Jerusalem And Babylon

Culture and Dialogue is an international peer-reviewed journal of cross-cultural philosophy and the arts that is published semi-annually both in print and electronically. The Journal seeks to encourage and promote research in the type of philosophy and theory that sees dialogue as a fundamental ingredient of cultural formations, that is to say the ways cultures become apparent and ultimately identifiable.

The period of the demise of the kingdom of Judah at the end of the 6th century B.C.E., the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, the exile of the elite to Babylon, and the reshaping of the territory of the new province of Judah, culminating at the end of the century with the first return of exiles—all have been subjects of intense scrutiny during the last decade. Lipschits takes into account the biblical textual evidence, the results of archaeological research, and the reports of Babylonian and Egyptian sources and provides a comprehensive survey and analysis of the evidence for the history of this 100-year-long era. He provides a lucid historical survey that will, no doubt, become the baseline for all future studies of this era.

The period of the demise of the kingdom of Judah at the end of the 6th century B.C.E., the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, the exile of the elite to Babylon, and the reshaping of the territory of the new province of Judah, culminating at the end of the century with the first return of exiles--all have been subjects of intense scrutiny during the last decade. Lipschits takes into account the biblical textual evidence, the results of archaeological research, and the reports of Babylonian and Egyptian sources and provides a comprehensive survey and analysis of the evidence for the history of this 100-year-long era. He provides a lucid historical survey that will, no doubt, become the baseline for all future studies of this era.

From the origins and exodus to the restoration and new hope, Kingdom of Priests offers a comprehensive introduction to the history of Old Testament Israel. Merrill explores the history of ancient Israel not only from Old Testament texts but also from the literary and archeological sources of the ancient Near East. After selling more than 30,000 copies, the book has now been updated and revised. The second edition addresses and interacts with current debates in the history of ancient Israel, offering an up-to-date articulation of a conservative evangelical position on historical matters. The text is accented with nearly twenty maps and charts.

Return To Jerusalem recounts the events following the defeat of Israel by Babylon in 586 BCE. The story follows the fortunes of two families through their exile to Babylon, the defeat of Babylon by Persia, and the subsequent return of the Jews to Israel. The Jews rebuilt the city wall and re-established the Temple in Jerusalem, and Israel flourished for the next 500 years. Many figures in the book are historical, for example King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (modern day Iraq) and Cyrus and Artaxerxes of Persia (modern day Iran). Others are biblical personalities such as Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah. The clash of Babylonian, Persian and Jewish cultures, attacks on Israel from warring neighbors, and efforts by Jewish leaders to defend and protect their culture are issues which resonate today as they did 2500 years ago.

This book is disturbing yet profoundly comforting. Its message is unique, controversial and insightful. Michael Biehler pilots an intellectual adventure while challenging every reader to reexamine his core beliefs. This game-changing, subversive Christian crossover book will at first confound and then delight all who love the truth. Condemned to hell by the thought police of his little Baptist church, Biehler responds with a brave book that illuminates many taboo passages of Scripture. Bamboozled Believers makes sense and it will help you to make to make sense of the Bible too.

Reflects on two cities discussed in the Bible: Babylon - representing the efforts and achievements of man, rejection of God, and materialism - and Jerusalem, representing God's intervention and salvation, holiness and righteousness. Ch. 8 (p. 81-106), "The Time of Jacob's Trouble, " describes troubles which befell the people of Israel from the destruction of the Temple to the Holocaust. States that God has not rejected His people: the message of God's love is Zionism, the movement for return to the Land of Israel. Indeed, those Jews who heard this message and came to the Land were spared from the Nazi genocide. Ch. 11 (p. 131-146), "Why Israel Is Hated, " discusses Arabs' and Muslims' hatred of the State of Israel. Contends that this hatred is inspired not only by the question of the land, but is deeply rooted in the ideology of Islam, and is essentially a hatred of the Jews. The main goal of Arab movements which have engaged in fighting Israel, and of the wars of the bordering Arab states with Israel, was not to regain their lost territories but to eliminate the State of Israel from the map.

The Return is a sequel to its predecessor The Divided Kingdom which covers Israel's history from the time of Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity and includes all the written prophets of that period. The Return picks up where Cyrus the Great and Darius the Mede conquer Babylon and bring in the new empire under the joint government of the Medes and the Persians. God continues to move mightily in high places, this time effecting the unprecedented liberation of all subjects to return peaceably to their homelands. The timetable is perfect: precisely seventy years later according to Jeremiah's prophecy in Jer. 29:10 "For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." This Return is called the Restoration Period where God releases the Jews to return and restore all that has been destroyed because of their iniquities. Against the backdrop of some of history's greatest rulers, the Jews are graced with overwhelming subsidies to support the rebuilding of their cherished city Jerusalem and its fallen Temple. Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great, Xerxes the Great and his son, Artaxerxes (Longimanus) the Great, all play key roles in the history of God's chosen people. The Return covers the writings of Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, the prophetic words of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, and the chilling account of Queen Esther who risks her life to staunch an empire-wide attempt to annihilate her people. The events of this Old Testament period foreshadow the Christian dispensation where the church is progressively released from her spiritual Babylonian captivity through the ministries of Luther, the Wesley brothers, the charismatic revivals of the 20th century with the restoration of spiritual gifts and ministries, and the current emphasis on Christ's second coming. The Restoration leaders and prophets focus on the celebration of Israel's third great feast, the Feast of Tabernacles. The moving of God's spirit today is centered on the fulfillment of this crowning moment where the sons of God who have matured in Christ will appear as the governors of the Millennial Reign of Christ, and bring in an age of peace and harmony in the earth. All this and more are covered in this scholarly, yet easy to read, volume of Biblical truth. The 2 volume 81⁄2" x 11" edition is in larger print and the illustrations are clearer. The single volume 6" x 9" Compact Edition is in smaller print and more portable. 738 pages