The Exile and the Mission

“The Exile & The Mission” is a historical novel of Biblical events that interrelate with Isaiah’s prophecy that Judah will be conquered, the citizens exiled to Babylon, as well as Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed. The Book includes real conspiracies that took place and the strategies taken to counter those schemes during this protracted ordeal. The story is about actual Biblical characters that lived during the exiles’ history and the collaboration of these prophets and priests that enabled God’s children to become restored, and return home from Babylon.

“The Exile & The Mission” strives to show the relationship these characters had with each other, with their people, their adversaries, and with God. It endeavors to show the probability of overlapping lives, and exemplifies that several of these famous characters actually did know each other. Equally important, the Book attempts to illustrate that God realizes His purposes through the use of His children; a method He has used from the beginning, during the exile era, and remains His course of action today.

Reading the scriptures, the research of numerous Biblical sources, and delving into Biblical scholars’ speculations has contributed to the development of the dialogue. The Book takes factual circumstances and interposes the dialogue between the characters to help us become more acquainted with them. Showing their passions, fears, love, and devotion to God reveals how they were so much like we are today.

Introduction

God has a Master Plan. Through the ages God has had countless battles with His chosen ones. These encounters occurred because their free will was often in conflict with His will. Mankind persists in being disobedient and therefore is repeatedly engaged in these battles. Each of these encounters is in God’s total control. Every circumstance is of significance to Him because they all have an intentional purpose and an expected outcome. During these times God often must inflict a traumatic experience in His people’s lives to get their full attention; He is attempting to get them back on the right path. From the beginning to the end, the purpose of the exile is to get the Jews’ full attention.

This story about the exile begins in 697 BC, the start of Manasseh’s reign as King of Judah, and it ends in 536 BC when the rebuilding of the Temple begins; a span of 161 years. God graciously endures waiting 161 years or as long as it takes to regain our full attention. He waits until the expected outcomes of His Plan are realized. Long will be the suffering for the Israelites during the exile era, just as suffering has been for God’s stiff-necked, chosen ones, countless times before.

God never loses a battle. He therefore is the victor and is entitled to the battle’s spoils. The Jewish Nation is blessed that God regards His children as the spoils. God loves them and wants them with Him immeasurably. Because of that love, God purposely designs strategies in His Plan that enables them to return to Him. Included in God’s restoration strategy are faithful servants to guide His people through this battle. These servants are true believers that continue to be obedient, even as sin and waywardness surround them. Some of the servants that are called to strategize during the exile’s battle are Manasseh, Hilkiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel.

For over one and a half centuries these five leaders, along with many other cohorts, are God’s instruments to administer, implement, and facilitate their assigned tasks and duties. They believe the purpose of Isaiah’s prophecy is to: (1) teach a lesson, (2) encourage repentance, (3) gain forgiveness, and (4) foster a return to God. Historically after a battle only a small portion of the people who leave God return to Him. From the beginning of their assignment these five servants understood that the exile’s trials would separate the wheat from the chaff.