- Some of you are thinking
that maybe you've gone too far.
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You've done too many bad
things to be accepted by God.
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Today, I've got an ancient story
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that's gonna show you
just how wrong you are.
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[upbeat music]
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[upbeat music continues]
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Today, we're gonna
look at a remarkable page
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from ancient history.
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And it's a page that a lot
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of people bypass
just a little too quickly.
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Now, normally, we look at
broad concepts on this show,
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explore big ideas
that people have wrestled
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with since the
beginning of time.
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Things like death
and the meaning of life,
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or the nature of knowledge,
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or what it means to
live an authentic human life.
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Today, though, I'm gonna go
into more of a preacher mode,
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just a little bit,
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and I'm gonna take you
through a Bible passage
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that really spoke
to me early one morning
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as I was getting
ready for the day.
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And it's a passage that deals
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with the end of the
Babylonian captivity.
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It was just four brief verses
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at the top of the Book of Ezra,
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but they were so dense
with important information
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that it actually took me several
hours to read through them.
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What I found was
this amazing glimpse
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into how God deals with us,
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how he
communicates with humanity,
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and how he accomplishes
his objectives flawlessly,
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without ever
violating our free will.
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So now let's read
from Ezra chapter one,
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starting right at the top.
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And I think I'm gonna
read four verses all together,
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and then we'll go
back and think about it.
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So here we go now, Ezra
chapter one, where it says,
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"In the first year
of Cyrus king of Persia,
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that the word of the Lord
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by the mouth of
Jeremiah might be fulfilled,
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the Lord stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus king of Persia,
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so that he made a proclamation
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throughout all his kingdom
and also put it in writing:
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'Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
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The Lord, the God of heaven,
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has given me all the
kingdoms of the earth,
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and he has charged me to
build him a house at Jerusalem,
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which is in Judah.
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Whoever is among
you of all his people,
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may his God be with him,
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and let him go up
to Jerusalem assisted
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by the men of his
place with silver and gold,
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with goods and with beasts,
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besides freewill
offerings for the house of God
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that is in Jerusalem.'"
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Now, you're probably
wondering what it was
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in that particular
passage that got my attention.
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And it was actually
more than one thing.
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So for starters, let's
look at the prophet Jeremiah,
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because he gets
mentioned right there
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in the very first sentence.
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Jeremiah is often
called the weeping prophet
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because he had this
really unfortunate assignment.
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He had to warn God's people
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that they had reached
the end of God's patience,
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and that's not a
thing you want to do.
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The Babylonians were
about to sack the city
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and destroy the temple,
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and the people
were really hesitant
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to believe that
that could happen.
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In fact, the power brokers
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in Jerusalem
openly mocked Jeremiah
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by insisting that nothing
could ever happen to the temple.
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It was just too sacred.
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So of course, God's
gonna protect that building.
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So then in
Jeremiah chapter seven,
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we find the
weeping prophet standing
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at the gates of the temple,
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reminding people
that God knows better
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than any religious authority.
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Here's what it
actually says in Jeremiah 7:3:
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Thus says the Lord of
hosts, the God of Israel:
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Amend your ways and your deeds,
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and I will let you
dwell in this place.
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Do not trust in
these deceptive words:
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"This is the temple of the Lord,
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the temple of the Lord,
the temple of the Lord."
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In other words, it
wasn't the building
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that was important, it
was actually the people.
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The building didn't mean much
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if the hearts of God's
people were not with him.
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The rights and rituals
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which were designed
to foreshadow the work
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of the coming Messiah had become
nothing but empty gestures,
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because they
were no longer rooted
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in a relationship with
God, or built on faith.
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It's kind of the
same thing that happened
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with Cain and Abel.
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Hebrews chapter 11 tells us
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that Abel's
offering was acceptable
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because he did it by faith.
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Cain's offering was rejected
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because he was just
going through the motions,
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and he didn't actually care.
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God had required a lamb,
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not because he's some kind
of blood-thirsty pagan deity,
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but because a lamb
was a very powerful symbol
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for what the Son of
God would have to do
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in order to save us.
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Those sacrifices
were a sobering reminder
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of how serious our
situation really is.
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The natural consequences
of sin are devastating.
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And in the sacrificial system,
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God was pointing
forward to the moment
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when he would take the
penalty for sin on himself
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so that he could save us.
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But of course, Cain
decided to play loose
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with the symbol of sacrifice
and do what was convenient
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instead of what was right.
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And that's why his
sacrifice was rejected.
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It was meaningless,
because he didn't actually care.
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And the same thing was happening
in the city of Jerusalem.
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The people
continued to sacrifice
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and do the bare minimum
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to keep their
national religion running,
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but they didn't really care.
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In fact, they were more
interested in adopting the
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culture and religion of their
neighboring nations instead.
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So God sent
Jeremiah to tell his people
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that the building doesn't matter
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if the people
aren't there in heart.
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And I guess here's the
part that really spoke to me
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when I was reading
this the other day.
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Jeremiah had to present
a very unpopular message
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to a group of people
that didn't really care,
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and so he faced a huge amount
of opposition and resentment.
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By the end of the story,
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as the Babylonian army is
actually pulling into town,
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historical records tell us
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that Jeremiah takes the Ark
of the Covenant and hides it.
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We still don't know where.
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Then he goes to Egypt,
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and after that, the
trail kind of runs cold.
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Nobody, and I mean nobody,
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wanted to listen to the prophet,
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and they abused
him pretty badly.
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Part of
Jeremiah's prediction was
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that the tribe of Judah would be
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in Babylonian
captivity for 70 years,
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which meant that Jeremiah
would never see the fulfillment
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of his own prophecy.
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He'd be dead
before that came to pass.
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So what does that mean for us?
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Well, it means that serving
God involves getting something
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of a delayed paycheck.
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It means that there's a
very good chance that I will die
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before I see everything
that the Bible promises.
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And if you read Hebrews chapter
11 all the way to the end,
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you'll find that that's
actually what the Bible teaches.
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Here's what it says,
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right after listing
some of the biggest names
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in the history of faith.
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And I'm talking people
like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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It says, "And all these,
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though commended
through their faith,
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did not receive
what was promised,
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since God had provided
something better for us,
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that apart from us they
should not be made perfect."
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So in other words,
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nobody gets paid
until everybody gets paid.
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In fact, what the Bible
teaches is that nobody gets paid
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until Jesus gets paid.
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He doesn't even
have his reward yet.
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So many times I see new
believers, brand-new Christians,
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hit this discouraging roadblock.
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Something bad happens.
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Somebody rejects them
because now they're religious.
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Or their family
makes fun of them,
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or they didn't get
what they prayed for.
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And of course, they
start to feel frustrated.
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And that's when the
story of Jeremiah really comes
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into focus, because, well,
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he died before his own
prophecies were actually
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fulfilled. He wasn't there to
see Cyrus the Persian liberate
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the Jews. And now it's
time for a really quick break.
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But don't go away,
because when I come back,
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we're gonna look at
the other name mentioned
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in these verses, which is Cyrus,
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easily one of the biggest
names in ancient history.
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I'll be right back after this.
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[upbeat music]
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- [Narrator] Here at
the Voice of Prophecy,
00:08:17.39\00:08:18.79
we're committed to
creating top-quality programming
00:08:18.79\00:08:21.23
for the whole family,
00:08:21.23\00:08:22.63
like our audio adventure
series, Discovery Mountain.
00:08:22.63\00:08:25.87
Discovery Mountain
is a Bible-based program
00:08:25.87\00:08:28.34
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:08:28.34\00:08:30.67
Your family will enjoy
the faith-building stories
00:08:30.67\00:08:33.48
from this small
mountain summer camp and town.
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With 24 seasonal
episodes every year
00:08:36.28\00:08:38.81
and fresh content every week,
00:08:38.81\00:08:40.95
there's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:08:40.95\00:08:44.19
- Maybe you remember
that awful moment back in 1993
00:08:46.82\00:08:50.13
when the ATF burned down
the Branch Davidian compound
00:08:50.13\00:08:53.86
in Waco.
00:08:53.86\00:08:55.20
They were trying to
convince this cult leader
00:08:55.20\00:08:57.23
by the name of Vernon
Howell to give himself up,
00:08:57.23\00:09:00.10
and that's when things
really got out of control,
00:09:00.10\00:09:02.44
to put it mildly.
00:09:02.44\00:09:04.27
Now, the reason I'm
remembering that right now
00:09:04.27\00:09:07.14
is because Vernon
Howell, if you remember,
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gave himself a new name.
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He wanted everybody
to call him David Koresh.
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David, of course, being
the most famous king of Israel,
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a forerunner of the Messiah,
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and Koresh, which is
the original Persian form
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of the Greek name Cyrus.
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And what David Koresh
was doing was telling people,
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"Look, I'm the fulfillment
of Messianic prophecy."
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Now, why would he
pick Cyrus or Koresh?
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It's because a lot
of people recognize
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that the Bible
describes this Persian general
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as a type of Christ.
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A type is something that
foreshadows something else.
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A type of Christ foreshadows
the life and ministry of Jesus.
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And the reason
Cyrus represents Christ
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is because of this
passage that we were reading
00:09:52.72\00:09:54.96
in the Book of Ezra,
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where he liberates God's people
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so they can return
to the land of promise.
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It's really pointing
forward to the Second Coming,
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when God puts an end
to spiritual Babylon,
00:10:04.10\00:10:07.10
which you read about
in the Book of Revelation,
00:10:07.10\00:10:09.17
and then he establishes
the kingdom of Christ.
00:10:09.17\00:10:12.34
Jesus is the ultimate Cyrus,
00:10:12.34\00:10:14.48
who will take us to
the real promised land.
00:10:14.48\00:10:18.11
So now you've gotta
ask why Cyrus the pagan
00:10:18.11\00:10:21.32
suddenly becomes interested
in liberating the Jews.
00:10:21.32\00:10:24.99
Well, the Bible says
God stirred his heart,
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which tells us
something about the way
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that God makes
things happen in this world.
00:10:29.56\00:10:32.33
He doesn't
violate our free will,
00:10:32.33\00:10:35.23
but he does encourage us
to move in his direction.
00:10:35.23\00:10:38.10
He kind of nudges us.
00:10:38.10\00:10:40.07
And that's the
story of the entire Bible.
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It turns out
coercion is not God's style.
00:10:43.54\00:10:48.14
One of the reasons
the Bible is so big
00:10:48.14\00:10:50.75
and covers so much
history is because,
00:10:50.75\00:10:53.11
well, God doesn't force people.
00:10:53.11\00:10:55.32
I mean, he's going
to keep his promises,
00:10:55.32\00:10:58.09
in spite of us sometimes,
00:10:58.09\00:11:00.26
but he nudges
history without forcing it.
00:11:00.26\00:11:03.56
Of course, that means God has
got to be incredibly patient.
00:11:03.56\00:11:07.50
What we don't know
is how long God had
00:11:07.50\00:11:10.10
to stir the heart of Cyrus
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before he actually
did the right thing.
00:11:12.00\00:11:14.54
And of course, this story
also gives us a tiny glimpse
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into how inspiration might work.
00:11:18.21\00:11:21.14
A lot of people seem to think
00:11:21.14\00:11:22.54
that the Bible
was just dictated:
00:11:22.54\00:11:24.38
that God spoke words,
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and the prophets wrote
those words down verbatim.
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And in a few little cases,
well, that is what happened.
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Like with the 10 Commandments,
00:11:32.05\00:11:33.82
or with some of those
passages that start by saying,
00:11:33.82\00:11:36.96
"The Lord spoke to me, saying."
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And then in that case,
00:11:39.76\00:11:40.96
what follows is
probably a direct quote.
00:11:40.96\00:11:44.37
But most of the time
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what God did was
impress somebody's heart,
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and then they
expressed God's thoughts using
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their own words.
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That's why the books
00:11:52.51\00:11:54.01
of the Bible actually
have different writing styles.
00:11:54.01\00:11:57.28
And in this case,
00:11:57.28\00:11:58.88
Cyrus responded to
the prompting of God.
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His heart was stirred,
00:12:02.05\00:12:03.45
and then he expressed
what God was telling him
00:12:03.45\00:12:06.35
by authoring a decree
to release God's people.
00:12:06.35\00:12:09.79
There's nothing to suggest
00:12:09.79\00:12:11.33
that the wording of the decree
was dictated word for word
00:12:11.33\00:12:13.96
by God because that
part was up to Cyrus.
00:12:13.96\00:12:17.47
And we know he got it right
00:12:17.47\00:12:19.43
because wherever you
find Cyrus in the Bible,
00:12:19.43\00:12:21.84
it's always in a positive light.
00:12:21.84\00:12:24.44
He was the great liberator,
00:12:24.44\00:12:26.91
and as such, was an
important symbol for Christ.
00:12:26.91\00:12:30.71
And of course, it's also
fascinating, at least for me,
00:12:30.71\00:12:34.72
that God is using a
pagan general to do his will.
00:12:34.72\00:12:38.99
Far too often, Christians assume
00:12:38.99\00:12:40.56
that God could
only use one of us.
00:12:40.56\00:12:42.82
But the Bible puts no such
limitation on the Almighty.
00:12:42.82\00:12:46.26
He can use whoever he wants.
00:12:46.26\00:12:48.60
His target audience was not
just the descendants of Abraham;
00:12:48.60\00:12:52.20
God wants the whole world.
00:12:52.20\00:12:54.77
According to the prophet Isaiah,
00:12:54.77\00:12:56.60
the temple was not just a
center for God's chosen people,
00:12:56.60\00:13:00.81
it was supposed to be a
beacon to the entire planet.
00:13:00.81\00:13:04.11
"And nations shall
come to your light,"
00:13:04.11\00:13:05.95
Isaiah predicted, "and
kings to the brightness
00:13:05.95\00:13:09.25
of your rising."
00:13:09.25\00:13:11.19
I think one of
the reasons I find all
00:13:11.19\00:13:13.12
of this so very interesting is
00:13:13.12\00:13:14.56
because modern critics
will often bring the charge
00:13:14.56\00:13:17.76
of elitism against the church.
00:13:17.76\00:13:20.10
Who do these
people think they are,
00:13:20.10\00:13:21.60
calling themselves God's chosen?
00:13:21.60\00:13:24.27
And of course, sometimes
they kind of have a point.
00:13:24.27\00:13:26.84
I mean, there are
Christians who behave that way.
00:13:26.84\00:13:30.14
But it's not because
that's what God wants.
00:13:30.14\00:13:32.71
You'll notice the
nation of Israel was supposed
00:13:32.71\00:13:34.74
to invite the
whole world to join them.
00:13:34.74\00:13:38.25
And of course,
they weren't faithful.
00:13:38.25\00:13:40.42
Instead, they
drifted in the direction
00:13:40.42\00:13:42.58
of their pagan neighbors,
becoming more like them.
00:13:42.58\00:13:45.52
And for that reason,
00:13:45.52\00:13:47.32
the light that was
supposed to be radiating out
00:13:47.32\00:13:49.66
from that temple went dark.
00:13:49.66\00:13:52.79
But then during the captivity,
00:13:52.79\00:13:54.73
God turned on a few other lights
00:13:54.73\00:13:56.67
to keep his
people well informed,
00:13:56.67\00:13:58.17
by giving them other
prophets like Daniel or Ezekiel.
00:13:58.17\00:14:02.90
And then when it came
time to make a really big move,
00:14:02.90\00:14:05.77
God does something surprising.
00:14:05.77\00:14:07.61
He uses a pagan king.
00:14:07.61\00:14:09.98
Now, historically,
00:14:10.88\00:14:12.21
we know that Cyrus
was probably a monotheist.
00:14:12.21\00:14:15.52
There's a pretty good
chance he was Zoroastrian,
00:14:15.52\00:14:18.15
which was the
dominant Persian religion.
00:14:18.15\00:14:20.82
And that would
mean that Cyrus believed
00:14:20.82\00:14:23.12
in a one creator God.
00:14:23.12\00:14:25.73
The religion of the
Hebrews would've made some sense
00:14:25.73\00:14:28.46
to Cyrus, and he
would've been primed
00:14:28.46\00:14:31.40
to believe in their God.
00:14:31.40\00:14:33.50
And yet, he was not a
member of the chosen people.
00:14:33.50\00:14:36.57
And his religion
was quite different
00:14:36.57\00:14:38.51
from the one that was
practiced in Jerusalem.
00:14:38.51\00:14:41.41
But in this account,
00:14:41.41\00:14:43.01
Cyrus acknowledges the God
of Abraham as the God of heaven,
00:14:43.01\00:14:47.05
the one who allowed
him to rise to power
00:14:47.05\00:14:50.02
and established the biggest
empire the world had ever seen.
00:14:50.02\00:14:53.92
And that story is fascinating
00:14:53.92\00:14:56.26
because there are portions
of Cyrus's own biography
00:14:56.26\00:14:59.19
that seem to
foreshadow the birth of Christ.
00:14:59.19\00:15:01.76
But maybe more
about that on another day.
00:15:01.76\00:15:04.50
Maybe we should do
an entire show on Cyrus
00:15:04.50\00:15:07.50
and where he came from because,
well, it's mind numbing.
00:15:07.50\00:15:11.37
But for now, here's
what I want to propose,
00:15:11.37\00:15:13.91
because, well, I've
been able to watch God
00:15:13.91\00:15:16.81
at work all over this
planet over the decades.
00:15:16.81\00:15:19.71
I've noticed that he often
uses the least likely candidate
00:15:19.71\00:15:24.79
to get the job done.
00:15:25.45\00:15:26.62
He might use a
member of the community
00:15:26.62\00:15:28.42
who doesn't even attend church,
00:15:28.42\00:15:30.33
but somehow
helps the congregation
00:15:30.33\00:15:32.29
and makes their lives better.
00:15:32.29\00:15:34.23
Or sometimes it might
be a member of the church
00:15:34.23\00:15:36.53
that nobody pays attention
to, for whatever reason,
00:15:36.53\00:15:39.63
and God picks that person
00:15:39.63\00:15:41.84
to make something
really important happen.
00:15:41.84\00:15:44.41
You see, all that God
really requires from us
00:15:45.81\00:15:48.48
is that we're
open to his leading.
00:15:48.48\00:15:51.18
You don't have to
get everything right.
00:15:51.18\00:15:53.18
You don't have to become perfect
00:15:53.18\00:15:54.72
to start moving
in God's direction,
00:15:54.72\00:15:56.62
because he is far more
interested in your attitude
00:15:56.62\00:16:00.62
than your achievements.
00:16:00.62\00:16:02.56
Cyrus would've had every reason
00:16:02.56\00:16:04.13
in the world to be
a little puffed up.
00:16:04.13\00:16:05.93
After all, he was the head
00:16:05.93\00:16:07.66
of the world's first
truly international empire,
00:16:07.66\00:16:10.47
the biggest one the
world had ever seen.
00:16:10.47\00:16:13.64
But apparently, his heart
was still soft and pliable
00:16:13.64\00:16:16.94
because the God of
Abraham managed to reach him.
00:16:16.94\00:16:20.31
And I guess my prayer,
after reading this story,
00:16:20.31\00:16:23.14
is that I will
always be pliable enough
00:16:23.14\00:16:25.45
to be useful to God, but
determined enough to stay
00:16:25.45\00:16:30.52
faithful. That's the
walk of the Christian.
00:16:31.49\00:16:33.22
So now let's examine the decree
that Cyrus actually issued,
00:16:33.22\00:16:37.13
allowing the
Jews to go back home.
00:16:37.13\00:16:40.03
In a way, they weren't
being entirely liberated,
00:16:40.03\00:16:42.83
because the land of Canaan
was also under Persian control,
00:16:42.83\00:16:47.04
but they were no longer
required to live in exile.
00:16:47.04\00:16:49.70
And they could do that one thing
00:16:49.70\00:16:51.51
that mattered to them the most:
00:16:51.51\00:16:53.74
go home and rebuild the temple.
00:16:53.74\00:16:56.44
For 490 years, they'd been
playing loose with the covenant.
00:16:56.44\00:17:00.25
They'd willfully
broken the Sabbath.
00:17:00.25\00:17:02.42
They worshiped other gods.
00:17:02.42\00:17:03.99
And as we saw a few minutes ago,
00:17:03.99\00:17:05.39
they were really just
going through the motions
00:17:05.39\00:17:07.12
when it came to the temple.
00:17:07.12\00:17:09.39
Jeremiah predicted they would
be in captivity for 70 years,
00:17:09.39\00:17:13.16
which meant that
the land of Canaan
00:17:13.16\00:17:14.93
would actually make
up every sabbatical year
00:17:14.93\00:17:17.30
it missed during
the 490-year rebellion.
00:17:17.30\00:17:20.54
You see, in addition to
the weekly Sabbath you find
00:17:20.54\00:17:23.51
in the 10 Commandments,
00:17:23.51\00:17:25.11
there were also
sabbatical years,
00:17:25.11\00:17:27.24
where the land was
supposed to lie fallow.
00:17:27.24\00:17:29.21
And that was supposed to
happen every seventh year.
00:17:29.21\00:17:32.71
Skip doing that for 490 years,
00:17:32.71\00:17:34.92
and that would total 70
sabbatical years that were
00:17:34.92\00:17:38.49
missing, which means that while
Judah was living in captivity,
00:17:38.49\00:17:41.26
the land got its rest
right down to the 70th year.
00:17:41.26\00:17:46.03
Then, according to
Daniel chapter nine, when they
00:17:46.03\00:17:49.46
returned, they got a do-over.
00:17:49.46\00:17:50.93
Another 490 years
until the appearance
00:17:50.93\00:17:53.27
of Messiah the Prince.
00:17:53.27\00:17:55.00
So you can understand,
00:17:55.00\00:17:56.54
going home to rebuild the
temple was a really big deal.
00:17:56.54\00:17:59.94
Yet, unfortunately, not
everybody went back home.
00:17:59.94\00:18:03.38
It wouldn't be until after
the attempted genocide you find
00:18:03.38\00:18:06.85
in the Book of Esther
that the largest number
00:18:06.85\00:18:09.45
of God's people were
finally convinced to go home.
00:18:09.45\00:18:12.72
Now, speaking of returning,
that's what I'm gonna do
00:18:12.72\00:18:15.69
as soon as we take
another quick break.
00:18:15.69\00:18:17.63
So don't you go away,
00:18:17.63\00:18:19.03
or I'm gonna have to
drive over to your house,
00:18:19.03\00:18:21.06
stand outside your door, and
repeat what I'm about to say.
00:18:21.06\00:18:24.43
And you don't want that.
00:18:24.43\00:18:25.80
So stay tuned,
I'll be right back.
00:18:25.80\00:18:28.04
[upbeat music]
00:18:28.04\00:18:30.67
- [Narrator] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues.
00:18:32.51\00:18:36.81
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:18:36.81\00:18:41.38
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:18:41.38\00:18:43.59
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:18:43.59\00:18:46.62
Our free Focus on
Prophecy guides are designed
00:18:46.62\00:18:49.52
to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:18:49.52\00:18:51.79
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:18:51.79\00:18:54.23
for you and our world.
00:18:54.23\00:18:55.83
Study online or
request them by mail,
00:18:55.83\00:18:58.30
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:18:58.30\00:19:01.67
- Now, there's
another way that this passage
00:19:01.67\00:19:03.64
in Ezra chapter one
kind of underlines the fact
00:19:03.64\00:19:06.21
that God doesn't force people.
00:19:06.21\00:19:07.98
And it's with regard to the way
00:19:07.98\00:19:09.71
that he sends his people home.
00:19:09.71\00:19:12.05
If you were with me
just before the break,
00:19:12.05\00:19:13.85
you already know that God
stirred the heart of Cyrus
00:19:13.85\00:19:16.75
to release the Jews.
00:19:16.75\00:19:18.15
And he issued a
proclamation that they were free
00:19:18.15\00:19:20.92
to go back to
the land of promise.
00:19:20.92\00:19:23.29
But if you read
the text carefully,
00:19:23.29\00:19:25.39
you'll notice this
wasn't an imperative.
00:19:25.39\00:19:28.03
The people could actually
stay there if they wanted.
00:19:28.03\00:19:31.17
Here's what it said.
00:19:31.17\00:19:32.73
"Whoever is among
you of all his people,
00:19:32.73\00:19:35.30
may his God be with him,
and let him go up to Jerusalem,
00:19:35.30\00:19:38.74
which is in Judea,
00:19:38.74\00:19:40.14
and rebuild the house of
the Lord, the God of Israel.
00:19:40.14\00:19:43.14
He is the God
who is in Jerusalem."
00:19:43.14\00:19:46.65
You'll notice that "let him go"
00:19:46.65\00:19:49.05
is not the same
as "you must go."
00:19:49.05\00:19:51.75
Obviously, God wanted his
people and his city restored.
00:19:51.75\00:19:55.26
It's the major
point of the story.
00:19:55.26\00:19:57.53
But he doesn't insist
that everybody has to go.
00:19:57.53\00:20:01.00
It was voluntary.
00:20:01.00\00:20:02.80
Now, if you didn't go,
you were still expected
00:20:02.80\00:20:05.23
to support the
returning exiles anyway.
00:20:05.23\00:20:07.57
I mean, listen to what it
says in the very next verse.
00:20:07.57\00:20:10.61
It says, "And let each survivor,
00:20:10.61\00:20:13.14
in whatever place he sojourns,
00:20:13.14\00:20:15.11
be assisted by the men of
his place with silver and gold,
00:20:15.11\00:20:18.51
with goods and with beasts,
00:20:18.51\00:20:20.32
besides freewill
offerings for the house of God
00:20:20.32\00:20:23.18
that is in Jerusalem."
00:20:23.18\00:20:25.45
Now, here's why I
find this so interesting.
00:20:25.45\00:20:28.86
There's actually a parallel
in the Christian world today.
00:20:28.86\00:20:32.29
All of us as believers have
been called into God's work.
00:20:32.29\00:20:36.30
The Bible does not
support that old medieval idea
00:20:36.30\00:20:39.60
that the clergy are
the only ones who work
00:20:39.60\00:20:41.67
for the kingdom of God.
00:20:41.67\00:20:43.44
The clergy might have a
particular role to play,
00:20:43.44\00:20:46.34
but it's more of
coaching role than a doing role.
00:20:46.34\00:20:49.84
The New Testament shows
that the job of a minister
00:20:49.84\00:20:52.25
is to facilitate ministry,
not to just do it by yourself
00:20:52.25\00:20:56.32
while the congregation watches.
00:20:56.32\00:20:58.29
And then the
congregation obviously complains
00:20:58.29\00:21:00.49
about the way that it was done.
00:21:00.49\00:21:02.06
But of course,
00:21:03.09\00:21:04.53
most people who aren't
full-time clergy still have
00:21:04.53\00:21:06.73
to make a living somehow,
00:21:06.73\00:21:07.96
so they're busy
five or six days a week.
00:21:07.96\00:21:10.80
What they can do, though,
00:21:10.80\00:21:12.20
if they can't
actually be there to help,
00:21:12.20\00:21:14.44
is dedicate a part
of their living to God.
00:21:14.44\00:21:17.31
So let's say that I know
there's a particular need
00:21:17.31\00:21:20.54
in a foreign country.
00:21:20.54\00:21:22.04
And there's no way I can
go move over there and help,
00:21:22.04\00:21:24.58
but I do know
somebody who's willing to go.
00:21:24.58\00:21:26.88
And I might be able to
set aside a certain percentage
00:21:26.88\00:21:29.58
of my working hours
every month dedicated
00:21:29.58\00:21:32.92
to helping that person.
00:21:32.92\00:21:34.72
That way, I'm kind of
working in the mission field
00:21:34.72\00:21:37.29
while I stay at home.
00:21:37.29\00:21:38.79
I'm putting in
real, tangible effort
00:21:38.79\00:21:41.00
and taking those
earnings to make life easier
00:21:41.00\00:21:44.10
for the people who can go
and do the work of the church.
00:21:44.10\00:21:47.97
That's kind of what's
happening in the Book of Ezra.
00:21:47.97\00:21:51.27
Not everybody's going back
to Jerusalem. Cyrus knows that.
00:21:51.27\00:21:55.11
So he tells the
people that if the Jews come
00:21:55.11\00:21:57.28
through their neighborhood
on the way back home,
00:21:57.28\00:21:59.95
they should be
helped financially.
00:21:59.95\00:22:01.98
You might not be
able to go to Jerusalem
00:22:01.98\00:22:03.82
and swing a hammer yourself,
00:22:03.82\00:22:05.89
but maybe you could buy
somebody the hammer they need.
00:22:05.89\00:22:09.39
And again, none of this
uses the language of coercion.
00:22:09.39\00:22:13.26
Cyrus could have levied a
mandatory tax on everybody,
00:22:13.26\00:22:16.13
but instead he made it optional.
00:22:16.13\00:22:18.03
He called it a
freewill offering.
00:22:18.03\00:22:20.04
And that's really a
very remarkable insight
00:22:20.04\00:22:22.57
into the character of God,
00:22:22.57\00:22:24.34
because there's no doubt
that God lays out the right
00:22:24.34\00:22:26.71
and wrong path for us,
00:22:26.71\00:22:28.01
and he could be very insistent.
00:22:28.01\00:22:30.71
In fact, he'd
have every right to be.
00:22:30.71\00:22:32.88
But instead he
shows us the right path
00:22:32.88\00:22:35.42
and then
encourages us to take it.
00:22:35.42\00:22:37.72
He's just not a God of force.
00:22:37.72\00:22:39.95
Now, we're just
about out of time,
00:22:39.95\00:22:41.36
but there's one
more part of the story
00:22:41.36\00:22:42.79
that I want to tell you about,
00:22:42.79\00:22:44.23
and it's the bit
about the temple vessels.
00:22:44.23\00:22:46.96
If you're familiar with the
story of the fall of Babylon,
00:22:46.96\00:22:49.50
you'll know that on the
night when Cyrus took the city,
00:22:49.50\00:22:52.63
a foolish young
coregent named Belshazzar was
00:22:52.63\00:22:55.44
inside Babylon,
trying to reassure everybody
00:22:55.44\00:22:58.21
that nothing bad
could possibly happen.
00:22:58.21\00:23:00.81
It was a little like
the religious authorities
00:23:00.81\00:23:02.84
in Jeremiah's day
pointing to the temple, saying,
00:23:02.84\00:23:05.38
"Look, with this building here,
00:23:05.38\00:23:07.15
how could anything bad happen?"
00:23:07.15\00:23:09.35
So Belshazzar
probably would've known
00:23:09.35\00:23:11.35
about the prophetic dream
00:23:11.35\00:23:12.62
that his
grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had,
00:23:12.62\00:23:14.72
a dream that predicted
that one day an inferior army
00:23:14.72\00:23:18.13
would bring the city
of Babylon to its knees.
00:23:18.13\00:23:21.10
And I suspect that when
the Persians first arrived,
00:23:21.10\00:23:23.77
the average
Babylonian was probably afraid
00:23:23.77\00:23:26.27
that now might be the time.
00:23:26.27\00:23:28.30
So to put their minds at ease,
00:23:28.30\00:23:29.90
Belshazzar
organized a great feast.
00:23:29.90\00:23:32.17
Because, well, if the king
is relaxed enough to party,
00:23:32.17\00:23:35.08
then maybe the
threat's not all that bad.
00:23:35.08\00:23:37.41
But then to seal the deal,
00:23:38.21\00:23:39.81
the foolish king
did something else.
00:23:39.81\00:23:41.92
He brought out the vessels
00:23:41.92\00:23:43.05
that had been
stolen from the temple.
00:23:43.05\00:23:45.12
The holy dishes, if you will.
00:23:45.12\00:23:47.19
And I think the
reason he did that was
00:23:47.19\00:23:49.32
because he knew the prediction
00:23:49.32\00:23:50.96
about the fall of Babylon
had come from the Hebrew God.
00:23:50.96\00:23:55.00
So he emphasized the idea
00:23:55.00\00:23:56.50
that the Babylonians had
already conquered the Hebrew God
00:23:56.50\00:23:59.80
and destroyed his temple.
00:23:59.80\00:24:01.34
He was saying, "Look,
how bad could this be?
00:24:01.34\00:24:03.54
Look at this meager little god.
We've already defeated him."
00:24:03.54\00:24:07.44
And of course, that's the
night the prophecy came to pass.
00:24:07.44\00:24:11.55
Once again, the temple was
being used as a good luck charm,
00:24:11.55\00:24:14.52
and, of course, it didn't work.
00:24:14.52\00:24:16.62
And now on the eve
of Judah's release,
00:24:16.62\00:24:19.05
those vessels came out
of storage one last time.
00:24:19.05\00:24:22.36
And I'll be
right back after this.
00:24:22.36\00:24:24.33
[upbeat music]
00:24:24.33\00:24:27.00
- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:24:28.23\00:24:30.63
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers.
00:24:30.63\00:24:34.04
But that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:24:34.04\00:24:36.47
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:24:36.47\00:24:39.51
Here at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:24:39.51\00:24:41.08
we've created the
Discover Bible guides
00:24:41.08\00:24:43.24
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:24:43.24\00:24:44.88
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:24:44.88\00:24:47.32
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions.
00:24:47.32\00:24:50.32
And they're absolutely free.
00:24:50.32\00:24:52.39
So jump online
now or give us a call,
00:24:52.39\00:24:54.72
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:24:54.72\00:24:57.43
- So here's my thinking.
00:24:57.43\00:24:58.73
Somehow, when
Cyrus conquered Babylon,
00:24:58.73\00:25:01.00
the temple vessels
were spared from looting.
00:25:01.00\00:25:03.73
They were out there
on the tables being used
00:25:03.73\00:25:05.53
for Belshazzar's blasphemous
party and really easy to take.
00:25:05.53\00:25:09.57
But still, somebody took
the time to catalog those things
00:25:09.57\00:25:13.51
and set them aside because
they were sacred to the Jews.
00:25:13.51\00:25:17.01
I suppose there's a
chance that some historians,
00:25:17.01\00:25:19.68
some actually
recorded what happened,
00:25:19.68\00:25:21.92
and I could have
checked before I walked
00:25:21.92\00:25:23.69
in the studio today.
00:25:23.69\00:25:25.12
But it's really enough to know
00:25:25.12\00:25:26.42
that somebody marked
those dishes as sacred
00:25:26.42\00:25:29.22
and made a record of them.
00:25:29.22\00:25:31.09
Now, 70 years previous,
00:25:31.09\00:25:32.79
those vessels became
useless in Jerusalem,
00:25:32.79\00:25:35.26
because God's own
people were abusing
00:25:35.26\00:25:37.93
the sacrificial system.
00:25:37.93\00:25:39.87
Then they got abused
by the king of Babylon
00:25:39.87\00:25:42.00
who was defying God.
00:25:42.00\00:25:44.01
But instead of disappearing,
the dishes were spared,
00:25:44.01\00:25:47.01
and they were
still there for the Jews
00:25:47.01\00:25:48.71
at the end of
their 70-year ordeal.
00:25:48.71\00:25:51.05
It's really pretty remarkable.
00:25:51.05\00:25:52.58
Once again, the
magnificent light
00:25:52.58\00:25:54.22
from the temple would begin
to spread across the globe.
00:25:54.22\00:25:56.92
The festivals and
feasts that pointed forward
00:25:56.92\00:25:59.09
to Christ would be restored
00:25:59.09\00:26:00.86
so that anybody who
wanted to see them could.
00:26:00.86\00:26:04.03
So in other words,
00:26:04.83\00:26:06.13
God always
intended to save his people.
00:26:06.13\00:26:08.56
No matter how bad things got,
00:26:08.56\00:26:10.37
he was still
planning to restore them.
00:26:10.37\00:26:12.67
He didn't allow the
Babylonian captivity
00:26:12.67\00:26:15.20
to get rid of his people.
00:26:15.20\00:26:16.74
Mm-mm. He was
trying to redeem them.
00:26:16.74\00:26:19.41
So now I think of my own life.
00:26:19.41\00:26:22.64
The times I've taken
holy things far too lightly,
00:26:22.64\00:26:25.71
or the times I've
caved into selfish instinct
00:26:25.71\00:26:28.45
and let God down.
00:26:28.45\00:26:30.22
You know, I might be a preacher,
00:26:30.22\00:26:31.82
but I'm
certainly a human preacher,
00:26:31.82\00:26:33.66
and I have exactly
the same tendencies
00:26:33.66\00:26:35.86
and problems as everybody else.
00:26:35.86\00:26:38.66
Just like you,
I'm deeply flawed.
00:26:38.66\00:26:41.86
And then I find a letter
00:26:41.86\00:26:43.37
that the apostle Paul
wrote to the church in Corinth,
00:26:43.37\00:26:45.50
where he says, "Do you not know
00:26:45.50\00:26:47.70
that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit within you?"
00:26:47.70\00:26:51.31
His point was that none of
us actually owns our person.
00:26:51.31\00:26:55.48
Not if you're a
practicing Christian.
00:26:55.48\00:26:57.68
And Paul reminds us
that we were redeemed
00:26:57.68\00:26:59.91
at a very high price.
00:26:59.91\00:27:02.42
So now think about the times
00:27:02.42\00:27:03.92
when you didn't treat your
body like the temple of God.
00:27:03.92\00:27:06.86
Think about those times
when your life has been anything
00:27:06.86\00:27:09.89
but an example of God's love.
00:27:09.89\00:27:12.59
Think about the times
00:27:12.59\00:27:14.00
when you've actually desecrated
the temple of your body.
00:27:14.00\00:27:17.83
If you're honest,
00:27:17.83\00:27:19.27
you'll have to admit
that you've done this.
00:27:19.27\00:27:22.77
So the other day I was
reading this passage in Ezra,
00:27:22.77\00:27:25.21
and I suddenly
experienced a lot of hope.
00:27:25.21\00:27:27.91
I know pretty much
where my life has been a mess,
00:27:27.91\00:27:30.18
and I know when
I've let God down.
00:27:30.18\00:27:32.61
But somehow, he still marks
the vessels that belong to him,
00:27:32.61\00:27:35.98
and he keeps them safe
until it's time to go home.
00:27:35.98\00:27:38.75
And what that means is
00:27:38.75\00:27:40.06
that you can be
fully restored right now,
00:27:40.06\00:27:42.39
and the sacred vessel that
is you can be used by God again,
00:27:42.39\00:27:46.19
no matter what you've done,
00:27:46.19\00:27:47.93
because your story
isn't finished yet.
00:27:47.93\00:27:51.13
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:51.13\00:27:52.80
I'm Shawn Boonstra, and
this has been "Authentic."
00:27:52.80\00:27:56.84
[upbeat music]
00:27:56.84\00:27:59.47
[upbeat music continues]
00:28:08.62\00:28:12.12
[upbeat music continues]
00:28:21.56\00:28:25.07