Israel and Humanity - The Second Temple
§ 3.
THE SECOND TEMPLE.
The construction of the Second Temple behaves much the same circumstances as the Temple of Solomon. We know the considerable part that Cyrus has taken the restoration. "King Cyrus gave the order to rebuild this house of God. Even King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon the vessels of gold and silver of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, he was appointed to deliver Sheshbazzar, that It establishes the Governor and he said, Take these vessels, will drop them in the temple of Jerusalem, and the house of God be rebuilt on the place where she was [1]. A few lines later: "The first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued the order on the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be rebuilt, for being a [2] which the sacrifices are offered, and it has strong foundations [3] "And the book of Ezra adds that when Darius found in a roll records the story of what Cyrus had done to rebuild the temple, he published an edict, in turn, like:" Let the work continue this house of God that the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild on the site it occupied ... Things needed for the holocausts of God of heaven, young bulls, rams and lambs, wheat, salt, wine and oil will be delivered on request, to the priests of Jerusalem, day by day without fail, so they offer sacrifices of sweet savor unto the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his son ... That the God who live in the place its name backwards every king and every nation that would extend his hand to break my word to destroy this house of God at Jerusalem! [4] "
Not only nice king, Cyrus, was instrumental in the rebuilding of the temple, but the God of Israel who had charge of this company, and the reconstitution of the Jewish homeland and is which gives this period of Jewish history of particular importance in view of reports of the Gentiles with the Mosaic. "The Lord touches the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made orally and in writing this publication throughout his realm [5] "And the prophet did God say:" I say of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and perform all my pleasure. He said of Jerusalem: Whether rebuilt! And the Temple it is based! Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus he holds hands to subdue nations before him ... that thou mayest know that I am the Lord who calls you by your name, the God of Israel for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I have called you by name, I t have spoken with kindness before thou knowest. I am the LORD, and there is no other [6] ".
Moreover, it seems that all phases of the history of Israel the same circumstances should be repeated, humanity is called to the same cooperation. We find in the book of Isaiah similar predictions. Israel will be on the arms [7] of the people among whom he is exiled. These nations and their kings will take part in the rebuilding of the Temple: "The son of the stranger rebuild your walls and their kings shall be thy servants [8] and which demonstrates that a voluntary assistance, a contest that is spontaneous and not a material servitude imposed by the victors to the vanquished, it is the announcement of the sacrifices that these Gentiles have to offer, all the flocks of Kedar, all rams Nebaioth flock to the altars of the true God and the idea of sacrifice clearly implies that a tribute to free worship.
