor prophets lived in similar times. Micah is one of the minor prophets. Micah prophesied around 735BC-700BC which was around the same time as Isaiah 739BC-680BC. Background Reading: Micah 1:1-7.   Read more »

732BC- 723BC – King Hoshea the last King of Israel was taken to Assyria King Hoshea

2 Kings 17:1-6. Shalmaneser King of Assyria took the House of Israel, or the Northern Kingdom of Israel, to Assyria. King Hoshea 732BC-723BC the 19th King, was the last King of Israel. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and was a traitor to Shalmaneser King of Assyria. God had told Israel to turn from their wicked ways through the prophets and seers. Background Reading: 17:1 During the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, Elah’s son Hoshea became king over Israel for nine years in Samaria.   Read more »

722BC – Israel Exiled as Slaves because of sin

Israel, as the Northern Kingdom or tribes were called, had been taken because of their sin in 722BC. The people of Israel were disobedient to God and sinned. God had said through the prophets that if they sinned and did not obey Him they would go into slavery for a set period of time. Shalmaneser king of Assyria removed these Israelites from their homeland to Assyria as slaves. Later King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would take the Southern Kingdom, called the House of Judah, captive to Babylon, starting in 605BC. Background Reading: 2 Kings 17:7-23.   Read more »

716BC-686BC – King Hezekiah was the 13th King of Judah

King Hezekiah was the 13th King of Judah, and in God’s eyes was a good king. Read 2 Kings 18:1-20:21 and 2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33. He reigned for 29 years - 716/15BC-687/86BC. Hezekiah in Hebrew means: Jah is strength. King Hezekiah’s prophet was Isaiah, the son of Amoz, who guided the king to what God wanted the king to do. Background Reading: 18:1 Now it happened that during the third year of the reign of Elah’s son Hoshea, king of Israel, that Ahaz’ son Hezekiah became king. 2 He was 25 years old when he became king,   Read more »

716-686BC – King Hezekiah – the sun goes backward

King Hezekiah became very ill with a bad boil and prayed and wept for recovery. But when the king was promised recovery, he asked for a sign. God replied through the prophet Isaiah giving King Hezekiah the choice of two amazing options: "Do you want the shadow of the sun to go forward ten steps or back ten steps?" King Hezekiah replied to Isaiah asking that the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. And it happened!! Speaking through Isaiah, God promised that He would also add fifteen years to King Hezekiah’s life. Background Reading: 2 Kings 20:1-11.   Read more »

695BC – King Manasseh the 14th King of Judah

2 Kings 21:1-18 and 2 Chronicles 33:1-20. Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king in Jerusalem and he ruled for 55 years. He was wicked in God's eyes, causing the people to sin against God. God used the king of Assyria to get King Manasseh to acknowledge God and follow Him. God did this by taking him prisoner to Babylon and waiting till King Manasseh prayed to his God before allowing him to return home and take up his kingship again. After his return from Babylon, King Manasseh removed the foreign gods and images he had placed in the Temple and in Jerusalem.   Read more »

660BC – The Prophet Nahum

Nahum prophesied about the same time as Zephaniah, Jeremiah and Habakkuk. Nahum prophesied against Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. The prophet describes the cruelty of the Assyrians as they conquered nation after nation. They conquered the Kingdom of Israel as the northern half of Israel was called in 722BC. The Nahum predicts the end of the Kingdom of Assyria. Background Reading: 1:1 A pronouncementa about Nineveh: The record of the vision of Nahumb from Elkosh. The LORD’s Anger against Assyria.   Read more »

642BC – King Amon the 15th King of Judah

2 Kings 21:19-26 and 2 Chronicles 33:21-25. Amon became king at 22 years but only ruled for two years. He rejected the Lord and the court officials killed him. Then the people killed the court officials and then appointed his son as the next king. Other things recorded are who his mother was and where he was buried. Amon actually worshiped the idols his father Manasseh had made. Amon in Hebrew means: builder, educator. Background Reading: 21:19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.   Read more »

640BC – King Josiah the 16th and a good King of Judah

2 Kings 22:1-23:30 and 2 Chronicles 34:1-35:27. Josiah was 8 years old when he inherited the throne from his father King Amon and he ruled for 31 years. King Josiah was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz. Josiah did what was pleasing to the Lord God. He was the last King of Judah to please the Lord God. Among the many things that King Josiah did that pleased God was he listened to and obeyed what the book of the Law of Moses had to say. He also reintroduced the Passover feast. King Josiah died from wounds he received in battle, opposing King Neco of Egypt.   Read more »

630BC – The Prophet Zephaniah

Zephaniah warned that the day of the Lord would bring judgement on Judah and Jerusalem and called the Jews to return to God. Background Reading: 1:1 This message from the LORD came to Cushi’s son Zephaniah, the grandson of Gedaliah and great-grandson of Hezekiah’s son Amariah, during the reign of Amon’s son Josiah, king of Judah: 2 “I’ll utterly sweep away everything from the land,” declares the LORD. 3 “I’ll consume both human beings and animals—I’ll consume the birds of the sky, the fish in the sea, and the wicked along with their sin,   Read more »

627BC-580BC – Jeremiah the prophet of God

Jeremiah was a prophet of God who also wrote the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. He lived from 627BC to 580BC. Jeremiah in Hebrew means: Jah is high. He was the son of Hilkiah, a priest from Anathoth. He prophesied during the reign of King Josiah, the 16th king of Judah, until after the Jewish Deportation to Babylon. All priests were of the tribe of Levi, but only the High Priests had to be descendants of Aaron. Jeremiah as a Priest or a Cohen(Kohen) was a direct descendant of Aaron because his father Hilkiah was a High Priest. Background Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-19.   Read more »

627BC – Jeremiah visited the potter’s house

Jeremiah 18:1-17 and 19:15. God asked Jeremiah to visit a local potter. God said, “I will give you a message for the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem.” Jeremiah found the potter at work making clay pots. God said to Jeremiah, “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.” God used it to explain to Jeremiah what was about to happen. Read the Background Reading below for that message God gave to Jeremiah for Judah and Jerusalem. Background Reading: 18:1 The message that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house,   Read more »

609BC – King Jehoahaz the 17th King of Judah King Jehoahaz the 17th King of Judah

2 Kings 23:31-35 and 2 Chronicles 36:1-4. King Jehoahaz was 23 when he inherited the throne from his father King Josiah and he ruled for 3 months as king in Jerusalem. He was deposed and deported to Egypt by King Neco and died there. King Jehoahaz's older brother Eliakim was made king in his place by Pharaoh Neco, who named him Jehoiakim. King Jehoahaz was evil in God's eyes. King Neco imposed a tax of one hundred talents of silver and one hundred talents of gold which in turn forced the next king of Judah, King Jehoiakim, to tax the people of Judah.   Read more »

609BC-598BC – King Jehoiakim the 18th King of Judah

2 Kings 23:36-24:7 and 2 Chronicles 36:5-7. King Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he succeeded his brother Jehoahaz [Joahaz] to the throne and he ruled for 11 years. Pharaoh Neco of Egypt made Joahaz's brother Eliakim king of Judah and he changed his name to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim sinned against the Lord God. He was taken in chains to Babylonia by King Nebuchadnezzar. King Jehoiakim was subject to King Nebuchadnezzar for at least three years of his eleven-year reign. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had just taken land off Neco the king of Egypt.   Read more »

609BC – Uriah the Prophet

Jeremiah 26:20-23. Uriah the prophet, the son of Shemaiah, led by God, prophesied against Jerusalem and this land just as Jeremiah did. This got him into trouble with King Jehoiakim of Judah who hated these messages. Uriah then escaped to Egypt to hide from the opposition but was found and brought back and killed by the king. Uriah in Hebrew means: God is my light.
Background Reading: 20 There was also a man named Uriah, Shemaiah’s son from Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied in the LORD’s name.   Read more »

607BC – The Prophet Habakkuk

Habakkuk saw the leaders of Judah were oppressing the poor. God told him that the Babylonians would come and destroy Judah, which they did in 605BC and came again in 586BC. God told Habakkuk that He would destroy the Babylonians and restore God’s chosen people to the land of Israel. Background Reading: 1:1 The pronouncement that the prophet Habakkuk perceived. 2 “How long, LORD, must I cry out for help, but you won’t listen? I’m crying out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you aren’t providing deliverance. 3 Why are you forcing me to look at iniquity and to stare at wickedness?   Read more »

605BC-536BC – The book of Daniel

Recommend you read the Book of Daniel. It covers over 70 years of Daniel’s life, who lived 605BC-536BC, and we find out why he had faith. Daniel was taken to Babylon from the land of Israel in 605BC, during the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim. He may have been 7-12 years old. Although he was never allowed to return to his native Israel, he served God faithfully in Babylon for the rest of his life. Daniel appears to be of royal or noble descent. In Hebrew, Daniel means: God is judge. . Background Reading: Daniel 1:1-21.   Read more »

604BC – Jeremiah used a scribe called Baruch

Jeremiah used scribes to write for him. One scribe he used was called Baruch. The burning of the scroll happened in the winter, in the ninth month of the fifth year of Judah's 18th king, King Jehoiakim who ruled between 609BC-598BC. So the burning of the scroll was either 604BC or 603BC.
Background Reading: Jeremiah 36:1-32. 36:1 In the fourth year of the reign of Josiah’s son King Jehoiakim of Judah, this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I’ve spoken to you about Israel, about Judah, and about all the nations,   Read more »

603BC – King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

During the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon,the king had a disturbing dream. In his distress, the king asked his royal advisers to explain the dream. However he refused to tell them what he had seen in the dream. Daniel (who is also called Belteshazzar) is then called in to interpret the dream. After time seeking God, Daniel understands the dream and explains it to the king. Read the Background Reading below to see what is to come on the earth in the future. Background Reading: Daniel 2:1-49.   Read more »

597BC – King Jehoiachin the 19th King of Judah

2 Kings 24:8-17 and 2 Chronicles 36:8-10. King Jehoiachin, 19th king of Judah, was 18 years old when he succeeded his father Jehoiakim to the throne. He ruled for 3 months and ten days. King Jehoiachin was evil in God's eyes. Jehoiachin was deposed to Babylon where he died of old age. Judah has not had an independent king as a ruler since and there will not be an independent king until the Messiah comes to rule his people. In the eighth year of the reign, King Nebuchadnezzar, taking a lot of prisoners, also took articles of value from the temple of the Lord.   Read more »

595BC – Judah goes into Slavery to Babylon

King Zedekiah of Judah and some of the people of Judah were taken captive as slaves to Babylon in 595BC. Many of the very poor were left behind to till or work the ground as farmers. The exiles were taken at three different times by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Years were 605BC, 595BC and 586BC. This time Jerusalem was totally destroyed and it was Nebuchadnezzar’s Third Capture of Jerusalem. As God had told them, they were away for seventy years, as the land made up for the lost yearly Sabbath rests. Background Reading: 2 Chronicles 36:11-21.   Read more »

592BC-570BC – The Scroll – one of Ezekiel’s messages

Ezekiel had to eat a Scroll and then tell his people what was on it. This vision is very much like the one John had in the book of Revelation. Ezekiel in Hebrew means: My strengthener is God. He prophesied from the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, king of Judah about 593BC. The early biblical scriptures were written on a scrolls and only transposed into books about AD1000 e.g. {Luke 4:17}. Ezekiel was from the tribe of Levi, born about 623BC into a priestly family who lived around Jerusalem and the Temple. The Temple was destroyed in 586BC. Background Reading: Ezekiel 2:1-10 and 3:1-21.   Read more »

587BC – Jeremiah the Prophet of God is put down a well

Jeremiah 38:1-40:6. Jeremiah the Prophet of God was put down a well as a prisoner. This event happened during the reign of King Zedekiah, 20th and last king of Judah 597BC-586BC. During the time Jeremiah was in prison he regularly spoke to King Zedekiah. Using a well as a temporary prison was a good idea as the prisoner down the well could not climb up its sides. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon allowed Jeremiah the prophet to live where he wanted. So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.   Read more »

597BC-586BC – Zedekiah the 20th King of Judah

Zedekiah the 20th King of Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Zedekiah to be King of Judah, which made him the 20th and, as it happened, the last king of Judah. King Zedekiah reigned for 11 years = 597BC -586BC and was evil in God’s eyes. King Nebuchadnezzar later deported King Zedekiah to Babylon because he did not do what he had asked him to do. King Nebuchadnezzar then made King Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, King of Judah and at the same time changed the name of Mattaniah to Zedekiah. Background Reading: 2 Kings 24:17-25:30.   Read more »

586BC – Jerusalem goes into captivity

2 Kings 25:1-25. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came again and finally destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 586BC. He took The exiles, including Daniel, to Babylon. The exiles were taken in three groups, Daniel was in the first of these groups. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar had taken the city 19 years earlier in 605BC. Yet some of the Jews who were left behind rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and fled to Egypt. Background Reading: 25:1 so on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar   Read more »

Golden Image made by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made a golden Image 27 meters (90 feet) tall. The King decreed, “When you hear the music, everyone must fall down and worship the image of gold!” But some of God’s people did not obey the King. They wanted to obey the Lord God, who had said do not bow down and worship idols made by man. Read the Background Reading to find out what happens. After you have read Background Reading, click on “next” at the bottom right of the page to get the next part of the story. Background Reading: Daniel 3:1-12.   Read more »

605BC-562BC – Fiery test in the Fiery Furnace

In 605BC, not only Daniel, but also three of his friends, were captured by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Daniel’s friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (their Hebrew names) were given Babylonian names - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Later in their lives they were challenged by a test of their allegiance - would they obey God or would they obey King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Read the Bible reading below to find out what happened to them. What happened to get King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon so excited? Background Reading: Daniel 3:13-30.   Read more »

572BC – The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel's vision from God about a valley of dry bones that came alive. God told Ezekiel it was where his people that he loved were at. This is where these famous words you hear in some songs come from: "Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD." Read Background Reading to find out what happens to the dry bones. Ezekiel in Hebrew means: My strengthener is God. Ezekiel had been taken 25 years earlier and the City had been destroyed 14 years earlier: see chapter 40. Ezekiel was from the tribe of Levi.   Read more »

539BC-538BC – Daniel in the Lions Den

Daniel (605BC-536BC) as a young Jewish boy (he may have been 7-12 years old) was taken from his Jewish homeland into captivity by the armies of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Throughout his 90 year lifetime, Daniel lived under the reign of at least 3 different kings. Because of his faith in God and his exceptional qualities, one of these kings, King Darius, planned to set Daniel over his whole kingdom. He was liked by all except those who wanted his appointed position of service. That jealousy saw him put into a lion’s den for a night. Background Reading: Daniel 6:1-28.   Read more »

520BC – The Prophet Haggai

Haggai’s message was that the time had come to rebuild The Temple of God in Jerusalem. The Temple they would build would be grater than that of the former Temple even if the building was less grand. This temple would have the glory of God fill His house with His glory. Background Reading: 1:1 On the first day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of King Darius, this message from the LORD came by Haggai the prophet to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest:   Read more »

536BC-516BC – Temple rebuilt by Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel led the first group of exiles back to Jerusalem in 536BC. Grandson of King Jehoiakim 18th King of Judah. Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, from the tribe of Judah, was the governor of Jerusalem and Joshua the son of Jehozadak was the high priest. Temple rebuild was started 536BC, then there was a break of fourteen years. The temple rebuild project restarted again in 520BC and finished 516BC. Zerubbabel in Hebrew means: Shoot of Babylon. Two of the prophets around at this time were Haggai and Zechariah. Background Reading: Haggai 1:1-2:23.   Read more »

528BC-488BC – The Prophet Zechariah

Zechariah 1:1-13. Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo, prophesied 518BC-488BC and was of the priestly tribe of Levi. The book of Zechariah is an interesting prophetic book with only fourteen chapters. It starts with 'A Call to Obedience' and ends with 'The Coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom'. Unlike the prophet Zechariah in Hebrews who was killed about 795BC-796BC, we have no account of how or when this Zechariah died. Over 25 men with the name Zechariah are mentioned in the Bible. Zechariah in Hebrew means: Jehovah remembers or renowned.   Read more »

468BC – Esther becomes the Queen of Persia

The beautiful Jewish girl from the tribe of Benjamin who saved her people, the people of Israel. Esther became the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia, also known as Xerxes or Achashverosh, the son of Darius I Hystaspes, about the year 478BC. Esther is the Persian name for Hadassah. She was the daughter of Abihail, who was Mordecai's uncle. (Mordecai had adopted his younger cousin Hadassah.) Hadassah in Hebrew means: Myrtle and her Persian name Esther means: The planet Venus. Today the deliverance of Israel recorded in the book of Esther is celebrated by the feast of Purim. Esther 1:1-9.   Read more »

464BC – Nehemiah rebuilds the walls

Nehemiah a man of prayer and Cupbearer to the King Artaxerxes (Artch'shashta). Nehemiah later became Governor of Jerusalem. And rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. Nehemiah in Hebrew means: Jah is comfort. The book of Nehemiah, named after Nehemiah is the memoir, of building the walls of Jerusalem and of setting up the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The first three chapters of Nehemiah cover the rebuilding of the walls to keep the people of God safe. The next four chapters cover God taking a personal interest in each person. Background Reading: Nehemiah 2:1-10.   Read more »

458BC – Ezra

Nehemiah 8:2-18 or Ezra 1:1-13:30. Ezra a famous priest and scribe, a descendant from Hilkiah the high priest. Ezra returned from captivity to Jerusalem in 458BC. Ezra in Hebrew means: Help. He wrote the books, Ezra and Nehemiah. The emphasis in the book of Ezra is the rebuilding of the Temple. Ezra also helped rebuild Israel's faith after the exile. Background Reading: 8:1All the people gathered as a united body into the plaza in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.   Read more »

435BC-412B – Malachi a prophet of God

Malachi lived – 435BC-412BC. Malachi’s main concern was that the people of Israel had once again forgotten God and were failing to do what God required. Malachi, along with Haggai and Zechariah, were three prophets who prophesied after the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon. That is they were called "post-exile prophets. Malachi in Hebrew means: Messenger of Jah. Malachi also writes about the coming of the Messiah. Background Reading: Malachi 1:1-4:6.   Read more »

400 Years – the gap between Malachi and Jesus

The closing of the book of Malachi ends what we call the Old Testament, and starts a 400 year period of Divine silence in Bible history which ended with the arrival of Jesus on earth. This 'gap' was from about 420BC to about 7BC and is noteworthy for no messages from God to any of the restored people of Israel. God was fulfilling prophecy and counting down to the time when Jesus would arrive on this earth. Jesus' arrival opens for us the New Testament and its first book, the Gospel of Matthew. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible started about 284 B.C. It was called the Septuagint.   Read more »

170BC-37BC – Hasmonean Dynasty, This family stayed faithful to God

Maccabee in Hebrew means: Hammer. This was the nickname for Judas one of the five sons of a Jewish priest from Modiin, Mattathias the Hasmonean, Judas, continued to lead the revolt after the death of his father and the Hasmonean dynasty ruled Israel between 168BC-63BC. The Hasmonean dynasty ended in 37 BCE when the Idumean Herod the Great became king of Israel. He was put in by the Roman Senate. The Seleucid Empire based in Syria was the occupying force in Israel at this time and forced on the local Jews the Greek ways and thinking.   Read more »

63BC – A Roman Soldier representing the Roman Empire in the restored Israel

Two brothers from the Hasmonean dynasty in 63BC, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, vied for the throne in Jerusalem. Because neither could win, they invited Rome to intervene a bad move. Rome agreed and the Roman overlords did not leave Israel until the Empire fell some 500 years later. The Romans were seen as a foreign occupying force by many of the local Jews. The headquarters of the Roman army was at Caesarea with a seaport called Sebastos. In 63 BC the Roman General Pompey captured Jerusalem after being invited to come by both Hyrcanus and Aristobulus.   Read more »

20BC-AD25 – King Herod the Great built a Temple for the Jews

King Herod rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem and many other building projects around Israel, including Caesarea with its seaport. King Herod the Great pulled down the Temple that Zerubbabel had built in 516BC. King Herod then started to build a new temple in 20BC. It took 46 years to rebuild and was finished about AD25 - see John 2:22. So it was basically a new building at the start of Jesus’ ministry and was in the process of being built when Jesus was presented there as a baby and as a twelve-year-old boy.   Read more »

Angel Gabriel God’s Messenger

The angel Gabriel told Mary that she was going to have a baby, and to call him Jesus. Also that Elizabeth her cousin was six months pregnant. Mary in answering the angel calls herself a bond slave to the Most High God: “I am the Lord’s servant.” In Greek, the word "servant" means bond slave. In Hebrew Gabriel means: God is mighty. Angels are God's messengers. God has used angels to announce to mankind things He is going to do. For example, Abraham, Daniel, and John in the book of Revelation. Background Reading: Luke chapters 1:1-2:52 & 3:21-38 Matthew chapters 1:1-24 and 2:1-23   Read more »

4BC -AD32 – Jesus – The author and giver of all faith

The only perfect man who ever walked on this earth. His public ministry was but three and a half short years. God has planned (promised) something better for us so that only through Jesus we can come to the Father. Only together with Jesus would we be made perfect. Background Reading: Old Testament Bible references: - Genesis 1:1-, Isaiah etc. New Testament Bible references: - Mark, Luke, John, Revelation etc. Also look at these modules Birth of Jesus or Acts or The book Revelation.   Read more »

AD32 – The cross, a Roman method of killing people

Jesus died on a Roman death machine to bring us life. The main purpose of Jesus' life was for Him to die on the cross, and then to be raised to life from the dead. This resurrection enables us to access God, His Father. In Genesis 3:14-15 God told Satan he was going to lose and His son Jesus was going to win the war between Satan and God over mankind. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” The cross is the ultimate in love from God. Jesus God's only Son died on a Roman death machine to bring us life and right relationship with God His father. Background Reading: Luke 22:1-24:12.   Read more »

Questions and Answers 1-24

1. King Jotham 11th King of Judah? 2. What book in the Old Testament did Isaiah write? 3. King Ahaz 12th King of Judah? 4. What did Micah the Prophet foretell? 5. House of Israel, as the Northern Kingdom or tribes were called, had been taken because of their sin in which year? 6. King Hoshea the last King of Israel was taken to Assyria by whom? 7. King Hezekiah was the 13th King of Judah and had help from which prophet of God? 8. Why did King Hezekiah ask for the sun to go backward? 9. How many years did King Manasseh the 14th King of the House of Judah rule?   Read more »

Questions and Answers 25-46

22. What is the name of a famous song about The Valley of Dry Bones? 23. Jeremiah the Prophet of God is put down a well. Who was the important man Jeremiah spoke with during this time? 24. What happened to King Zedekiah the 20th King of Judah? 25. What happened to Jerusalem? 26. Did Judah go into Slavery to Babylon? 27. Why did King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon make a Golden Image? 28. What were the names of the men who were put in the Fiery Furnace? 29. Daniel’s Godly life of prayer had him put where by those who hated him?   Read more »

Next Module – 400 years

Next Module - 400 years gap
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