We are in the home stretch to the New Testament. Less than 2 weeks to go and we have 11 days of excellent reading to do!
Let’s do some summary here so we can feel this book come alive. There are 16 prophecy books, right?
- 11 Before the Captivity
- 2 During the Captivity
- 3 After the captivity
So who are the last 3 prophecy books? Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi!
So here is the 1-minute recap:
Judah (the southern nation) has been conquered by Babylon under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
The capital (Jerusalem) was demolished and all the plunder was carried away. (586 BC). This is called the captivity.
70 years have passed and just as prophesied a Persian King named Cyrus released the Jews to go back to the homeland but only about 50,000 go. 
They began to rebuild the temple and after they laid the foundation the work stopped, due to pressure from the enemies. Nothing advanced in construction for 15 years.
A new king is on the throne named Darius and 2 men began to bring a message to the people of encouragement to complete God’s work: Haggai and Zechariah.
Haggai is an elder who probably remembers the first temple.
So here is a book that I know will give you a personal message from the Lord about staying the course when it looks like you should give up on a task the Lord has given you. Don’t let the enemy win.
Reading the Bible - 2021 