F. The enemies of God came to steal their joy 4:4-5 (NLT) Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia Intro: Daniel’s Comeback From the Lion’s Den took the throne. G. Before we can rebuild the nation, we have to rebuild the church Text: :14–19 (NLT) They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the LORD that had been III. The Second Wave Restores ______consecrated in . The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeat- A. A comeback must invove separation from what caused your fall edly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people :1 (NLT) When these things had been done, the Jewish leaders and his Temple. But the people mocked these messengers of God and came to me and said, “Many of the people of Israel, and even some of despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the LORD’s anger the priests and , have not kept themselves separate from the could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done. So the LORD other peoples living in the land...” brought the king of against them. The Babylonians killed Judah’s B. Ezra’s prayer young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity Ezra 9:7–9 (NLT) From the days of our ancestors until now, we have on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings and our priests have infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar... Then his army been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land. We have been killed, burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today. “But now we have palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value. been given a brief moment of grace, for the LORD our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy I. Daniel Seeks God During A Time of Spiritual Restriction place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from A. Baybylon was conquered by Persia our slavery. For we were slaves, but in his unfailing love our God did not B. God raises up a comeback king 70 years later abandon us in our slavery. :2 (NLT) “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has Conclusion: A Moment of ______Opens the Door For A Comeback appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. A. Ezra begins with repentance B. He rallies the remnant II. The First Wave of ______C. Finding security in the “Holy Places” A. 42,360 people return to Israel under ’s leadership D. Bright eyes B. Many stayed in Babylon E. Revival in the midst of bondage C. After settling in their old towns, the first thing they build is an altar F. Don’t let your moment of grace pass by :1–3 (NLT) In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose... Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the LORD each morning and evening. C. Sacrifice and prayer were the cornerstone of the comeback D. The foundation for the temple is laid Ezra 3:10–12 (NLT) When the builders completed the foundation of the LORD’s Temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets... With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the LORD: “He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!”... But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. E. The joy and tears of a comeback