The Stage Was Set for God's Great Plan

     After the Israelites had spent many years as captives in Babylon, they were permitted to return to Jerusalem. The reports they had heard about their homeland were true. Jerusalem and the temple were in ruins. Under Ezra’s leadership, they turned their attention to rebuilding the temple, but opposition came in from outside of Jerusalem. The workers became discouraged. They lay down their tools. After a while, they became even more distracted from the temple work and turned to building fine homes for themselves. The prophet Haggai reminded them of their neglect and of their responsibility to complete the work of rebuilding the temple. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem came later.

     Before the captivity, God’s people had fallen into idolatry but with the punishment of captivity behind them, they had a strong desire to obey God. God’s law was read in the synagogues on the sabbath day, and the people traveled from distant cities and villages to Jerusalem for special feast days.  

     Following the Israelites’ return from Babylon, various armies stormed into their country, which by that time was referred to as Palestine, Judea or Galilee, according to the district being discussed. The Hebrews, or Israelites, had come to be known as Jews.

     When God’s people were carried into captivity, Babylon was the leading world empire. Its power collapsed and the Medo-Persian Empire came to the forefront followed by the Grecian Empire, which became the world power. The Grecians’ language was an important contribution of that period, and it became the one that all people could speak. The Romans overpowered Greece, adding it to its other conquests, and Rome became a vast empire. The Romans built huge highway systems and made travel available to everyone.

     In Daniel 2, Daniel gave meaning to King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It was the foretelling of the succession of empires which led to the Roman conquest. Daniel also revealed that God’s everlasting kingdom would come in the days of the Roman kings.

     The time was right for God’s son to come to the world. The lessons He taught people could easily be understood by those who spoke the major language, Greek. Highway and sea travel provided opportunities for preachers to take the gospel everywhere. The stage was set.