The First Siege of Jerusalem
In 606, Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar sieged the city and took a few captives to Babylon. (This was a relatively small group which included Daniel the Prophet)
Whole Again
In the rubble of our lives, there’s a divine blueprint for reconstruction. Examine your priorities and realign your life with God’s purpose through the book of Haggai. Catch up or rewatch sermons here.
Weekly Lineup
Historical Timeline
Book of Haggai
When were the Jews in exile and when did they return?
Babylonian Exile (Jews Deported)
The nation of Judah experienced three separate waves of Babylonian deportation. 606, 587, 586.
606 BC
The Second Siege of Jerusalem
In 597, King Nebuchadnezzar came to fight against Jerusalem again. The previous king of Judah had rebelled against Babylon. In this exile, Nebuchadnezzar. captured some of the influential leaders in the community into exile. (This is when Ezekiel goes into exile).
597 BC
The Destruction of Jerusalem
Lastly, in 586 Nebuchadnezzar sieged the city and attacked with his full army. In this final siege, many people died during the siege, many were killed in battle and the rest were carted off to Babylon. It's in 586 that the Temple was completely torn down.
586 BC
The Return from Exile
In 539 BC Cyrus the Great overthrew the Babylonian empire and city and established the Persians as the new world empire. In this same year, Cyrus had an edict to return all captured people back to their homeland. This is when the first wave of Jewish return to Jerusalem took place.
536 BC
When was the 1st temple destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed again?
Solomon’s Temple Destroyed
586 BC
Temple Construction Begins
539 BC
Construction Halted
532 BC
Second Temple Completed
515 BC
Second Temple Destroyed By Rome
70 AD
Which king was ruling when?
For Haggai, the most important kings to know will be the Persian Kings. Here are the Persian kings relevant to the above timeline.
Cyrus the Great
559-530
Cambyses (son)
529-522
Darius I, the Great
521-486
More on the Book of Haggai
Haggai is the third book from the end of the Old Testament, between the two Zs — Zephaniah and Zechariah.
The book contains four prophecies of Haggai, all written around 520BC.
Haggai begs the leaders and people who have returned from Babylonian exile to focus their hearts on God’s priorities instead of their own.
First, read Haggai as one of the few times a biblical prophet challenged people and they actually obeyed! This book also has many personal implications for our own wholeness and holiness.
Resources
Books on Wholeness
Pastor Mike
- The Books of Haggai and Malachi – Pieter Verhoef (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1987).
- You’ll Get Through This – Max Lucado
- God’s Not Like That – Bryan Clark
- Disappointment With God – Philip Yancy
- Rebuilding The Real You – Jack Hayford
Family Ministry
- Raising a Secure Child – Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell
- Healing the Broken Heart – Dan Allender
- Forgiving What You Can’t Forget – Lysa TerKeurst
- Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ – 20th Anniversary Edition – Dallas Willard
Counseling
- The Garden Within – Anita Phillips
- It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way – Lysa Terkeurst
- Created for Connection – Sue Johnson and Kenneth Sanderfer
- The Whole Brain Child – Dan Siegel
- Sacred Rhythms – Ruth Haley Barton
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry – John Mark Comer
- Wholeheartedness – Chuck DeGroat
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