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May 9 - Morning
"During the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia,
Ezra son of Seraiah, the son …the son … the son … the son of …the son of Aaron the chief priest — this Ezra came up from Babylon.
He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given.
The king had granted him everything he asked,
for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.
Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem…
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey
from Babylon on the first day of the first month,
and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel."
- Ezra 7:1-10 |
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| 458 BC, Ezra the Scribe Arrives from Babylon |
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Ezra begins leaving the land of Babylon (map) on April 8, 458 and arrives in Jerusalem in August of 458 during the reign of Artaxerxes, the son of Esther's husband, Xerxes. Ezra and the 2,000 men, women and children (Ezra 8:21) he traveled with did not have an armed escort as Nehemiah (map) would have twelve years later in 446 BC (Nehemiah 2:9), because Ezra had expressed his faith in the Lord to Artaxerxes and was ashamed to ask for human protection (Ezra 8:22-23). Ezra's trip took 119 days (which included 11 days of preparation before the actual 108 day journey began, Ezra 8:31) and followed a 900 mile route. The average caravan traveled 15-20 miles per day, but Ezra's procession averaged only 8 miles per day.
With the arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem a new phase of Jewish history had begun because Ezra "was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given."
Ezra was from the priestly lineage and could list his fathers back sixteen generations to Aaron. The word "teacher" used to describe Ezra is the Hebrew soper, or literally, "a scribe." Soper, or "scribes" worked as secretaries for kings like Shaphan was a soper for Josiah (2 Kings 22:3) and Baruch was
a soper for Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:32). Besides being a skilled writer and educated in scrolls and documents, Ezra is also described as "well versed (or, mahir) in the Law of Moses." The Hebrew
word mahir means "quick" and "swift." In Psalm 45:1 mahir is translated "a skillful writer."
The age of the skilled scribe who was swift with the Law of Moses had arrived in Jerusalem. This age of the scribe would set the pace for the next several centuries in Judaism, indeed, even until today.
| 519 |
February 15, in one night Zechariah is given a series of eight
night visions in one night. |
Zechariah 1:7-6:8 |
| 518 |
December 7, Zechariah receives the word of the Lord in the
fourth year of Darius Hystaspes. (Zech. 7) |
Zechariah 7 |
| 516 |
The temple is completed by Zerubbabel. It has been 70
years since the temple was destroyed in 586 BC. |
Ezra 6:13-18
Temple Rebuilt
70 years after it was destroyed |
| 490 |
Darius attacks Athens by sailing across the Aegean Sea and
land 20 miles from Athens on the plains of Marathon.
- The Persians have 600 ships with 20,000 men; Athenians
have 10,000 men.
- A Greek runner runs 150 miles in 36 hours to Sparta for help
but Sparta does not come.
- Miltiades, an Athenian general, launches an attack by
charging down the hill in formation with thin middle ranks.
- Persia breaks through the middle line but find themselves
trapped. They rush back to their ships.
- The Persians head for the bay of Athens but the Athenians
out run them there and Persia returns home.
- Athenians capture seven Persian ships. Casualties suffered:
Persia-6,400 Athens-192
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Battle of
Marathon |
| 485 |
- Xerxes begins to reign.
- Samaritans take this chance to file a complaint. (Ezra 4:6)
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Xerxes
Ezra 4:6 |
| 483 |
Xerxes displays his vast wealth and military power at a
banquet in preparation for his invasion of Greece. |
Esther 1 |
| 481 |
Xerxes goes to war against Greece. Persia fights the battles of:
- Thermopylae – This battle is the basis of the movie “300” that features the Spartan king Leonidas and his 300 men who fight the invading King Xerxes and his Persian troops.
- Salamis – Persians occupy Athens and burn the temple.
The Persians move their ships into a strait through a bottle neck thinking the beached Greek trireme ships are trapped. Xerxes watches from his ivory throne placed on a hill in disbelief as his ships are rammed, congested and unable to maneuver while Persians ships continue to sail into the bottle neck. Xerxes heads back to Persia, leaving behind 1/3 of his troops which then burn Athens to the ground.
- Plataea – In what looked like a rout of the Greeks, the Persians fail to stay organized and are driven from Greece.
These Greek battles fulfill Daniel 11:2: “a fourth Persian king, who will be far richer. . .will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.”
This sets the stage for the rise of Alexander the Great who will seek deliverance and revenge for the burning of Athens in 336 BC. |
Battles of:
- Thermopylae
- Salamis
- Plataea
Daniel 11:2 |
| 478 |
Esther goes to Xerxes and becomes Queen in Dec/Jan. |
Esther 2 |
| 474 |
• Esther’s fifth year as queen.
• April 17 is the date set to meet to determine fate of Jews. |
Esther 3:7
Haman
Esther
Mordecai |
| 473 |
• According to Haman’s plans and Xerxes order, the Jews are to be killed in Persia on March 7
• March 7, the Jews defend themselves. The Jews kill 500 men in Susa and 10 of Haman’s sons. |
Esther 3:12-14 |
| 465 |
• Xerxes is inside his bedchamber when he is assassinated by 3 conspirators. They convince Artaxerxes, Xerxes’s son, to slay his older brother. They then try to kill Artaxerxes who is only wounded but kills his attacker.
• Artaxerxes becomes Persian Emperor and will reign for 41 years.
• Esther would be about 38 years old if she became queen when she was 25. |
Artaxerxes |
| 464 |
• Artaxerxes orders the rebuilding of the rebellious city, Jerusalem, to stop.
• Samaritans send a letter to Artaxerxes to say Jerusalem is a rebellious city. (Ezra 4:7)
• Artaxerxes replies: “this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.”
(Ezra 4:21) |
Ezra 4:7-23
Ezra 4:21
Daniel 9:25 |
| 458 |
• In Artaxeres’ seventh year he issues the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem.
• Ezra leaves Babylon on April 8 and arrives in
Jerusalem on August.
• December 19 the people assemble and the investigation of
intermarriage begins.
• The 70 weeks (or, 490 years) of Daniels prophecy in Daniel 9:25 begins with Artaxerxes’ decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in 458 BC. The decree is found in Ezra 7:12-26. The 70 weeks (490 years) are interrupted after 69 weeks (483 years) with the coming of the Messiah. 458 BC minus 483 years equals 25/26 AD which is when John the Baptists will introduce the Messiah to the Jewish nation. |
Decree to Rebuild
Ezra
Ezra 7: 8-9
Ezra 7:12-26
Daniel 9:25
Ezra 10:9-16 |
| 457 |
Ezra committee ends their three month long investigation into intermarriage by Mar/Apr (Ezra 10:17) |
Ezra 10:17 |
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“Sir, it does matter what I as a Christian believe, because the value of Christian faith is not in the one believing, but in the one who is believed in, its object.” – Josh McDowell
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The first copy of the Guttenberg Bible (printed on a printing press) took 3 years of constant printing to produce, being finished in 1445. Printed in 2 volumes,
totaling 1284 pages.
Nearly 200 originals were printed and remarkably,
48 still exist today. |
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Natsach (Hb) – Keep (Eng) – the Hebrew word natsach means “to keep,” “to oversee,” and “to have charge over.” Natsach is used as “to lead” in 1 Chr. 23:4 and Ezra 3:8. The participle natseach is used 55x in Psalms to refer to the “director” or “overseer” of the music in the headings for Psalms such as Psalm 5, 6, 9 and others. |
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Tiglath-pileser also records the fate of Israel’s king Pekah and records the installing of Hoshea as king. This agrees with the biblical record in 2 Kings 15:27-31. Assyrian records also lists the tribute of 10 talents of gold, 1,000 talents of silver taken to Assyria:
“Omi-land (or, Israel)… overthrew their king Pekah and I placed Hoshea as king over them. I received from them 10 talents of gold, 1,000 talents of silver as their tribute and brought them to Assyria.” |
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Do I recognize God's skill in myself? or, God's skill in others?
I will recognize, honor and promote the gifts, talents and skills the Lord has placed among mankind.
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"For through wisdom your
days will be many,
and years will be added
to your life."
- Proverbs 9:11 |
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Ask for Godly counsel and friends |
Time of refreshing |
Congressional leaders |
Djibouti |
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| Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening. |
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