The people in Jerusalem are just as corrupt as their ancestors who returned from exile 100 years ago. Malachi confronts their sins, pointing out that Israel cannot be faithful to the covenant God made with them. Yet God will not abandon His people, and promises a Messiah to the remnant who are still faithful to Him. This is the last Israel will hear from God, and 400 years will pass before the appearance of John the Baptist announcing the coming of Jesus.

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Notes

Nehemiah leaves behind comfort and prestige for hardship and the unknown in order to build up the wall of Jerusalem as well as building up God’s people as they face adversity.

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Notes

Though it's the only book in the Bible that never mentions God, Esther conveys events with such perfect literary symmetry that a profound theological point is made: God’s providence is at work in everything on behalf of his people.

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Notes

Almost 70 years after returning home after their exile to Babylon, the Israelites wondered if the promises of a new Jerusalem would ever be fulfilled. The prophet Zechariah answers their concerns through dreams and visions, challenging God's people to remain faithful.

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The remnants of Israel who returned from exile have let their priorities become self-centered when they should have been focused on God, so Haggai encourages the people to continue rebuilding the temple.

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The first and second group of Israel's exiles return from their 70-year captivity abroad to see the devastation and ruin in the land of Jerusalem. As they rebuild, will they obey the Lord?

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Though written hundred of years apart, the books of Daniel and Revelation are counterparts and should be studied together for a more comprehensive picture of God’s redemptive plan, the future of the world, God’s victory over evil at the end of the world and a glimpse into the new heaven and new earth.

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Notes

Though written hundred of years apart, the books of Daniel and Revelation are counterparts and should be studied together for a more comprehensive picture of God’s redemptive plan, the future of the world, God’s victory over evil at the end of the world and a glimpse into the new heaven and new earth.

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The book of Daniel is not just about the stories you heard in Sunday School—it gives us an insight into God’s promise and a pattern at work in history.

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The Old Covenant has served its purpose, and it has been replaced by a better covenant (Heb 7:22). While the Old Covenant was still in effect in the Old Testament, the New Covenant was predicted in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The New Covenant is the promise that God will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. Jesus Christ is the mediator of this covenant, and His death on the cross is the basis of the promise. Today this New Covenant fulfills the triad of land, seed and blessing under the Abrahamic Covenant, and out of it we have received our current spiritual blessings. We are no longer under the Law but under grace (Rom 6:14-15)!

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