Introduction

Good morning, everyone. Let us continue examining Chapter 2 of the Book of Ezra. This chapter lists a large number of names, people we do not recognize. These individuals lived six or seven decades before Ezra's time, and they returned with Zerubbabel. Decades have passed; they have married, had children, and aged.

Although these names may not mean much to us, they were significant to the people of that time. They served to encourage not only that generation, those who returned with Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, but also their descendants, inspiring them to rise up and build God's temple. Therefore, their genealogies were recorded, and the theme of this chapter is "May God remember those who paid the price for God's temple."

God Moved Fifty Thousand People to Return to Jerusalem to Build His Temple

In those days, Zerubbabel led fifty thousand people back to Jerusalem, along with many horses, mules, camels, and donkeys, forming a grand procession towards Jerusalem. It was a magnificent event! Everyone returned to Jerusalem with dreams.

But do those Ezra faced now still possess that enthusiasm? It seems so, yet it also seems not. These people were quite something; while in captivity, they constantly murmured, "When can we return to Jerusalem?" But once they actually returned to Jerusalem, after several decades, people plunged headlong into the trivialities of daily life.

"Time is like a butcher's knife," as the saying goes. The children who returned with Zerubbabel are now in their sixties and seventies. How quickly time passes! Their children have also married, had children, and settled into life. In reality, time is not the butcher's knife; rather, living a mundane life is the butcher's knife, grinding away the enthusiasm within people.

Previously, King Cyrus sent Zerubbabel back; now, the emperor has become King Artaxerxes. King Artaxerxes sent Ezra back to rebuild the temple. Ezra recorded the event of those fifty thousand people returning to Jerusalem with great enthusiasm, so that the people of that generation would know how glorious it is to build God's temple.

In Babylon, they "wished upon a star," finally waiting for King Cyrus to order their return to Jerusalem, bringing with them many gold and silver vessels, gold, silver, and fifty thousand people. But where has that enthusiasm gone now? I must tell you, God moved fifty thousand people, and God will remember them. If you are also stirred up to build God's temple, to build God's church, then your name will also be recorded in heaven.

Regarding this matter, we must understand that being moved by God is one thing, and responding to God's prompting is another. In fact, God moves many people, but not so many are truly willing to build a glorious temple for God and respond to that prompting! Although fifty thousand is not a small number, many still remained in the capital.

These fifty thousand people traveled over mountains and rivers, returning to the places where their ancestors lived, but for those under seventy, it was all unfamiliar. By Ezra's time, those under sixty were also unfamiliar with Zerubbabel's return to Jerusalem, just like many of us who do not care about what happened in previous eras. This event has not even been that long ago!

One day, in a place where we were eating, there was a picture of a great man hanging on the wall. I asked a child, "Who is this in the picture?" The child said, "Maybe it's the chef!" It hasn't been that many years, and the great man has become the chef of this restaurant. If you ask the post-2000s generation about things from the past, many of them do not know or care. I am deeply moved by this.

In this era, do people really still remember that God's temple is desolate? In fact, we have Christians from three or five generations among us. The first-generation Christians in their families were indeed greatly moved by God and believed in the Lord. But later, you will find that each generation is not as good as the previous one! The zeal is gone.

If you ask them, "What generation Christian are you?" They say, "I am the fifth generation." I then ask, "How did you come to believe in the Lord?" They say, "My family all believe, so I followed along." That's probably the situation. However, Ezra wanted to tell the people of that time that if God has moved you, God will remember the price you paid for Him.

They traveled over mountains and rivers, each returning to their own city. This can be summed up in one sentence. However, houses today can last for seventy years, but could the cement and steel of that era last for seventy years? The houses of that era were probably made of stone. So when they returned to their cities and saw their homes, they were covered in mushrooms and overgrown with grass, like a tomb. Were they discouraged? So they worked hard to repair their homes.

They didn't just renovate their houses and then move in. Even if we renovate our houses and then move in, it's still tiring! So they arrived in a place and reopened, repaired, and paid a great price. But I tell you, God will remember!

The Strengths of the Israelites

Previously, Jacob brought seventy-two people to Egypt, and their descendants stayed there for over four hundred years. Generation after generation, they talked about returning to Jerusalem, that is, the land of Israel and Palestine. The strengths of the Israelites are very clear. They constantly counted their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, just like we Chinese say that we are all descendants of the Yellow Emperor.

They counted their ancestors, constantly saying, "God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to lead us out of Egypt." At that time, there was no Bible; Moses had not yet appeared. But they remembered this, and from this point of view, we Chinese are still far behind the Jews.

But the Jews who were taken captive to Babylon no longer had twelve tribes; only two tribes remained, the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. In fact, the tribe of Benjamin was almost wiped out, as recorded in the Book of Judges.

The Jews counted their ancestors generation after generation. Regardless of whether they were Pharisees, they all knew that they were descendants of Abraham. But as for what it meant to be a descendant of Abraham, what the content was, they probably did not understand very well.

They valued education from a young age, studying the Torah from childhood. We value Genesis so much; the Israelites valued it even more! Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy—these were their classics. The Jews read many classics of the Old Testament, receiving education and counting from a young age, constantly reciting.

The Jewish children who were taken captive to Babylon only knew Susa and Babylon. What did they know about Jerusalem? Wasn't it all told to them by their fathers? And who told their fathers? Their grandfathers told their fathers. So when they returned to Jerusalem, they discovered that this place was their old home.
Let's put ourselves in their shoes. Have you ever returned to your old home? My mother is very interesting. After she got Alzheimer's, she insisted on returning to her old home. But she left her old home eighty years ago, and she said to me, "Son, I want to return to my old home and take back my old home's house." Eighty years have passed. Where can we find it? Especially since their thatched house is probably in who-knows-what condition.

I said, "Is the house still there?" She said, "Yes, it is." I said, "You left your old home at the age of five. Now, let's not even talk about how to prove that this house is yours. If they want to charge us eighty years of management fees, do you want to pay that money?" When my mother heard this, she thought: Forget it, let's not bother. Don't think my mother has Alzheimer's; she's still quite good at calculating.

What is the meaning of this example? It means that returning to your old home after seventy years, do you think it's feasible? I tell you, it's taking a huge risk. You're doing well in the capital. Why go back to that "godforsaken" place? So I tell you, God remembers all those who go with this dream to build God's temple.

The Israelites have a huge advantage, which is continuous inheritance. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came out of Egypt. They passed down by word of mouth, telling the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, knowing that their descendants would possess the gates of their enemies. That wasn't told to them by others, but passed down by word of mouth, such as what happened to Rebekah and Jacob's wives? Which tribe do they belong to? They explained it clearly and then returned to their respective cities.

Each Returning to Their Own City

After arriving in that city, they couldn't believe it was their own city. That kind of blow was no joke, like a club hitting them on the head, making a "buzzing" sound. When the Israelites were in Susa, they lived in the capital. The Jews were very successful businessmen in finance and economics. Many of their families were large and wealthy. But returning to their own cities and finding that the cities were overgrown with weeds was like being hit by a club.

At this time, do you still want to build God's temple in your heart? It's like the toilet leaks wind in the back! This place is too dirty, too desolate. You can't even buy a bowl of noodles at night, and you have to dig a hole to relieve yourself. It's very desolate! But God remembers this! Why do I feel this so deeply? I am the first-generation Christian in my family, and I am also the first person to establish a church. That sense of desolation is too difficult!

The first generation who returned to their old homes to rebuild the temple were busy returning to their own homes first, solving their own living places. Did they still have the enthusiasm to build God's temple? It was very difficult, and the enthusiasm was immediately killed by ninety-nine percent! But so Zerubbabel cannot blame them, and we cannot blame that generation. If it were us, we might not be as good as them.

In Zerubbabel's time, the prophet Haggai repeatedly urged them to rebuild the temple, but everyone was busy with their own homes. Can you not be busy? God, may you remember this group of people who were moved by you to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Although they were hit by a club and had to rebuild their own homes, everything was waiting to be rebuilt, like the desolation after a war. Every family was like "Syria" now.

In this kind of situation, can they still harbor the passion inspired by God? It is hard to say. They were dealt a blow, but they still cherished the dream of building the temple of Jehovah God. Brothers and sisters, can you read the difficult situation? If you cannot, I will tell you that it is all sustained by faith, very difficult and very hard.

Thinking back to when I built the church in Singapore, what gave me the competitive edge? It was very difficult! "A hero does not dwell on past glories," but if I must, I will mention the inspiration God gave me. God will remember me, and I must hold on to my faith in God.

So I persevered year after year, until one day, the fruit of faith was borne. Finally, the church was built, and seeing the brothers and sisters admiring the beauty of God in His temple, how happy I was! But those who have gone through these difficult days know how hard it is, really hard.

We must never forget what we are here to do. No matter how desolate the situation is today, we must have the temple of God in our hearts. No matter what obstacles or difficulties we encounter, we must build a temple full of God's glory. This is always our Mingding.

Ezra rekindled the passion in people's hearts, saying, "Your grandparents, your parents, when they returned from Babylon, they were to build the temple!" Ezra was determined to do this. As recorded in the Book of Ezra, the generation of Zerubbabel, when they came to the temple of God, they willingly offered sacrifices.

When they came to the temple of God, they willingly offered sacrifices

Some of the heads of families, when they arrived at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, gave freewill offerings to the temple of God to rebuild it on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments. (Ezra 2:68-69)

When the heads of families arrived at the temple of God, the first thing they did was to offer sacrifices. Not all the heads of families did this, but some willingly offered this and that. They offered gold and silver, not your family's second-hand microwave oven, nor your family's unwanted, bald broom.

These people all cherished the dream of God's glorious temple, although not all of them, but God will surely remember. Think about it, when they arrived at that place, each returned to his own town, which was extremely desolate and in need of restoration. Everyone had to tidy up their own place to live, which required money. They had to spend money to buy building materials, renovate and clean their homes. Some people did not even have a home and had to build one from scratch. But when these people arrived at the temple of God, they willingly offered sacrifices first!

This reminds me of the "Mayflower." A group of Puritans boarded the ship, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and arrived in the Americas. The first thing they did was to build a church. And then what happened? They built a great United States of America, achieving the glory of the past two hundred years. Let's not talk about this as imperialism, but rather that the Puritans laid a good foundation for the United States from God's perspective.

We must know how important the temple of God is. Without the temple of God, the meaning of our lives is greatly diminished. Many people do not know how important offering is. Some time ago, I felt very emotional, and many words were on the tip of my tongue but I could not say them.

A sister came among us, and her cancer was in its final stage. In fact, every time we prayed, her pain was reduced. Later, no matter how we prayed, it did not work. In fact, I understood very well in my heart. I am not saying this to scare you, but just to tell you the truth. If you do not agree, then do not take it seriously.

Why did prayer not work? I said, "Look for things in your house that are devoted to destruction?" There are two kinds of things devoted to destruction. The first kind is things related to idols, which are not difficult to remove. The second kind is things that belong to God, which you keep in your hands, and then you are cursed. Think about it slowly. If a person has things devoted to destruction in his hands, then this person becomes devoted to destruction.

So I teach everyone, if you pray and serve a person, and no matter how you pray, it does not work, you do not even need to think about it, it is 100% certain that there are things devoted to destruction in the house. Or your prayer works, but then it comes back again. These are all called things devoted to destruction. If what we have in our hearts is a thing devoted to destruction, then it is even more troublesome.

In the days of Zerubbabel, the prophet Haggai reminded the Israelites that those who were unwilling to offer sacrifices were cursed. In the blink of an eye, seventy or eighty years passed from Zerubbabel to the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and Malachi reminded again: If people rely on money in their hearts, they will be ruined!

This week I am going to speak on a topic called "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" It is to give all your money to the poor, and then come and follow the Lord. Is this request too much? But in reality, it is not too much. If you trust in money, you will get cancer, and you will not be able to stop the pain. Have you calculated this account? If you have not calculated this account, calculate it slowly. So you must fear God.

Some heads of families were smart. When they arrived at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they gave freewill offerings to the temple of God to rebuild it. Then some people built their own houses first, and the curses spoken by Haggai and Malachi came upon the people of that generation. They were once moved by God to return to Jerusalem to build the temple of God. Those who were not moved by God, or who were moved but were willing to stay in Babylon, then you should stay there!

But since you have been moved to come, do not forget what you came into this world to do! It is not to return to your own town, but to return to build the temple of God. If you are a person who builds the temple of God, who builds the glorious church of God, how can God not remember you? If God remembers you, will you lack money?

I tell you, if the things we have in our hearts are problematic, remove them quickly. You must understand why people live! Recently, the sister I have been serving has brought me a deep shock, and my heart is filled with a sense of powerlessness and helplessness, which has made me very tired. She cannot open her mouth, because she is already at the point of death.

Some people with unclear genealogies were also moved to return to Jerusalem

This is very interesting. Many people cannot specify whether their genealogy is Israelite. Either they do not know which tribe they came from, or their family has some bad habits that are unclear.

Just like some muddleheads among us, who say, "Oh, I forgot to bring my phone." And then they say, "Oh, I forgot to bring my ID card." Or they forget to bring their passport to the airport, and their heads are like "rotten eggs." Some people mess up their genealogies so badly that they cannot find out if they are Israelites!

Another possibility is that they are not Israelites at all, and then they pretend to be Israelites. However, because their genealogy is unclear, they cannot pretend to be Israelites. But they are also moved to return to build the temple of God.

Then if your head is like a rotten egg, you need to clarify your genealogy. Which tribe did you come from? Everyone else is returning to their own town. Which town are you returning to? Are you returning to a town that does not exist, and then rebuilding it yourself? This is very deadly, so you need to have a clear mind and not be muddleheaded. But thank God, he was also moved to return to Jerusalem! Do not say that some of them may really be here to build the temple of God, and God will surely remember them.

Some people say that they are priests, descendants of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, but they cannot explain which branch their genealogy comes from. Zerubbabel investigated this very carefully back then, and then asked, "What is going on with you? You cannot sneak in to be a priest." Only the descendants of Aaron can be priests, this is the word of God.

Thank God, whether or not you have a genealogy is not important. What is important is that I am also moved to return to build the temple of God. Will God remember me? How can He not remember me? All the nations on earth come from God. Are we Chinese of Jewish lineage? No! But we are also moved to build the temple of God, to build the church of God. This generation is really the turn of the Chinese to build the church of God.

We, this group of people, are indeed moved by God. Which book of the Bible does not have God's inspiration? Now it is our turn to build God's glorious church, creating a set of theological system that conforms to Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. We call it Mingding Doctrine! That is to live for God and to die for God. This is the purpose of our coming into the world!

Maybe you really do not have any genealogy, but that does not matter. What matters is that you are moved by God. In fact, we are not the first Chinese to build a church in Singapore, but I tell you, since God has chosen us, we will build His church strictly according to His word.

Thank God, God will remember us! Not only you, not only me, but God remembers all who have this heart. If God remembers you, living becomes a very simple thing.

Brothers and sisters, do not think, "I come to believe in the Lord, I want to be blessed, I want to be the richest person." What are you doing that for? Start to change the wrong theological concepts in us, and remove the "click" in our minds, and know clearly what we are here to do!

If I am a slave, can God not solve my problems? Can I live out the glorious image of God? Yes! Some brothers and sisters, I can tell you, you are really living by God now. Although you are not a very rich person, you do not lack anything every day, do you?

So readjust the logic in us: we live in this world not to live for money, whether we have money or not! But do not let the inspiration to build God's glorious church be extinguished. May God remember those who pay the price for building the temple of God. You say, "God, that is me." God will surely remember you, Amen!

We will share this Bible study to this point. May God bless everyone!

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