Prophets of Judah’s Exile and Return
This study includes nineteen lessons on the prophets who led and encouraged Judah during their exile and return from Babylon. God remained faithful to his people in exile and raised up prophets to preach repentance, hope, restoration, and return. Prophets to the exiled community were Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi. The lessons present the prophets in chronological order and include only portions of scripture rather than each book in its entirety.
The promise of a coming Messiah who would deliver and restore Israel is a prominent theme of the prophets of the exile period. The timing of the Messiah's fulfillment of these promises is not always clear. The Scriptures include about 330 Messianic prophecies found in over 450 verses in the Bible. The life and ministry of Jesus Christ relate to 110 of the prophecies, and the remaining 220 refer to Israel’s restoration at the end of time during the Messiah’s second coming. Of the 330 Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, the New Testament Gospel writers quote forty prophecies as fulfilled in the life of Jesus to demonstrate that he was the Messiah. Mathematician Peter Stoner estimated that the chance of one person fulfilling just eight of the prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (or zero if you start counting with rising from the dead!).
Illustration by the author using Gemini AI.
Study Guides
Lesson 1
Ezekiel 1 and 2
God Raises Up a Prophet
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Lesson 2
Ezekiel 36:16–37:28
Hope for the Hopeless
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Lesson 3
Daniel 1 and 2
Truth and Strength in Exile
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Lesson 4
Daniel 7
The Four Beasts
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Lesson 5
Daniel 6, 9
Daniel Prays
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Lesson 6
Ezra 1-2
God Fulfills His Promise
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Lesson 7
Ezra 3-6
Opposition While Rebuilding
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Lesson 8
Haggai 1-2
Words for a Prophet
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Lesson 9
Zechariah 1-6
A Night of Eight Visions
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Lesson 10
Zechariah 7-8
God’s Promises
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Lesson 11
Zechariah 9-14
Final Visions
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Lesson 12
Ezra 7
Ezra Comes to Jerusalem
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Lesson 13
Nehemiah 1-2:10
Call to Rebuild Jerusalem
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Lesson 14
Nehemiah 2-3
Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem
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Lesson 15
Nehemiah 4:1-6:14
Leadership When Facing Opposition
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Lesson 16
Nehemiah 7-9
Celebration and Worship
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Lesson 17
Nehemiah 10-13
Dedication of the People and the Walls
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Lesson 18
Nehemiah 13 and Malachi
Sin, Repentance, and Sin
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Lesson 19
Malachi 1-4
Breaking the Covenant
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