Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-06-10

Golden Text: Comfort we, COM
fort We my people, saith your God"
lisa. 40:1.
The seventy years Of captivity in
Babylon are drawing to a close.
There is an old man there who is
deeply interested in the state of his
people. He belonged to the royal
family, and as a mere stripping was
taken away with other princes. He
rose to power and prominence and
has been prime minister under sew
: eral kings. But his political pre-
ferment and his occupation with the
affairs of state have not prevented
him having the keenest interest in
the affairs of his people. He has
been reading one of the prophets.
The word of the Lord had come by
the mouth of jeremiah over sew
enty years before, saying that
Judah should be taken into captivity
Tor seventy years; and this old prime
minister, who is none other than
Daniel, knows that these seventy
years are nearly up. He therefore
, prays to know if it is at this time
tnat all of the promises to Israel
are to be fulfilled. After three weeks
the answer reaches him that it will
not be now but after seventy
.sevens.
But Daniel has also been reading
another of the prophets; and finds
! that nearly two hundred years be-
tore God had spoken by the mouth
Isaiah of King of Persia to
De called Cyrus, who should be His
shepherd" to gather His people
tback. His anointed one to perform
Ills pleasure, and rebuild His house
at Jerusalem. AS Daniel read it his
heart must have beat high with
hope. for the King on the throne at
that very time was Cyrus No doubt
1t was through Daniels access to
the throne that Cyrus heard of his
own name having bene spoken in
this connection by God nearly 200
years before, and thus 1.-The Lord
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King
OF Persia, that he made a proclama.
tlon throughout all his Kingdom
ana put 1t in writing" granting the
privilege to any Jewish subject who
so desired to go back to Jerusalem
10 rebuild the temple of God there,
and urging all who remained to
heup by gifts Of gold and silver and
goods and beasts and whatever was
needed
The Returning Remnant
AiInough the proclama ton was
nus unlimited by no means all took
aoVantage of it. The list is given
by families, and when totaled If is
found that there were 49, $50 of the
congregation, with 1887 servants
and maids-a total of 1857 NOT
quite fifty thousand who availed
. themselves n ha
50. Inc vast majority of them nre.
ferred to remain in Babylon in t1,ai,,
comfortable homes and cond,,n+
mere profitable business enterprises
tnat were enabling them to live in
ease and comfort. They had lost
the Keen edge, to say the least of
IL OF their desire for their nations
peculiar glory. '-li
out God touched the hearts Of
lhese nearly fifty thousand and
nlaue them desire above their own .
Ease Or comfort the rebuiIdino of
we temple as the center of their M.
,Ioilal and religious life. These were
ied py eleVen men, some of whose
LANES are thoroughly unfamiliar.
out DIS" some who are old friends
Headlng the expedition was 10.
IuppaDel, whose other name was
onesnpazzar. He was the prince of
judah, in direct line of descent from
David and Solomon. Had the ma.
ton not met with disaster, he wou1d
nave been the King. His name is
round in the geneology of the roval
me given in Math. /. He had
been born in captivity, and was the
grandson of Jehoichin or Jeconiah
from whose captivity Ezekiel dated
MS prophecies. Associated with
MIN was Joshua the high priest. the
GRANDSON of Seraiah the high priest
VINO was slain by ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Inns Seralah had two sons. Jahoza-
Dan (who was the father of Joshua,
and Ezra Ezra, therefore, must
nave been born just prior to the
death OF his father or maybe few
months later and was, therefore, at
least 20 years old at this time. He
also was, one of this company OF
leaders.
Nehemiah, a very young man at
rn1s time probably, was also another 1
one; and very old one was an
other familiar figure, Mordicai He
also. like Ezra and Daniel, had been
taken away from Jerusalem as
captive 20 years before and is now
permitted to return as one of the
leaders of the expedition.
Ezra, and Nehemiah, and Nor
dicai subsequently returned to Per.
STA and we shall meet with them
again in Our studies both in Persia
Ind in Palestine.
4 These, the faithful remnant.
whose spirit God raised, started or.
their long and dangerous journey
with $500 vessels of silver and gold
given them by CYRUS from the an
Gent trophies brought from Jerusa-
lem by Nebuchadnezzal and gifts
in abundance which the people had
willingly offered.
Their First Move
Upon reaching their journeys end
safely, their first move was to dc
the most important thing of all. On
the seventh month the people gath
cred themselves together as one
man at Jerusalem and builded tina