Being Up To Date For The Rebuilding Of The Temple

The New Testament tells us that as saved ones we have been regenerated in our spirit and that from the time we were saved, God has been edifying and building up our spirit. Ephesians 2:22 clearly reveals that our spirit is God's dwelling place in us. Hence, to build up our spirit, the individual spirit, is to build up God's dwelling place, God's temple. On the other hand, the church is also God's house and God's temple. But how do we build up the church? It is through all the saved ones encouraging one another and functioning in mutuality according to their fellowship with the Lord and the experiences of life they have had with the Lord in their spirit. The Body of Christ is built up through the spiritual development of all the members.

This fascinating, fast-moving overview of contemporary events shows why the Temple is significant in Bible prophecy and how, more than ever, Israel is ready to rebuild.

This monograph is a study of the perceptions reflected in the Book of Haggai regarding the primary social, political and religious institutions in early Persian Yehud. Special attention is given to the form and function of prophecy, and to the role of the prophet in society. The study includes a history of the criticism of Haggai, a study of the book’s redactional history and socio-political context, and an exegesis and literary analysis of the text. It concludes with an examination of the distinctive perspectives found in the book and the sociological and religious milieu that produced them. The work is particularly useful for its detailed analysis of the biblical text, its attention to recent literature on the early Persian period, and its multidisciplinary and integrative approach.

John Robert Barker uses rhetorical criticism of Haggai to tease out the probable attitudes and anxieties among the Yehudite community that saw rebuilding as both undesirable and unfeasible. While some in the community accepted the prophet‘s claim that YHWH wanted the temple built, others feared that adverse agricultural and economic conditions, as well as the lack of a royal builder, were clear signs that YHWH did not approve or authorize the effort. Haggai‘s counterarguments are combined with his vilification of opponents as unclean and non-Israelite.

Darius I, King of Persia, claims to have accomplished many deeds in the early years of his reign, but was one of them the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem? The editor who added the date to the books of Haggai and Zechariah thought so, and the author of Ezra 1-6 then relied on his dates when writing his account of the rebuilding process. The genealogical information contained in the book of Nehemiah, however, suggests otherwise; it indicates that Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were either contemporaries, or a generation apart in age, not some 65 years apart. Thus, either Zerubabbel and the temple rebuilding needs to be moved to the reign of Artaxerxes I, or Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the city walls needs to be moved to the reign of Darius I. In this ground-breaking volume, the argument is made that the temple was built during the reign of Artaxerxes I. The editor of Haggai and Zechariah mistakenly set the event under Darius I because he was influenced by both a desire to show the fulfillment of inherited prophecy and by Darius widely circulated autobiography of his rise to power. In light of the settlement patterns in Yehud during the Persian period, it is proposed that Artaxerxes I instituted a master plan to incorporate Yehud into the Persian road, postal, and military systems. The rebuilding of the temple was a minor part of the larger plan that provided soldiers stationed in the fortress in Jerusalem and civilians living in the new provincial seat with a place to worship their native god while also providing a place to store taxes and monies collected on behalf of the Persian administration.

Perhaps the most visible confirmation of prophecy being fulfilled will be the rebuilding of the temple for the 3rd time, in Jerusalem, at the outset of the tribulation period. We have in another section explained how the prophecies of Daniel and Ezekiel make the rebuilding of the temple an event that initiates the 7-year period of tribulation. If you are a "pretribulation" believer, you believe the "body of believers" will not be here when Temple number three is rebuilt. There is no need, in a book written primarily to the Jews, to amplify the pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation and post-tribulation arguments. Suffice it to say that intelligent people disagree on whether the Church, that group of believers filled with the Holy Spirit, will go through any portion of the 7 year period of tribulation described by Daniel.

In the early Achaemenid Persian period, the Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of Yahweh. This volume investigates issues surrounding the rebuilding of this temple, focusing on the timing and purpose of the project, and the social and political circumstances in which it was undertaken. The study reflects on certain passages from the Old Testament, such as Ezra 1-6, Haggai, and Zechariah 1-8; early Achaemenid Persian administrative practices; and Judean hopes for restoration in order to question the contention that the Jerusalem temple was established as an economic and administrative centre around which competing groups struggled for socio-economic and political power.

The temples of God are of profound historical and future significance to Jews, Christians, and all of humanity. The original temple was in the Garden of Eden, created not by man’s hands, but by God. After sin came to the Garden, Adam and Eve began the lineage of mankind and from their roots came Jacob’s twelve sons and the Hebrew tribes. King David was a descendant of the tribe of Judah, and his son, Solomon, built an amazing temple in Jerusalem. It was where God’s presence and glory would reside. God told Solomon he would reject the temple if he or his descendants did not live with righteousness. Solomon’s temple was ultimately destroyed. Following a tumultuous period of wars, the second temple was built in Jerusalem by the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon. It was not as ornate as the first, but its magnificence was prophesied—and then came the temple rebuild by Herod the Great. His role in mankind’s history, including his violent kingship and the Massacre of the Innocents, fulfilled prophecy. The birth of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection also fulfilled prophecy. His activities in the second temple were profound—including his prediction of the destruction of Herod’s temple and all of Jerusalem. The obliteration occurred in AD 70. Mankind’s history then passes through eras of wars and conquest, leading to the hope for a third temple. It will be built in Jerusalem just prior to the Tribulation. Like all the temples of the past, it is prophesied to be defiled and destroyed. At the end of mankind’s earthly history, the final temple will be built by God, after Jesus Christ’s second coming—it will be glorious beyond imagination. Jesus will reside there, with his chosen people. Who is among the chosen? 2

Can you believe the Holy Bible? Understanding the answer to this question is one of the most important pieces of information you can possess. Yet people go through life unsure whether the Bible is fact or fraud. They simply don't take the time to address this life-altering question. Some say the Bible is just a collection of stories and fables. Some acknowledge that the Bible is good historical literature, but they don't think it applies in today's world. Others think it is OK to read as long as you don't have something else to do. But is this really a good way to treat information that can make a difference in this life as well as the one to come? Some people don't turn to the Bible until they find themselves in a severe crisis. Many a person in prison, held hostage, recovering from a drug addiction or experiencing a terrible tragedy finally turns to the Bible for encouragement and direction. But what good is this if we aren't sure that what the Bible says is true? You don't have to wait until you are in the middle of a severe crisis to read or prove the Bible's validity for today. Start today to understand how the Bible harmonizes with science, is verified by archaeology, and offers insight for the best life possible. Read this Bible Study aid booklet, Is the Bible True?, and start getting the answers! Chapters in this ebook: -- One of the World's Most Popular Books -- In Their Own Words: Great Men and Women Who Highly Respected the Bible -- The Bible in the Modern World -- Humanity's Bias Against the Supernatural -- The Bible and Astronomy -- Earth's Age: Does the Bible Indicate a Time Interval Between the First and Second Verses of Genesis? -- The Bible and Archaeology -- Cyrus of Persia: The Words of a Prophet Come to Pass -- A Staggering Archaelogical Discovery: The Mighty Assyrian Empire Emerges From the Dust -- King David's Existence Verified by Inscription -- Does Archaeology Confirm the Existence of Specific People Mentioned in the Bible? -- The Bible and Science -- The Biblical Authors: Men of God and Science -- Bible and Prophecy -- Modern Conditions Were Foretold in Scripture Many Centuries Ago -- The Bible and You -- Does the Bible Contain Errors? Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "Science cannot of itself tell us why the earth and the physical creation exist. Wrote Carl Sagan: “Why it happened is the greatest mystery we know. That it happened is reasonably clear” . But the Bible tells us why!" "Nutritionist David Meinz says that even though we may not understand all aspects of the biblical dietary laws, we would be wise to follow them." "The understanding of some major prophetic events is crucial as a guide to comprehending where we stand chronologically in God’s plan. The Bible is the lone trustworthy guide in these matters."

Most of the Evangelical and Christian world today believes that the Coming of Christ is imminent and that they will be Raptured away before all of the calamity of the entire Book of Revelation ensues during the very last seven or three and a half years of this era, a period of Great Tribulation unlike any other in the History of the World. As the world around us shapes to confirm that we are indeed in the time of the very end, many are beginning to look deeper into the Bible and more specifically the prophetic passages of Jesus, the epistles and the Revelation. This has caused many to lay down the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine because of the shaky ground on which it is founded. What I found out is that the error and deception goes much deeper than one would think upon entering this sojourn.