The Restoration of Jerusalem

Ezra 1:2, 3; 6:14-16

THE Jewish nation was taken into captivity in the year 606 B.C., which was early in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. It was seventy years later when the people were given permission to return to the land of Judah, and to rebuild the temple. Meanwhile, the Babylonian Empire had been conquered by the Medes and Persians, and King Cyrus was the supreme ruler.

The Prophet Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, “Wheresoever the children of men dwell, … God … hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.” (Dan. 2:37,38) This was the arrangement under the “times of the Gentiles” grant of power given, first to Babylon, and passed on successively to Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Cyrus understood this arrangement and declared, “The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth,” and then added that under this lease of power God had shouldered him with the responsibility “to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”

Cyrus understood also that in order to discharge this obligation it was essential to release the captive Jews and give them permission and help to return to their own land; for who else would take an interest in building the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem? In II Chronicles 36:22,23, and in Ezra 1:1 we are told that the decree of Cyrus authorizing the rebuilding of the temple was in fulfillment of a prophecy by Jeremiah.—Jer. 25:12

Many difficulties attended the rebuilding of the temple, but it was completed in the “sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.” Work on the project prospered, Ezra informs us, because of the encouragement received from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Both of these prophets mentioned the rebuilding of the temple, but in the Lord’s providence their prophecies extend to a much greater work, even that of building the church, which is “the temple of the living God”—the spiritual temple which is prepared during this Gospel age, and when competed will become the meeting place between God and men throughout the age to come.—I Cor. 3:16,17; II Cor. 6:16

Haggai says that the “glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former.” (Hag. 2:9) This could be applied primarily to the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. The larger application, however, seems to be to the spiritual temple of the Gospel age, for certainly its glory will far excel anything that could be made of wood and stone and gold.

“And in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Hag. 2:9) Not a great deal of genuine peace was enjoyed by the Israelites after they returned from their captivity. They continued to be a subject people, and in A.D. 70-73 were again driven out of their land, and this time were scattered among all the nations. But when God’s spiritual temple is completed, then, through Christ the chief cornerstone, and the church the “living stones, “ peace will be established in Jerusalem for the Jews, and throughout the whole world of the blessing of “all the families of the earth.”—I Pet 2:5, Diaglott; Gen.12:3, Gal. 3:8

This larger fulfillment of Haggai’s prophecy is to be fully realized after a great shaking time among the nations. The Lord says, “I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Hag. 2:7) Here also is a prophecy that was not fulfilled in connection with the rebuilding of Israel’s typical temple. All nations were not then shaken, nor did the desire of all nations then come. The reference here is evidently to the great shaking that at the close of the Gospel age, that “time of trouble” which, prophetically, immediately precedes the full manifestation of Christ’s kingdom, bringing the desire of all nations. See Haggai 2:6,7 and Hebrews 12:26-28.

For the benefit of those who may suppose that the term Israel applies only to the ten-tribe kingdom which went into captivity in Assyria, we call attention to the fact that Ezra designates those who returned from Babylon as “the children of Israel.” These were in God’s sight, Israelites to whom belonged his covenants and promises. It was to the descendants of these that Jesus come, and the Scriptures declare that he came to “his own.” They were his because they were the Heavenly Father’s chosen people.

Nehemiah 4:6

This lesson in the Book of Nehemiah is concerned not with the rebuilding of the temple, but with the construction of Jerusalem’s walls. This project was not included in the decree of authorization issued by Cyrus. It was the decree authorizing this work which is referred to by the Prophet Daniel. (Dan. 9:25) While Ezra identifies Cyrus’ decree as a fulfillment of a prophecy by Jeremiah, he does not mention this prophecy of Daniel, the reason being that it did not fulfill Daniel’s prophecy.

Some students have also been confused by an improper application of a prophecy by Isaiah. (Isa. 44:28) This prophecy refers to Cyrus in connection with the rebuilding of Jerusalem and of the temple, but Ezra makes no mention of it when telling us about Cyrus’ decree. A careful examination of Isaiah’s prophecy reveals why. Beginning with thee 24th verse of Isaiah, chapter 44, the prophet lists one after another of the accomplishments of the Lord—what he is able to do, and what he does do—that he needs only to speak the word and it is done.

In the 27th verse the prophet continues in this vein, and says of the Lord, “That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers.” God also says to Cyrus, “He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure”: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” It is clearly the Lord who issues all these commandments, even the commandment which makes Cyrus his “shepherd,” the one whom he would use to release his captive people and make possible the building of the temple.

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. God had not used nor blessed other nations heretofore, and it would seem almost as great an accomplishment to make Cyrus a shepherd over his people as it would to dry up the sea. God used the decree of Cyrus in connection with the rebuilding of the temple, but this was by the Lord’s own word of authority; for it was the Lord who first of all said, “to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid,” and it was the Lord, not Cyrus, who said “to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built.”

God used Cyrus in connection with the rebuilding of the temple, but not Jerusalem’s walls, referred to in Daniel’s prophecy. The decree authorizing this project was issued eighty-two years later by Artaxerxes, then king of Persia. The enemies of the returned captives did all they could to hinder the work of rebuilding both the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. One method they used was to confuse the issue between rebuilding the temple and rebuilding the city and its walls.

Work was well advanced on the temple when these enemies sent a letter to Artaxerxes informing him that the Jews were rebuilding the city and its walls, and reminding the king that a fortified Jerusalem in the hands of the Jews would prove a menace to his security on that side of the river. Artaxerxes was stirred by this report. He looked up the records, found that in the past, powerful kings in Jerusalem had proved to be a problem to the preceding empire of Babylon. He discovered that no authority had been given to rebuild the walls and city of Jerusalem, so he sent word that the work should stop until a decree had been issued by him. See Ezra 4:21.

Actually Jerusalem was not being rebuilt, but merely the temple. Then the temple builders finally got word back to Artaxerxes and requested a search of the records to find a decree which had been issued by Cyrus pertaining to the temple. This decree was found, and Artaxerxes honored it and gave his full co-operation, even to the point of making liberal arrangements for the decoration of the temple after the work of rebuilding was completed.

But the city and its walls could not be rebuilt until another decree had been issued by Artaxerxes, and this was obtained later by Nehemiah, when the king gave him permission to go to Jerusalem for this purpose. Nehemiah records, “So it pleased the king to send me.” (Neh. 2:6) Letters were given to Nehemiah by the king to facilitate the journey and to expedite the work of rebuilding the city.

It is important to keep these historical events in their proper sequence because they have to do with a vital time prophecy relating to the first advent of Christ. Daniel foretold that it would be sixty-nine weeks—symbolic weeks, each one being seven literal years in length—from the issuing of the decree to rebuild the walls and city of Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince. (Dan. 9:25-27) This was a period of 483 years. To locate the starting date for this period at the time Cyrus issued his decree, would shorten the period from creation to the first advent of Jesus by eighty-two years, and this would lead to an erroneous understanding of certain important time prophecies of the Bible.

Nehemiah 8:1-3

Ezra, the scribe, also acting under authority from Artaxerxes, restored to Israel the worship of Jehovah. Practically an entirely new generation had grown up during the Babylonian captivity, although there were some of the original captives who returned. In. Babylon they had no temple, and probably this new generation had been given little instruction in religious matters; so this called for another major job of “reconstruction.”

Little good would it be to the children of Israel to have their capital city rebuilt and their temple restored, unless the worship of their God was also restored to them, and this was the task that Ezra supervised. “The ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the Law,” the account tells us. That must have been a wonderful day for Israel!

Just as the building of the temple pointed forward to the building of a far more important “temple”—the spiritual temple of God—so the restoration of the Law to Israel reminds us of a still more far-reaching religious reform, even of that time when the Lord will turn to all people a “pure language,” and when they will’ “all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.”—Zeph. 3:9

Historically; the period from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the first advent of Christ is rather obscure. The outstanding events in the nation all pre-date this final era in their history. God had watched over them as a nation. He brought them out of Egypt; gave them his Law; brought them into the Promised Land; blessed them and punished them according to their needs, while they were being ruled, first by judges, and then by kings; and finally permitted them to become a subject nation to Gentile rulers.

Now there was a marking of time, as it were, until the 483 years of Daniel’s prophecy had run out. During this period the Jews were none too faithful to the Lord. Malachi tells us that they robbed God, and because of this failed to enjoy the rich blessings of the Lord which otherwise might have been theirs. Then their Messiah came, and the plan of God moved forward into a new age, the Gospel age. It was because they were not wholly faithful that they were unprepared to accept their Messiah when he came to them. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”—John 1:11

QUESTIONS

What year was it when Cyrus issued the decree authorizing the Jews to return to their land and to rebuild their temple?

Explain the larger fulfillment of the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah.

Did Cyrus give permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem?

Explain the circumstances which made it necessary for Artaxerxes to grant permission for the walls to be rebuilt.

What was the particular work of Ezra in connection with the return from captivity of the children of Israel; and of what was this a fitting illustration?

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