1 In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose. 2 Then Jeshua son of Jehozadak joined his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his family in rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel. They wanted to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as instructed in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord each morning and evening. ~ Ezra 3:1-3NLT
The Temple was destroyed and the land laid waste in 586 BC. It stayed that way until King Cyrus the Great of Persia liberated them in 538 BC in his first year of reign after defeating the Babylonian Empire. Seventy years the Jews had spent in exile, living in a foreign land not their own, serving a pagan king.
After King Cyrus’ proclamation, a group of over 42,000 Jews returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. Despite the mandate that King Cyrus had given the Jews living in all his kingdom to rebuild the Temple, they had not begun any work on the Temple thus far. Now, it may have been King Cyrus’ proclamation, but it was God’s mandate. The LORD God had mandated that the time had indeed come to rebuild His house. They had the finances. They had the skill. They had the help. They even had the Temple vessels for worship, because Cyrus had given them back. But still, no one was doing anything about it, including Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest.
They were all too busy building their own homes. Planting their own vineyards. Starting and running their own businesses. They had gotten caught up ‘in life.’ Yes, they had rebuilt the altar and were sacrificing on it. Yes, they were even celebrating the Feast of Booths in the seventh month, but the Temple … not so much. It hadn’t even been started.
Why? One word: Fear. Fear had gripped their hearts. Fear had stayed their hands. Fear kept them quiet. Fear stopped God’s work. The same is true with us today.
Why do we not witness? Because of fear of persecution. Why are we silent about issues that the Church should be involved in? Because of fear. Why do we not speak up about the insanity of so many different genders, although we know that it is not of God? We don’t speak up because of fear.
Although we know that the Scripture says that those who do such things will be condemned, still fear keeps our mouths shut. Listen, God said that He made man in His own image, male and female He created them, therefore, there is no other choice, it’s either male or female that is it, nothing else. You are either a man or you are a woman. You cannot be both, and you cannot change from one to the other, or to anything else for that matter. What you have is what you are.
It’s not about your feelings, it’s about the Creator and Judge of the whole earth, and He’s coming back soon. And it’s His laws that we will be judged by, not man’s. So, fearlessly build His Kingdom regardless of what mankind has to say. God’s Kingdom is the only Kingdom that will remain forever and ever; therefore, focus on the eternal and not the temporal.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build Eternal.