It is a major legend in some quarters of the Jewish world and with some evangelical Christians as well. The only possible reference I could find in God's Word - the Holy Bible to the hiding of the Ark of the Covenant and some of the other temple treasures is in 2 Chronicles 35. This was before most of the temple treasures were either destroyed or carted off to Babylon at the time of attacks on Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians. In this chapter, immediately after the reference to the glorious and godly passover kept by Josiah king of Judah, there is a relevant scripture. I am told there could be as many as 13 years intervening between that passover and this event. In verse 20 of chapter 35 of 2 Chronicles that after Josiah had prepared the temple Josiah went out to meet Necho king of Egypt when he came forth to battle. The phrase prepared the temple could mean any of a number of things. The Jews have a strong legend that Josiah, the last good king of Judah, hid the Ark of the Covenant and other temple treasures before he died and before the arrival of the armies of Babylon to keep them from being destroyed or taken or damaged by the Babylonians. Therefore this would be a good interpretation of verse 20 in 2 Chronicles 35. According to most Jewish sources, King Josiah hid them in tunnels under the Temple Mount that then had Solomon's Temple standing on top of it to be retrieved at a later date. However there were no efforts or no success in retrieving them after Solomon's Temple was destroyed and they were never used in the 2nd temple or Zerubbabel's or Herod's temple as they were void of the Ark of the Covenant in their holy of holies. However I have heard that some people, including the former general and leader of Israel, Ariel Sharon, eyewitnessed the Ark of the Covenant in these temple tunnels before they were sealed off in the 1980s. There are other reports including in the Apocrypha that, although I wouldn't say is inspired of God scriptures, is often an accurate historical source. It says the Ark of the Covenant was taken by Josiah and hid on Mount Nebo in Jordan by the Dead Sea where Moses died. I elaborate on these two position more in my web page about the Ark of the Covenant. In either case I believe the Ark of the Covenant will be found and retrieved in time to put it in the holy of holies for the 3rd or tribulation temple for the 1st half of the tribulation which will be quite soon. The Temple Institute and other temple groups notably are not trying to reproduce the Ark of the Covenant instead saying they will retrieve the original at the right time. Although Necho king of Egypt was coming to fight at Carchemish which was on the upper part of the Euphrates River in what would now be northern Iraq he was not coming to fight with Josiah or Judah or Israel but with Babylon. Necho and some of his diplomats warned Josiah not to confront him on the battlefield which in this case was a warning through them from God. This was because God had said to Judah and King Josiah to be content under Babylon's power but Josiah exercised self will and didn't listen to God's direction through Necho's representatives. This led to Josiah's tragic and untimely death and sealed the doomed fate of the southern kingdom of Judah that had only a series of ungodly, short-lived kings. This soon brought about God's judgment against Judah and Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem by the destruction of them by the Babylonians. This was due to the widespread turning from God or from the LORD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah especially after Josiah died. The immorality, coldness, covetousness and selfishness etc. of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem also left them deserving of God's judgment. The scripture reference in 2 Chronicles 35 of the possible hiding by Josiah perhaps with Jeremiah's help of the Ark of the Covenant and other temple treasures followed by Josiah the last good king of Judah's tragic death by stepping out of the will of the LORD is as follows:
After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations. Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD, And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 2 Chronicles 35:20-27
After the godly reign of King Josiah, which postponed God's judgment earned by Josiah's father Manessah and all the idolatry and immorality Manessah encouraged even in the temple, the fate of the southern Kingdom of Judah resumed a downward slide. This began with the reign of King Johoahaz the son of Josiah. Although Johoahaz only ruled for three months, he was deposed by the king of Egypt and Judah was brought under tribute to Egypt temporarily. At this time there was a rivalray between Egypt and Babylon for regional supremacy with Israel caught in between. After deposing Johoahaz, the king of Egypt made Eliakim the brother of Johoahaz and another son of Josiah king of Judah. Then Necho king of Egypt took Jehoahaz King of Judah and carried him off to Egypt. Eliakim reigned eleven years in Jerusalem and he did evil in the sight of the LORD which means he would do nothing to overturn or delay God's judgment of Judah that at this point was probably at the point of no return. This point of no return probably started the seventy years captivity when Jehoiakim and some of the other Jews and temple treasures were taken to Babylon in 607 BC. Most Bible believing Christians believe the west and the rest of the world are now and have been for some time in a similiar situation looking forward to God's judgment of the tribulation and Jesus' second coming. However we believe there will be deliverance for all true Christians beforehand at the rapture or catching up to heaven of the Church of born again Christians who have with our heart trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ that he died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead to give us new life. However other people will be saved in the tribulation if they trust in Jesus then at least if they hadn't heard the gospel and neglected or rejected it up to the rapture or the Church (2 Thessalonians 2). Although this wasn't the final assault on Judah, Jerusalem and the 1st Temple or Solomon's Temple, it was a substantial one due to the continuing godlessness of the kings and people of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took Eliakim whom the king of Egypt had renamed Johoiakim and bound him in fetters (chains) and carried him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD or Solomon's Temple and put them in his (pagan) temple in Babylon. These would probably exclude the Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat and some other temple treasures that were probably already safely hid by King Josiah and that will probably be retrieved shortly. This temple was quite possibly dedicated to Marduk that was a god that was a deification of Nimrod who built the Tower of Babel although there were also Babylonian temple to other pagan gods including Ishtar that was a deification of Nimrod's wife Semiramis. The point of all this is that God sometimes uses an even dirtier broom to sweep his somewhat less dirty people from power. This occurred when God's people hardened their hearts against God and don't repent and return and trust in Him with all their heart after God's persistant dealing with them. This also happened with Israel other times including in the book of Judges and the northern Kingdom with the Assyrians and the Israelities with the Romans and could likely happen very soon with what is left of professing Christiandom in the west. This could happen for the West by an Islamic invasion after the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation as I have described a possible scriptural basis for in my web pages The Four Horses of the Apocalypse and Looming Islamic Invasion of the West. However even if this does occur there are also scriptures showing the Antichrist will soon after take control of the west from the Muslims. Anyway the scripture reference from 2 Chronicles 36 of the beginning of the final slide into God's judgment by the Babylonians of the southern Kingdom of Judah with their successive evil kings is as follows:
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his fahter's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoikim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. Jehoaikim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Necuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 2 Chronicles 36:1-7
After the death of Jehoiakim, his son Jehoiachin reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah but only for three months when he too was deposed and brought by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon to Babylon and replaced with Zedekiah. Although Zedekiah is called Jehoiachin's brother here in 2 Chronicles 36, more accurately in 2 Kings 24 Zedekiah is called Jehoiachin's father's brother or Jehoiachin's uncle. Jehoiachin also did evil in the sight of the LORD and he as a grandson of Josiah is usually regarded as the end of the dynasty of the kings of Judah although that would be resumed with the Messiah in the line of David (and Judah). Christians think this role of Messiah in the line of David was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth and that this role will be fulfilled more fully when he comes again at the end of the tribulation. Other vessels of Solomon's Temple were brought to Babylon in the reign of Jehoiachin although again this probably did not include the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat that were probably still hidden probably under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The scripture reference in 2 Chronicles 36 of the brief reign and evil character of the reign of Jehoichin which led to his being brought captive to Babylon after only three months with further temple treasures is as follows:
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead (place). Jehoiachin was eight years old when be began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 36:8-10
The glory of the LORD had left the holy of holies as a sign of his forsaking his blessing of Israel and his presence among them in His temple for their forsaking him and their idolatry and immorality. The LORD here is pictured with some holy angels as departing from the threshhold or doorway of the temple to the east gate or eastern gateway of the temple complex. This is a sign of the LORD preparing to give up Solomon's Temple for His judgment through the Babylonians. This was because of Israel's worshipping false gods even in the courts of the Temple where they were especially to worship the true and living God the God of Israel alone. Each step in the LORD and sometimes also some of the angelic host leaving his place among His chosen earthly people Israel he seems to so with reluctance and sadness. However despite God's reluctance he still leaves the temple as something He must do to impress on the children of Israel that He can't accept their treating Him lightly or disdainfully or worshipping false gods and trusting them instead of the true and living God. These living creatures are some form of angelic being that encourage and practice the worship of God. The river Chebar where Ezekiel was was a major river in Babylon where he had already been taken away in one of the first deportations of Jews or the children of Israel by Nebuchadnezzar and his troops. The LORD withdrawing his presence from among the children of Israel was a visible sign that he was about to withdraw his protection of them because they had too long and too deeply neglected or rejected his principles in his law and word. The scripture reference in Ezekiel 10 of the LORD withdrawing his presence from the holy or holies to the east gate of the temple with some of the holy angels as a sign of his impending giving up the Israelites to their enemies for their godlessness and idolatry is as follows:
Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshhold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims. Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward. Ezekiel 10:18-22
In the vision in chapter 10 the LORD had last been pictured at the east gate at the edge of the Solomon's Temple complex facing the Mount of Olives. In this chapter the glory of the LORD is pictured going up from the midst of the city, that is from the temple and it stood on the mountain to the east of the city which is the Mount of Olives. Although it doesn't say this specifically the implication is that the Shekinah glory of the LORD then left the vicinity of Jerusalem and the earth altogether and returned to Heaven. This series of movement will be repeated exactly but in reverse at Jesus the Messiah's second coming. At Jesus' second coming he as the Son of Man will come at the right hand of the power or the Ancient of Days who is God the Father from heaven as in Daniel 7:13-14 and Mark 14:62-65 and land on the Mount of Olives as mentioned in Zechariah 14 and Acts 1. Then the glorified Lord Jesus Christ with the glory of God the Father (and the holy angels and many saints including born again Christians) will enter and claim Jerusalem for himself. Jerusalem will be claimed by God, His Messiah and His people and they will all establish it as Messiah's dwelling place and world capital for the Millennial or Messianic Kingdom through the east gate of the tribulation come to be renovated to be the Messianic Kingdom Temple. Ezekiel 43:2-6, 44:4-8. However another analogy to the LORD's forsaking his earthly people Israel with his Shekinah glory is to the more immediate future in relation to the Church. As I have heard from some Christian teachers, there is an analogy of the glory of God the Father dwelling in His Temple among His chosen earthly people Israel in the Old Testament and the Holy Spirit dwelling amongst the spiritual temple of God's spiritual or heavenly people the Church in the New Testament as mentioned especially in 1 Peter 2. As God the Father, the LORD, withdrew his presence from his people Israel and his temple when he was about to leave them to judgment. The LORD will also withdraw His Holy Spirit from his professing church and the world but not from His spiritual temple and true Church at the end of the Church age when the true Church and the Holy Spirit are taken out of the way to Heaven from earth at the rapture. This will take place just before God judges the false church and the world in the tribulation. God instructed Ezekiel to reveal to his fellow captive Jews in Babylon what he was shortly going to do in Jerusalem so they would understand how deeply the LORD was offended by their or their countrymen's disregard of the LORD and serving false gods instead. The scripture reference from Ezekiel 11 of the LORD's withdrawing his presence from among the Israelites completely to leave them and their temple and Jerusalem for His judgment because of their persistant godlessness, idolatry and immorality and self-sufficiency is as follows:
Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me. Ezekiel 11:22-25
Zedekiah was the new and last king of Judah, before the Messiah as their everlasting king. He must have sensed the LORD's growing displeasure with the kings of Judah that were his immediate successors by God's taking some of the inhabitants of Judah and some of the temple treasures to Babylon. However he did not repent at the urging to do so by the LORD through his prophet Jeremiah. Zedekiah must have also had some knowledge of the LORD's favour and blessing of the righteous rule of his father Josiah soon before him. This also should have caused him to humble himself and obey the LORD and live righteously but he neglected this as well. Zedekiah also broke his pledge to the king of Babylon to be subservient to him which was the LORD's will for Judah and her king at that time. This sin and rebellion was not with Zedekiah the king of Judah alone but was very widespread with the priesthood and the people of Judah as well in following the idolatry and immorality. This idolatry and immorality was in the abominations of the heathen and polluting the house of the LORD or Solomon's Temple with idolatry and worship of false gods by the inhabitants of Judah in the place the LORD had especially sanctified as a place of worship and testimony of himself alone. Also on the part of the priesthood and the people of Judah there was a general apostasy or departure from the LORD or of living in a reverential fear of him. The scripture reference from 2 Chronicles 36 of the general apostasy of forsaking the LORD and rebelling against him by serving idols and practicing immorality including in the house of the LORD and not submitting to the king of Babylon is as follows:
Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel. Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 36:11-14
The LORD had for a long time shown compassion on his chosen earthly people the Jews or children of Israel in this case especially the southern kingdom of Judah and his dwelling place the temple. God did this by sending his servants the prophets to warn them to turn back to him from their cynicism or sullenness or hard heartedness and idolatry and immorality. However the children and leaders of Judah and Jerusalem rejected God's offer of mercy and blessing but instead treated his words and messengers the prophets contemptuously. As a result the LORD's mercy was exhausted and his wrath grew so their was no remedy for him to hold back in manifesting it to the people and places of Judah, Jerusalem and the LORD's house of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. In exercising His wrath the LORD sent the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar and killed people of all ages young and old, male and female of Judah and Jerusalem for their stubborness from turning to the LORD from their self- centedenss, godlessness and idolatry and immorality. God also allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take away all the remaining vessels in the house of the LORD or Solomon's Temple. However I think as mentioned earlier that the last good king of Judah, Josiah hid the Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat and some other temple treasures before he died as mentioned in 2 Chronicles 35. Nebuchadnezzar and his troops also burnt the temple itself and broke down the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the palaces of especially the wealthy and probably most godless in Jerusalem and their vessels or contents. Those that escaped the slaughter by Nebuchadnezzar and his troops of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and probably other parts of Judah were brought as captives to be servants in Babylon. This situation lasted for the next 70 years until Persia replaced Babylon as the main power in that part of the world and the Jews or children of Israel had made up to the LORD or God the Father for their neglect of 70 sabbath years. These neglected 70 sabbath year were for 490 years when they were supposed to leave the land untended so it could replenish itself according to the Law of Moses as mentioned in Jeremiah and later by Daniel. The LORD was very angry with the children of Judah and manifested his wrath to them by the destruction from the Babylonians and the 70 year captivity. However the LORD at the end of the 70 year captivity showed mercy to the Jews or children of Judah by allowing them to return to Israel and rebuild their temple. The LORD showed His mercy to Israel after the 70 years captivity by again relating to Israel as his people who were then under submission to Gentile or non-Jewish powers in the times of the Gentiles that began with the overthrow of Jerusalem, Judah and the House of the LORD, Solomon's Temple by the Gentile Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The times of the Gentiles is continuing to this time as Israel is still subject to the Gentiles through entities such as the United Nations, the United States, the Palestinians and Arabs and other countries or organizations. The last 7 years of the times of the Gentiles will occur very soon after the rapture of the Church in the 70th week of Daniel known as the tribulation. This will be followed by Jesus the Messiah's second coming from heaven to deliver Israel from the Gentiles as they try to destroy her and wipe her out with their armies. Then Jesus the Messiah and the LORD or God the Father in His Shekinah glory will rule the world through the finally exalted chosen earthly people of God Israel or the Jews. This period of Messiah's rule will be for 1000 years from the Messianic Age Temple in Jerusalem according to many Old Testament and some New Testament scriptures. The scripture reference in 2 Chronicles 36 of the exhausting of the LORD's patience and mercy at the despiteful treatment towards himself, his words, his messengers and his temple and his exercising his wrath on the inhabitants and places of Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple are as follows:
And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till their was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped with age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of the princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten (60 + 10 or 70) years. 2 Chronicles 36:15-21
It is a fact of history that many terrible events have happened to the Jewish people on the date of the Ninth of Av which is a Jewish month partly in July and partly in August on the western calendar. Some of the Jewish tragedies that happened on this date that are well attested by history are the destruction of the first temple (Solomon's) in around 586 BC and the destruction of the 2nd (Herod's) Temple in 70 AD and probably the height of the Spanish inquisition around 1490 AD as well as other probable events. There is a Jewish teaching with some likely merit as it would be around the right time of the year based on the produce grapes and I think figs that were brought from the land of Israel by the twelve spies when God send them out to spy out the land that the curse of the day of the Ninth of Av could have started at that time. That would be because most of the spies brought back a faithless report in God being able to use the Israelites to take the promised land from its occupants even though the existing people were giants and the Israelites not having faith that their God was much mightier. I had heard before that the Jews regarded this as the reason and beginning of God cursing this day but I didn't know any written source they used until I was looking for something else in one of their sacred soucres although I would as a Christian regard it as an important source of historical and traditional information but not inspired and infallible like both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Mishnah I did find this answer of where the Jews record their belief that Ninth of Av was cursed from the time of spies giving the faithless report in the days of Moses. This reference in the Mishnah of the 10 spies giving the faithless report about whether the Israelites could take the promised land from the Canaanites or not in their neglecting thought of God's help and their causing this day to be cursed for the Jewish people throughout their history until the Messianic Kingdom when it will be lifted as referring to the curse of the 5th month in Zechariah 8 with this quote from the MIshnah in Taanit 4:6 is as follows:
Five events took place for our fathers on the seventeenth of Tammuz (the fourth month) 1 the tablets of the Torah were broken, 2 the daily whole offering was cancelled, 3 the city wall was breached, 4 Apostemos burned the Torah and 5 he set up an idol in the Temple. On the ninth of Ab 1 the decree was made against our forefathers that they should not enter the land, 2 the first Temple and 3 the second Temple were destroyed, 4 Batar was taken, and 5 the city was ploughed up after the war of Hadrian. When Ab comes, rejoicing diminishes.
The main and immediate promise the LORD gave to the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem on the occasion of the invasion of the Babylonians and destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem and its inhabitants was that after seventy years captivity in Babylon God would allow the Jews to return to their land of Israel and to some measure reestablish their society. The beginning date of these 70 years would probably be 607 BC when the LORD brought the first contingent of the children of Israel including their king Jehoiakim and some of the temple treasures to Babylon. By the time the 70 years from that time had elapsed, the Babylonians had been replaced by the Persians as the primary empire in that part of the world including with respect to the land of Israel. This is in fulfillement of the prophecies of successive world empires given in dreams to Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. All the sufferings the people of Judah underwent because of their departing from God and their idolatry and disdain for the law. This included allowing the land to remain fallow or untended every seventh year in the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple with much loss of life and 70 years in captivity in Babylon. After all this the LORD kept his word by showing mercy to the people of Judah. It is stated specifically that it was the LORD that stirred up Cyrus the king of Persia to make a decree authorizing the Jews to go back to Israel and rebuild their temple. Cyrus king of Persia in this decree correctly stated that the LORD had put all the kingdoms of earth under his dominion. This was part of the prophecy and promise of the successive world empires given in dreams in the Book of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. The LORD through Cyrus, who was probably not even a true believer in the God of Israel, challenged the Jews to go up to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple. The LORD also challenged the Jews as persons to go up to Jerusalem to help in the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem which would be the beginning of the second temple. This first phase of this second temple is usually called Zerubbabel's Temple and it much later received a major renovation under King Herod in the 1st century BC to become Herod's Temple. The second temple or Herod's temple was still standing when the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles were on earth and remained until 70 AD. Since that time the Temple Mount has been desolate and under control of the Gentiles as is also the case today with the Muslim Dome of the Rock there. The Antichrist will make a covenant to build the third Jewish temple at the beginning of the tribulation and then defile or corrupt it. Then the Messianic Age holy temple will be built or brought by the Messiah Jesus at his second coming and beginning of the Messianic Kingdom. The scripture reference from 2 Chronicles 36 of the decree initiated by the LORD of the Persian king Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple after the 70 years captivity is as follows:
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, 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, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up (to Jerusalem). 2 Chronicles 36:22-23
In the first chapter of Ezra, which is a continuation of the history of Israel especially Judah from the end of 2 Chronicles, the decree of Cyrus king of Persia authorizing the Jews to return to Israel to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem is repeated with some additional details. All the parts about the LORD stirring up Cyrus to make this decree after the 70 year captivity of the Jews had been fulfilled are repeated in Ezra. As well in Ezra the Jews are encouraged to rebuild their temple and individual Jews to return to Israel to help realize this rebuilding. Additional details are also given here in Ezra. The LORD also encourages people, perhaps even non-Jews of Persia to help provide the materials such as silver and gold and animals for the sacrifices on the then soon to be rebuilt second temple. This would be quite helpful for the effort of the Jews to rebuild their temple as most of the Jews left in Israel were quite poor and wouldn't have much resources to rebuild the temple. However some of the Jews in Babylon now Persia were more affluent. The scripture reference in Ezra 1 of the repetition of the decree of Cyrus king of Persia initiated by the LORD for the Jews to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem after the 70 year captivity is as follows:
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, 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. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for hte house of God that is in Jerusalem. Ezra 1:1-4
In the month of Nisan which is March to April in the western calendar and also the month in which the Passover of the Jews occurs and which was the first month on the religious calendar of the Jews, Nehemiah a leader of the Jews came before Artaxerxes the Persian king of that time. This was probably about 80 years after some of the Jews had gone back with Ezra to rebuild the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Therefore there was some reestablishment of a Jewish presence in Jerusalem and Judah after the 70 years captivity by the time of this meeting of Nehemiah with Artaxerxes. However although the Jewish temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem by this time the walls and most of the city was still in ruins left over from the destruction suffered at the hand of the Babylonians for the sins of Judah in the last days of their monarchy. This sad state of neglect of the walls and the city saddenned and distressed Nehemiah but also compelled him to take the initiative to get these walls and the city rebuilt. Nehemiah showed this initiative by coming before the Persian king Artaxerxes to ask permission to lead a Jewish delegation to go back to Israel to supervise the rebuilding of the walls and city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was in a position to do this since he had an important position in the court of Artaxerxes the king of Persia as his cupbearer. This position means Nehemiah tasted the drinks offered to the Persian king first to diminish the possibility that someone would kill the Persian king by poisoning him through drinks offered to him, and Nehemiah would be poisoned instead. This meeting was in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. This date is very important for Bible chronology and prophecy. This is because this date is the starting date of the prophecy of the 70 weeks of years in Daniel 9 since the starting date is when the walls and city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt that Nehemiah was seeking to obtain permission for in this passage. This is referred to in Daniel 9:25. The most common date for this incident is 445 BC which has much reliable support for it. According to the usual calculation this makes the public offering of Jesus as Messiah as 32 AD at the so-called triumphal entry as in Matthew 21 remembered by Christians as Palm Sunday. This was one week before Jesus was crucified and "cut off" which was also predicted for the Messiah in Daniel 9. However I think a better and more rigourously supported and calculated date for this meeting of Nehemiah with the Persian king Artaxerxes is given in about pages 220 to 240 of the academic book The Chronology of the Old Testament by Dr. Floyd Nolan Jones and published by Master Books in California, USA. Although there are many other aspects to the calculations the basic point this book gives is that the Artaxerxes referred to here in Nehemiah was known in secular history as Artaxerxes I Longimanus. He was installed as king in 473 BC which would make his 20 year as 454 BC. The calculations with the starting date as 445 BC and arriving at 32 AD for the first 69 weeks of seven years each mentioned in Daniel 9 a difference between the length of Jewish and western years are taken into account. However the years are treated as western years in the Chronology of the Old Testament calculations which gives the year of the public offering as Messiah and His death of the Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth as 30 AD since 1 year would be deducted because there was no year 0 but time went from 1 BC to 1 AD. If this is true as I now believe that the 69 weeks started on 454 BC and ended in 30 AD, then there were also 40 years between the death of Jesus and the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem that Jesus predicted would be a generation. This is also similiar to the length of a generation as the time the Israelites were in the wilderness after they left Egypt and before they came to the promised land of Canaan or Israel. Anyway at the time of the meeting with Nehemiah before the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was sad. This was not a light matter as people that were sad when they came before the Persian king could be put to death on this basis and I am sure some were. Artaxerxes then asks Nehemiah why is he sad and Nehemiah took this as an opportunity to lead into the request he wanted to make to Artaxerxes by describing the continuing state of ruin of the city and gates or walls of Jerusalem. Artaxerxes then asked Nehemiah what he wanted to request of him and Nehemiah prayed to God for His help. Nehemiah then asked and was granted his request to be allowed to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and walls through a letter granting him materials in this rebuilding. Nehemiah was able to show these letters to the authorities in Judah or Jerusalem when he got there that he had authorization from the king of Persia to lead in rebuilding the walls and city of Jerusalem. This was important as there were some people of surrounding nations who had settled in Jerusalem who were opposed to the Jews and there plans to again make Jerusalem a Jewish city. These adversaries were represented by Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite. The scripture reference from Nehemiah 2 of Nehemiah receiving permission to rebuild the city and walls of Jerusalem from Artaxerxes king of Persia that starts the 69 weeks of years or 483 years until the Messiah probably from 454 BC is as follows:
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? that is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I came to the governors beyond the river (Euphrates), and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. Nehemiah 2:1-10
In the book of Nehemiah (and in Ezra) some of the Israelites who had been taken into captivity to Babylon from the land of Israel by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar were allowed to return to Israel. This was with the permission of the Gentile king of that time who was a king of Persia since the Persians had by that time defeated the Babylonians for Gentile (or non-Jewish nation) control of the Middle East. A main term for the deputies under the Persian kings in this part of the Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament in the King James Version is governor. There seemed to be one overall main governor in the area of the holy land or that side of the Euphrates River who was a Gentile or non-Jew and he was called a governor and the Israelites were then accountable to him as was the Jewish man who became the leader of the Jews in the land of Israel named Nehemiah. There seemed to be also other local mostly Persian governors on the Israel side of the Euphrates River under the main governor on that part of the Persian Empire. These local and overall governor would all be under authority of the Persian King. Nehemiah secured a letter from the Persian king to have these other local governors give him and those that gave with him from Babylon to Israel safe passage. However Nehemiah is sometimes also called a governor and he was directly responsible for the Jewish or Israelite people in the holy land or land of Israel after he got there. There seemed to have been other local governors of Jerusalem and the immediate surrounding area that were Persian before Nehemiah. These governors would also be under the governor on the other side of the river that would cover a larger region including Israel on the western side of the Euphrates that was part of the Persian Empire. These previous local governors took money of the citizens while they were governor but Nehemiah did not. All these words for governor, either the main one of the Israel side of the Euphrates river or Nehemiah or the Persian one before him for the Jerusalem area or other more local Persian rulers that are all called governors in the Book of Nehemiah are all from the same Hebrew word for governor. The scripture references from Nehemiah 2, 3, 5 and 12 that use the word governor as a local deputy such as Nehemiah or other Persian ones or an overall deputy such as the one of the Israeli side of the Euphrates River that were all under the Persian king and that are all called governor is as follows:
Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come unto Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God unto me. Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. Nehemiah 2:7-9
Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof. and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side of the river. Nehemiah 3:6-7
Moreover from the time that I (Nehemiah) was appointed to be their (the Jews' or Israelites' in Judah) governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. ... But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the (Jewish) people (in Judah): but so did not I, because of the fear of God. ... Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavey upon this people. Nehemiah 5:14-15, 18
These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe. Nehemiah 12:26
The people of Judah were blessed of the LORD in rebuilding the walls and city of Jerusalem in a very short time despite opposition. After the temple was rebuilt the people could again concentrate on worshipping and growing in knowledge of the LORD. This is what happened here in Nehemiah chapter 8 where Ezra, Nehemiah and other leaders of the people of Judah were gathered in Jerusalem with many of the people in general of Israel. The purpose of this assembly was to renew Israel's heritage by hearing the reading of the Law of Moses and an exposition or explanation of it soundly by Ezra who was a man of God with a deep knowledge and understanding of God's Word. Especially Jewish scholars believe this event marked the beginning of the institution that developed when Israel was under control of the Greeks somewhat later on and came to be known as the Sanhedrin. Of course the Sanhedrin or council was also very prominent in the New Testament in the end of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ especially as recorded in the gospels and in the early church with some of the apostles in the Book of Acts of the Apostles. The events in which Jesus and the apostles came before the Assembly or the Sanhedrin generally cast a negative light on the Sanhedrin or Assembly. However it also had quite a positive role also at that time of calling the Jewish people to greater or continued obedience to God's Word - the Holy Bible especially the part of it called the Law of Moses or The Torah. It is important to note at this first great assembly with Ezra and Nehemiah the hardships or harrowing experiences of the Babylonian captivity and the preceding destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and Judah by the Babylonians of the people of Judah. This destruction was for their idolatry, immorality and forsaking the LORD had resulted in a much more godly and reverent people of Judah. This was especially true of those who had returned to Jerusalem and Judah and they were eager to become reacquainted with and renew living by the Law of Moses individually and as a society. This was shown by their asking Ezra to read from the Book of the Law and to explain it to them. Ezra read for several hours from morning until midday and the scripture says the people were attentive to the book of the law which showed their interest and respect for the LORD and his word. Ezra stood at a pulpit with elders of Judah on either side of him and when he blessed the LORD all the people said Amen and lifted up their hands and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. This showed the deep humility and reverence for the LORD on the part of the people of Judah. Then some of the elders of Israel and the priestly tribe the Levites helped the people understand or receive the sense or explanation of the law so it would be more meaningful to them. The scripture reference in Nehemiah 8 of the great assembly of the leaders and people of Judah after they finished rebuilding the walls and city of Jerusalem is as follows. This assembly was a model or pattern on which the Jewish Sanhedrin or Great Assembly was based in which the law of Moses was read and explained.
And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Husham, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. Nehemiah 8:1-8
After reading the law of God and explaining it to the people they wept probably especially by conviction but perhaps partly for joy that the LORD was being merciful to them again. This mercy was shown by the LORD especially by his then recently helping them rebuild the walls and city of Jerusalem in only about 52 days despite substantial opposition from people of other lands who had moved to Israel under the Babylonians. This was the Jews' weeping due to conviction for their sin and God's recent judgment of Judah and Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple and their people by the Babylonians. In reference to this weeping, Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites urged them not to weep but to count this as a holy day and day of dedication to the LORD who was with them again and a day of rejoicing in the LORD. Then Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites urged the people to celebrate by feasting in food and drink and giving presents especially to the poor that didn't have very many possessions. The people then obeyed Ezra, Nehemiah and the Levites and feasted and gave presents to the poor with great joy and merriment. The next day the elders, priest, Levites and Ezra the scribe regathered to understand the words of the law which is also a pattern for the Sanhedrin that was composed of chief priest, other priests and elders including some we today would call rabbis. This is similiar to the composition of the Sanhedrin in New Testament times and their are also some similiarites to this continuing assembly of Israel's leaders to the recently reformed Sanhedrin since 2004. This recently reformed Sanhedrin is preparing to reestablish laws based on the Law of Moses in light of the very secular and in some cases ungodly ruling of the secular Supreme Court of Israel. The scripture reference in Nehemiah 8 of the reaction of the people of Judah to the hearing of the law of Moses and its explanation and the regathering of the leaders of Israel in a continuation of the Great Assembly that was a model for the future Sanhedrin is as follows:
And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha (governor), and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. Nehemiah 8:9-13
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