The warnings – God warned Israel and Judah many times to return unto the Lord. But because Israel refused to hear the prophets and return to the Lord, they were turned over to their enemies.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel conquered and scattered – After many wicked kings in Israel, God gave Israel over to their enemies to be destroyed. The northern kingdom was overtaken and destroyed by Assyria and all the people were scattered among the nations. This included the ten tribes of Israel who were still in the north. (This is the beginning of Ephraim becoming the multitude of nations, which is the fullness of the Gentiles prophesied by Jacob. Israel’s seedline would be mixed and their ethnicity would no longer be the same).
Samaria no longer belonged to Israel and the nations that they were scattered into were the Gentile nations that did not serve the one true God. So now many of the people of God are no longer God’s people. (Hosea 2:23; Romans 9:22-26; 1 Peter 2:10)
The Southern Kingdom of Judah conquered and captured – Even with a few righteous Kings, Judah continued to rebel as a people, denying the prophets that God sent them. God turned the southern kingdom of Judah over to the king of Babylon who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and burned it with fire. He then carried them away into captivity for seventy years.
Seventy years of captivity – The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would go into captivity for seventy years. This prophecy came true and Judah spent seventy years in Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzer just as Jeremiah said. But God also made a promise that their seed would continue in Jerusalem, and that they would be a free people again after the captivity ended.
Note: In captivity, Daniel the prophet, prophesied the continual disobedience of the people of God after the captivity was over and that the saints would be given to desolations because of their abominations. But he also showed us that God would not let it end there. He then prophesied the destruction of the antichrist and the downfall of the kingdom of darkness, and that the saints of God would rise up and rule the kingdom of God forever, never to enter bondage and captivity again (These prophecies are only fulfilled in the Spirit in Jesus Christ).
Captivity ends – After seventy years of captivity, a Persian king named Cyrus, was now in rule. God put it in his heart to release His people and to begin to send them back to Jerusalem so that they could rebuild the city and the temple of God that was destroyed when they were captured.
The return home – They were led out of Babylon at three different times to return to Jerusalem. The first group was led by Zerubbabel, the second group was led by Ezra, and the third group was led by Nehemiah.
Jerusalem rebuilt – Upon returning, the construction of the city of God began. Through a process of time, the walls of the city would be restored as well as the rebuilding of the temple of God. With Zerubbabel as the governor, Zechariah as the prophet, and Joshua as the high priest, God put forth His commandments to the people in an effort to cause them to remember the promises of God and to look for a savior that would come and rule God’s Kingdom forever.
Old Testament Ends – The books of the Old Testament are full of prophecies of the coming messiah who is called Christ, the Son of God. It also has many types and shadows of Jesus hidden in its pages just waiting to be revealed by the New Testament Gospel.
The old is a gospel that makes manifest the sin and death that works in man, specifically the first Adam. Under the burden of the first Adam, sin would find its strength in the law of God and work much death in God’s people and beyond.
The old testament is full of many examples to learn from. These examples, however, need the Spirit of God to make them come alive in us, so that we can truly learn from them. This brings us to the New Testament, or the new covenant. This new covenant is the answer to overcoming sin and death. The New Testament reveals God’s greatest gift; Jesus.
The New Testament Begins – The Old Testament is full of many promises of God, but because of the weakness of flesh, those promises are incomplete. The good news is that there is more of God’s story to tell. Once sin has been manifested and death is at work in you, there needs to be a way of escape from sin and death. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life that God provides for His people. Without the new covenant, the first Adam would have no hope of ever waking up from his deep sleep. Jesus, who is the last Adam, is the hope of waking Adam up.
God gives Adam hope as Jesus Christ is born into the same world that he got put into when he was sent from the garden of God. Why is this important? Because you are Adam, this is your story and you have the same hope. You may not remember, but you were sent forth from God’s dwelling place to learn how sin and death will destroy you. Your only hope, just like Adam, just like Israel, and every other person in the earth, is the coming of Jesus Christ.
In the New Testament God fulfills His promise that He gave Abraham.
Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.
It’s exciting to think that before the world even began that God already had the predestination of Jesus Christ in His thoughts. God’s will for His people will not fail, and never even had a chance to fail. As long as Jesus is manifested in the world, the hope of eternal life, free from death, remains our hope.
But before Jesus could be revealed, a forerunner named John the Baptist would be born to prepare the way of Jesus Christ.
