When
was the Temple shown to Ezekiel to be built?
Note from the
Author/Editor: This article will probably be pre-judged by
many people as false without careful reading the entirety of it. Sometimes it is
hard for all of us to lay aside that which we are positive is the truth on a
matter long enough to carefully check out something that is contrary to it.
Therefore, one should be like a good juryman and
listen to all the evidence, weigh it, and then decide if it is true or if it is
false. Give it an honest, thorough and unbiased investigation. Just as a
prejudiced juryman may have been previously incorrectly informed with what he
thought was the truth, it is also possible that one may previously have been
incorrectly informed on some of the things discussed in this article.
PART
I
To understand this article, it is imperative for one to
know who the people were that were taken captive by the Babylonians and who
came back at the end of the seventy years of captivity. The fact is that they
were remnants of all of the Twelve Tribes of Israel under the banner of "Judah." The dominant tribe was the
tribe of Judah. Because they were
basically from the land of Judah,
they were called "Jews."
For some historical background on who the so-called "Jews" were, let us start with a scripture concerning the
breakup of Israel into two kingdoms.
I Kings 12 [945/944 BCE] (15)
Wherefore the king [Rehoboam]
hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from YAHWEH, that he might perform his
saying, which YAHWEH
spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam [to give him 10 tribes] the
son of Nebat. (16) So
when all Israel [the Ten Northern Tribes] saw
that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king [Rehoboam], saying, What portion have we
in David? Neither have we inheritance
in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel [the Ten Northern Tribes] departed
unto their [own] tents
[within
the land belonging to the Ten Northern Tribes]. (17) But as for the Children of Israel which dwelt in the cities
of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
These are the same ones that are mentioned again in this
next scripture.
II
Chronicles 11 [945/944 BCE] (I) And when Rehoboam was
come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the House of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore
thousand chosen men, which were
warriors, to fight against Israel [the Northern Ten Tribes], that
he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. (2) But The Word of YAHWEH came to Shemaiah
the man of Elohim,
saying, (3) Speak
unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in
Judah [People from the
Ten Tribes who lived in the land of Judah and followed Rehoboam] and Benjamin,
saying, (4) Thus saith
YAHWEH,
Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your
Brethren [those of the
Northern Ten Tribes who followed Jeroboam]: return every man to
his house: for this thing is done of ME.
And they obeyed the words of YAHWEH, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
At
that time there were even more Israelites who came to Judah from the Northern Ten Tribes.
II
Chronicles [945/944
BCE]11 (13) And
the Priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts. (14) For the Levites left their suburbs and
their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: (for
Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto
YAHWEH:
(15) And
he [Jeroboam] ordained
him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which
he had made.) (16) And
after them [the Priests and
the Levites] out of all the tribes
of Israel such as set
their hearts to seek YAHWEH Elohim of Israel came to Jerusalem,
to sacrifice unto YAHWEH Elohim of
their fathers. (17) So
they [the Priests and the Levites and those out
of all the tribes of Israel] strengthened the Kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon
strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and
Solomon.
About 32 years later while Asa was the king of Judah,
we find more came out of Israel
to Judah.
II Chronicles [912
BCE] 15 (8) And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of
Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all
the land of Judah
and Benjamin,
and out of the cities which he had
taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of YAHWEH,
that was before the porch of YAHWEH.
(9) And
he gathered all Judah
and Benjamin,
and the strangers
[sojourners] with them out of Ephraim
and Manasseh,
and out of Simeon:
for they fell to him out of Israel
in abundance, when they saw that YAHWEH his Elohim was with him. (10) So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in
the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
Forty-two years later, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah
made use of "chief of the fathers of Israel."
II
Chronicles 19 [870 BCE] (8) Moreover in Jerusalem did
Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the
priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the
judgment of YAHWEH,
and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem. (9) And
he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of YAHWEH, faithfully, and with a
perfect heart.
Around
ninety years after the Northern Kingdom
of Israel
was carried away by the Assyrians in 721 BCE, we still see remnants of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, Naphtali, and of
all Israel with Judah and Benjamin
in the land of Israel. (It is a big mistake to think that
the entire land of Israel was devoid of Israelites after 721 BCE. Apparently, YAHWEH choose to preserve many of
them to stay in their own land for the sake of the Patriarchs and for the sake
of HIS great Name.)
II Chronicles 34 (I) Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign [640 BCE], and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. (2) And
he did that which was right in the
sight of YAHWEH,
and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. (3) For in the eighth year
of his reign [632 BCE],
while he was yet young, he began to seek after the Elohim of David his father: and in
the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places,
and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. (4) And
they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down;
and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in
pieces, and made dust of them, and
strowed it upon the graves of them
that had sacrificed unto them. (5) And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their
altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. (6) And so did he in the cities of Manasseh,
and Ephraim,
and Simeon,
even unto Naphtali,
with their mattocks round about. (7) And when he had broken down the altars and the
groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the
idols throughout all the land
of Israel, he returned to
Jerusalem. (8) Now in
the eighteenth year of his reign [622 BCE], when
he had purged the land, and the House, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and
Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to
repair the House of YAHWEH his Elohim. (9) And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest,
they delivered the money that was brought into the House of Elohim,
which the Levites
that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to
Jerusalem.
All
of the above, are the very same remnants from all the Twelve Tribes of
Israel that Jeremiah spoke to in approximately 628 B.C.E.
He had just started prophesying in the streets of Jerusalem concerning the coming
destruction of Jerusalem and all the
cities of Judah by the Babylonians. (Please
keep in mind that the cities and land of "Judah" included many cities that previously belonged to the
Northern Ten Tribes of Israel.) In those prophesies, YAHWEH was addressing Judah, the Men of Judah,
House of Judah, Jerusalem,
Inhabitants of Jerusalem, House of Jacob,
and House of
Israel even though the Northern
Ten Tribes had already been taken captive by the Assyrians for around
ninety years. (As seen in the above scripture, neither the land of the Southern Two
Tribes of Israel
nor the land of the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel
was devoid of the Twelve Tribes of Israel!)
Jeremiah 2 (I) Moreover The Word of YAHWEH came to me,
saying, (2) Go
and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith YAHWEH; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine
espousals, when thou wentest after ME
in the wilderness, in a land that was not
sown. (3) Israel was holiness unto YAHWEH, and the firstfruits [first, in place, time, order or rank] of HIS increase: all that devour him shall
offend; evil shall come upon them, saith YAHWEH. (4) Hear ye The
Word of YAHWEH, O House of Jacob, and all the families of the House of Israel: (5) Thus
saith YAHWEH,
What iniquity have your fathers found in ME,
that they are gone far from ME, and
have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
Jeremiah 11 (I) The word that came to Jeremiah from YAHWEH,
saying, (2) Hear
ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem; (3) And say thou unto them, Thus saith YAHWEH Elohim
of Israel;
Cursed be the man that obeyeth not
the words of this covenant, (4) Which I
commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of
Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey MY
voice, and do them, according to all which I
command you: so shall ye be MY people,
and I will be your Elohim:
(5) That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give
them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it
is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O YAHWEH. (6) Then YAHWEH
said unto me, Proclaim all these words
in the cities of Judah
[At this time the
cities and land of "Judah" included many cities still inhabited by
Israelites that previously belonged to the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel], and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of
this covenant, and do them. … (9) And YAHWEH said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah,
and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (10) They are
turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear MY words; and they went after other
elohim to serve them: the House of Israel
and the House of Judah have broken MY Covenant which I made with their fathers. (11) Therefore thus saith YAHWEH, Behold, I will bring [future tense] evil upon them [House of
Israel and the House of Judah],
which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. (12) Then
shall the Cities
of Judah and Inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry
unto the elohim unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at
all in the time of their trouble. (13) For according
to the number of thy cities were thy elohim, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up
altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal…. (16) YAHWEH
called thy name, A Green OLIVE TREE,
fair, and of goodly fruit: with the
noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it
are broken. (17) For YAHWEH
of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of
the House of Israel and of the House of Judah, which they have done
against themselves to provoke ME to
anger in offering incense unto Baal.
At
that time, the tribe of Judah was indeed blessed with the lineage of Messiah YAHshua,
the Sceptre of YAHWEH'S
Chosen
(Elect)
People Israel, YAHWEH'S chosen city of Jerusalem, and the Remnant of
all the Twelve Tribes of Israel
that YAHWEH
preserved for the sake of the Patriarchs and for the sake of HIS own great
Name. So, the Olive Tree is the remnant of the ISRAEL OF YAHWEH!
As
Jeremiah prophesied, Judah and the inhabitants
of all her cities, including the remnants of all
the Twelve
Tribes of Israel,
were captured and taken to Babylon for seventy years. When those who chose to
return returned, there was again the Olive Tree, the Remnant of all Israel, the
ISRAEL
OF
YAHWEH,
dwelling again in the land of Israel and not just in
the land allotted to the tribe of Judah.
Cyrus,
whom YAHWEH
set over all kingdoms of the Earth, gave all Israel the opportunity to come back to Jerusalem
which is in Judah.
Ezra
1 (I) Now in the first year of Cyrus king
of Persia, that the Word of YAHWEH by the mouth of Jeremiah might be
fulfilled, YAHWEH
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation
throughout all his kingdom, and put it also
in writing, saying, (2) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, YAHWEH Elohim
of Heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and HE hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (3) Who is
there among you of all HIS people? [HIS
people is Israel] His Elohim be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House of YAHWEH Elohim
of Israel,
(HE is the Elohim,) which is in Jerusalem. (4) And whosoever remaineth in any place where he
sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and
with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the House of Elohim
that is in Jerusalem. (5) Then
rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah
and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit Elohim had raised, to go up to build the House of YAHWEH which is in Jerusalem.
It would seem logical that YAHWEH put the will to return back
to the Holy Land into the minds of all
the repentant Remnants of
all the Twelve Tribes of Israel
that YAHWEH
preserved for the sake of the Patriarchs and for the sake of HIS own great
Name. (As seen in all the above scriptures, YAHWEH already had preserved a
sizeable Remnant of all the Twelve Tribes of
Israel with Judah and Benjamin.)
When those who came back were numbered, they were
actually numbered as the People of Israel, not "Jews," or the House of Judah. (However, I do admit
that later on in Ezra that are referred to as Judah and Benjamin. In response to that, you
must once again remember that the cities and land of "Judah" also included many cities
that previously belonged to the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel.)
Ezra
2 (I) Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity,
of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah,
every one unto his city; (2) Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah,
Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the People of Israel:
By adding the total number of the People of Israel in verses
three through fifty-eight there are a total 29,967 who were legally
numbered. There were 652 of who
could not prove that they were of Israel.
Ezra
2 (59) And
these were they which went up from
Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer:
but they could not show their father's house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel: (60) The
children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two.
There were also some of the priest (Levites) who had no
record at all who were not numbered.
Ezra
2 (61) And
of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz,
the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the
Gileadite, and was called after their name: (62) These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not
found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. (63) And
the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things,
till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.
The whole congregation was 42,360.
Ezra
2 (64) The whole congregation
together was forty and two thousand
three hundred and threescore, (65)
Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand
three hundred thirty and seven: and there
were among them two hundred
singing men and singing women. (66) Their horses were
seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; (67) Their
camels, four hundred thirty and five; their
asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. (68) And some of the chief of the fathers, when
they came to the House of YAHWEH which is
at Jerusalem, offered freely for the House of Elohim to set it up in his place: (69) They
gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one
thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred
priests' garments. (70) So
the priests, and the Levites, and some of
the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their
cities, and all
Israel in their cities.
Did you notice that? It said that all Israel dwelt in their own cities. (Again, you must remember that the cities and land
of "Judah"
included many cities that previously belonged to the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel.)
It
should be noted here that YAHshua and the Apostles were sent to seek out YAHWEH'S
lost sheep of
the House of Israel! (Scriptures show that YAHshua spent much more time in
Northern Israel than He did in the land allotted to the tribes of Judah and
Benjamin put together.)
Matthew
15 (24) But He [YAHshua]
answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
Matthew
10 (5) These
twelve YAHshua sent forth, and commanded
them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and
into any city of the Samaritans enter
ye not: (6) But go rather to the lost
sheep of the House of Israel. (7) And as ye go, preach,
saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand.
With
all the history given in PART I, how can anyone deny that the beginning of the
regathering of Israel as prophesied by YAHWEH's prophets of
Old Testament times had already began
over two millennia ago?
PART
II
YAHWEH always tells HIS servants the prophets what HE plans on
doing before HE does it.
Amos 3 (7) Surely my Sovereign YAHWEH
will do nothing, but HE revealeth HIS secret unto HIS servants the prophets.
Around 1462 BCE, YAHWEH revealed to HIS prophet
Moses the pattern for the Tabernacle in the wilderness so that HE could dwell
among HIS people Israel.
Exodus
25 (I) And YAHWEH spake unto Moses, saying, (2) Speak
unto the Children of Israel, that they bring ME an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his
heart ye shall take MY offering. (3) And
this is the offering which ye shall
take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, … (8) And let them make ME
a sanctuary; that I may dwell among
them. (9)
According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of
the Tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even
so shall ye make it.
Almost five hundred years after YAHWEH revealed the pattern for
the Tabernacle to Moses, HE revealed the pattern for the first Temple in Jerusalem
to David, the King of Israel. HE
revealed it to him in writing.
I
Chronicles 28 (11) Then
David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses
thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of
the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, (12) And
the pattern of all that he had by the spirit [of YAHWEH], of
the courts of the House of YAHWEH, and of all the chambers round about, of
the treasuries of the House of Elohim, and of the treasuries of the dedicated
things: … (19) All this, said David, YAHWEH made me understand in writing by
HIS hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
In 572 BCE, fourteen years after the first Temple was destroyed
in 586 BCE by the Babylonians, YAHWEH revealed the pattern for the second Temple
in Jerusalem to the prophet Ezekiel. In revealing the pattern that HE showed
him through visions, HE showed him the frame of a city. Within that frame of a
city were the courts and the pattern for the second Temple. Inside of its
courts, were all the places where the sacrificial ceremonies were to be
administered by the Levitical Priesthood according to YAHWEH'S instructions under the
First Covenant. As during the time of the first Temple, those sacrificial
ceremonies were to continually point forward to the ultimate sacrifice of YAHshua
for the sins of the whole world.
YAHWEH gave HIS servant Ezekiel the prophet the patterns of
these things about thirty-three years before HE commanded Cyrus to let HIS
people Israel (all twelve tribes under the banner of Judah
as well as those who were not under the banner of Judah - not the tribe of Judah
and Benjamin only) go back and build the second Temple. (Part one of
this article proved that the descendents of Judah were only a portion of the
total of the Israelites under the banner of "Judah" who were taken captive by the Babylonians.)
Ezekiel 40 (I) In the five and twentieth year of our
captivity [572 BCE], in
the beginning of the year, in the tenth day
of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten [586 BCE], in the selfsame day the hand
of YAHWEH
was upon me [Ezekiel], and
brought me thither. (2) In
the visions of Elohim
brought HE me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very
high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. (3) And HE brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a
line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. (4) And
the man said unto me, son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine
ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee; for to the intent
that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou
seest to the House of Israel. …
41 (I) Afterward he brought me to the
Temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six
cubits broad on the other side, which was
the breadth of the tabernacle. …
In the 41st and 42nd chapters of
Ezekiel, he was shown more of the Temple and the Temple courts. In the 43rd
chapter, he was given the following promise with very specific instructions to
give to the House
of Israel in writing.
(Keep in mind that this was around the year 572 BCE, about thirty-three years
before the end of the prophesied seventy years of captivity of the people from
the land of Judah in Babylon.)
Ezekiel 43 (7) And he said unto me, son of man, the place of MY throne, and the place of the soles
of MY feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel for ever [see article (What is "owlam"
or "forever"?) at the end of this
article], and MY
holy name, shall the House of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom,
nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. (8) In
their setting of their threshold by MY
thresholds, and their post by MY
posts, and the wall between ME and
them, they have even defiled MY holy
name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in MINE anger. (9) Now [H6258: at this time] let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of
their kings, far from ME, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. (10) Thou
son of man, show the House [Temple] to the House of Israel,
that they may be ashamed of their
iniquities: and let them
measure the pattern. (11) And "IF" they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them [the House of Israel] the form
of the House, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it
in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all
the ordinances thereof, and do
them. (12) This is the law of the House;
upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the House.
Did you notice in the above verses, especially verse
nine, that YAHWEH
dwelling with them "forever" was to start at that time.
YAHWEH was actually preparing to call HIS people, the House of
Israel, to be
regathered, replanted, and rebuilt, in order to dwell with them forever!
Did you also notice that building the Temple according
to the pattern shown to Ezekiel was contingent on "IF" they be ashamed of all that they have done?
As we continue, please notice that all the laws of sacrificing were included with the plans for the
Temple that was to be shown to the House
of Israel "IF" they be ashamed of
all that they have done.
Ezekiel 43 (18) And he said unto me, son of man, thus saith my Sovereign YAHWEH; These are
the ordinances of the altar in
the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt
offerings thereon, and to sprinkle
blood thereon. (19) And
thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which
approach unto ME, to minister unto ME, saith my Sovereign YAHWEH,
a young bullock for a sin offering. (20) And
thou shalt take of the blood
thereof, and put it on the four horns
of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about:
thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. (21) Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in
the appointed place of the House, without the sanctuary. (22) And
on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse
the altar, as they did cleanse it with
the bullock. (23) When
thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou
shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without
blemish. (24) And
thou shalt offer them before YAHWEH, and the priests shall cast salt upon
them, and they shall offer them up for a
burnt offering unto YAHWEH.
(25) Seven
days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for
a sin offering: they shall also
prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish. (26) Seven
days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate
themselves. (27) And
when these days are expired, it shall be, that
upon the eighth day, and so forward,
the priests shall make your burnt offerings
upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith my Sovereign YAHWEH.
From the above scriptures, it is so obvious that the
pattern for a City and the Temple was for the regathering of the House of Israel. They were to
begin coming back to the land of Israel in another thirty-three years at the
end of the prophesied seventy-year captivity in Babylon around 539 BCE. It was
the pattern for the second Temple with its sacrificial services under the
Levitical Priesthood, and NOT a pattern of a third, much
less a fourth, or a so-called millennial Temple to be built in
another twenty-seven hundred years or so later in 2000-plus CE!
Now, let us look at what actually happened when the House of
Israel came back beginning in 539 BCE. Let us see "IF" they were ashamed of all that
they had done. Let us see "IF" they built the Temple according
to the plans given to Ezekiel. Let us see "IF" YAHWEH
dwelt in that Temple forever. Let us
see "IF" all
these things came to pass. "IF" they did not come to pass why
not?
In approximately 539 BCE, Cyrus gave the historical
command that all of YAHWEH'S people in all the kingdoms in
the Earth could go back to build the House (second Temple) of YAHWEH in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1(I) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,
that the Word of YAHWEH by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, YAHWEH stirred
up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout
all his kingdom, and put it also in
writing, saying, (2) Thus
saith Cyrus king of Persia, YAHWEH Elohim of
Heaven hath given me *all the kingdoms of the
earth; and HE hath
charged me to build HIM an House [the second
Temple] at Jerusalem, which is
in Judah. (3) Who is there among you of all HIS people [Israel]? His Elohim be with him, and let him go
up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah,
and build the House of
YAHWEH, Elohim
of Israel,
(HE is the Elohim,) which is in Jerusalem.
*All the
kingdoms of the Earth most
certainly included all the kingdoms where the House of Israel (northern ten tribes) were. They had been carried
captive by the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-two years earlier in 721 BCE.
It included all the kingdoms where the northern ten tribes may have migrated
after the Assyrians had no more interest in them. (Assyria itself finally fell
into the hands of Babylon shortly before the fall of Judah.) All the kingdoms of
the Earth most certainly included the House of Judah (the two southern tribes which probably included
more of the other ten tribes than of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin put
together) who were carried captive by the Babylonians. Therefore, ALL twelve tribes of the Israelites had the
call to come back to build the second Temple. Ezekiel was given the pattern
for that second Temple. That is the reason why he was told, "declare all that thou
seest to the House of Israel"
(see Ezekiel 40:4 as stated above).
In the Biblical account given above, it is evident that
it was all the tribes of Israel,
not just the tribe of Judah, who
were invited to return to build the second Temple or House of YAHWEH.
Those who first accepted the invitation began building it in 535 BCE.
When the foundation of the second Temple was laid the
same year that the building began (535 BCE), they began to shout praises to YAHWEH.
Ezra 3 (8) Now in the second year of their coming unto the House
of Elohim
at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and
Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and
the Levites, and all they that were
come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites,
from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the House of YAHWEH.
(9) Then
stood Jeshua with his sons and his
brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the
workmen in the House of Elohim: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. (10) And
when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of YAHWEH, they set the priests in
their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to
praise YAHWEH,
after the ordinance of David king of Israel. (11) And they sang together by
course in praising and giving thanks unto YAHWEH; because HE is good, for HIS mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all
the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised YAHWEH, because the foundation of
the House of YAHWEH
was laid.
However, there were those who had seen the first Temple
of YAHWEH
wept after seeing the foundation because this second Temple could not compare
to the first Temple which the Babylonians destroyed in Jerusalem. (A little
later in this article, it will be proved that this was the reason why they were
weeping.)
Ezra 3 (12) But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the
fathers, who were ancient men, that
had seen the first house, when the foundation of this House was laid before
their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted [when they praised
YAHWEH-verse 11] aloud for joy: (13) So that the people could not
discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the
people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar
off.
Their enemies succeeded in getting the work of building
the Temple of YAHWEH
to stop in 529 BCE.
Ezra 4 (I) Now when the adversaries of *Judah
and *Benjamin
heard that the children of the captivity builded the Temple unto YAHWEH Elohim of Israel; (2) Then they came to Zerubbabel,
and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for
we seek your Elohim,
as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto HIM since the days of Esarhaddon king
of Assur, which brought us up hither. (3) But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the
chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us
to build an house unto our Elohim; but we ourselves together will build unto
YAHWEH Elohim of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of
Persia hath commanded us. (4) Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the
people of Judah, and troubled them in building, … (23) Now
when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was
read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went
up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and
power. (24) Then
ceased the work of the House of ELAH which is
at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king
of Persia. [521 BCE.]
*These were the two whole tribes that were
the closest in proximity of Jerusalem as well as they were the only whole
tribes left after the ten other tribes were taken captive in 721 BCE.
Therefore, the people who had lived around them from 721 BCE until the people
living in Judah were taken captive to Babylon were their enemies.
Through Haggai the prophet in 521 BCE, YAHWEH
scolds the people for not working on HIS Temple and the building of the House
(second Temple) of YAHWEH began again.
Ezra 5 (I) Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and
Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the ELAH of Israel, even unto them. (2) Then
rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and
began to build the House of ELAH which is
at Jerusalem: and with them were the
prophets of ELAH
helping them.
Haggai 2 (I) In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day
of the month, came the Word of YAHWEH by the prophet Haggai, saying, (2) Speak
now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the
son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, (3) Who is left among you that saw this House in her first glory?
And how do ye see it now? Is it not
in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
(In verse three above, we see why that in Ezra 3:12-13
those who has seen the first Temple were weeping.)
Throughout the second chapter of Haggai, YAHWEH
made several promises.
Haggai 2 (6) For thus saith YAHWEH of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the
earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
(7) And I will shake all nations, and the desire [delight] of all nations shall
come: and I will
fill this House
[the second Temple] with glory,
saith YAHWEH
of hosts. (8) The
silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith YAHWEH of Hosts. (9) The glory of this
latter House shall be greater than of
the former, saith YAHWEH of hosts: and in this place will I give peace,
saith YAHWEH
of hosts.
Concerning the glory in verses seven through nine, YAHWEH
was plainly promising tangible wealth coming to the Temple (verse eight strengthens
that point well). In 458 BCE, a substantial amount of wealth did come to the
second Temple through the efforts of Ezra and Arataxes the King of Persia.
Ezra 7 (11) Now this is the
copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the
scribe, even a scribe of the words of
the commandments of YAHWEH, and of HIS statutes to Israel. (12) Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest,
a scribe of the law of the ELAH of Heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. (13) I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their
own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. (14)
Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to
inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy ELAH
which is in thine hand; (15) And
to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely
offered unto the ELAH of Israel,
whose habitation is in Jerusalem, (16) And all
the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with
the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for
the House [the second Temple] of
their ELAH
which is in Jerusalem: (17) That
thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat
offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the House
of your ELAH
which is in Jerusalem. (18) And
whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of
the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your ELAH. (19) The
vessels also that are given thee for the service of the House of thy ELAH, those deliver thou before the ELAH of
Jerusalem. (20) And
whatsoever more shall be needful for the House of thy ELAH, which thou shalt have
occasion to bestow, bestow it out of
the king's treasure house. (21) And I, even I
Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever
Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the ELAH of Heaven, shall require of
you, it be done speedily, (22) Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred
measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of
oil, and salt without prescribing how much….
In Haggai 2:6-9, the glory of tangible wealth was not the most important glory that was prophesied to come to
"This House" (the second
Temple, not a third or a fourth one). YAHWEH was speaking of the glory of the coming of
the Messiah
to the second Temple! The desire or delight of all nations referred to the
coming of the Messiah!
However, the second Temple was torn down in 17 BCE by Herod the king. He even
took away the old foundations, replaced them with larger ones, and then
constructed the beautiful Temple to which YAHshua the Messiah, the real glory of YAHWEH, came. Proof that the second
Temple was not standing when YAHshua came is found in The Antiquities of the
Jews (Book 15, chapter 11, section 2 & 3)
"1. And now Herod, in the eighteenth year of his
reign, and after the acts already mentioned, undertook a very great work, that
is, to build of himself the temple of God, and make it larger in
compass, and to raise it to a most magnificent altitude, as esteeming it to be
the most glorious of all his actions, as it really was, to bring it to
perfection; and that this would be sufficient for an everlasting memorial of
him;
"2. And this was the speech which Herod made to
them; but still this speech affrighted many of the people, as being unexpected
by them; and because it seemed incredible, it did not encourage them, but put a
damp upon them, for they were afraid that he would pull down the whole edifice,
and not be able to bring his intentions to perfection for its rebuilding; and
this danger appeared to them to be very great, and the vastness of the
undertaking to be such as could hardly be accomplished. But while they were in
this disposition, the king encouraged them, and told them he would not pull
down their temple till all things were gotten ready for building it up entirely
again. And as he promised them this beforehand, so he did not break his word
with them, but got ready a thousand wagons, that were to bring stones for the
building, and chose out ten thousand of the most skillful workmen, and bought a
thousand sacerdotal garments for as many of the priests, and had some of them
taught the arts of stone-cutters, and others of carpenters, and then began to
build; but this not till every thing was well prepared for the work.
"3. So Herod
took away the old foundations, and laid others, and erected the temple upon
them, being in length a hundred cubits, and in height twenty additional
cubits, which [twenty], upon the sinking of their foundations fell
down; and this part it was that we resolved to raise again in the days of Nero.
Now the temple was built of stones that were white and strong, and each of
their length was twenty-five cubits, their height was eight, and their breadth
about twelve; and the whole structure, as also the structure of the royal
cloister, was on each side much lower, but the middle was much higher, till
they were visible to those that dwelt in the country for a great many furlongs,
but chiefly to such as lived over against them, and those that approached to
them…."
Why did those prophesies of Haggai 2:6-9 concerning the
second Temple seem to fail? (Think about it.)
In Haggai 2:10-19, YAHWEH scolds Israel for their uncleanness from the day that the second Temple
foundation was laid in 535 BCE until 521 BCE. He also lets them know the reason
why He had withdrawn HIS blessings from them. (It was because of their
disobedience which is uncleanness. This was the same reason why YAHWEH
allowed their enemies to stop them from building on the Temple in 529 BCE.)
However, in the last verse YAHWEH did promise
to bless them from that day forward.
Haggai 2 (10) In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in
the second year of Darius, came the Word of YAHWEH
by Haggai the prophet, saying, (11) Thus saith YAHWEH of Hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, (12) If
one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch
bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the
priests answered and said, No. (13) Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be
unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. (14) Then
answered Haggai, and said, So is this
people, and so is this nation before ME, saith YAHWEH; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. (15) And
now, I pray you, consider from this
day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of YAHWEH:
(16) Since
those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. (17) I smote you with
blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye
turned not to ME, saith YAHWEH. (18) Consider now from this day and upward, from the
four and twentieth day of the ninth month,
even from the day that the foundation of YAHWEH’S temple was laid [535 BCE], consider it. (19) Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the
vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not
brought forth: [However,] from this day [521 BCE] will
I bless you.
Did that prophesy fail? What does history record
actually happened in Israel
during the time of the second Temple period? For starters, after the eight year
delay the second Temple was finished in 516 BCE.
Ezra (14) And the elders of the Jews builded [the second Temple], and they prospered
through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo [521 BCE to 494 BCE]. And they builded, and
finished it, according to the
commandment of the ELAH of
Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and
Artaxerxes king of Persia. (15) And this House was finished on the third day of the
month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king [516 BCE].
In 458 BCE, YAHWEH sent Ezra to Israel to teach them HIS statutes and judgments.
(Please notice that the prophesied regathering
of Israel still continued after beginning with Cyrus'
historical edict in 539 BCE.)
Ezra 7 (I) Now after these things, in the reign of
Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, … (6) This
Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a
ready scribe in the law of Moses, which YAHWEH Elohim of Israel had given: and
the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of YAHWEH
his Elohim
upon him. (7) And
there went up some of the Children of Israel,
and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the
Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. (8) And
he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. (9) For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up
from Babylon, and on the first day of
the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his Elohim
upon him. (10) For
Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of YAHWEH, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. (11) Now
this is the copy of the letter that
the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of YAHWEH,
and of HIS statutes to Israel.
(12)
Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra
the priest, a scribe of the law of the ELAH of Heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. (13) I make a decree, that all they of the People of Israel,
and of his priests and Levites, in my
realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with
thee…
When Ezra and those with him came to Israel, did they
find that YAHWEH,
HIS spirit, and HIS blessings still with Israel?
Apparently not.
Ezra 9 (I) Now when these things were done, the princes
came to me, saying, The People of
Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated
themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites,
the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. (2) For
they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that
the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the
princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. … (5) And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my
heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and
spread out my hands unto YAHWEH my Elohim, (6) And said, O my Elohim, I am ashamed and blush to
lift up my face to thee, my Elohim: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up
unto the heavens. (7) Since
the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day;
and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and
our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the
sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. (8) And
now for a little space grace hath been showed
from YAHWEH
our Elohim,
to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that
our Elohim
may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. (9) For
we were bondmen; yet our Elohim hath
not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of
the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the House of our Elohim,
and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in
Jerusalem. (10) And
now, O our Elohim,
what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken THY Commandments…
Thirteen years later in 445 BCE, Nehemiah heard of the
pitiful condition that existed in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 1 (I) The words of Nehemiah the son of
Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as
I was in Shushan the palace, (2) That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them
concerning the Jews [All inhabitants
of the land of Judah and the territories won from the remnants of the Northern
Ten Tribes by Judah were called "Jews."] that
had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. (3) And
they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the
province are in great affliction and
reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken
down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
He made this prayer to YAHWEH on behalf of Israel. (Once again,
notice that Nehemiah is admitting that YAHWEH had already started regathering the Redeemed of Israel!)
Nehemiah 1 (4) And it came to pass, when I heard these words,
that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain
days, and fasted, and prayed before the Elohim of heaven, (5) And
said, I beseech thee, O YAHWEH Elohim of
heaven, the great and terrible El,
that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe HIS Commandments: (6) Let
thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that THOU mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before
thee now, day and night, for the Children
of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the Children of Israel, which we have
sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. (7) We
have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor
the statutes, nor the judgments, which THOU
commandedst thy servant Moses. (8) Remember, I beseech thee, the word that THOU commandedst thy servant Moses,
saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the
nations: (9) But if ye turn unto ME, and keep MY Commandments,
and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the
heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I
have chosen to set MY name
there. (10) Now these are
thy servants and thy people, whom THOU hast REDEEMED by thy
great power, and by thy strong hand. (11) O my Sovereign. I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to
the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to
fear THY name: and prosper, I pray
thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I
was the king's cupbearer.
After receiving permission from the king, Nehemiah went
to Jerusalem to rebuild it with much tribulation. He finished rebuilding the
wall in 444 BCE. After he finish it, he got the people together to see who they
were by genealogy.
Nehemiah 7 (I) Now it came to pass, when the wall was
built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the
Levites were appointed … (5) And my Elohim put into mine heart to gather together the
nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by
genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the
first, and found written therein, (6) These are the
children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had
been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away,
and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city; (7) Who
came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai,
Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people
of Israel was this … (73) So
the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims,
and all Israel, dwelt
in their [own] cities; and when the seventh month came, the Children of Israel
were in their [own]
cities.
Now, let us get back to where we left off in the second
chapter of Haggai.
In verses 20-23, YAHWEH also added some more prophesy. HE said
that HE would shake the heavens and the earth; overthrow the throne of
kingdoms, and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen etc. HE said
that HE would use Zerubbabel the governor of Judah as a signet.
Haggai 2 (20) And again The
Word of YAHWEH came unto Haggai in the four
and twentieth day of the month,
saying, (21) Speak
to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I
will shake the heavens and the earth; (22) And I
will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I
will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and
those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every
one by the sword of his brother. (23) In that day, saith YAHWEH of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, MY
servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith YAHWEH, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith YAHWEH of hosts.
Let us go to Zechariah 4:6-9 for some insight on what is
meant by the last verse above.
Zechariah 4:6-9 (6) Then he answered and spake unto me [Zechariah], saying, This is the Word of YAHWEH unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by [human] might, nor by [human] power, but by MY spirit, saith YAHWEH of hosts. (7) Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the Headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. (8)
Moreover the Word of YAHWEH came unto me, saying, (9) The
hands of Zerubbabel have laid
the foundation of this House;
his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that YAHWEH of hosts hath sent me unto
you.
The above is saying that the second Temple which Zerubbabel
started and finished was not brought about by human spirit or human power but
by YAHWEH'S
Spirit. This was the signet or sign of YAHWEH that the Temple of YAHWEH
(i.e. the Assembly of Believers) which YAHshua, the ultimate Branch, would start and finish
would not be brought about by human spirit or human power but by YAHWEH'S
Spirit. HalleluYAH!!!
Now, let us take another look at some of those
prophesies of Haggai 2. He prophesied:
# 1 that YAHWEH and
HIS spirit would be with them.
How much of those years were YAHWEH and HIS spirit with them?
# 2 that HE
would fill this (the second Temple) House with glory.
Was that Temple filled with the glory of the Messiah's presence? (Remember that Herod tore the
second Temple down and he built the one to which the glory of YAHshua
Messiah
actually came.)
# 3 that the
glory of the second Temple would be
greater than the first.
Was the glory
of the second Temple greater than the first Temple (Solomon's Temple)? It appears from both history and the
scriptures that the answer is negative.
# 4 that in
that place (the second Temple) HE would give
peace.
How much peace
was there in the second Temple until it was torn down?
# 5 that the desire [delight] of all nations shall
come to it:
Did the desire of
all nations (YAHshua the Messiah) come
while the second Temple was still standing? (Again, Herod tore that Temple down
and he built the one to which YAHshua came.)
# 6 that HE
would bless
them [the House of Israel] from that day (521 BCE) forth.
Did YAHWEH bless them from that day forward? It
appears that the answer is negative.
The above promises were not completely fulfilled in
Israel during the time of the second Temple. Does that mean that YAHWEH
was talking about the period of another
House or Temple? Absolutely not! He was talking about the period of the second Temple
that HE called "this House!"
You might then wonder how to explain why those promises were not fulfilled during
the time of the second Temple. It is very easy to explain. YAHWEH made those promises conditional just like the Temple and its
sacrificial services prophesied in Ezekiel! Many people don't know or have
overlooked that simple fact. Look at Haggai 2:4-5 again.
Haggai 2 (4) Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith YAHWEH;
and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all
ye people of the land, saith YAHWEH, and work: for I am with you, saith YAHWEH
of Hosts: (5) According
to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so MY spirit remaineth among you: fear ye
not.
YAHWEH was saying that HE was with them under the same
conditions that HE was with them when HE brought them out of Egypt and HIS
Spirit would be with them. Those conditions were:
Exodus 19 (3) And Moses went up unto Elohim,
and YAHWEH
called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the House of Jacob [Israel], and tell the Children of Israel; (4) Ye
have seen what I did unto the
Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and
brought you unto MYSELF. (5) Now
therefore, IF ye
will obey MY voice
indeed, and keep MY Covenant,
then ye shall be a Peculiar Treasure
unto ME above all people: for all
the earth is MINE: (6) And
ye shall be unto ME a Kingdom of
Priests, and an Holy Nation. These are the
words which thou shalt speak unto the Children
of Israel.
Does one need a second applicable witness on what is
conditional? Okay. Here it is, again:
Jeremiah 18 (7) At what instant
I shall speak concerning a nation,
and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; (8) If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their
evil, I will repent of the evil that
I thought to do unto them. (9) And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to
build and to plant it; (10) If it
do evil in MY sight, that it obey
not MY voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
Since those conditional promises that were not fulfilled
in Israel during the time of the second Temple, are they forever forfeited? Absolutely not!
Romans 11 (I) I say then, Hath YAHWEH
cast away HIS people? YAHWEH forbid.
For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham [II
Chron. 20:7; Psa. 105:6], of the
tribe of Benjamin. (2) YAHWEH
hath not cast away HIS people which HE foreknew
[I Sam. 12:22; Psa. 94:14]. Wot
ye not what the scripture saith of Elias [EliYAH]? How
he maketh intercession to YAHWEH against Israel, saying, (3) YAHWEH,
they have killed THY prophets, and
digged down THINE altars; and I am
left alone, and they seek my life. (4) But what saith the answer of YAHWEH
unto him? I have reserved to MYSELF
seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal [I Kings 19:10-18]. (5) Even
so then at this present time also
there is a remnant according to the Election of grace. (6) And
if by grace, then is it no more of
works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more
work. (7) What
then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the Election [the chosen from Israel with the grafted in
Gentiles] hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Those promises are being fulfilled in the Elect
(the Assembly of Believers which is composed of the Redeemed of Israel with the Gentiles grafted in with them).
The Elect,
the Assembly,
is the Temple of YAHWEH to whom YAHshua will come again to complete those
prophesies.
I Corinthians 3 (16) Know ye not that ye [the
Assembly of Believers] is the Temple of YAHWEH, and that the Spirit of YAHWEH dwelleth in you? (17) If
any man defile the Temple of YAHWEH, him shall YAHWEH destroy; for the Temple of YAHWEH
is holy, which temple ye are.
Again, those promises are being fulfilled in the
Assembly by YAHWEH
being with them under the same conditions in Haggai 2:4-5 as defined in Exodus 19:3-6 above (i.e. keep HIS Covenant). The fulfillment of those promises are confirmed in I Peter 2:1-9.
I
Peter 2 (1) Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies,
and envies, and all evil speakings, (2) As newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the word, that ye
may grow thereby: (3) If so be ye have tasted that the Sovereign
is gracious. (4) To Whom coming, as unto a Living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of YAHWEH,
and precious, (5) Ye also, as Lively Stones, are built up a Spiritual House, a Holy Priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to YAHWEH by YAHshua Messiah. (6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a Chief Corner Stone, Elect,
precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded [Isa.
28:16]. (7) Unto you therefore which
believe He is precious: but
unto them which be disobedient, the Stone
which the builders disallowed, the same is made the Head of the Corner [Psa.
118:22], (8) And a Stone
of stumbling, and a Rock of offence , even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient:
whereunto also they were appointed. (9) But ye are a Chosen Generation [Deu.
7:6, 10:15; Isa. 43:20], a Royal
Priesthood [Exo. 19:6; Isa. 61:6], a Holy Nation [Exo. 19:6], a Peculiar [unique] People [Exo. 19:5]; that ye should show forth the praises of HIM WHO hath called you [Isa.
43:21] out
of darkness into HIS marvellous
light:
This may come as a huge surprise to many, but the waters
(mentioned in Ezekiel 47) coming out from under the threshold of the Temple
Eastward (Judah's position around the Temple) was a prophesy of the Spirit of YAHWEH
going forth from Jerusalem beginning on the Day of Pentecost! This event was
the beginning or forerunner of Zechariah 14:8; magnified to fill the whole
Earth into total fulfilment in the New Jerusalem that comes down out of Heaven.
Zechariah 14 (8) And it shall be in that day, that Living Waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them
toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in
winter shall it be. (9) And YAHWEH shall be King over all the earth: in that
day shall there be one YAHWEH, and HIS name one.
Also, remember the following relevant scriptures.
Acts 1 (8) But ye [the Apostles] shall
receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you : and ye shall be
witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth.
John 7 (37) In the last day, that great day of the
feast, YAHshua
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.
(38) He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers
of Living
Waters. (39) (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on
Him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because
that YAHshua
was not yet glorified.)
When the promises listed above are completely fulfilled
in the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven, there will still be no need for
an earthly Temple then either.
Revelation 21 (I) And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth
[Isa. 65:17; 66:22]: for
the first Heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea. (2) And I
John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from YAHWEH out of Heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of YAHWEH is with
men, and HE will dwell with them,
and they shall be HIS people, and YAHWEH HIMSELF shall be
with them, and be their Elohim [Lev. 26:11-12; II Chron. 6:18; Isa. 7:14, 8:8, 10; Jer.
31:33; Ezek. 37:27]. (4) And YAHWEH shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (5) And HE that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new. … (22) And I
saw no Temple therein: for YAHWEH Elohim Almighty and the Lamb
are the Temple of it. (23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it: for the glory of YAHWEH did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (24) And
the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the
kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (25) And
the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night
there. (26) And
they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. (27) And
there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written
in the Lamb's
book of life.
Conclusion:
Brethren, when the last chapters of Ezekiel are read with the same principles
of conditional promises and prophesies as has been shown in the book of Haggai
concerning the time of the second Temple, it becomes clear that Ezekiel
prophesied of the second Temple period and NOT
of a so-called millennial one.
It appears that YAHWEH was so disappointed with Israel that HE
didn't bless them with the complete building of the second Temple to the glory
that HE had desired for them. In fact HE was so disappointed in them that HE
let the Temple that they had built and profaned by their uncleanness be
destroyed and HE used the evil King Herod to build another Temple to which HIS glory, YAHshua
the Messiah, came.
I believe that YAHWEH can, has, does and will continue to
fulfill all HIS good promises for the continued regathering of HIS People Israel along with the
grafted in Gentiles without another earthly Temple. I say that because I have
not found the holy Scriptures to even as much as hint that YAHWEH'S Holy Temple, the Assembly
which HE has been building/re-building for these last two millennia, will be
replaced by an earthly Temple during the so-called Millennial Reign.
(Last Revised
6/24/19) T.A.H.
What is
"owlam" or "forever"?
When
we hear the words everlasting, for ever, and perpetual we automatically think
of never ending, but that is not the only meaning of the Hebrew "'owlam" from which they were
translated.
Strongs # 5769. 'owlam, olawm'; or 'olam, olawm';
from H5956; prop. concealed, i.e.
the vanishing point; gen. time out of mind (past or fut.), i.e. (practically)
eternity; freq. adv. (espec. with prep. pref.) always:--always (-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance,
eternal, (for, [n-]) ever (-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of)
old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world (+ without end).
Comp. H5331, H5703.
Strongs # 5956. 'alam, aw-lam'; a prim. root; to veil from sight, i.e. conceal (lit. or fig.):-- X any ways, blind, dissembler, hide (self), secret
(thing).
Meanings
of everlasting, forever, and perpetual from the American Heritage Dictionary.
ev·er·last·ing (µv"…r-l˛s"tąng) adj. 1. Lasting forever; eternal.
2.a. Continuing indefinitely or for a long period of time. b. Persisting too long; tedious: everlasting complaints. --ev·er·last·ing n. 1. Everlasting. God. Used with the. 2. Eternal duration; eternity. 3. Any of various plants, such
as the straw flower or one of the genus Anaphalis,
that retain form and color long after they are dry.
--ev"er·last"ing·ly adv.
--ev"er·-last"ing·ness n
per·pet·u·al (p…r-pµch"›-…l) adj. 1. Lasting for eternity. 2.
Continuing or lasting for an indefinitely
long time. 3. Instituted to be
in effect or have tenure for an unlimited duration: a treaty of perpetual friendship. 4. Continuing without interruption. See Synonyms at continual. 5.
Flowering throughout the growing season. [Middle English perpetuel, from Old French, from Latin perpetułlis, from perpetuus,
continuous : per-, per- + petere, to go toward; see pet- below.]
--per·pet"u·al·ly adv.
for·ev·er (fôr-µv"…r, f…r-) adv. 1. For everlasting time; eternally: No one can live forever. 2.
At all times; incessantly: was forever
complaining about the job. --for·ev·er
n. A seemingly very long time:
It has taken forever to resolve these problems.
It
should be most obvious that many times everlasting, forever, and perpetual
should have been translated as a long,
indefinite, unlimited, undisclosed, hidden or a concealed period of time.
It is certainly YAHWEH'S
prerogative to make any of these long, indefinite, unlimited, undisclosed, or concealed
period of time to extend without end. For us to naturally assume that they are
without end is incorrect.
If
one understands that all
everlasting covenants, statutes that are "for ever," and statutes that are "perpetual" mean that they are never ending, then one would have to believe that the Levitical
priesthood with all their everlasting
covenants, statutes that are "for
ever," and its statutes that are "perpetual" will never
end. Examine these next four sets of scriptures. Surely one can not believe
that they will be in effect without end.
(Without end would be throughout
eternity!)
Lev.
6 (14) And this is the
law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before YAHWEH,
before the altar. (15) And he shall take of it his
handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil
thereof, and all the frankincense which is
upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a
sweet savour, even the memorial of
it, unto YAHWEH.
(16) And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons
eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of
the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. (17) It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for
their portion of MY offerings
made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass
offering. (18) All the males among the
children of Aaron shall eat of it. It
shall be a statute for ever [#
5769] in your generations concerning the offerings of
YAHWEH
made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.
Lev.
6 (20) This is the
offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto YAHWEH
in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat
offering perpetual, half of
it in the morning, and half thereof at night. (21) In
a pan it shall be made with oil; and when
it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and
the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto YAHWEH.
(22) And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his
stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever [#
5769] unto YAHWEH; it shall be wholly burnt.
Lev.
16 (34) And this shall be an everlasting [#
5769] statute unto you, to make an atonement for the
Children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as YAHWEH
commanded Moses. [Will atonement be made once a year
without end throughout all eternity? Why?]
Lev.
24 (1) And YAHWEH spake unto Moses, saying, (2) Command the Children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil
olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. (3) Without the veil of the
testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the
evening unto the morning before YAHWEH continually: it shall be a statute for
ever [# 5769] in your generations. (4) He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before YAHWEH
continually. (5) And thou shalt take fine
flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. (6) And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table
before YAHWEH.
(7) And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread
for a memorial, even an offering
made by fire unto YAHWEH. (8) Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before YAHWEH continually, being taken from
the Children of Israel by an everlasting
[# 5769] covenant. (9) And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the
holy place: for it is most holy unto
him of the offerings of YAHWEH made by fire by a perpetual [#
5769] statute.
According
to the following scriptures, these things have been taken care of once and for
all.
Hebrews 9 (I) Then verily the First
Covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. … (6) Now
when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first
tabernacle, accomplishing the service of YAHWEH.
(7) But
into the second went the high priest
alone once every year, not without blood, which He offered for himself, and for
the errors of the people: (8) The Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the
holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first Tabernacle was yet
standing: (9) Which
was a figure for the time then present,
in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the
conscience; (10) Which stood only in meats and drinks,
and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. (11) But Messiah
being come a High
Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands,
that is to say, not of this building; (12) Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by
His Own blood He entered in once
into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (13) For
if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: (14) How
much more shall the blood of Messiah, Who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to YAHWEH,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the Living Elohim?
Hebrews 10 (5) Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He
saith, Sacrifice and offering THOU
wouldest not, but a body hast THOU
prepared Me: (6) In
burnt offerings and sacrifices for
sin THOU hast had no pleasure. (7) Then
said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do THY will, O Elohim. [Psalm 40:6-8] (8) Above when He
said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin THOU
wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
(9) Then
said He, Lo, I come to do THY will, O
Elohim. [Psalm 40:6-8] HE
taketh away the first, that HE may
establish the second. (10) By the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of YAHshua Messiah once for all.
(Last
Revised 6/24/19) T.A.H.