IN OUR FIRST SESSION OF EZRA WE GOT A LAY OF THE LAND AND LOOKED AT THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS, THE BIRTH OF JUDAISM IN BABYLON (AND ALSO CHRISTIANITY), AND THE SHADOWS REGARDING YAHUAH'S DESIRE FOR A NEW TEMPLE (IF ONLY FOR A PROP) TO FULFILL ALL HIS PROPHETIC SHADOWS THROUGH - BECAUSE AS WE KNOW HE NEVER REALLY RETURNED TO IT AND WILL NEVER DWELL IN A TEMPLE MADE BY HANDS AGAIN. ALL SHADOW-TEACHINGS MUST BE SEEN THROUGH THE TRANSFORMATIVE FULFILMENT OF HIS NEW BLOOD-COVENANT - WHERE ALL WORSHIP & SACRIFICE IS NOW A BEHAVIOUR!
EZRA.2
1These are the people of the province who returned from captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken these people as prisoners and now they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to their own town. 2These are the people who returned with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is the list of names and numbers of men from Israel who returned:
32172 from the descendants of Parosh,
4372 from Shephatiah,
5775 from Arah,
62812 from Pahath Moab (Jeshua and Joab's family),
71254 from Elam,
8946 from Zattu,
9760 from Zaccai,
10642 from Bani,
11623 from Bebai,
121222 from Azgad,
13666 from Adonikam,
142056 from Bigvai,
15454 from Adin,
1698 from Ater (through Hezekiah),
17323 from Bezai,
18112 from Jorah,
19223 from Hashum,
2095 from Gibbar,
21123 from Bethlehem,
2256 from Netophah,
23128 from Anathoth,
2442 from Azmaveth,
25743 from Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth,
26621 from the towns of Ramah and Geba,
27122 from the town of Micmash,
28223 from the towns of Bethel and Ai,
2952 from the town of Nebo,
30156 from the town of Magbish,
311254 from the town named Elam,
32320 from the town of Harim,
33725 from the towns of Lod, Hadid and Ono,
34345 from the town of Jericho,
353630 from the town of Senaah ...
36These are the Priests: 973 of Jedaiah's
descendants through the family of Jeshua,
371052 from Immer,
381247 from Pashhur,
391017 from Harim,
40These are the people from the Tribe of Levi:
75 descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel through the family of Hodaviah.
41These are the Singers: 128 descendants of Asaph.
42These are the descendants of the Temple Gatekeepers: 139 from Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai.
43These are the descendants of the special
Temple servants: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
44Keros, Siaha, Padon,
45Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,
46Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,
47Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,
48Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,
49Uzza, Paseah, Besai,
50Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim,
51Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
52Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
53Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
54Neziah, and Hatipha.
55These are the descendants of Solomon’s Servants:
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, 56Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
57Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth Hazzebaim, and Ami, 58the Temple servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants 392 59Some people came to Jerusalem from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. But these people could not prove that their families were from the family of Israel: 60652 from Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda.
61From the family of Priests there were descendants of
Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (If a man married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead, he was counted as a descendant of Barzillai.)
62These people searched for their family histories, but they could not find them. Their names were not included in the list of Priests. They could not prove that their ancestors were Priests, so they could not serve as Priests. 63The Governor ordered them not to eat any of the set-apart food until there was a Priest who could use the Urim and Thummim to ask YAHUAH what to do.
64-65All together, there were 42,360 people in the group who came back. This is not counting their 7337 men and women slaves. They also had 200 men and women singers with them. 66-67They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6720 donkeys.
70So the Priests, Levites, and some of the other people moved to Jerusalem and the area around it. This group included the Temple Singers, Gate-keepers, and the Temple servants. The other Israelites settled in their own hometowns.
68When the group arrived at the place in Jerusalem where YAHUAH’S Temple had been, the family leaders gave their gifts for building this House of YAHUAH again. They wanted to build it in the same place. 69They gave as much as they were able. These are the things they gave for building the Temple: 526kg of gold, about 4 tons of silver, and 100 coats that Priests wear.
EZRA.3
1So by the seventh month (SEPT–OCT 538 B.C) Israel had moved back to their own hometowns. At that time all the people met together in Jerusalem and were all united as one man. 2Then Jeshua (son of Jozadak) and the Priests with him, along with Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and the people with him, built the Altar of YAHUAH, the Alahim of Israel, so that they could offer sacrifices on it.
They built it just as it says in the Law of Moses, YAHUAH’S servant.
THE ALTAR WAS TOP PRIORITY SO THEY COULD START THE ALL-IMPORTANT SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM, UNDERSTANDING THAT WITHOUT SHEDDING OF ANIMAL-BLOOD - HARMONY, RELATIONSHIP AND PEACE WITH YAHUAH WAS NOT ACHIEVABLE. AND THIS WAS BECAUSE WITHOUT BLOOD SACRIFICE, CLEANSING FROM THEIR SINS WAS IMPOSSIBLE. SO THE STENCH OF UN-ATONED-FOR GUILT HAD BEEN POLLUTING THE JEWISH EXILES FOR NEARLY 100 YEARS AND MANY WERE ANXIOUS TO HAVE THIS BURDEN LIFTED !
SO WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE 95% OF JEWS WHO CHOSE TO STAY IN CAPTIVITY, SETTLING FOR THE DEAD-RELIGIOUS 'JUDAISM' BEING PUMPED OUT FROM THE SYNAGOGUES ??
3These Jewish builders were afraid of the other people living near them, but that didn’t stop them. They built the Altar on its old foundation and offered burnt offerings on it to YAHUAH. They offered sacrifices in the morning and in the evening again (like before).
WHY WOULD THE EXILED JEWS BE AFRAID OF THE LOCAL PEOPLE? FOR ONE REASON ONLY: THESE LOCALS MADE THREATS AND MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY DIDN’T WANT ANY RENO WORK OF ANY KIND GOING ON. LATER CHAPTERS WILL CONFIRM THAT THESE JEWS STOPPED BUILDING THE TEMPLE AGAIN FOR A FEW YEARS, BECAUSE OF SO MUCH LOCAL OPPOSITION. (SEE PIC ABOVE)
4Then they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles just as the Law of Moses said, offering the right number of burnt (ASCENDING-NEAR) offerings for each day of the festival. 5After that they began offering the continual burnt offerings each day and the offerings for the New Months and all the other festivals that were commanded by YAHUAH. The people also began giving any other gifts they wanted to give to YAHUAH. 6So on the first day of the seventh month, these Israelites again began offering sacrifices to YAHUAH. This was done, even though YAHUAH’S Temple had not yet been built up again.
CONSTRUCTING THE TEMPLE AGAIN WOULD TAKE YEARS OF PLANNING AND WORK, BUT THEY WERE IN A BIG RUSH TO BEGIN SACRIFICING AND HAVING FESTIVALS (TO FEEL HIS LOVE & FORGIVENESS), AND THEIR GOAL WAS TO GET THE ALTAR READIED IN TIME FOR TABERNACLES. THIS IS GOOD LOGICAL THINKING, AND IT REFLECTS THEIR DESIRE TO BEGIN DOING THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR SCRIPTURE-WORSHIP:
SACRIFICING ON THE ALTAR ... TO GET CLEAN !
LIKEWISE AFTER OUR IMMERSION AND DIVINE HEART OPERATION, WE ARE NEW CLEAN VESSELS READY TO HAVE THE ETERNAL INCORRUPTIBLE SEED OF YAHUSHA’S SPIRIT PLANTED WITHIN US, WHICH OPENS A PORTAL TO HIS PRESENCE UPON THE ARK OF OUR BLOOD-SPRINKLED HEARTS - MAKING US HIS NEW LIVING TEMPLES. THEN ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DO UPON COMING OUT OF THE WATER IS TO ALIGN OUR LIFESTYLE WITH YAHUSHA’S WORD, STARTING WITH APPOINTED TIMES/FEASTS/SABBATHS .... CLEAN LIVING
JUST AS OUR HUMAN BODIES CAN ONLY BECOME HIS NEW LIVING TEMPLES THROUGH A SUPERNATURAL ENCOUNTER (IE NO LITERAL, PHYSICAL FIRE OR CLOUD CAN BE SEEN) - WE ALSO OBSERVE YAHUSHA’S SET-APART FEASTS SUPERNATURALLY TOO (NOT DOING THE OLD-SHADOWS - NOW FULFILED - BUT GATHERING IN SINCERITY AND TRUTH IN LOVE).
YAHUSHA’S LIVING WORDS MUST MATURE AND SHINE FROM HIS LIVING TEMPLES, NOT IN MIMIC-QUOTING OF TEXTS AND `LETTER OF THE LAW` TYPE SHADOWS BUT THROUGH A NEW AND LOVING OBEDIENT BEHAVIOUR!
NOW THERE'S A TIME-JUMP OF ABOUT 17-18 YEARS :
7Then those who had come back from captivity gave money to the stone-cutters and carpenters. They also gave food, wine, and olive oil. They used these things to pay the people of Tyre and Sidon to bring cedar logs from Lebanon. They wanted to bring the logs in ships to the seacoast town of Joppa as they did for the first Temple. King Cyrus of Persia gave permission for them to do this.
8So in the second month (APRIL–MAY, 536 B.C) of the second year after they came to the Temple in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua son of Jozadak began the work. Their brothers, the Priests, Levites, and everyone who came back to Jerusalem from captivity began working with them. They chose Levites who were 20 years old and older to be the leaders in the building of YAHUAH’S Temple.
9These were the men who supervised the work of building YAHUAH’S Temple: Jeshua and his sons, Kadmiel and his sons (the descendants of Judah), the sons of Henadad and their brothers, the Levites. 10The builders finished laying the foundation for YAHUAH’S Temple. When the foundation was finished, the Priests put on their special clothing. Then they got their trumpets, and the sons of Asaph got their cymbals. They all took their places to praise YAHUAH. This was done the way King David of Israel had ordered in the past.
HOW EXCITING IS IT WHEN WE GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE MIND AND ALL TOGETHER PRAISE YAHUSHA IN ONE VOICE!
11They sang songs of praise and thanksgiving, taking turns in singing each part, declaring,
“YAHUAH is good and His loving-kindness
for Israel endures forever.”
YAHUAH'S LOVING-KINDNESS FOR ISRAEL?
DOES THIS MEAN YAHUSHA IS DILIGENTLY SEARCHING TODAY FOR HIS LOST 12 TRIBES IN ORDER TO REUNITE THEM ALL BACK TO A PROMISED LAND, SMACK A BRAND NEW TEMPLE IN THE CENTRE OF IT AND REIGN FOREVER AS THE MASTER AND MESSIAH THEREIN?? WHAT BLIND NONSENSE … ALL SHADOW PROPHESIES REGARDING ISRAEL, JERUSALEM, TEMPLES, SACRIFICES, PRIESTHOOD, FEASTS AND WORSHIP >>>> ARE TO BE NEW AND LIVING WITHIN THE BLOOD-BOUGHT BRIDE OF YAHUSHA.
IN ESSENCE IT’S ALL ABOUT BEHAVIOUR!!
Then all the people cheered, giving a loud shout and praised YAHUAH because the foundation of the set-apart Temple had been laid.
THE ONLY ACCOMPLISHMENT AT THIS POINT WAS THE FOUNDATION AND NO MORE. BUT CONSIDERING THE DIFFICULTIES AND POLITICAL OPPOSITION THAT THESE GUYS HAD FACED, AND THE YEARS THAT HAD GONE BY JUST IN GETTING TO THIS POINT, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THEY FELT THAT A BIG, SET-APART SHIN-DIG WAS CALLED FOR TO COMMEMORATE THIS IMPORTANT DAY. THE PRIESTS WERE IN THEIR PRIESTLY ROBES THAT HAD BEEN DONATED BY THE HEADS OF THE CLANS, AND THE LEVITES PLAYED CYMBALS. THERE WAS ALSO SINGING (NO DOUBT PSALMS), WHICH CONSISTED OF SONGS OF PRAISE AND SONGS OF THANKSGIVING. AND HERE WE NEED TO TAKE NOTE THAT THE THANKSGIVING SONGS SPOKE OF YAHUAH’S LOVING-KINDNESS FOR HIS PEOPLE.
12But many of the older Priests, Levites and family leaders, who could remember seeing the first Temple, began to cry aloud. And they howled while the others there were shouting for joy. 13The sound could be heard far away. All of them made so much noise that no one could tell the difference between the shouts of joy and the crying.
WHAT WAS IT THAT UPSET THEM SO MUCH? THEY WERE WITNESSING A DEDICATION OF THE FOUNDATIONS - NOT THE STRUCTURE. BUT THE FOUNDATION MUST HAVE BEEN OF POOR QUALITY USING MUCH SMALLER FOUNDATION STONES OR THE OUTLINE OF THE FOUNDATION MUST HAVE INDICATED THAT THE NEW TEMPLE WOULD BE NOTICEABLY SMALLER THAN SOLOMON’S TEMPLE. EARLIER WHEN THE ALTAR WAS BUILT AGAIN, IT WAS ON THE SAME FOUNDATIONS AS THE ORIGINAL ALTAR, MEANING IT WAS NOT ONLY THE SAME LOCATION BUT ALSO THE SAME SIZE. SO WHILE THE LOCATION OF THE NEW TEMPLE WOULD BE THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL, ITS SIZE WOULD BE SMALLER.
EVEN THOUGH THESE JEWS HAD SOME MONEY FROM A NUMBER OF SOURCES, WE’LL FIND IN THE END THAT THEY ONLY MANAGED TO BUILD A RATHER MODEST NEW TEMPLE TO REPLACE SOLOMON’S OPULENT ONE (THE ONE NOW LAYING IN A HEAP), AND IT GREATLY DISAPPOINTED MANY PEOPLE. SO IT’S NOT LIKE THE JEWISH BUILDERS HAD AN UNLIMITED BUDGET. THEY DIDN’T HAVE A KING’S TREASURY AVAILABLE TO START BUYING LOGS AND PANELING AND STOCK-PILING THEM.
SO IT WAS ABOUT 17 OR 18 YEARS FROM THE TIME THE JEWS ARRIVED BACK IN JERUSALEM UNTIL THE TEMPLE RENO REALLY BEGAN.
AND DON'T FORGET THAT EVEN WHEN THE SECOND TEMPLE WAS BUILT UP AGAIN IN ITS PLACE (AFTER THE RETURN FROM JEWISH EXILE), YAHUAH’S ESTEEM (THE CLOUD AND THE FIRE) DID NOT OCCUPY & FILL IT. INFACT THERE IS NO RECORD OF THE SHIMMERING, LUMINOUS SHEKINAH ESTEEM EVER AGAIN OCCUPYING AN EARTHLY BUILDING.
HOWEVER, CENTURIES LATER THE SHEPHERDS SAW THE ESTEEM APPEAR IN THE SKY AS ANGELS ANNOUNCED THE BIRTH OF THE PROPHESIED DELIVERER. INDEED, THE COMING OF YAHUSHA IN THE FLESH WAS IN ESSENCE, YAHUAH COMING TO DWELL AND 'TABERNACLE' WITH HUMAN BEINGS ONCE AGAIN . AND AFTER HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION, YAHUSHA WOULD AGAIN DO THIS EVEN MORE WONDERFULLY THROUGH HIS SET-APART SPIRIT IN HIS BRIDAL PEOPLE.
LATER, STEPHEN PROCLAIMED THE TRUTH THAT YAHUSHA NO LONGER DWELLS IN TEMPLES MADE WITH HANDS, AND AS PAUL EXPLAINED, YAHUSHA’S TEMPLE IS NOW HIS BRIDAL FELLOWSHIP, THE PEOPLE WHOM HE DWELLS IN THROUGH THE SET-APART SPIRIT - AND THE INITIAL GIVING OF HIS SPIRIT TO THE BRIDAL FELLOWSHIP WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE MIRACULOUS SIGNS OF WIND AND FIRE, REMINISCENT NOT ONLY OF SINAI (WHERE THE COVENANT WAS GIVEN TO ISRAEL) BUT OF THE SUPERNATURAL ESTEEM OF EZEKIEL'S VISION WHERE YAHUAH PUT ON A COSMIC LIGHT-SHOW, BEFORE PROMPTLY EXITING THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE, NEVER TO RETURN TO A MAN-MADE BUILDING.
ON THE NIGHT BEFORE HIS DEATH, YAHUSHA RELAYED SOME VERY IMPORTANT GUIDELINES FOR HIM DWELLING IN HIS PEOPLE THROUGH THE SPIRIT: "IF ANYONE LOVES ME, HE WILL KEEP MY COMMANDS AND MY FATHER WILL LOVE HIM, AND WE WILL COME TO HIM AND MAKE OUR HOME WITH HIM". BUT IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, THE PERSON MUST BE OBEYING YAHUSHA’S WORDS. PAUL REPEATS THE SAME PRINCIPLE IN 2 COR 6, "AND WHAT AGREEMENT HAS THE TEMPLE OF YAHUAH WITH IDOLS? FOR YOU [HIS BRIDE] ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING ALAHIM. AS YAHUAH HAS SAID: 'I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR ALAHIM, AND THEY WILL BE MY PEOPLE.'"
BUT PAUL GOES ON WITH A WARNING FROM YAHUSHA: "DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU". YAHUSHA DWELLING AMONGST A PEOPLE (OR IN THE HEART AND MIND OF A PERSON) IS CONDITIONAL UPON THEM BEING CLEAN AND OBEDIENT TO HIM - HEARING AND DOING - BEING IN ONE MIND WITH HIM AND EACH OTHER. THE PRESENCE OF ANY IDOL OR UNCLEAN WORSHIP WILL CAUSE YAHUSHA TO WITHDRAW HIS PRESENCE - AND WE WILL GRIEVE HIS SPIRIT IN THOSE INSTANCES.
IT IS SO VITAL TO KEEP HIS PRESENCE AMONG US!
HERE'S A BIG SECRET THAT YAHUSHA HAS GIVEN US TODAY IN THE 21st CENTURY AND IT'S ACTUALLY THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING ALL SCRIPTURE
THE TEMPLE IS BEING BUILT ANEW IN THESE LAST DAYS:
THIS IS NOT REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY !!
IT'S THE NEW FULFILMENT THEOLOGY
ISRAEL HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED BY CONSTANTINE'S PAGAN CHURCH OF CHRISTIANITY TODAY - ISRAEL WAS DIVORCED - DIS-BANDED - JUDGED - CUT-OFF FROM YAHUAH AND SCATTERED - WE ARE NOT LIVING IN SOME VAGUE `TIME OF THE GENTILES' ERA AWAITING OUR JEWISH `OVER-LORDS' TO RETURN TO RULE.
AS A NATION, ISRAEL'S 12 TRIBES WERE A SHADOW OF WHAT YAHUSHA PLANNED TO DO SUPERNATURALLY IN HIS BRIDAL FELLOWSHIP : THOSE IMMERSED IN HIS ONE AND ONLY NAME FOR DELIVERANCE AND WHO ARE GUARDING HIS LIVING WORDS AND BEARING WITNESS TO HIS SUPERNATURAL POWER IN THEIR LIVES.
YAHUSHA DIED AND FULFILLED/FINISHED THE OLD BLOOD-COVENANT WITH IT'S SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM AND SHADOW-TEACHINGS, SAYING THAT "MY REIGN IS NOT OF THIS WORLD" AND THAT HE WOULD ONLY DWELL IN PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN CLEANSED IN HIS NEW CLEAN BLOOD: "YOUR BODY IS NOW THE TEMPLE OF YAHUAH!"
THIS IS HOW WE CAN READ ALL SCRIPTURE FROM BEGINNING TO END AND KNOW THAT IT'S TALKING ABOUT US PERSONALLY AS THE FULFILMENT AUDIENCE OF ALL SHADOWS.
THIS IS A FULLY SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE AND YAHUSHA ISN'T INTERESTED IN LINEAGE, BLOODLINES OR EVEN TITLES & LABELS ... LISTENING AND DOING PLEASES HIM ... STAYING CLEAN AND SET-APART FROM THE FILTH OF THE WORLD, IN ORDER TO KEEP THE FRUIT OF HIS WONDERFUL PRESENCE IN OUR HOMES AND FELLOWSHIPS ... THIS IS VITAL !
