Ezra 2: The Remnant

Ezra 2 reads like some of the other census records we see in the Bible.  Here the ones enumerated are those returning from exile.  They are the remnant of God's people that were spared and now have the responsibility of restoring the nation.

All told, 42,360 Jews made the trip back to Judah (vs. 64).  Included in their number is Zerubbabel, the governor, whom many looked to as a fulfillment of messianic prophecy.  Zerubbabel was not the Messiah, however.  That prophecy would go unfulfilled for another 500 years until the birth of Jesus, who would save another remnant of the Jewish people that would become known as the Church!