Biblical account of exilesThe book of Daniel records a deportation of Judaean nobility that occurred around 605 BCE, in the reign of Jehoiakim (Daniel 1:1-6; cf. 2 Chronicles 36:6-7).
The Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 52:28-30) notes three deportations: The first was in the time of Jehoiachin, in 597 BCE, when the Temple of Jerusalem was partially despoiled and a number of the leading citizens were removed (2 Kings 24:10-16).
After eleven years, in 586 BCE, in the reign of Zedekiah, a fresh uprising of the Judaeans occurred. The city and temple of Jerusalem was razed and a further deportation ensued
(2 Kings 25:1-21). Finally, five years thereafter, in 581 BCE, Jeremiah records a third deportation (Jeremiah 52:30).
Ezra 7:1-16 ~
7:1 Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.
7 And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants. 8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
11 This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel:
12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now 13 I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, 15 and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem.
As we see from other Scripture for Today postings, the kings : Cyrus the great, Darius the great and Artaxerxes, all kings of Persia say the jews are going back and the second temple will be built. Buracracy traditionally moves slowly, even before the time of Christ. Ezra 6:1-221, Ezra 1:1-11, Ezra 7:1-16.
In the first temple: explained by Rabbi Herschel Schachter, who's religion belief does not allow him to print out God, because it is an image, says: "The Holy Temple represented the notion of the chosenness of the Jewish people. The “western candle” of the menorah burned miraculously to indicate that G-d chose to dwell only with the Jewish people. The twelve loaves that sat on the shulchan all week long were miraculously still fresh and warm at the end of the week, to show how beloved the Jewish people are to G-d. The cherubim hugging each other represented the idea that G-d loves His chosen people like a husband loves his wife. According to Talmudic tradition, at the time the Jews were not properly observing G-d’s Torah laws, the cherubim would not even be facing each other. Nonetheless, at the time the enemies entered the Holy Temple to destroy it, they noticed that the cherubim were hugging each other. At first glance this doesn’t seem to make sense. Wasn’t the destruction of the Temple due to the fact that the Jews were not keeping the mitzvos? How could it be that at that time the cherubim were looking at each other, let alone hugging each other? The explanation for this is that G-d did not want the enemies to think that at the time of the destruction of the Temple the Jews had lost their status as “am hanivchar”. Even at the time that G-d shows his smiling face to the other nations of the world (“af chovev amim”) and delivers the Jews into their hands for punishment and torture, we still maintain our status as “am hanivchar” (“kol kedoshav beyadecha”) "( I think this means Special, Chosen People of God and a Nation chosen by Him).
Consider the 3rd temple, scripture says it will be built. Jesus spoke of the Third Temple building in Jerusalem when discussing with his disciples the chain of events that would bring the close of the present age and his return. He spoke of an event yet future predicted by Daniel the prophet when the temple in Jerusalem would suffer ultimate defilement by a false Messiah who claimed to be God:
"So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." (Matthew 24:15-21)
Since only a properly consecrated temple can be defiled, this passage implies a functioning, dedicated Third Temple and priesthood in existence in the end time at the time Jesus said he would return. The apostle Paul, writing a few years later, describes this same event:
"Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God," (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Build the temple today, perhaps it is the 4th temple,
"See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as their God;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away." Revelation 21:2-7
Posts
