A Call to Rebuild God’s Temple
In Ezra 1:1-6 we read about a call to rebuild God’s Temple. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
God’s Temple Stands Out
This is not long after the time when Daniel, and Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego stood against the Babylonian King. They were a type of God’s remnant Church. The worked and lived in the Babylonian system. They were even highly sought after in their professions, but they never rejected God. Even when they were forced with a decision to reject their God or die, they chose to stand for God. And God protected them.
Even in the midst of the corrupted world system, God’s remnant and His children stand out and refuse to look like the rest of the world. We are not to fit in and blend with the world around us. God calls us to stand out so much that people cannot help but notice us.
Cyrus Called to Rebuild God’s Temple
In 538 BC God Called Cyrus to rebuild His holy temple in Jerusalem. For 67 years the Israelites were exiled form their homeland when Babylon conquered Judah and the Northern kingdoms. When Babylon was conquered by Persia, the Israelites there worked for the Persians. As it says in Ezra chapter 1 verse 1, Cyrus was called by God to send back a remnant of His people to rebuild God’s Temple in Jerusalem.
Cyrus called for volunteers of the Israelites to take up the call of their God to rebuild His temple. Those who felt the stir in the Spirit by God to return were given by the people of Babylon gold, and silver, and all manner of precious goods and beasts of burden to take with them. Cyrus also released funds from the treasury and the holy temple relics from the first temple for them to take with them.
This is the ‘second exodus’. It’s just as in the book of Exodus when Pharaoh and the people told the Israelites to leave and gave them all manner of gold, silver, goods, and beast just to leave and not plague them anymore. The people left with a great deal of the wealth of Egypt. Proverbs 13:22 says ‘the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous.’
God is Calling His Church to Rebuild His Temple
There is a call going forth from the Spirit if God across the world. The call is to come back to Him and surrender fully. He is rebuilding His Church – His people. Will you answer the call? There is a promise of provision and purpose. Jesus told us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. However, the journey is a long and treacherous one. There are many difficult roadblocks and traps along the way. Are you willing to travel the road of purification and sanctification? Jesus is calling us into a deeper relationship with Him. One where we will be able to walk in the fullness of His Spirit, power and glory. One where we will walk in the ‘greater works’ as if it was normal for us. Because it will be our New Normal!
Will you answer the call to rebuild His temple as many believers are doing today?
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