This is December 2nd, 1973, in Richmond, Virginia.
The ministry is being given through Brother Stephen
Kahn.
We thank the Lord for giving us this
opportunity of being together.
I'd like to read from the book of
Nehemiah.
We'll just read the first chapter.
The book of Nehemiah, chapter 1.
The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah.
And it came to pass in the month
Chisleh in the twentieth year, as I was
in Sushan, the fortress, that Hanani, one of
my brethren, came, he and certain men of
Judah.
And I asked them concerning the Jews that
had escaped, who were left of the captivity,
and concerning Jerusalem.
And they said unto me, Those who remain
that are left of the captivity there in
the province are in great affliction and reproach,
and the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins,
and its gates are burned with fire.
And it came to pass when I heard
these words that I sat and wept and
mourned for days, and fasted and prayed before
the God of the heavens, and said, I
beseech thee, Jehovah God of the heavens, the
great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and
mercy for them that love him and keep
his commandments.
Let an ear now be attentive, and thine
eyes open to hear the prayer of thy
servant, which I pray before thee at this
time, day and night.
For the children of Israel, thy servants, confessing
the sins of the children of Israel, which
we have sinned against thee.
Both I and my Father's house have sinned.
We have acted very perversely against thee, and
have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes,
nor the ordinances that are commanded by servant
Moses.
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou
commandest, thy servant Moses saying, If ye act
unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the people.
But if ye return to me and keep
my commandments and do them, though they were
of you cast out unto the uttermost parts
of the heavens, yet will I gather them
from thence, and will bring them unto the
place that I have chosen to set my
name there.
And they are thy servants and thy people,
whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power
and by thy strong hand.
O Lord, I beseech thee, now let thy
ear be attentive to the prayer of thy
servant and to the prayer of thy servants
who delight to fear thy name.
And prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this
day, and grant him mercy in the sight
of this man.
Now I was the king's cupbearer.
Because of the unfaithfulness of the children of
Israel, God allowed them to be taken captive
to Babylon.
The city of Jerusalem was destroyed.
The temple was destroyed.
And the people were carried beyond the river
Euphrates to Babylon.
But after 70 years, according to what God
had promised them through Jeremiah, even before this
thing happened, when this thing was coming, God,
through the prophet Jeremiah, prophesied, saying, they would
be in the land of captivity for 70
years.
And after the 70 years were fulfilled, God
will look upon them and will bring them
back to Jerusalem.
And we know that when King
Cyrus came to the throne, he made a
proclamation, saying that whosoever of the people of
God may now return to Jerusalem and to
rebuild the temple.
A Gentile king, a Persian king.
Because the Babylonian Empire at that time was
already conquered by Middle Persia.
And Cyrus was the second king in the
Persian Empire.
A king who did not know God, and
yet could issue such a decree to fulfill
God's promise through his prophet Jeremiah.
We will ask, how can this be?
Of course, we should not forget that in
the Persian court, very close to the king,
there was a man, Daniel.
Daniel was taken captive in the very early
days.
And he remained in captivity.
But he was, by God's sovereignty, made prime
minister, not only in the days of the
Babylonian Empire, but he was prime minister when
King Darius was on the throne.
So evidently this man, Daniel, was very close
to the court, to the Persian court.
And most likely it was through Daniel that
King Cyrus was informed of another prophecy by
Isaiah, several hundred years ago.
In the book of Isaiah, God prophesied through
his servant, saying, God has chosen Cyrus.
He named his name.
Cyrus, you are my chosen servant.
Even though you do not know me, but
I know you, I will open all the
nations to you.
You will conquer all the nations.
And you will do my will.
You will rebuild my temple.
That's in Isaiah 45 and Isaiah 44.
So evidently Daniel must have shared this prophecy
of Isaiah with King Cyrus.
Sure enough, all the nations were conquered by
him.
And even though he did not know God,
but when he was told, several hundreds of
years ago, God had already prophesied about him
and named his name.
He could not help but try to be
God's servant.
So most likely because of this, he wanted
to do God's will, to show his gratitude
and appreciation.
So the decree went forth.
Indeed, this proclamation was not coming from King
Cyrus.
King Cyrus was just an instrument in God's
hand.
This decree came from heaven, from God.
Come out of Babylon, return to Jerusalem, and
rebuild the temple.
But unfortunately, only a remnant responded
to God's call and returned.
The rest of the children of Israel were
so contented with their lives in the land
of captivity that they had no desire to
go back to Jerusalem.
They had built their houses, they had established
their businesses, they prospered in the foreign land,
they lived comfortably, they had their synagogues.
They did not care to go back to
Jerusalem to rebuild the temple for God.
Only a remnant returned.
And we know this remnant returned, and by
the grace of God, they rebuilt the temple
after quite a number of years.
Now, brothers and sisters, we mention this history
because the Old Testament history is given to
us for our admonition.
God does not give us the history of
Israel just for our interest, for interesting reading.
Such history is given to us because God
has something to say to us today.
He that has ear, let him hear what
the Spirit said to the churches.
Most commentators agree that Christianity today
is in Babylonian captivity.
God's people is today in captivity.
But by God's grace and mercy, there is
a call to God's people.
And the call is, come out of Babylon.
Return to Jerusalem.
Rebuild the house.
What is Babylon?
Yesterday at lunchtime, I was in Columbus, Ohio,
and a few brothers, we went out for
lunch together in order to talk.
And this was one of the things we
talked.
What is Babylon?
Babylon came from the word Babel.
And Babel means Confucian.
Babylon represents the world.
The world is a great Confucian.
The whole world system is a Confucian.
Babylon represents the religious world because the children
of Israel were delivered out of Egypt, which
represents the world as it is.
On the one hand, the granary of the
world.
Rich, everything you need.
Everything that can satisfy the lust of the
eye, the lust of the flesh, and the
pride of life as Egypt.
But on the other hand, the tyranny of
faith.
Not even the hope to live.
That is what the world is.
And by the grace of God, He has
delivered us out of the world as it
is.
Thank God.
We are delivered out of the world.
But one day, the children of Israel went
into Babylon.
Out of the world, and went back to
the world.
But not Egypt.
Babylon.
Babylon in the Scripture represents the religious world.
God's people today is in captivity.
Not only to the world as such, but
even to the religious.
What a confusion.
The complicity and the confusion that God's people
are in today.
And God's word to His people is, come
out of Babylon.
But not just come out.
That's negative.
Return to Jerusalem.
What is Jerusalem?
Jerusalem is the city of peace.
Salem, peace.
Jeru, city.
The city of peace.
How can you have peace?
In the book of James we find the
wisdom that is from above is first, pureness.
Then, peace.
So I feel that Jerusalem represents the principle
of the simplicity that is in Christ.
Oh, how simple.
How pure.
How peaceful.
God wants us to come out of the
complicity and confusion that is in the world,
even in the religious world.
And God wants us to return to the
simplicity, that pureness, that is in Christ.
You know, this is what Paul desired for
the believers in Corinth.
Paul said, I have betrothed you to Christ.
And I am fearful for you that you
may be deceived from the simplicity which is
in Christ.
And brothers and sisters, this is God's call
to us today.
Return to the simplicity that is in Christ.
Why?
Why return?
Not for our own sake, but for God's
sake.
So far as the children of Israel were
concerned, they were quite comfortable in the land
of captivity.
They not only prospered physically, mentally, materially, but
they had invented this great invention of the
system of synagogues.
They could worship God.
They were religious.
Even though it was not perfect and satisfying
because without the temple there could be no
sacrifice.
And without the shedding of the blood there
is no remission of sin.
There is no salvation.
But they had enough religious activities to appease
their conscience.
If God's people want to live for themselves,
they could live on in Babylon all their
life.
To return to Jerusalem is to return to
a city that lies in ruin.
There was nothing there.
Only those people who want to live for
God.
Why must the temple be rebuilt?
That there might be a place where God's
name was set.
Do you know during this period in the
Old Testament history, God is never called the
God of the heavens and of the earth.
During that period, as you read the Bible,
you'll find God is called the God of
the heavens.
But he is never called the God of
the heavens and of the earth.
He has lost the earth.
The heavens is God's.
It is his throne.
The earth is his footstool.
The heavens and the earth belong to him.
But during that period, when the children of
God were in captivity, God had no testimony
of himself on this earth.
Who were the vessel of his testimony on
this earth?
The children of Israel.
The nations did not know him.
It was the children of Israel who testified
to his name.
It was the temple where his name was
set.
It was Jerusalem, the place he chose to
set his name.
But now the children of Israel were in
captivity.
The city lay in ruin.
The temple was destroyed.
God had no name on earth.
God had no testimony on earth.
He was the God of heavens, but not
the God of heavens and of the earth,
but a remnant.
They were willing to leave everything behind.
They were willing to go back to nothing
because they want to rebuild the temple.
They want to honor God's name.
They want to sacrifice to God.
They want to worship God.
They want to serve God.
They want to satisfy.
That's the only reason to return.
Dear brothers and sisters, God's people today are
in captivity.
The testimony of Jesus is almost unknown.
And God's call is, come out of the
complicity and the perplexity of the world.
Return to the simplicity that is in Christ.
Gather together unto his name.
Where two or three are gathered together unto
my name, there am I in the midst
to worship him, to offer spiritual sacrifices to
him, and to serve him, that the Lord
Jesus may have a name on this earth.
Thank God this remnant returned.
And in great difficulties the temple was rebuilt.
But this was not what was my burden
tonight.
Here was just an introduction.
In the history of the children of Israel,
in going back to Jerusalem for the restoration
of the testimony of God, it included not
only the rebuilding of the temple, it included
also the rebuilding of the city, the rebuilding
of the wall.
In other words, the restoration was not complete
with the rebuilding of the temple.
It was to be completed after the wall
was rebuilt and the city was rebuilt.
Then the restoration.
If you read history, you know that from
the first return of the remnant under Zerubbabel
till the time that Nehemiah rebuilt the wall
and set the city in order, it took
about a hundred years.
But until the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt
and the city was set in order, the
restoration had only begun, had not completed.
And you know, during that period, there was
a danger or even what they had done
would be completely destroyed.
Before we go on, I would like to
point out what is meant by the rebuilding
of the temple and what is meant by
the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.
You will find that the rebuilding of the
temple, in one sense, represents the recovery of
the life of God's people with God.
Because the temple is the house of God.
And in the temple, their relationship with God
was restored.
So let us say that in the rebuilding
of the temple, it was the recovery of
the life of God's people with God.
How our relationship with God needs to be
recovered.
Not only individually, but corporately.
You know, sometimes our personal relationship with God
needs to be recovered.
But there is something bigger than your personal
life with God.
The corporate life of the Church, the corporate
life of God's people with God needs to
be recovered.
How we can be as God's house, being
built together as a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.
It is more than just a personal restoration.
There needs to be a collective expression that
our life with God may be recovered.
Of course, this must be done first.
But together with that, you'll find there is
another recovery that must be.
If you do not have that other restoration,
the first restoration may again end up in
nothing.
And that was the rebuilding of the wall.
Because without the wall, the temple was exposed
to the attack of the enemies.
Now, what is represented by the recovery, restoration
of the wall of Jerusalem?
I personally feel as the rebuilding of the
temple represents the restoration of the life of
God's people with God.
The rebuilding of the wall of the city
of Jerusalem is the recovery of the life
of God's people with one another.
Because a city is the congregation of a
number of people dwelling together as one unit.
That's a city.
And this dwelling together as one is represented
by the wall that surrounds it.
Dear brothers and sisters, I do believe that
in these last days God is much interested,
very much concerned, that His people should be
restored to Him together.
And be restored to one another.
Behold how good and how pleasant for the
brethren to dwell together in unity.
I think that's represented by the rebuilding of
the wall.
Not only a collective life with God, but
a corporate life with one another.
The body life.
So called.
What is a wall?
When God first created man, He planted a
garden.
A beautiful garden.
It must be beautiful.
You may have visited many beautiful gardens, but
I don't think any can be compared with
the Garden of Eden.
All the trees that are good to look
at and good for food.
And God put man in that garden to
attend to the garden and to guard it.
To guard it.
Sometimes I wonder why did not God build
a wall around that garden?
If God would only build a wall around
that garden, then Satan would have never had
a chance to slip in and deceive man.
No wall.
A beautiful garden without a wall.
No wonder the enemy came in and destroyed
man and the garden.
Why no wall?
Because God told man, Guard it.
You are the wall.
God can plant a garden, but God cannot
build a wall by Himself.
Why?
Because He built the wall with man.
But man did not cooperate with God.
Man was careless, was not watchful, and the
result was not only man built the garden,
but you read the last two chapters of
the Bible.
The Holy City.
The New Jerusalem.
Oh, when you see the Holy City, the
New Jerusalem, brothers and sisters, what did you
see?
You see the wall.
That was the first thing that would attract
you.
You know, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem,
is a garden.
It's a garden city.
Why?
Because the tree of life is everywhere.
It's everywhere.
But this garden city is wall.
And the wall is very tall, high.
Very high.
And the wall is built on tall foundations.
And the wall is made of jasper, shining
as the glory of God.
Think of that.
What is jasper?
In Revelation 4, you'll find when John saw
in a vision the glory of God on
the throne, he looks like the jasper.
That's the glory of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, what is that wall?
How is it made and built?
Those who have received the life of Christ
in there.
Those who yield themselves to Christ.
Those who allow the Holy Spirit to work
in their lives.
To incorporate, to organize Christ in there.
And as the Holy Spirit patiently works Christ
in us, in us, in us, you'll find
the wall begins to rise.
It is your knowledge of Christ.
Living knowledge.
Experimental knowledge.
It is your allowing the Holy Spirit to
reveal Christ to you.
And as Christ is revealed to you, He
is incorporated within you.
And this becomes the wall of the holy
city, the neutral city.
Why?
A wall is a separation.
A wall will exclude all that are outside.
And a wall will include all who are
within the city.
It is a separation.
Dear brothers and sisters, where is the separation
of God's people from the world today?
You cannot distinguish the world and the church
today.
There is no wall.
But how do you build a wall?
Not by laying down rules and regulations.
Saying that if you are Christian, don't go
here, don't go there, don't do this, don't
go there, don't wear this, don't wear that.
Even if you don't do this, don't do
that, don't go there, don't go here, or
don't wear this, or don't wear that.
You think you are out of the world,
but you will discover one day the world
is in you.
It doesn't work.
Where is the separation?
The separation is the living knowledge of Christ.
The more you know Christ, the more you
are separate.
All that our wall will reach to heaven,
the wall represents separation.
Because it is separation, it is protection.
It keeps intact all that is behind the
wall.
Dear brothers and sisters, if we are more
separated from the world, we will be more
united in Christ.
Separation is a condition for unity.
It may sound strange, it may sound contradictory,
but that's the truth.
Not separated from one another we are bringing
unity, but separated from the world will bring
us in oneness.
The reason why God's people are so divided
is because they are not separated from the
world.
Too much world in God's people.
Oh, if only the world would be excluded
and only Christ remains.
Is Christ divided?
Because of the wall.
Those people who live behind the wall, they
are one.
That is what is meant by the wall.
The wall walled them together that they may
dwell together in unity.
Oh, how the lives of God's people need
to be separated from the world that we
may be united in Christ.
That is the wall.
A city that is built on a mountain
cannot be hid.
We are here in this country, you do
not see a walled city anywhere, I think.
I haven't seen any.
But back in China, before you come to
a city, the first thing you see is
a wall.
I always remember, my home is in Shanghai,
there is no more wall in Shanghai.
But I study in Sichuan, and every time
I travel on the train going to school,
the first thing that attracts my eyesight is
the wall.
I see the wall, and I know I
am right.
Wall also represents a public testimony.
It is true!
The testimony of Jesus is based on our
life with God.
If our life with God is right, then
the testimony of Jesus is established.
That is true.
But the testimony of Jesus to the world
must be more than that.
God's people must dwell together in unity.
You remember our Lord Jesus in John chapter
17 said, Oh, that they may be one,
as I and my Father are one.
Oh, that they may be perfected in one.
Why?
That the world may know thou hast said.
Why is it the testimony of Jesus suffers
today?
Why is it the world cannot see the
Lord Jesus?
Why?
Because God's people are not one.
God's people are divided.
God's people are in the world, and the
world is in God's people.
There is no separation.
And because of that, there is no wall.
And as long as there is no wall,
there is no public testimony.
Dear brothers and sisters, for this reason, the
recovery must not only be the rebuilding of
the temple, but it must be the rebuilding
of the world.
All our lives with God must be restored
as a people.
Again, I will underline it.
Not only individually.
Some people may have a very sweet fellowship
alive with God individually.
But is there a corporate expression?
You may be a very living stone, but
are you built with other living stones to
be a house?
Our life with God must be recovered.
And then, our life with one another must
be recovered.
I do believe in these days, God is
exercising the heart of His people in these
two areas.
The wall.
All right?
Let's go back to Nehemiah.
Nehemiah, as you open the book of Nehemiah,
so far as time wise is concerned, it
is almost 80 or 90 years
after the first return.
80 years.
Around 80 years.
Or 75 years.
After the first return of the remnant under
Zerubbabel.
The cub-bearer.
The cub-bearer to the king.
Now today, we may think a cub-bearer
is a waiter.
A waiter is nobody.
But in those days the cub-bearer is
one of the highest officials in the court.
Why?
Because in those days, those kings were tyrants.
And tyrants were always afraid that people would
murder them.
So, before they drink from the cup, the
cub-bearer would drink it first.
And then hand it to the king.
There must be such closeness between the cub
-bearer and the king.
The cub-bearer was the confidante of the
king.
A close friend of the king.
The king, as it were, trusted his life
to the cub-bearer.
And the cub-bearer was willing to give
up his life for the king.
Because if there was poverty, he died.
He died for the king.
So there must be such intimate relationship between
the king and the cub-bearer.
A trusted friend.
A bosom friend of the king.
And Nehemiah was the cub-bearer to the
king.
The Persian court at that time was the
highest court in the world.
Because the Persian Empire, it was the time
of the Persian Empire.
And to be in the Persian court and
to occupy such a high position, almost next
to the king.
Of course.
He lived a life of comfort and luxury.
There was no want, whatsoever.
He was a Jew.
But providentially he was occupying such a position.
And he was enjoying all that the Persian
Empire could offer to anybody.
But his heart was in Jerusalem.
If he was free to go back, he
will be in Jerusalem.
How can I prove it?
Because his brother Hananiah was in Jerusalem.
He couldn't go to Jerusalem because he was
the cub-bearer.
He was not free to go.
He had to get permission from the king
to go.
But his heart was in Jerusalem.
Oh, he was like Daniel.
Even though Daniel was in Babylon and yet
his heart was in Jerusalem.
Every day he opened a window towards Jerusalem
and prayed three times.
Dear brothers and sisters, where is your heart?
You may be providentially placed somewhere else.
But where is your heart?
To be where God wants you to be.
To be where you should be.
To be in Jerusalem for the testimony of
God.
This is the place where every faithful one
in Israel must be.
Nehemiah couldn't go.
But his heart was there.
He was concerned with the conditions of the
remnant.
His brother Hananiah and some came back from
Jerusalem for a visit.
And they brought back news to Nehemiah.
Nehemiah was anxious to hear the news.
What happened to those who remained in Jerusalem?
You remember, the temple was already built for
50 years.
Or 55 years.
But evidently they were in such affliction and
reproach.
Because the city lay in ruin.
There was no wall.
The gates were burned.
There was no protection.
They were surrounded by enemies.
Even though there was the temple and yet
it was exposed.
And because of that, many who returned probably
at that time had come back.
Because if you read carefully, Nehemiah said, those
who escaped and remained probably many who at
first went to Jerusalem to be where God
wanted them to be.
And then it became so difficult, they got
so discouraged, so they pack up and returned
to them.
But thank God there were still some hanging
on.
Difficult.
In much affliction and reproach.
But they hang on.
They surrounded the temple.
They refused to go away.
They had no place to go.
They were where they should be.
Where else could they go?
But they were in great difficulties.
In much affliction and reproach.
No protection.
They could be annihilated any moment.
Any moment.
When Nehemiah heard this, he sat down and
wept.
He prayed.
He fasted for days, for nights.
He was so concerned.
He went to the Lord.
Not because he was in Persian court.
He was well protected.
He was the favorite of the king.
Therefore he forgot his brother.
His heart was dead.
Oh, as Moses.
When he grew up, he refused to be
called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh.
He would rather suffer with his brother.
He esteemed the reproach of Christ as more
precious than all the riches of Egypt.
Because he had seen the unseen.
Brothers and sisters, this was Nehemiah.
He did not put himself in a different
position.
His heart was one with the suffering remnant.
He confessed his sin.
His father's sin.
For all Israel.
He pleaded with God.
And as he pleaded with God, God's call
came to him.
Go back to rebuild the wall.
Brothers and sisters, what is your concern today?
Is it because you can live comfortably?
You do not care.
Those who want to maintain the testimony of
Jesus, it is difficult.
Much affliction and reproach.
On the verge of annihilation, do you give
yourself to prayer?
Do you plead with God on their behalf?
And if you do, I believe the burden
of the Lord will come upon you.
Go back.
Rebuild the wall.
The lives of God's people together needs to
be rebuilt.
Nehemiah received a burden from the Lord.
So he prayed, Lord, let me be found
with that man.
And that man is the king.
The king is but a man.
Nehemiah knew the Lord called him to go
back to rebuild the wall.
But he did not move on his own.
He waited upon God.
A few months passed.
You know, sometimes if we feel we have
received some mission from God, immediately we move
out.
Ah.
If we know God, don't do that.
He waited upon God patiently.
Every day, every day, the burden gets heavier.
Maybe after a few months, if you don't
have faith, you will wonder whether you will
ever go.
And during all those months, as he served
the cup before the king, he had to
put up a joyful face.
His heart was crying, but he must smile.
He tried.
Until a few months passed, and one day
as he lifted the cup to the king,
the king noticed his face was sad.
And the king said, Why?
There must be something that troubles.
And Nehemiah was afraid.
You know why?
No one can appear before the king with
a sad face.
Especially the cup bearer.
Why?
Because if the cup bearer should appear before
the king with a sad face, the king
immediately becomes suspicious and says, Well, what are
you thinking?
It was a capital crime.
For Nehemiah, it couldn't happen.
After a few months, he just couldn't restrain
himself anymore.
So he lifted his heart to God before
he answered the king.
And God gave him that opportunity.
He said, Oh king, how can I be
glad when my father's throne were in ruin?
The king said, What do you want?
Let me go back.
Rebuild the city.
Rebuild the wall.
And the good hand of the Lord was
upon him.
The king said, How long will you be
away?
And let him go.
Dear brothers and sisters, how we need to
wait upon the Lord.
And if we wait upon the Lord, He
will open a way for us to rebuild
the unity of the brethren.
So the king in secular history, he was
of Artaxerxes Longinus.
In the twentieth year of his reign, he
gave a decree to Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem.
Dear brothers and sisters, so far as Nehemiah
was concerned, he was only concerned with the
immediate need of the escape.
That was his concern.
To go back and rebuild the city.
That was all.
But do you know, without his knowing, this
marked the beginning of a much, much greater
plan of God concerning His people.
Why?
You read the book of Daniel, chapter 9,
and you know.
Let's read it.
Daniel, chapter 9.
In the first year of King Darius, Daniel
learned from the book of Jeremiah that the
seventy years were about to fulfill, because Darius
was on the throne only two years.
So after two years, King Cyrus will come
to the throne.
And the seventy years will fulfill.
So when Daniel read from the book of
Jeremiah that only two years were left for
the seventy years, what did he do?
Did he sit back and say, Lord, only
two years?
No.
He actively cooperated with God.
He gave himself to prayer that God's promise
should be fulfilled.
And as he was praying towards the evening
oblation, you'll find God sent Gabriel to him.
And let's read from verse 23.
At the beginning of thy supplication the word
went forth, and I am come to declare
it, for thou art one greatly beloved.
Therefore consider the word, and have understanding in
the vision.
Now remember, Daniel was concerned only with the
return of the children of Israel to Jerusalem.
The fulfillment of the seventy years.
But when God gave him the vision, God
gave him a vision of the entire plan
of God for the full and final restoration
of the nation of Israel.
Not only just go back, but even to
clean, cleanse them from their sins and to
bring in the righteousness, and to seal up
the prophets.
In other words, God will bring the nation
of Israel to its final and full restoration.
And what did he say?
He said this.
Seventy weeks.
The word weeks in the original is seven.
Because seven is a week.
Therefore, the translator just used seventy weeks.
But in the original it's seventy-sevens.
Seventy-sevens are apportioned out upon thy people,
and upon thy holy city.
God cut out seventy-sevens out of time.
Time is running, and God cut out seventy
- sevens in time to do something.
For his people and for the holy city.
And what was he going to do?
To close the transgressions.
To make an end of sins.
To make expiation for iniquity.
To bring in the righteousness of the ages.
To seal the vision and prophet.
To anoint the holy of holies.
And you know, this is more than just
the return of the remnant to Jerusalem after
seventy years.
It was the full restoration of the nation
of Israel at the return of Christ.
Seventy-sevens.
Know therefore and understand from the going forth
of the word to restore and to build
Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince of seven-sevens
and sixty- sevens.
Now when did the seventy-seven begin in
history, in time?
It began with the word to restore and
to build Jerusalem.
The decree of King Cyrus was only to
rebuild the temple.
Not to rebuild Jerusalem.
But the decree of Artaxerxes Longinus to Nehemiah
was to rebuild the city.
So God's divine plan with Israel began with
that.
And from that to the time of Messiah
will be seven-sevens and sixty-two-sevens.
And in history, it is exactly so.
Exactly so.
Of course, in computation we have to allow
some margin because even when we say year
number one, well, people are arguing that Christ
actually was born in 4 B.C. And
they made a mistake in the computation.
So we have to allow these things.
But from the beginning of the decree to
Nehemiah to rebuild the wall, to rebuild the
city, until the coming of the Messiah Christ.
Seven-sevens and sixty-two-sevens.
Each seven is seven years.
Some people said from the time the decree
given to rebuild the wall to Malachi, it
is seven-sevens.
Forty-nine years.
And from Malachi to Christ, sixty-two-
sevens.
But then suddenly, a break.
The Messiah was violently cut off.
Crucified.
And then one-seven was left.
But in between the sixty-nine- seven
and the last seven, there was a period
unknown to the Old Testament prophets.
Because this is the mystery of the church.
Then one day, the last seven were coming.
So brothers and sisters, you know, this is
a tremendous thing.
What Nehemiah did was something in God's mind
way beyond he ever asked or dreamed.
God answered him exceedingly, abundantly more than he
can ever ask or think.
Isn't it like that?
Dear brothers and sisters, I often wonder if
we are faithful in the little that we
know, you do not know how much God
may be working.
And thank God for the willingness, for the
faithfulness of this man, Nehemiah.
Brothers and sisters, may God raise up many
Nehemiahs.
Many Nehemiahs.
Shall we pray?
Lord, for thy sake, raise up many Nehemiahs.
People whose hearts are in Jerusalem, with the
suffering in remnant, people are willing to offer
themselves for the rebuilding of the world, to
bring thy people together, that thy people may
dwell in unity.
O Lord, hear our cry.
Hear the cry of many whose hearts are
towards thee, and answer in thy great loving
name, the Lord Jesus.
Amen.