The Jews

He Came To Die For Me

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant’s Sacrifice

Book of Mark Chapter 15

The Lord Jesus Christ will die on that cross on this day that began when the Lord Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Sanhedrin Court met in the wee hours of the morning to finalize the charges against Jesus Christ on this day.

These charges had to be strong enough to convince the Romans, so false witnesses were used.

The only charge that would work would be the charge of insurrection in which Rome could condemn Jesus to death.

They said that Jesus had claimed to be King of the Jews, which He had not because it was not time for this to be true.

Some of His disciples had used the term but not Jesus.

Pilate was the procurator of Judea.

Notice Rome still used the term Judea and Rome only changed the name of Judea to Palestinia just to get back at the Jews.

Without this change by Rome there would be no area called Palestine and no people referred to as Palestinians.

Most of these so-called people follow the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood and this is why no other Muslim nations want them in their nation.

There has never been a nation called Palestine.

Judaea was a Roman province from 6 to 132 CE, which incorporated the Levantine regions of Judea, Samaria and Idumea, extending over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Judea.

The name Judaea was derived from the Iron Age Kingdom of Judah.

It included what is now called Gaza and what is called the West Bank.

This is the land that has always belonged to Israel since the time of Moses.

Pilate despised the Jews and the Jews despised Pilate.

When Pilate first rode into Jerusalem he came showing the Roman Standard, with an eagle setting atop a pole.

All previous governors had removed the eagle because of the Jews opposition to idols but Pilate despised the Jews did many things to cause turmoil.

This is what being dominated by a foreign power means!

Pilate launched the construction of a new water supply which was needed but he stole the money for the project out of the Temple treasury.

The Jews never forgave him for these things but they set these things aside in order to murder the Lord Jesus Christ.

They needed the cooperation of Pilate to get this done!

Pilate was a weak and immoral man!

Pilate was indecisive and he rejected the Lord Jesus despite convincing evidence of His innocence.

The major charge against the Lord Jesus was that He claimed to be king of the Jews.

Everyone knew that Herod was a false king appointed to the throne by Rome.

Pilate noted that the Lord Jesus did not dress as a king.

Jesus was humble and meek in His appearance.
Jesus had no supporters or followers who could make Him king.
Jesus dressed as a peasant with no means to dress as royalty.

Pilate surmised, “how could this man be a king of any country”?

Jesus said, “what you say is true”.

Mar 15:2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.

But Jesus said He was not a king of this earth.

Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice”.

Pilate compromised and he offered up Barabbas as a substitute, but the Jewish religious leaders and the Jewish elders convinced the crowd of that day to choose to crucify the Lord Jesus.

Most all the people did not know this was going on as it was done in the night hours and so early in the day.

We should understand that God will never compromise when it concerns His Son Jesus.

It was the religionist who swayed the people to choose Barabbas and not Christ!

Just as we see today, men who are set upon evil will try their best to influence others in order to get their way.

Morally weak men are just too weak to act justly and responsibly.

This is the theme of a certain political party today as they are morally weak men and women.

We also see this today not only in our government but in the false church.

We see this also in the war going on in Israel today.

That terrorists group called Hamas are morally weak men and truly cowards, how could we expect them act differently than they do?

It was a big deal to them that they could overpower babies and people who could not defend themselves!

This is the same thing those who profess abortion do every day.

They are really brave when they confront those who cannot defend themselves!

We are fools if we ever allow our nation to take away our defensive weapons!

Pilate could not do what was right because it went against his character!

Pilate was a man who would always give in to worldly pressure to keep his position in government!

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ upon that cross was the most phenomenal event in history, in fact the most crucial point in world history.

Eternal salvation for all men and women was secured by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary.

We can see that it was the providence of God to have the right people in place at the precise time in history, for this thing to take place!

Pilate’s soldiers first abused Jesus.

They put upon Jesus the robes of royalty and then took them back off of Him.

They stripped Him of His clothes to do this.

The Jews considered it a great sin to show yourself naked from the time of Adam and Eve and the teachings of Moses.

We can see the actions of Pilate’s soldiers were almost as depraved as those men who call themselves Hamas but even, they can be forgiven if that would turn to Christ and repent.

God will not allow men to mock Him for very long!

We can see that this world has not changed very much it its attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Simon of Cyrene bore the cross of Jesus it was a picture of conversion.

We are all to pick up our own cross and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Simon of Cyrene was a changed man after this thing that he was forced to do!

Our lesson begins with the place that Our Lord Jesus was crucified.

*Mar 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

Golgotha was known as a place of death long before the Lord Jesus was crucified there.

The Lord Jesus died just like everyone else who had been crucified upon that hill.

The name Golgotha means the place of the skull, the place of death, the place of execution.

It was a place outside the gates of the city but it was still near the city.

Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

Joh 19:20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

It was located on a thoroughfare leading into the country and there was a garden at that same location.

Luk 23:26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

Joh 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

It was this place, a symbol of death, where God chose that His Son would die to deliver all mankind from the bondage of death!

*Mar 15:23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

It was the Lord Jesus Himself who refused to take this drug concoction.

The Lord Jesus wanted to feel the pains of death at its bitterest moment!

This mixture of alcohol and drugs was intended to ease the pain of death much like what is done in the hospices of today.

Jesus would have no part in it because the Lord Jesus was on a mission!

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The Lord Jesus died for our deliverance from death!

Men who had witnessed death so many times had no concern for the property of that one who was to die.

*Mar 15:24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

The Lord Jesus was laid upon that cross.

That arms of our Savior were stretched as far as they could be on the cross beam and His feet were nailed as were His hands and He was lifted and with a jolt that cross was dropped into a hole snapping His joints into but breaking no bones.

Psa_22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

Mary, the mother of Jesus was standing at the foot of the cross, but these soldiers showed no compassion whatsoever in giving her His belongings but gambled to see would get them.

The Lord Jesus wore a particular robe that was knitted without seams.

The Lord Jesus had been stripped of His clothing again exposing Him naked to the world in an attempt to convince the world that this was just a man and not the promised Messiah.

The Lord Jesus allowed His mortality to be stripped from Him so that He might abolish death and bring life and immortality to light.

2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

*Mar 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

The Lord Jesus Christ was crucified at 9 AM, (the third hour) and the darkness swept across the land from 12 noon until 3 PM (the sixth until the ninth hour).

God the Father demonstrated His great love for us, not sparing His Son, but allowing Him to die for the sin of all mankind.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We know that Pilate had a sign placed over the head of Jesus which said “the King of the Jews” in three languages.

We know that there were two thieves who were placed one on each side of our Savior.

Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Then there was the mob of those who made mockery of our Lord who congregated at the foot of the cross.

There was the mockery of the two thieves.

1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Then the sixth hour brought darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

It was ninth hour that the Lord Jesus cried out to His Heavenly Father this time saying, “My God” “My God” know that because of our sin, not His, he had none, that His Father had forsaken Him for a moment in time.

This is sure proof that for a moment in time the Lord Jesus was forsaken by His Heavenly Father. His Father became His God!

*Mar 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The Lord Jesus Christ cried out because He had never been separated from His Heavenly Father.

For a moment in time the Lord Jesus was just as guilty in sin as we all are, in fact more so because He carried the sin of all the world.

Jesus did not mean the suffering and the terrible treatment He had received on that cross!

We need a clear understanding of what the Lord Jesus means here.

1) The Lord Jesus sensed that God had withdrawn His presence from Him. He sensed that God was no longer with Him!

2) The Lord Jesus sensed that God had withdrawn His deliverance. God had always met His need but Jesus now felt alone for the first time!

3) The Lord Jesus sensed that He was bearing the “curse” of God by Himself.

The curse of being separated from God.
The curse of judgment.
The curse of condemnation.

Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

4) Jesus sensed that God’s holiness had left Him.

Both sin and death are things that God had never felt. God had only known life and holiness!

Psa 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Psa 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

For a moment in time, the Lord Jesus Christ had to bear the sin for mankind, therefore He had to bear the penalty of separation from a perfect and holy God!

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The only thing that could have caused God the Father to separate Himself from Christ Jesus, His Son, was sin!

Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

It was “our sin”, the sin of the entire world, which caused this to happen because the Lord Jesus Christ had no sin of His own!

*Mar 15:35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
Mar 15:36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.

It was out of total darkness that the Lord Jesus had cried out and many of those standing at the foot of the cross had gotten confused and others just began to mock Him.

Someone just wanted to see if some remarkable thing were about to happen because they did not understand any of these things and they could not understand what was taking place.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross, but there must come an understanding of what the Lord Jesus Christ had accomplished.

The Lord Jesus had fulfilled the first part of His mission to provide a means of salvation for all believers!

The Age of Grace had begun for the believer, and the Age of the Curse had begun for the unbeliever!

The Lord Jesus was not calling out to Elijah, who was just a man, but now was a saint of God.

Then the Lord Jesus said that He was thirsty in a pitiful cry.

One man who had compassion of the Lord tried to give the Lord a drink.

Joh 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
Joh 19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

This time Jesus was offered water with just enough vinegar in it to kill the parasites in the water.

This is the way the Romans purified the water they drank in any nation where they were located.

It is also true that Elijah will return before the return of Christ, but not at that time.

The Lord Jesus Christ died at this time; His work completed but some other things happened that we also need to understand.

*Mar 15:37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
Mar 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Mar 15:39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

The Lord had been timid when He asked for water, but He is now bold as He completes the work He came to accomplish.

This was a glorious triumph over the acts of the Devil.

The Lord Jesus Christ died for a specific purpose!

The Lord Jesus Christ did not die a martyr, He gave His life for all of mankind to be saved.

He gave up the Ghost, which means that He willingly gave His life and His Spirit so that we can be saved.

While the body of Jesus lay in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, He was busy with a few other important things in His Spirit.

On the cross and after His death:

1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

After His death:

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

The Lord Jesus Christ died at 3 PM and His body had to be buried before 6 PM by Jewish law.

The veil of the Temple was rent into from the top to the bottom, not the bottom to the top.

This showed that it was God who had done this thing and not some man or group of men.

This now meant that there would be unrestricted access into God’s presence, into the throne room of God.

This is the curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, the most sacred part of the Temple.

Up until this time, only the High priest could go beyond this curtain and this only one time a year on the Day of Atonement.

At the very hour of the death of Christ, the High Priest was rolling back the outer curtain in order to expose the Holy Place for worship and they were amazed when they saw the inner veil was torn right down the middle from the top to the bottom.

Being torn from top to bottom means that it was God Himself who had ripped this veil.

Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Now through the body of Christ, any believer can enter into the presence of God, at any time and at any place.

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

With all the things that happened, the Roman Centurion in charge of the crucifixion of Christ realized that the Lord Jesus Christ was indeed the true Messiah!

This man was a Gentile and in type, he symbolized all those who would confess the Lord Jesus in the coming generations and there have been a great many who now trust Jesus.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Because of what is going on in Israel today we may be at the end of the time of Grace which began with the resurrected Christ.

Amen

God Is On Our Side

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

Providential Protection

Book of Esther Chapters 8-9

We as Christians know that God is involved in our world.

God is not a “watchmaker” (Creator) who just wound this world up as a watch and just allowing it to run down.

God is involved in our world daily.

God is looking after His people daily, the Jews and the Church.

God will keep His plan moving along just as He has since His first written words in the Book of the beginnings, the Book of Genesis.

No one can change the Word of to their benefit nor can the plan of God be changed or altered in any way.

God will keep every promise He has made to the Jews.

God will keep every promise He has made to the Church.

God will keep His covenant of “wrath” with every non-believer, these are facts in the Word of God which does not change!

God would never allow the Jews, the Hebrew people, to be wiped out of this world!

*****Est 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

As we have seen in this passage, this King of Persia was weak in his ruling ability and evil Haman had put things in place that this king did not know how to stop.

A written law of Persia that was stamped by the king could not be changed.

Est 7:4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.

This king gave his power to rule for the moment over to Queen Esther.

*****Est 8:4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,
Est 8:5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:

If we do not know by now, we live in a cruel world!

In many cases it is because politics have entered into people’s lives and politicians never have the right answers for the good of all people, as we see daily here in America, and I am not talking about our President.

Haman may have vanished off the scene, but some of his evil was still in force.

Haman was an Agagite a descendant of the Amelikite who were the people that King Saul was to eliminate because they were so evil, but he did not because of covetousness.

The Amelikite hated the nation of Israel, and right now the law was on their side to destroy all the Jews in Persia and it would not have stopped there.

Things such as this seem to make their way into other nations, who think they are doing some kind of good.

Queen Esther was given the estate of Haman who we have already seen was very, very rich.

Queen Esther made Mordecai the overseer of this estate.

We should always remember those who have helped us through the years.

Queen Esther would have been a child of the state had not Mordecai took her in as his own child.

This king loved Queen Esther with all his heart and already said he would give her half his kingdom if she asked.

This precious child of God loved her people much more than she loved riches.

*****Est 8:6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
Est 8:7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Est 8:8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.

Again we see that this king did not know what to do, but Mordecai knew exactly what to do without, breaking any Persian law.

This is what patriotism is all about. Citizens of a nation protecting citizens of that nation!

All citizens should want freedom.
All citizens should want the freedom to worship Jehovah God without reprisal.
All citizens should want their people to work toward these goals.

God tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because most of our world still wants to destroy them, as did Haman.

This king gave Esther and Mordecai the ability to write whatever law would protect the Jews.

Queen Esther made intercession for her people.

You see this is what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us, He made intercession for all, “whosoever” would believe that He did.

The Lord saved us from eternal death! Separation from our God forever.

This body may pass away one day, but we will never see that death, because we will step into the throne room of God before that body of flesh takes its last breath.

2Co_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

These Jews would not see death, and many of them would return to the Holy Land with Ezra!

*****Est 8:7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Est 8:8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.

Not many kings, not many leaders, and not many politicians, will ever admit their error, they will commit the repair of the error to someone else.

The house of Haman, did not costs the king anything at all.

He does never plead for forgiveness for this mess he had allowed to take place.

He does allow Queen Esther and Mordecai to do what they could, to stop the massacre before it took place without breaking the law of Haman.

The king did not ever take responsibility for this mess he had allowed to happen.

Mordecai knew exactly what to do!

We must understand as Christians, that words once spoken cannot be recalled! A deed once done cannot be undone!

That one with a hasty temper, who drove a spike into the heart of a friend cannot undo what he has done.

This why forgiveness is so important in the family of God.

We cannot erase the things we do contrary to the Word of God, but we can certainly forgive others like the Lord has forgiven us all our sin.

Again Mordecai knew exactly what to do!

*****Est 8:15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
Est 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.

What is the proper use of power? Power must be used for the betterment of people, especially between God’s people!

Mordecai went out dressed as the Prime Minister of Persia, with crown to prove it, and all people were aware that Haman was gone, and Mordecai was in charge now.

Not just the Jews but the entire city was glad that Haman was just a bad memory of the past, and should be forgotten!

Haman had made many enemies!

I say all people but the Amalekite, who history says were the only people who rose up to kill all the Jews.

We should understand every Word of God is important for our survival!

Deu 25:18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
Deu 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

Because this did not take place as commanded by the Lord, these people would haunt Israel all their days.

God knows what He is doing, and He has used Israel to do these things, and He will continue to use Israel to do many things, until the peace that will come when the Lord returns, of course after the Lord straightens out some things, again according to the Word of God.

Even the Babylonians called the Amalekite “Khabbati” which means “plunderers” and recorded the things they had done

So what Iran says, and the enemies of Israel say, they know all these things. The Persians and they Babylonians were some of the best record keepers in history, yet the deny that Israel is a legitimate nation.

We should be able to see that Satan still has his hands in these enemies!

What was Mordecai’s plan?

*****Est 9:2 The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.
Est 9:3 And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

We should understand that the best way to survive this world is to be prepared for an attack, because an attack is coming from somewhere at some time! Persecution will not cease until the Church is in Heaven and the Lord returns to set up His 1000-year rule from Jerusalem.

Why? Because these people hate God and deny the Lord Jesus is our Savior. They had rather perish than give in to the truth, just like atheist!

The date of the attack had been written into law by Haman.

The government and the military would now help the Jews, because they were appointees just like Nehemiah, and they knew they would lose their positions if they went against the king. There is a little typology written here.

These Jews acted properly, and they acted in unison, because they took a stand for their lives.

What does God say?

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

They could do these things because God had a plan before Genesis 1:1, that Mordecai would be in this particular place at this particular time.

Jer 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

God does these things to every one of us. He places us in places to be available when danger seeks out God’s people.

This does not mean God will stop persecution, because only death can take away the persecutors, and God will give them every chance to repent but we must remember these words.

Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Why would God wait at all? Why does God not bring vengeance when God’s people are murdered?

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

*****Est 9:4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.
Est 9:5 Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.

Mordecai was not only Prime Minister, but he had great favor with the King, and it became known that he was also uncle to the Queen.

Mordecai was well received of all the people, maybe because they could see that a captive could go far in the government of Persia and he may better understand their needs.

Est 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

This is why it would always be better if we voted only for Christians to be in our government!!!

*****Est 9:26 Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
Est 9:27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
Est 9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

Why was the government of Persia so bad at this time?

There were over 500 of Haman’s kindred involved in the work in the Palace and not as slaves.

Est 9:6 And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.

It is from these things that actually happened, that the Jews set up a new feast and festival called the days of Purim, which is still celebrated today!

The word Purim comes a Persian word “lots”,because Haman had cast lots to find a day, he would see all the Jews in Persia destroyed.

On the first day of the new celebration the name of Haman and his 10 sons are read out because they were all hanged at once.

These Jews read the entire Book of Esther, and at the end they cry our “cursed be Haman”, blessed be Mordecai, “cursed be Zeresh (Haman’s wife) and blessed be Esther.

You see, the Jews do not ever forget these things and these things have to eat at the leaders of Iran who are the leftovers of Persia.

Just another reason that Iran hates Israel.

*****Est 9:29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.

We also see what happens when you try to abuse God’s people, when they are trying their best to be obedient to Him.

The King of Persia even allowed Queen Esther to write these things into the law of Persia.

Queen Esther became one of the greatest heroes in the History of the Jews, and we already know the rest of the story, as we have seen Ezra return to begin again the worship in the second Temple and Nehemiah allowed to go back and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Neh_2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

The next King of Persia was the son of Esther. God does work in mysterious ways!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

The Second Temple

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Work Begins

Book of Ezra

Six months have passed since we began our study of the Book of John and now, we will spend some time in the Old Testament.

In 539 BC the Persians and the Medes under King Cyrus had defeated the Babylonians in a fierce battle for world domination just as the Prophet Daniel had predicted.

It was Isaiah that had predicted that Cyrus would do these things about 100 years before Cyrus had been born.

Isa 44:28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Isa 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Isa 45:2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
Isa 45:3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

It was Jeremiah who had said that Jews would only be in captivity for 70 years.

Dan_9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolation of Jerusalem.

Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

The Book of Ezra was written by Ezra and Ezra was a Jewish Priest.

There were three groups who returned from Babylon, but not one group included any from the Northern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom had been carried off by the Assyrians and never returned to the Promise Land during this period.

Cyrus had captured all the lands of the Babylonians which included the land of the Assyrians and any of those Jews who had remained could have the same freedom to return to Israel.

Let’s begin:

*****Ezr 1:1 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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Ezr 1:2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Cyrus was the son of Cambyses, king of Persia and Mandane the daughter of Astyages, king of Media.

King Cyrus claimed himself to be the liberator of all peoples.

He allowed any group that were captured by the Babylonians to return to their homeland not just the Jews, after all he now ruled all those homelands.

He had first allowed Zerubbabel to lead the first group of the Jews back to Jerusalem. So many things had happened that were against the Word of God that not much work was done in Jerusalem.

It was Ezra who led the second group charged with the rebuilding of the Temple which was financed by King Cyrus and any free will offerings.

Cyrus also returned to the Jews all the valuables stolen from the Temple of Solomon.

Later Nehemiah would lead a third group of Jews back to Jerusalem charged with rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

By all these things we should have no doubt that it is God that puts in place the leaders of this world!

A lot of things are said about the Jews good and bad, but one thing stands out, they are dedicated builders of their nation when they get the opportunity!

They were cured of their idolatry, that had come between them and Jehovah.

If we ask what is wrong with our world today, it should be obvious that all our problems come because of sin.

We see that Cyrus was a king who believed that all his success came because of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth.

Cyrus was no Christian, but he knew where his power came from, he was not an atheist.

To the Jews, Cyrus was Kuresh, the King of Persia.

We should be able to see that God can touch the heart of any ruler at any time as He says in the Book of Isaiah.

Isa 45:13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.

God knows what is going to happen in this world before it happens!

God knows that the Jews want to see Israel survive even if many of them will never make it back home!

What did Cyrus ask the Jewish people?

*****Ezr 1:3 Who is there among you of all his people? 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 the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
Ezr 1:4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

Cyrus did not demand that all the Jews leave, and many did not, but he did allow anyone who chose to go home and be a part of the rebuilding of the Temple and there homes the freedom to do so.

We should understand that these things were all recorded in the history of Persia and are all true.

The Persia we are familiar with are now the nations of Iraq and Iran.

Any Jew that was alive from the time of captivity would remember the preaching Jeremiah and Isaiah and the other prophets that had come true and they knew it was their sin that had brought on all these things.

All these are lessons for the Church. We can see again that God will always do what He says, and it is God who places rulers into power.

Our Holy God still rules this world!

The date of this proclamation of Cyrus was 538 BC the very first year of his reign over Babylon.

Cyrus had a personal reason for these things he did.

He wanted all people to pray to their god for a long life “for him” even after he had stated that it was it was the Lord God of Heaven who had given him the victory.

Just as so many do today, he had thoughts of all people worshiping the same God which is not true. Jehovah God is a jealous God who will not share His worship with others.

What did Jehovah teach the Jews?

Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Exo 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Deu 6:15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Many of the Jews were ready, for they knew what God had said to the prophets.

*****Ezr 1:5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
Ezr 1:6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.

We should clearly understand that the chastening of the Lord is never about punishment it is always about reform. The Jews had been given the task of preserving the Word of God and they could not do this if they ignored the Word of God!

It is much like that today, the chastisement we go through is not about punishment it is about keeping us moving in the right direction toward eternal life in God’s Heaven.

God was working on His people all the time they were in captivity! They had been cured of their idolatry! They now rejected all pagan gods!

They longed for the Living God!

They had a new devotion to the Lord’s sanctuary, the Temple.

You see we must have a devotion to the House of God!

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Nebuchadnezzar had captured Jerusalem in 604 BC.
The proclamation of Cyrus was in 538 BC.

Leaving time for the people to gather their belongings and make the long trip to Jerusalem, the work on the Temple began May 534 BC the 70 years had been completed just as Jeremiah had said by the Holy Spirit.

What caused Cyrus to do these things, besides wanting a prayer of thanks from these Jews?

His own advisers had told him of the prophesies of the prophet Isaiah.

If we cannot see the hand of God in all these things, then we do not understand the Lord as much as we think we do!

Just as God had done in Egypt, He had encouraged those who lived among the Jews to make a free will offering to them.

Cyrus would provide the funds for rebuilding the Temple.

Cyrus would provide a military unit for their protection for a time.

These people needed a free will offering in order to sustain themselves until they could get their homes rebuilt and grow their own crops.

We have missions and ministries that cannot survive today without free will offerings.

2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
2Co 9:9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

After a rough start the children of Israel began the work of rebuilding the Temple.

*****Ezr 3:9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
Ezr 3:10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

Verse 9 is not part of our lesson, but it is hard to miss that name Jeshua. In Hebrew it means “he will save”. In reality it is another form of the name Joshua which in the Greek is Jesus.

Jesus is the foundation of the Church and if you cannot accept the work of Jesus for your salvation, you cannot be saved!

For those who use typology, we can see the importance of this man named Jeshua!

In the Book of Nehemiah this same Jeshua was one of the men who gave the meaning of the Laws of Moses.

Neh 8:7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
Neh 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

We know that our Lord Jesus Christ has been involved in the safe keeping of the Word of God from the beginning.

Now this man was not Jesus in any way, but he could be considered a type of Jesus.

Even before the foundation of the Temple was laid the altar was repaired and offerings were made to Jehovah God.

A continuous burnt offering was made, and all the feast were kept during the rebuilding of the Temple.

These people had learned by a sad experience that they were dependent upon God!

The materials for the Temple were gathered from many nations such as Tyre and Sidon and the forest of Lebanon.

Have you ever noticed how God utilizes nations to move the Gospel?

The Romans built new roads to move their army quickly, but God used those same roads to proclaim the “Gospel”.

Today we see all sort of modern ways to communication but at the same time these things can be used to spread the “Gospel”.

We must never be afraid of these things. We must send the “Gospel” out in every way we can use because we know that the Word of God will not come back void and the Word of God cannot be stopped.

Christianity must be a uniting force and not be forced upon anyone like it was during the time of the crusades. God’s Word will make a way because it’s He who sends it!

The priests in their apparel blew the trumpets, the Psalmist with the cymbals, there was something going on at God’s House and all were invited to lay a stone on the foundation!

You want to build a Church, this is the best way!

There was singing and shouting, and praise being offered to Jehovah God for His true Word.

*****Ezr 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Psalm 136 which is probably used here, tells of the great power of God but the emphasis is on God’s goodness and God’s mercy.

Mercy can be understood as compassion for those who miserable! These Jews were in captivity for 70 years. Some fared well, but I suppose many of them were no more than slaves.

God had realized these things from His beginning, and He decided, He would be more like a Father than as a Deity who cared not for His creation!

God not only has “mercy” he also expects us to show mercy even to our enemies.

Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

When we understand the mercy of God, we can begin our climb out of the miry clay of sin and then we will also praise the Lord for His goodness.

A good man knows the difference in right and wrong and he will choose right every time!

Without God’s goodness and God’s mercy, we would never get to see God’s “GRACE”.

Today the morality level and the goodness level in America, is almost nonexisting!

Being back home was a great feeling for the Jews.

Many of them had never even seen Jerusalem as they were born in captivity, but during those years their parents had continued to share the Word of God with them.

Many of those who had seen the Temple of Solomon knew that this rebuilt Temple would not possess the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple.

The things we will miss if we do look closely are:

1) This became a working church
2) They all worked together
3) They were obedient to the Word of God
4) They worked without ceasing
5) They celebrated singing worship songs
6) They were thankful

We know that today the Bible says we are a Temple of God. How are we working compared to these Jews?

1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1Pe 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

What did Paul preach?

1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

We must realize that a Temple that has fallen will never be as grand as it was before it fell and we must remember that today each Christian ia a Temple of God!

The second Temple would not ever reach the splendor of Solomon’s Temple. If we allow our temple to fall back into sin and return to the Lord with full forgiveness, we will never be the witness we could have been!

*****Ezr 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
Ezr 3:13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

The first and the second Temple were built in the exact same place, they had nearly the same foundation, they were both built with the same design.

The Temple that we raise, that our forefathers saw, is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself the Chief Corner Stone.

We have the same “gospel”, we have the same Savior, and the same Holy Spirit who lives within us for conversion, edification, support, and comfort!

For the Jews the first Temple surpassed the second Temple because it was built with better materials.

But we today as sinners who were not fit to be a Temple of God, are built into a glorious Temple of God.

As a Temple of God we must be Holy!

1Co_3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Just as the second Temple was dedicated to God. so we are to be dedicated to God.

This is where the Church of today fails the most!

In fact there are so many that have rejected the truth of God, the Church is tarnished.

We must remember Jesus did not say the Word of God was true, Jesus said the Word of God is the “Truth”!

There is no higher authority anywhere on this planet and there never will be, until the Lord returns!

Joh_17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Ezra is considered to the father of Jewish religion and he gave his life to keep the Jews in line with the Word of God.

This the same period when the Pharisees got started and this began with good intentions to keep the people in line with the Word of God.

It later days, the they begin to add their own interpretation, their own words, making their own words, the words of man, to be greater than the Word of God.

Again this is the same thing happening in our world today. The Church has allowed the world inside the Church and the words of man and politicians to be greater than the Word of God.

Some people today cannot discern the truth from the man-made laws because they refuse to study the Word of God themselves and they depend on some man to lead them in the right way. It is a shame!

When the world gets inside the Church then the work of God will cease.

*****Ezr 4:24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

We must understand that the tactics of Satan and those who reject the only God, Jehovah are wicked!

If they cannot bend the goodness of the Church to their own wishes, they will change their tactics and call the good bad and the bad good.

They will hire politicians to frustrate the work of the Church.

They will seek out men with no scruples who will deliberately use their influence and their pocketbooks, in an evil cause for their own gain!

When we get away from the promises of God and listen to the false promises of the world, the Church will cease to exist.

If not for the Holy Spirit this would take place!

As our world removes more and more of the history of our lives, they gain more control.
As the world takes control of the minds of our young people, they gain more control.
As the world tramples on the Word of God, they gain more control.

We must wake up to these tactics, take our stand on the Word of God, and refuse to move until the Lord comes.

We are not to be timid with the Word of God, we are to be bold!

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

When the Church will not take a stand, the world will roll right over us, as we see today!

Amen

Let’s Pray!