The Return to Jerusalem
At the court of the Persian king lived a Jew, named Nehemiah. The king gave him permission to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, which had become a mass of ruins after its capture and destruction by the enemies of the Jews. He built a wall around Jerusalem.
Then the Jews started to rebuild the Temple on the same place where Solomon's Temple had stood. After twenty years, the new Temple was finished. The people dedicated the Temple with great joy and with many sacrifices.
From this time to the coming of Christ, the Jews were at different times ruled by Persia, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and Rome.
These were very sad years for the Jews. Their only comfort was the knowledge that the Messiah was soon to come. The prophets had told them so. Isaiah spoke more about the Messiah than any other prophet. He told them that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, and that He would be called Emmanuel, meaning God-with-us. He said that the Messiah would be a king, the prince of His people, the cornerstone on which the Church was to be built. He especially told how all other peoples besides the Chosen People would be invited to the kingdom of the Messiah, and how happy this kingdom would be.
Above all, Isaiah spoke of how the Messiah would die as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. His Kingdom would spread through the whole world and last till the end of time. This was the time when our Lord Jesus Christ was to come to teach, to bless, and to save mankind.