Rebuilding The Jerusalem Temple: Jeremiah's Prophecy Fulfilled
Destruction & Restoration
If you have ever done one of those reading programs that get you though the whole bible in a year you know some books are difficult to get through... list of genealogies, temple functions, records of kings and kingdoms, years of rule etc.. The book of Ezra can be like that... but this book also serves a very specific function within the bible.
The book of Ezra documents the fulfillment of a prophecy. Today we will to review the fulfillment of God's prophetic word [given through Jeremiah]. That true worship would be restored in Jerusalem after 70 years of exile in Babylon for Judah.
Prophecy often speaks of God's judgment and punishment for sin, and assures us of its unstoppable march forward which cannot be thwarted. Prophecy also speaks to His promise of life giving restoration, and establishment of Godly governance on earth also marches forward with unstoppable sureness. The book of Ezra carefully documents the fulfillment of just such a prophecy.
Ezra 1:1 here is the statement of purpose for the book of Ezra. Now, let's take a look at the prophetic words of Jeremiah referred to here.
Jeremiah 25:8-11 Israel refused to listen to sound instruction and warning. So God opted for corporal punishment to address their violation of the covenant. But with the promise of judgment and punishment also comes a promise of restoration, read verses 12-14.
Jeremiah 29:10 Babylon has crushed Judah dragged off most of the people and the royal family, they have installed the king's brother as a puppet king. A tiny remnant is still in Jerusalem. Jeremiah is among that tiny remnant still in Jerusalem while the rest of the nation is exile. At this point the temple constructed by Solomon is still standing.
Jeremiah writes from Jerusalem to those in exile and tells them to settle in for a long haul. He warns them not to listen to false preachers predicting a quick return and restoration of the chosen people. He reminds them that have been punished as warned. But with punishment comes the promise of restoration. However, it will be on God's timetable, not your own read verses 4-14.
Some interpret the 70 years to apply to the existence of the Babylonian kingdom itself... "when 70 years are complete for Babylon". The kingdom of Babylon can be calculated as lasting 73 years or 66 years depending on what beginning or end points you use... close but not right on. This casts doubt on the accuracy of the prophecy and its fulfillment.
The prophecy and its fulfillment are measured from the destruction of the temple in 586 BC and the rebuilding completed in 516 BC. The rise and fall of kingdoms is of lesser importance in God's thoughts than keys dates and events in true worship and the chosen people.
The Destruction of the Temple Begins The Countdown
2 Kings 25:8-12 several years earlier much of the population had already been deported to Babylon. Egged on by his advisers, Zedekiah the puppet king decides to rebel against The Babylonians occupying the country. Babylon brutally puts down the rebellion, demolishes the temple [plus much of the city], and deports most of the remaining people to Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar came to his throne in 605 B.C.. He destroyed the Jerusalem temple in his 19th year of rule, which would make the year of the temple destruction 586 B.C. This is the event that marks the beginning of the 70 years. The clock is now ticking... so, we should expect to see the temple restored in 516 B.C.
Did we just pluck these out of the data stream of history because they best fit the prophecy? Or, do we have any biblical reason to calculate the 70 years from the destruction of the temple to the time its rebuilt? Answer: we do have some biblical statements that agree with the rebuilding of the temple as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah.
Zechariah 1:12-17 when asked when this restoration of the chosen people would occur... God answers "I will return to Jerusalem, and My house [temple] shall be rebuilt".
Zechariah 4:7-9 its is by the rebuilding of the temple that you will know My spirit is at work making this come to pass. Note: Zechariah was one of the prophets sent to the people who were tasked with rebuilding. We will hear his name a bit more later.
The Decree of Cyrus
Ezra 1:1-4 the date of this decree is 539 B.C. which is the year Cyrus and the Persian army conquered the Babylonians. From the the Jewish respective this was "the first year of Cyrus", the first year of Cyrus' rule over them [in place of the now conquered Babylonians].
But wait... this is 23 years ahead of schedule! By the word of prophecy the temple is not to be rebuilt until 516 B.C. The proclamation of Cyrus is only setting the wheels in motion to make the rebuilding project possible. The decree will get at least some of the tribe of Judah back to the land so they can start the rebuilding, it also declares the means for financing the project.
Ezra 1:5-8 the return to Jerusalem only involves the three tribes that stayed loyal to the royal line of David [Judah, Benjamin, and Levi]. The other 10 tribes are not involved. In fact, there is no record of them ever returning to the land. They are commonly referred to as the 10 lost tribes of Israel.
Next, more details are provided on the financing and the return of the temple articles: verses 9-11 list the items that were to be returned [5,400 in total]. The entire process of rebuilding the temple and fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah is scrupulously documented and detailed.
Ezra 2:1-2 Now we get a listing of who was involved in the project. Zerubbabel is of the royal line of David and is sent to oversee and administer the project. Joshua [Jeshau, Jesus] is sent to re-establish the priestly line. He is most likely the same person as Sheshbazzar who was give charge over all the temple goods being returned. These two figure prominently in the book of Zechariah the prophet.
The rest of the chapter gives list of priests, Levites, temple servants who would supply the manpower for the restoration project.
An Altar Is Built
Ezra 3:1-6 the religious zeal of those returning shows here. They re-establish the offering of sacrifice on the first day of the 7th month which is the feast of Trumpets. The sacred calendar is restored and the announcing of the appointed feasts of God resumes with the sighting of the first new moon.
The restoration of righteous worship of God in Jerusalem happens at the time of the fall festivals [which pictures the re-establishment of God's rule on earth]. These events take place in the year 539/538 B.C. depending on how you sync up the biblical calendar with the secular Gregorian calendar.
But wait... we are still way ahead of schedule! Notice that verse 6 makes appoint of telling us the temple is not yet built, the foundation has not even been laid yet.
Ezra 3:7-13 for the first year they get the farms up and running so they have food, and produce to trade. Next they lay the foundations for the temple. It is an occasion for great joy but also sadness because the restored temple will be small and insignificant compared to the glory of the glorious temple that had been destroyed about 50 previously [some of the elderly people among them were old enough to remember the temple that once was, and they cried when they thought about it].
The Rebuilding Project Gets Put On Hold
Ezra 4:1-2 The land of Israel they were returning to was not completely empty. People still living there but they are not the 10 tribes of Israel or a remnant of Judah. These people in the land specifically refer to themselves as having been placed in the land by the Assyrians 200 years earlier. The northern 10 tribes of Israel had been deported by Assyria But unlike Judah they never returned. The Assyrians imported others from unknown lands to populate the empty territory [see 2 Kings 17:14-39].
These are the Samaritans we read about in Jesus' day. The Samaritans had a weird mixture of pagan Canaanite religion mixed together with YHWH worship... which is probably why they thought they should get involved in this rebuilding of a temple to YHWH.
Ezra 4:3-5 the returning exiles flat out reject their offer of assistance which causes a lot of hard feelings. From this point on the Samaritans will go out of their way to frustrate and delay the project. And they succeeded in stopping the rebuilding from the remaining time of Cyrus until King Darius takes the throne 14 years later.
Ironically, the Samaritan delaying tactics were what kept the project from being completed before the 70 years were up... and in effect, kept the timeline of rebuilding the temple on track with the prophecy. Nothing happens that God is not aware of and cannot use to fulfill His purpose.
Methods Used to Delay The Project
Chapter 4 of Ezra is an inset, or sidebar. It gives examples of how the Samaritans were able to derail the rebuilding of the temple. The examples are in the form of letters sent to the king and other officials warning about conspiracy and sedition in the realm if they let the project continue.
What can be a bit confusing to some is that the example letters the book of Ezra uses are from a later period that actually took place after the temple had been restored. The example letters relate to the rebuilding of the defense walls around the city during the reign of Artaxerxes. I presume they used these example letters because they could not get their hands on actual copies of the letters sent to Cyrus.
The important point is made in Ezra 4:24. This is how the project was delayed.
Getting Back on Track
Ezra 5:1-2 14 fourteen years have passed and then God sends two prophets to stir the people up to get started on the project again.
Ezra 5:3-7 the Samaritans complain again and send another letter to the king looking for direction. But now there is a new man on the throne, Darius.
The letter repeats the Samaritan objections to the project. It puts forward the Jews claim they are simply following through on the original decree of Cyrus which can be found in the official court records.
Ezra 6:1 they find the original decree of Cyrus in the archives. Darius reads it and writes back.
Darius says he didi find a copy of the decree in the archives and the Jews are correct in their claims. He tells the Samaritan police/troops to stand down and not interfere with the project any more. Darius also offers additional financing for he project from the Persian treasury.
Ezra 6:13-15 the date here is cited from the Babylonian calendar. Presumably to tie the date in with the secular calendar used by most nations outside Israel. This date would be March 12 516 B.C. . Seventy years after the destruction of the temple of Solomon in 586 B.C. The prophecy of Jeremiah has been fulfilled right on time, according to the prophetic word.
The Passover of 516 B.C.
Ezra 6:19-22 the dates cited here are now using the biblical calendar. This makes sense because we are now talking about the keeping of the fall festivals and the restoration of true worship to the city of Jerusalem.
Conclusion:
The Book of Ezra documents an important fulfillment of prophecy. In so doing it helps establish the true and historical validity of he scriptures. Plus, this fulfillment is an important and encouraging reminder that prophecy is about more that judgment and tribulation… it is about restoration, rebuilding, and redemption.
The slow and steady march forward of God’s plan to restore righteous rule, establish peace, and administer justice are certain… they are coming… and they will not be stopped.
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