Many Bible scholars found it difficult to place the events in proper chronological sequence, because they overlooked the division of Israel after the death of Solomon. After the division there remained the tribes Judah and Benjamin with Jerusalem as their capital under Rehoboam (938-921 B.C.) on the one hand and the ten tribes known as Israel on the other under Jeroboam (938-917 B.C.) with their capital Samaria. At the time of the well-known king of Judah, Jehoshaphat (876-852 B.C.), the king of Israel was Ahab (875-853 B.C.) It is very important to understand this, because there were two deportations into captivity: Israel, known as the ten tribes, was taken into the Assyrian captivity in the year 722 B.C. The two tribes Benjamin and Judah were deported very much later, commencing with the year 604 B.C., into the Babylonian captivity. We are concerned here with the second captivity, which lasted exactly seventy years, that is, from 604 to 534 B.C. Approximately 40,000 returned from the Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. There the 70 years of the captivity spoken by of Jeremiah, the prophet, ended, which have nothing to do with the seventy “weeks of years” spoken of in Daniel, chapter 9.

In Ezra, chapter 1, we are told about the commandment to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem — not to rebuild the city and the walls: “Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, so 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,

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.

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.” (Ezra 1: 1-3).

The prophet Isaiah had his ministry during the period 740 to 680 B.C. He also spoke of this captivity and mentioned Cyrus, and the part he would play in the plan of God in rebuilding the temple. “… Who confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; who saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:

Who saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers;

Who 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. 44: 26-28).

The leaders of the people at the time of the return from the Babylonian captivity were Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, also the two prophets Haggai and Zechariah. “Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God, and the words of Haggai, the prophet, as the Lord, their God, had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.

Then spoke Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.

And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God” (Hag. 1: 12-14).

The prophet Haggai prophesied in reference to the temple which was to be rebuilt, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Hag. 2: 9).

“Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider it.” (2: 18).

In the prophet Zechariah we also find mention of the rebuilding of the temple. “Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comforting words.

So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. …

Therefore, thus saith the Lord: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” (Zech. 1: 12-16).

When rebuilding the temple the main emphasis was laid on the fact that this house of God be built on the old foundation (Ezra 5: 15; 6: 7, and elsewhere). The first foundation was laid bare before starting with the building, and upon it the second temple in all detail was rebuilt exactly as the first one. Thus it must also be with the New Testament church. Before the return of Jesus Christ she must be built up again after the original apostolic pattern, upon the foundation as it was laid by the apostles and prophets (1 Cor. 3: 10-11; Eph. 2: 20-22). Precisely the same will be true of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. It will be put up on the very same ground as the first and the second were. The Jewish scientists and archaeologists have found that the original temple was not put up over the little rock on Moriah, where Isaac was offered and now the Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar) stands, but rather exactly 50 meters north of it. The Jews finish their prayer at the wailing wall with expressing the desire that the Eternal may grant them to live and to see the rebuilding of the temple and the coming of the Messiah.

Many Bible scholars found it difficult to place the events in proper chronological sequence, because they overlooked the division of Israel after the death of Solomon. After the division there remained the tribes Judah and Benjamin with Jerusalem as their capital under Rehoboam (938-921 B.C.) on the one hand and the ten tribes known as Israel on the other under Jeroboam (938-917 B.C.) with their capital Samaria. At the time of the well-known king of Judah, Jehoshaphat (876-852 B.C.), the king of Israel was Ahab (875-853 B.C.) It is very important to understand this, because there were two deportations into captivity: Israel, known as the ten tribes, was taken into the Assyrian captivity in the year 722 B.C. The two tribes Benjamin and Judah were deported very much later, commencing with the year 604 B.C., into the Babylonian captivity. We are concerned here with the second captivity, which lasted exactly seventy years, that is, from 604 to 534 B.C. Approximately 40,000 returned from the Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. There the 70 years of the captivity spoken by of Jeremiah, the prophet, ended, which have nothing to do with the seventy “weeks of years” spoken of in Daniel, chapter 9.

In Ezra, chapter 1, we are told about the commandment to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem — not to rebuild the city and the walls: “Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, so 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,

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.

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.” (Ezra 1: 1-3).

The prophet Isaiah had his ministry during the period 740 to 680 B.C. He also spoke of this captivity and mentioned Cyrus, and the part he would play in the plan of God in rebuilding the temple. “… Who confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; who saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:

Who saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers;

Who 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. 44: 26-28).

The leaders of the people at the time of the return from the Babylonian captivity were Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, also the two prophets Haggai and Zechariah. “Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God, and the words of Haggai, the prophet, as the Lord, their God, had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.

Then spoke Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.

And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God” (Hag. 1: 12-14).

The prophet Haggai prophesied in reference to the temple which was to be rebuilt, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Hag. 2: 9).

“Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider it.” (2: 18).

In the prophet Zechariah we also find mention of the rebuilding of the temple. “Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comforting words.

So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. …

Therefore, thus saith the Lord: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” (Zech. 1: 12-16).

When rebuilding the temple the main emphasis was laid on the fact that this house of God be built on the old foundation (Ezra 5: 15; 6: 7, and elsewhere). The first foundation was laid bare before starting with the building, and upon it the second temple in all detail was rebuilt exactly as the first one. Thus it must also be with the New Testament church. Before the return of Jesus Christ she must be built up again after the original apostolic pattern, upon the foundation as it was laid by the apostles and prophets (1 Cor. 3: 10-11; Eph. 2: 20-22). Precisely the same will be true of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. It will be put up on the very same ground as the first and the second were. The Jewish scientists and archaeologists have found that the original temple was not put up over the little rock on Moriah, where Isaac was offered and now the Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar) stands, but rather exactly 50 meters north of it. The Jews finish their prayer at the wailing wall with expressing the desire that the Eternal may grant them to live and to see the rebuilding of the temple and the coming of the Messiah.