To prepare the nation for His Son, the Father brought Zerubbabel back. The ancestors of Mary & Joseph were among the number who came back to the Land with him. He also started the rebuilding of the Temple. Adding to Zerubabbel's work, Ezra added spiritual vitality to the people. Nehemiah came back third, building up the wall removing vulnerability and providing protection.
Priests, statesmen and tradesmen alone couldn't provide everything needed to prepare for Jesus first coming. It needed three prophets too. Haggai, therefore, majored in giving and building a house for God. Zechariah then added to this by motivating the people to put God's house first rather than their own. Malachi also reminded that the God of judgment was coming and the Temple must be rebuilt so that He can present Himself in it.
The attitude of the people, nonetheless, was pretty shocking in view of the fact they had only recently returned from exile. They soon returned to their old ways of preferring themselves. This is like the crowing of the rooster (in the case of Peter) or the blowing of a trumpet that signals a resurrection or a judgment. Such is the reward for those who deny the LORD and cling to this earthly life, refusing to lay it down. The life of the flesh is in the blood, according to Genesis 9:4 ( “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it") and Leviticus 17:11 ("For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life"). Your life is required of you. Give it willingly and it will not be forcefully taken from you. Give it willingly and you will have reward instead of forfeiting what could have been yours. Encourage others and yourself by reading up about the end times. This is important. Watching the signs of the times are important. As already mentioned, watch and pray.
Let's add a bit to this concept and talk about the rapture which is after all the subject of this article.
"But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into." (Matthew 24:43.) Isn't it the wrong way round? Shouldn't it be written: "If the head of the house had been on the alert, he would have known at what time of the night the thief was coming." No it shouldn't. When we understand it it becomes more clear. (This might not be particularly pleasing to some but it needs to be said. Jesus is jealous for what is His.) That owner of the house is your church elder. Either deliberately or ignorantly, he is controlling through programmes, etc. Jesus is the thief. (This is pretty obvious if we read Revelation 3:3. Thus: "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.") What does the thief come to do? Yes, it's steal. Not just anything. He comes for the best. YOU are the best!! Look at yourself in the mirror. Say, I AM THE BEST WHICH JESUS COMES FOR. However you look at it your elder or pastor is doing this no matter how honest and loving he is. Who is your allegiance to in this matter? Watch and pray is the important thing to do. We need to watch the signs so we know the seasons. I've mentioned this a few times in this article. I hope the point is getting through.
See also, Noah. If we were around in the time of Noah wouldn't we want to know when to get in the Ark? "The Lord then said to Noah, (1) “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. (4) Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.” (10) And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth." (Genesis 7:1, 4 &10.)
Likewise, the Passover in Egypt was seven days. (Exodus 12:12-15 says,) “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel." So, it's a picture of Jesus and those in the Bride (believers of both Old and New Testament/Covenant) being protected. We often look, however, regarding this (or Noah) at the blood of Jesus or the Israelites leaving Egypt. Often we forget He is protecting us through this event.
William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536), is the first one who translated the above event (underlined) into Passover. It was also then added into the King James Version of the Bible. A better translation of this event, however, is: He hovers over and protects or He looks on us and feels pity.
Also, we find with both stories there is a flood. Noah's is very obvious. Likewise, with the Israelites while protecting them, taking them out of Egypt and crossing the Red Sea, He then swallows up the pursuing Egyptians with a flood of returning waters. Moses then prophecies of our day so it seems: "Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea." (Exodus 15:1.) Pharaoh was a whole army. It could be that's what the Scripture is talking about. Why then, after praising His Name, does Moses start mentioning Pharaoh in verse 4. Couldn't it be talking about the lawless one coming on the earth like a flood in these end times? Again, wouldn't He protect us in this time too? Aren't we passing through time, which subsequently destroyed the pursuing army.
I could mention also Rahab and her family. They were protected in their house as long as they were there before Jericho was attacked.
What do we need to do then in view of the imminence of the rapture? Stay on the alert. Watch and pray. Watch the signs of this current season in the LORD. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your LORD will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." (Matthew 24:42-44.) Amen.