The Babylonian Experience and Israel's Future

In the Bible, God promises to maintain the nation of Israel as long as the earth remains. For centuries this promise seemed irrelevant an impossible dream for a scattered people. In 1948, however, the dream became reality, and Israel once again appeared on the stage of history. In The Babylonian Experience and Israel's Future, author Paul Stephen Bergquam argues that Israel today can survive, but only because of God's unfailing promises.

In this study, Bergquam shows that God...
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In the Bible, God promises to maintain the nation of Israel as long as the earth remains. For centuries this promise seemed irrelevant an impossible dream for a scattered people. In 1948, however, the dream became reality, and Israel once again appeared on the stage of history. In The Babylonian Experience and Israel's Future, author Paul Stephen Bergquam argues that Israel today can survive, but only because of God's unfailing promises.

In this study, Bergquam shows that God used the Babylonian exile to begin a new redemptive work among his people that included a godly remnant. In The Babylonian Experience and Israel's Future, he demonstrates the following essential points regarding the Babylonian exile:

There was a community-wide repentance. The Torah became recognized as authoritative. The words of true prophets were identified and believed (e.g., Jeremiah's seventy years). The distinction was made between that which is holy and that which is profane. Judaism entered its formative years, including elements of the synagogue. Idolatry was rejected. Spiritual leaders developed a new place of importance within the community (e.g., Ezra).

Developed from a dissertation project at Trinity Seminary, The Babylonian Experience and Israel's Future provides fresh insight into the prophesies that preceded the Babylonian Captivity and events both during and after the return from Babylon.