The History (הִיסטוֹרִיָה) of the 2nd Temple

The History (הִיסטוֹרִיָה) of the 2nd Temple

End of The Babylonian Captivity

...build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 

King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. (The Proclamation of Cyrus 2 Chronicles 36:22-23)

All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:3, 7-8, 11 (End of The Babylonian Captivity)

The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem

Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.                                                                     The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, besides their male and female servants...                                                                                                                                Ezra 3:1, 64-65 (The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem)

Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. Ezra 4:1-5

Restoration of the Temple Resumed                                                                                     Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. 

Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.                   

“Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?” We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them.      

"Are they not written in the Book?" (This statement is repeatedly made throughout the Book of Kings.) "But these are written, that you might believe..." Ezra 6:1-3 "A scroll was found."

And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon. However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God. Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’ Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished.”

Ezra 5:2, 8, 9-10, 11-16 (Restoration of the Temple Resumed)

The Decree of Darius

And whatever they need—young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem—let it be given them day by day without fail, that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this. And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius issue a decree; let it be done diligently.

Ezra 6:9-10, 11-12 The Decree of Darius

The Temple Completed and Dedicated

So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 

Ezra 6:14-16 (The Temple Completed and Dedicated)

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split...
Matthew 24:1-2; 27:5

The Destruction of the Second Temple

The Second Temple stood in Jerusalem for 420 years (349 BC–70 AD). 

For the vast majority of the Second Temple era the Jews were subject to foreign rule: by the Persians, the Greeks, and eventually the Romans.

Aside for the troubles caused by these external powers, the Jews were also plagued internally by tumultuous politics, and they divided into many factions—a phenomenon that ultimately led to the Temple’s destruction and their nation’s torturous exile.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/913023/jewish/The-Second-Temple.htm

The History (הִיסטוֹרִיָה) of the 1st Temple

The History (הִיסטוֹרִיָה) of the 1st Temple

Solomon Builds the Temple

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple

And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.” 1 Kings 5:5

Solomon Builds the Temple

...in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord. 1 Kings 6:1

*2 Chronicles 3:1
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 

The Ark Brought into the Temple

And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 1 Kings 8:10-11 (Exodus 40:34, Exodus 40:35)

Solomon’s Speech at Completion of the Work

So the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.” 
1 Kings 8:20-21

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

“Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 1 Kings 8:23-24

Judah Overrun by Enemies

He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 2 Kings 24:2

The Captivity of Jerusalem

And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said. 2 Kings 24:13 (Jeremiah 20:5)

Daniel 1:1-2

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. 

The Fall and Captivity of Judah

He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 
Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city... 
2 Kings 25:9, 11

Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem
(2 Chronicles 36:15-21)

The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar (Symbol of the Bonds and Yokes)

                                                      Jeremiah 27:21-22

...yes, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem: ‘They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they shall be until the day that I visit them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’
(Matthew 11:28-30)

The History (הִיסטוֹרִיָה) of The Tabernacle and The Temples

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Matthew 24:1-2

The History הִיסטוֹרִיָהof The Tabernacle and The Temples

 The Tabernacle 
(Hebrew: מִשְׁכַּן‎‎, mishkan, "residence" or "dwelling place")

The Tabernacle

The Altar of Burnt Offering

The Court of the Tabernacle

Building the Tabernacle

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

Making the Court of the Tabernacle

The Work Completed

The Tabernacle Erected and Arranged

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “On the first day of the first month (Nissan) you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. Exodus 40:1-2

And it came to pass in the first month (Nissan) of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. Exodus 40:17          

The Ark of God Captured

The Ark of God Captured

So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.” Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’s wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” 1 Samuel 4:17-18, 19-21

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you."

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. Exodus 13:21

*The Ark of the Testimony

The Shekinah Glory (symbol of the Divine Presence of God)

"You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel." Exodus 25:21-22

The Cloud and the Glory 

Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Exodus 40:34, 38

A Jew was one outwardly, but now... a Jew is one inwardly (Brief Breakdown)

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes- 'the Jew first' and... 'also the Gentile.'

There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek.
Romans 1:16; 2:9

 

Romans 2:28-29

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 

But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

OLD TESTAMENT:

Old Covenant:

 Genesis 17:11

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

 

The New Covenant foretold in the Old Testament:

 

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel 

Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.

And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Jeremiah 4:4; 24:7

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”

I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

 

Ezekiel 36:25-27

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Jesus Fulfills The Law:

Jesus:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus:

“How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 

 

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

John 3:2, 4-7

NEW TESTAMENT: 

we serve in the new way (of the Spirit), and not in the old way of the written code.

The New Covenant fulfilled, in The New Testament, foretold in The Old Testament:

1 CORINTHIANS 7:19

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

Galatians 6:15

For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Colosians 2:11

In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ

We were once foreigners (Gentiles), uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh.

We are still Gentiles, in the flesh, but now we are Jews inwardly because of the circumcision of heart.

In The Old Testament,

You were a Jew, outwardly because of Circumcision (in flesh), and it had value.

 

If you were a Jew, You observed the Law, but if you broke The Law...

The Priest (from The Tribe of Levi, The Levitical Priest), made atonement for you (Sin Offering- an animal had to die in your place to atone for your sin), and the sin which you committed.

 

Hence, your circumcision (in flesh), has become uncircumcision. 

So basically what was done, has become undone, because you can not keep the law.

 

Circumcised in heart, has value... whether you observe the Law or if you break the Law, because we can not keep the law. Jesus, our High Priest, made atonement for you (The Ultimate Sin Offering- He died in your place to atone for your sins).

 

He suffered, He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

He Himself bore the sin and gave His life as a ransom for many. He poured out Himself to death. 

 

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice.

For the death that He died, having been offered once, bearing the sins of many, He would have had to suffer repeatedly... But now He has appeared once for all (passing over the sins committed beforehand), doing away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

He was indeed crucified yet He lives by God's power. Since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.

 

Since Christ raised us from the dead, we cannot die again.

Your circumcision of heart, can not become uncircumcision. Because... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 

 

A Jew was one outwardly, but now... a Jew is one inwardly.

A circumcised heart (a Jew inwardly), secures your eternity in The Kingdom of God.