A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

by Pastor Gayle Evers

071 The Exile and the Return - The 70 Sevens and the End of the Exile

Jeremiah prophesied that the exile would last 70 years, and in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia Daniel realizes the 70 years is up. He prays for God to remember his promise, and immediately, God sends the angel Gabriel with news of great blessings that will occur during a set of “70 Sevens.” The news isn’t exactly what Daniel is expecting, but it is great news nevertheless. Gabriel ends his news with some rather alarming predictions about the Messiah and the end times. We’ll take a look at the “70 Sevens” and see how we might make sense of them. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

072 The Exile and the Return - Prophecy or History?

Ezra 1, Neh 7, Daniel 10-11a In a surprise move, Cyrus the Great decrees that any exiles who wish to may return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. He orders exiles staying behind to contribute gifts towards the effort, and Cyrus himself sends gold and silver from the treasury. Meanwhile, in Babylon, Daniel is visited by an angel who gives him a detailed account of the future. The prophecy is so detailed that we can match it up exactly to historical events until about 165 BCE, then the wheels fall off the wagon. Did Daniel’s prophecy morph to the more distant future at that point? Was his original prophecy overwritten with historical detail and recorded around 165 BCE, leaving the rest of the prophecy untouched? A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

073 The Exile and the Return - Daniel's Grand Finale

Daniel 11b-12 After the set-up of the timeline in the “70 Sevens,” the angel goes on to explain to Daniel a series of wars and intrigue between a King of the North and a King of the South. All of the details fit perfectly with what happens historically between Antiochus IV Epiphanes and Egypt--until the time Antiochus dies. Then the events no longer match up to history. Even before that, the wording in Daniel begins to wobble between the time of these kings and the End Times. There are several clear End Time markers in the text, including prophecy about resurrection and judgment and the afterlife. In our breakout groups, we take a look at how beliefs regarding the afterlife morphed over the biblical period and we think about these influences on God’s people. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

074 The Exile and the Return - Laying the Foundation of the New Temple

Ezra 2-4:5, Haggai, Zechariah 1-4 The newly returned exiles start off by building an altar for their future Temple and beginning sacrifices and feast days. But they and their leaders, Joshua and Zerubbabel, run into stiff resistance laying the foundation of the new Temple in Jerusalem. The opposition delays them for years. When they do lay the foundation, they have a huge celebration, but the size of the new Temple’s footprint is so small and pathetic the elders actually weep in sorrow. Joshua and Zerubbabel are clearly discouraged. But the Lord sends the prophet Zechariah with magnificent words of encouragement that have reverberated through the ages. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

075 The Exile and the Return - Zerubbabel's Temple is Finished

Zechariah 5-14, Ezra 5-6 Zechariah has three more visions (including one of a huge flying scroll) and then the Lord tells him to make some crowns. He’s to put one of them on the High Priest Joshua. Zechariah’s encouragement helps Zerubbabel and Joshua press on. The last bastion of resistance falls, and the Temple is finally completed. What a celebration they have! We finish Zechariah--diving into his important End Time prophecies, looking for themes and searching out the heart of the Lord. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

076 - The Exile and the Return - Esther - Heroes, Sheroes, and Villains

The story of Esther has been a smash hit for millenia. And for good reason--what’s not to love about an orphan girl raised to be queen who is hiding a deadly secret and when threatened by the most dastardly villain is able to vanquish him with her cunning and shrewdness? There’s more to the story than this, of course. There are reasons this story is in the Bible. There are reasons it has stood the test of time. We uncover hidden meanings and use our backpack tools to break open the overarching chiasm that reveals the central message of the book. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

077 - The Exile and the Return - Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem

Ezra 7-10, 4:7ff, Nehemiah 1-12 The Israelites have run amok in the 60 years since the Temple was rebuilt. King Artaxerxes sends Ezra, a renowned scholar, a priest, and a gifted teacher, to Judah and Jerusalem to teach all the people the Law of Moses. Ezra is horrified when he finds the Israelites have intermarried with the local people and have fallen back into idolatry. His teaching and prayers ignite a revival among the Israelites, and the foreign wives are sent away. It only takes another 10 years or so, however, for the Israelites to fall away again. And in all this time they’ve not even started rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah, the king’s wine taster, begs King Artaxerxes to send him back with the financial support and authority he needs to rebuild the walls. And the king agrees! Despite intense local opposition, the walls are rebuilt and Ezra again inspires the people to renew their vows to the Lord. Sacrifices, feasts, and tithes are all renewed, and we leave the story as Nehemiah is recalled by King Artaxerxes. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

078 The Exile and the Return - The End of the Hebrew Bible

Malachi, Nehemiah 13 While Nehemiah is away at the court of King Artaxerxes, things fall apart. Levites and other temple workers don’t get paid, the people work on the Sabbath, and they marry foreign wives--again. The prophet Malachi calls them all to task, reminding them that their actions matter and that YHWH is very, very real. The Lord speaks words of warning but also of tenderness: “Test me in this. Bring me your firstfruits and see if I do not open the storehouses of heaven to you!” Nehemiah returns to find everything in shambles. He sets everything right and does it all, not with an eye to the approval of Israel, but with an eye to finding favor with God. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

079 The Apocrypha - Tobit - A Fishy Tale

Tobit is a righteous man living in Galilee until he is exiled by the Assyrians to their capital city of Nineveh. He rises to an important position in Assyria, only to lose everything when he is caught burying the bodies of fellow exiles who have been thrown outside the city walls. There follows an incredible tale involving an angel in disguise, hidden wealth, inexplicable blindness, death wishes (two of them), a demon king (!!), a sudden marriage, and a happy ending. Hang on for a wild ride! A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

080 The Apocrypha - Judith - Truth and Lies

The story of Judith is set at the time of the fall of Israel and Judah (both--it’s a mashup). General Holofernes threatens to overwhelm the forces of Israel. The tiny town of Bethulia guards the mountain pass. Judith, a righteous and beautiful widow living in Bethulia, devises a plan to deceive General Holofernes. Asking God to bless her in her deceit, she enters the enemy camp with nothing but her handmaid and a bag of food. Is her deceit blessed by God? Good question. She does, in fact, deliver Israel from the hands of General Holofernes. We’ll give some thought as to what parts to take away and what parts we should perhaps leave behind. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

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