EZRA - Chapter 5 - A Prophetic "Sign and Wonder"
Ezra- Chapter 5 – A Prophetic “Sign and Wonder”
Tuesday Morning Bible Study
November 10, 2015, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
This past weekend, I saw the demonstration and a “sign” of the present restoration of the remnant church. The H.U.B. Fellowship of Hattiesburg, Mississippi miraculously obtained a building and the finances for renovation within two weeks. Apostle Patricia Lee is a woman who has passionately sought the Lord for miracles and lived a life of faith and miracles.
We were eye witnesses of the miracle of this building being renovated into a beautiful sanctuary, children’s church, fellowship hall, kitchen, office, lounge and storage within two weeks from the onset of the project.
I believe this “wonder” is a prophetic sign of the prosperity and glory being released to the remnant church coming out of the remnant--- A “sign” of the wealth of the nations” which are promised to flow in One Day.
I cannot speak highly enough of the unity, honor, respect, co-operation, generosity, servant’s heart and genuine love exhibited by the members of this fellowship. Pat said the money for the renovation came in one day with all members of “one heart” and working together in co-operation with one vision.
Pat said she didn’t have to purchase any of the food for the conference. We ate like kings. Everything was furnished and paid for by the congregation. “The work goes fast and prospers in their hands” (Ezra 5:8b)
This is a fulfillment of Ezra 2:69: “They gave after their ability to the treasure of the work gold, silver, and priest’s garments”
The materials are gathered. “They gave money to the masons, and carpenters; and meat, drink, and oil unto them of Zidon and Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant they had from Cyrus king of Persia.”
The grant of Cyrus is but a foretaste of the “wealth of the nations” and “the glory of Lebanon” which are promised to flow in One Day.
Isa. 61:13: “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious.”
Ezra 7:27: “Blessed by the Lord God of our fathers, which has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord...”
I was so blessed to see this unfold before our eyes as a witness and demonstration of the present rebuilding of the remnant church that has been through many fires of purification and sanctification the past 16 years.
I was humbled and honored to be an eye witness of the Lord God again stirring up the people of the H.U.B. Fellowship.
I watched that the “spirit of the Lord had stirred up the leaders and the remnant to continue…”
In Ezra 5 are the principles concerning our going on to perfection as revealed in Heb. 5: 11; 6:3. Once the foundation is laid (Ezra 3), we need the Word of the Lord through His prophets to encourage us to allow the Lord to finish the work, for we are His Temple!
The discontinuation of the rebuilding of the temple was not only due to opposition by the Jews’ northern neighbors; it was due also (as we are told in Haggai One) to the Jews engrossing themselves with building luxurious houses for themselves.
Haggai 1: 5-11: “…says the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but you have not enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourself, but there is none warm. He that earns wages earns wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of Hosts; Consider your ways, Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and lo it came to little; and when you brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house that is waste, and you run every man to his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit…”
Then Zerubbabel and Joshua with the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.
Then spoke Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message to the people saying, I am with you, says the Lord. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and Joshua, and the spirit of all the remnant and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.”
Ezra 5: 1-2: Both Haggai and Zechariah prophesied unto the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel. Then rose up Zerubbabel and Jeshua and began the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
God raised up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to stir up the spirits of the Jews that they might continue the rebuilding of the temple.
Their words were immediately tested and threatened. But the right of the Jews to build, which was challenged by their enemies, was to no avail because “the eye of their God” was upon them!
5:3-5: Tattenai was governor over Syria while Zerubbabel was governor in Judah. His assistant was Shetharboznai (a Persian officer). From them and their companions came the intimidating question, “Who has commanded you to build this house and to make up this wall?” In other words, by what authority do you do this?”
The Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus the same questions, “By what authority do you do this; and who gave you this authority?”
“Shetharboznai” is a strong man over the religious spirits which make a carnal demand for credentials, etc. Tattenai is a Syrian governor demanding from the governor appointed by the Lord, “who is in charge and who has the authority to build the house of the Lord?”
At this stage, only fear could have halted the work, for “the eye (watchful care) of their God (Eloah) was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, until the matter came to Darius.
This was the 2nd year of Darius (520 B.C.) – 16 years after the Jews had been home. Darius means “one who conserves, one who restrains, upholding the good.”
5b-7: “They returned answer by letter concerning this matter. The copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, which were on this side the river, sent to Darius the king; They sent a letter to him wherein was written thus: to Dairius the king, all peace.”
The word for “peace” in this verse is the Aramaic word, “shelam”---Again a false peace.
“This side of the river” = the Persian Empire west of the Euphrates.
The spirits of antichrist went into Judea to the “House of the Great God (Eloah- the God of Israel) which is built with great stones. Timber is laid in the walls of the Temple. The work goes fast and prospers in their hands.
Verse 9 repeats verse 3 and verse 10 adds: “We asked their names also. To certify to you, that we might write the names of the men that were chief of them.”
5:11: “They return an answer saying, ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and set up. After that our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath. He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.”
Israel’s history is briefly recounted. They had “provoked” Jehovah, who gave them to Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Solomon’s Temple. The “many years = 500 years”.
But Cyrus had made decree and had restored the Temple vessels to Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel). “Take these vessels; go carry them into the temple.”
This is the commission of Ephesians 4: 11-13: “Until we all come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
5:15: “Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place”
The foundation was laid, but the Temple was not finished. Tattenai concluded, “Now let there be search made in the King’s treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether this is do that a decree was made by Cyrus the King to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the King send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.”
Zech 4:9: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”
Everything hinges upon the decree. It was the VOICE of God who spoke through Cyrus. Dairius effected the decrees of Cyrus. He confirmed the decree and issued another decree ordering the building to be completed. The letter of the Syrian adversaries came to nothing.
The will of God is discovered in the Word of God. This is that hidden manna and hidden wisdom that is now being made manifest. Rev. 2:17: “”He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna…”
6:1: Dairius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.
With his order to complete the temple came a decree to draw on the royal treasury for the needed money.
Within 4 years, (520-516 B.C.) the Temple was completed and then dedicated amid great rejoicing.
Nest week – The principle of the completion of the Temple.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V.
I entered into the labors of Principles of Present Truth by: Kelly Varner and The International Bible Commentary.