Today, my study began in Matthew 1, and the generations of
Jesus Christ. Today, His ancestor, Zerubabbel, jumped out,
and I was off to the races!
Zerubbabel was of the seed of David, the King of Israel,
hundreds of years before his birth. He was the royal seed,
but, along with the majority of the royal family, nobility, and
2/3rds of the people left of the Hebrew nation, he was born,
not in Jerusalem, but, in Babylon.
captives back to their Promised Land. His grandfather,
King Jerochoim, was taken in chains, his eyes put out,
to Babylon, and put to death in a strange land, by a
cruel king, who was the predominate world leader, as
ordained by God.
Zerubabbel interpretted is = "sown in
THE RUINS OF BABYLON in Modern Iraq.
The Southern Kingdom, of Israel, belonged to the
tribes of Judah, and Benjamin, with a few sanctuary
cities. The Northern Kingdom, consisted of the remaining
10 tribes, descendents of Jacob, the Patriarch, whose
surname was "Israel." They seceded from the nation,
following the Civil War,
when Solomon's son, Rehoboam, caused a rift, by being the antithesis
of the wise and compassionate leader, his father had been.
The prophet Jeremiah, prophesied, in his contemporary
society in Jerusalem. He was the proverbial messenger
with the "bad news." and while he was not shot, he was
thrown in prison, frequently, for proclaiming, that this
captivity in
Jerochoim was loathe to hear this. He made a collaboration
with all the various tribes and regional leaders, to form
a coalition to fight Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.
Unfortunately, they didn't heed Jeremiah, who exhorted
them to obey God, to go into exile into Babylon,
willingly, otherwise face death, when Israel was beseiged.
The
with shrines, and high places to the gods, and goddesses, in Babylon.
They abandoned keeping the Laws of Moses. Immorality, false-witnesses,
liars, thieves, and the unholy. They refused to rest the land, a command
for all generations, and their debt to God, was literally the 70 years
that God determined would be spent as exiles in Babylon.
The King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had an incredible series
of visions. Daniel, of the royal seed, and his companions,
proved to be invaluable to him. Daniel became a governor,
in Babylon, and held a position of tremendous importance,
like Disraeli was, to the British Imperial crown,
in the 20th Century.
Eventually, Nebuchadnezzar went through his own remarkable
metamorphesis, and the Book of Daniel suggests, he became
a true believer, in the God of the Hebrews.
He was converted to belief in JHVH, but, it wasn’t easy.
Daniel, and his companions, made a difference, in the fiery
furnace, of affliction, idolatry, immorality, and there was
A true turning, in the fertile crescent, region of the Earth.
After the Eastern world's domination by Babylon,
another great Kingdom appears, and it began auspiciously.
This was the Kingdom of Persia, which is now Iran.
The King of Persia, Cyrus, was a righteous King,
with a good heart. Out of reverence, and respect,
for the Hebrews, he provided the provisions, and support,
for the exiled Jews to go back to Erets Israel, and rebuild
the waste places, and the Temple in Jerusalem.
This was a rare time of peace, grace, fellowship, and
brotherhood of man. The King of Persia, is commemorated
for his mitvahs, his Good Works, and is recorded as a pious
man, who was a lover of the people of YHVH.
of his grandfather, he was led to lead as a governor,
not a king.
The crown was never restored, after that. Instead, he led
with a council of esteemed elders, most importantly,
the High Priest, Yeshua, descendant of the Aaronic
line of Levitical priests.
After an entire generation passed, in Babylon, 70 years
hence, Zerubabbel, like Moses, staff in hand, brought the
exiles back to
of Cyrus, the King of Persia
Grace, for the former exiles to cross, like the
and the wilderness, but, theirs was the comfortable trade
route of the king's highway
Jeshua, was the High Priest, who accompanied Zerubbabel.
His name, translates, and is the same as the Joshua, who
succeeded Moses, and led the Hebrews into the Land of
Milk and Honey, after wondering in the wilderness for 40
years.
During this period of Zerubabbel and Yeshua, the exiles,
were led back, sustained by generous provisions, by
God’s servant, King Cyrus, of Persia. There is a portrait
of Grace, in this, depicting, and reminiscent of Moses,
Miriam, and Aaron, leading the Hebrews back to the
Land of Milk and Honey.
Once again, God revealed great wonder, and miracles, in the
Eyes of the nations, and for posterity, when the plans to
Restore the
Righteous King Cyrus, who loved God, and was kind to the
Jewish people.
Jesus Christ is the descendent of these people, and he is the
Heir to both the crown, and the High Priesthood. This is
described as the “Royal Priesthood of Melchizadek,”
Prince of
During the Patriarch Abraham’s journeys, in Genesis.
Gen 14:18¶And Melchizedek king of
This structure of having a Priesthood and Royal lineage, is the basis for
the Government of Zion, in the Millenium of Christ. The Apostle Peter writes:
1Pe 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
King David, wrote in Psalms:
Psa 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Why does all this link up? When was the Babylonian captivity,
and return to Erets
because, the Israelites used two different calendars, the original one,
used by Moses, beginning in the Autumn. The times changed, when
the first month of the Hebrew calendar, was changed from Fall
to Spring, with the Feast of the Passover, and it’s rituals, meant to
remind the Hebrews about their days of hard labor, and future
prophetic hope and fulfillment, in the Messiah, the Annointed of
God, Son of David, Yeshua Hamaschiach, Jesus Christ.
Daniel, although, he lived in Babylon, after the new paradigm,
when the Hebrew calendar changed, kept the Law of God,
meticulously, and reverted back to the pre-Mosaic
religious calendar, his year beginning in Fall, like the
ancients.
He counts, in “Sabbatical Years” which measure time, not in conventional
Units, but, through the Law of Moses, (see Lev. 25:3-4) and Sabbath years.
It was 537 B.C. when King Cyrus reigned in
exiles was ended on the Feast of Tabernacles, another great Fall Feasts
and Festivals, which we will also keep, again, in Jerusalem, year to year.
(Ezra 3:4)
The reason this study today, is signifigant, to me, is that is really is
linear toUs, in many, many ways.
and it can be deemed appropriate to describe all of us, living outside of
the
