The Captivity Until the Time of Christ – Mobile Friendly

The timeline in a more mobile friendly layout

Chronological Timeline: Exile of Judah to the Birth of Christ

First Deportation to Babylon

c. 605 BC

Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem and takes initial hostages from the nobility, marking the start of exile.

Daniel

c. 620 BC – c. 538 BC

Exiled as a youth to Babylon in 605 BC, Daniel served in both Babylonian and Persian royal courts, interpreting dreams and receiving apocalyptic visions of future kingdoms and the Messiah.

Ezekiel

c. 622 BC – c. 570 BC

Priest exiled during the second deportation (597 BC). Prophesied from Babylon, warning of Jerusalem’s fall and promising future spiritual restoration and a new Temple.

Fall of Jerusalem & Temple Destruction

c. 586 BC

Nebuchadnezzar razes Solomon’s Temple and deports the majority of Judah’s remaining population to Babylon.

Edict of Cyrus the Great

c. 538 BC

Cyrus permits Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the House of God.

Haggai

Active c. 520 BC

Post-exilic prophet who challenged the returned exiles to stop prioritizing their own panelled houses and rebuild the Lord’s Temple.

Zechariah

Active c. 520 BC – c. 480 BC

Contemporaneous prophet with Haggai who encouraged the Temple rebuild through apocalyptic visions and explicitly foretold the Messiah riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Completion of Second Temple

c. 516 BC

Under Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest, construction on the rebuilt Temple is finalized.

Ezra the Scribe

c. 510 BC – c. 430 BC

Priest and scribe who led the second wave of returnees from Babylon (458 BC). He re-established Torah teaching and instituted religious reforms in Judea.

Nehemiah

c. 490 BC – c. 410 BC

Cupbearer to Persian King Artaxerxes I who was appointed governor of Judea. He rebuilt Jerusalem’s ruined walls in 52 days (445 BC) and instituted social reforms.

Malachi

Active c. 450 BC – c. 400 BC

The final Old Testament prophet who rebuked Judea for spiritual apathy and unfaithful worship, foretelling the messenger (John the Baptist) who would prepare the way for the Lord.

Conquests of Alexander the Great

c. 332 BC

Alexander conquers Judea, spreading Greek culture and language across the region.

Translation of the Septuagint (LXX)

c. 250 BC

The Hebrew Scriptures are translated into Greek in Alexandria, Egypt.

Desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes

c. 167 BC

Seleucid ruler outlaws Jewish practice and desecrates the Temple altar, triggering armed revolt.

Judas Maccabeus

c. 190 BC – 160 BC

Leader of the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Empire who recaptured Jerusalem, cleansed the desecrated Temple (164 BC), and instituted Hanukkah.

Establishment of Jewish Sovereignty

c. 142–63 BC

Judea achieves independence under Hasmonean priest-kings prior to Roman intervention.

Pompey Conquers Jerusalem

c. 63 BC

Roman General Pompey annexes Judea as a client state of Rome.

Herod the Great

c. 72 BC – 4 BC

Roman-appointed King of Judea (37–4 BC) known for massive building achievements—including expanding the Second Temple—and ordering the Massacre of the Innocents.

John the Baptist

c. 6 BC – c. 30 AD

Born to Zechariah and Elizabeth shortly before Jesus, serving as the prophesied wilderness voice preparing Judea for the Messiah.

Birth of Jesus Christ

c. 6–4 BC

Jesus is born in Bethlehem during the reign of Herod the Great, fulfilling Old Testament messianic prophecy.