1. THE TEMPLE SOLOMON’S TEMPLE SOLOMON FINISHED THE TEMPLE(959 BC)? TEMPLE REPAIRED BY JOSIAH(640 BC)? DESTROYED BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR(586 BC)? PROPHESIED BY ISAIAH(712 BC)? ZERUBBABEL’S TEMPLE RECONSTRUCTION UNDER CYRUS(536 BC)? BUILDING CEASES UNDER ARTAXERXES(17 YEARS)? BUILDING CONTINUES UNDER DARIUS (519 BC)? TEMPLE COMPLETED UNDER DARIUS(516 BC)? (516-458 BC)?

2. PEOPLE TO REMEMBER ZERUBBABEL - SHESHBAZZAR - LEVITE GOVERNOR OF JUDAH - HAGGAI 1:1(536 BC)? KING CYRUS:EZRA 1:1(536 BC)? LEVITES WHO CAME WITH ZERUBBABEL NEHEMIAH - PRIESTEZRA 2:2(536 BC)? JEREMIAH - PRIESTNEHEMIAH 12:1(536 BC)? JESHUA - HIGH PRIESTNEHEMIAH 12:1(536 BC)? EZRA - PRIESTNEHEMIAH 12:1(536 BC)? KING DARIUS:EZRA 1-6(538-516 BC)? ESTHER QUEEN OF PERSIA (478 BC)?(58 YEARS)? ARTAXERXES: EZRA 7-10(458-457 BC)? (ARTAXERXES LONGIMANUS: 465-424 BC?)

3. EZRA CHAPTER FIVE HAGGAI & ZECHARIAH HELP ZERUBBABEL & JESHUAV. 1-2 TATNAI ASKS THEM BY WHAT AUTHORITY THEY DO THIS V. 3-5 LETTER WRITTEN TO DARIUSV. 6-16 THEY REQUEST HOW THEY ARE TO PROCEEDV. 17

4. READ:EZRA 5:1-3 1The prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. 3At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: "Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?"

5. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:1-3 1The prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. WHO WERE HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH? WHAT DID THEY DO?

6. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:1-3 1The prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. HOW DID THEY ADDRESS THE JEWS?

7. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:1-3 HOW DID PROPHESYING EFFECT THEM? READ:EZRA 5:2 2Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. READ:HAGGAI 1:12 12Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the LORD.(NKJ)

8. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:1-3 HOW DID PROPHESYING EFFECT THEM? READ:HAGGAI 1:14-15 14So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.(NKJ)

9. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:1-3 2Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. WHAT DID THE PROPHETS DO?

10. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:1-3 3At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: "Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?" WHO WERE THESE PEOPLE ‘BEYOND THE RIVER’? READ: EZRA 4:7 7In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.(NKJ) WHAT DID THEY SAY TO ZERUBBABEL AND JESHUA?

11. READ:EZRA 5:4-6 4Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter. 6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar- Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king.

12. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:4-6 4Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. WHAT DID ZERUBBABEL AND JESHUA TELL THEM? WHY TELL THEM THE NAMES OF THE WORKERS?

13. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:4-6 5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease TILL a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter. WHY WAS ‘THE EYE OF THE LORD” UPON THE ELDERS? WHAT WERE THEY WAITING FOR? A WRITTEN ANSWER FROM WHOM?

14. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:4-6 6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai sent: The governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar- Boznai, and his companions, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, to Darius the king. WHO DID TATTENAI SEND THIS LETTER TO?

15. READ:EZRA 5:7-9 7They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus-- To Darius the king: All peace. 8Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. 9Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: "Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?"

16. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:7-9 7They sent a letter to him, in which was written thus-- To Darius the king: All peace. HOW DID THEY BEGIN THIS LETTER? IS THIS THE FIRST TIME A LETTER WAS WRITTEN? READ:EZRA 4:11 11This is a copy of the letter that they sent him: To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth:(NKJ)

17. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:7-9 8Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. WHAT DID THEY MAKE KNOWN TO DARIUS? WHERE DID THESE PEOPLE COME FROM? WHAT DID THEY SEE? WHERE WAS ‘THE TEMPLE OF THE GREAT GOD’? WHY DESCRIBE THE WORK THAT IS BEING DONE?

18. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:7-9 9Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: "Who commanded you to build this temple and to finish these walls?" WHY MENTION WHAT THEY ASKED THE ELDERS? WHAT DID KING ARTAXERXES COMMAND THEM? READ:EZRA 4:21 21Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.(NKJ)

19. READ:EZRA 5:10-12 10We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them. 11And thus they returned us an answer, saying: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12"But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon.

20. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:10-12 10We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who were chief among them. 11And thus they returned us an answer, saying: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. WHY DID THEY ASK FOR THEIR NAMES? WHO WERE THEY GOING TO GIVE THE NAMES TO? HOW DID THE JEWS REPLY? WHO BUILT THE ‘ORIGINAL’ TEMPLE?

21. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:10-12 12"But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away to Babylon. WHY DID THE GOD OF HEAVEN GIVE THEM UP? WHO DESTROYED THE TEMPLE? WHEN?(586 BC)?

22. READ:EZRA 5:13-15 13"However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God. 14"Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon-- those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15"And he said to him, 'Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.'

23. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:13-15 13"However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God. 14"Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon-- those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. WHAT DID KING CYRUS DECREE? WHAT ELSE DID KING CYRUS DO? WHO DID HE GIVE THESE ARTICLES TO? WHO MADE SHESHBAZZAR GOVERNOR?

24. QUESTIONS:EZRA 5:13-15 15"And he said to him, 'Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.' WHAT DID KING CYRUS TELL HIM TO DO WITH THEM? WHY ARE THESE STATEMENTS IMPORTANT?

25. READ:EZRA 4:16-17 16"Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished." 17Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.(NKJ)

26. QUESTIONS:EZRA 4:16-17 16"Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and from that time even until now it has been under construction, and it is not finished." WHAT DID SHESHBAZZAR DO? WHY SAY ‘THE CONSTRUCTION IS NOT FINISHED’?

27. QUESTIONS:EZRA 4:16-17 17Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there in Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his pleasure concerning this matter.(NKJ) WHAT IS THE CONCLUSION OF THIS MATTER? WHY SEARCH THE KING’S TREASURE HOUSE? WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR? WHAT DO THEY WANT DARIUS TO TELL THEM?