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The three Prayer Warriors (Oct 03-Oct 20,2011) Revelation 14 8 And another angel followed, saying, Babylon[f] is fallen,

is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Revelation 18 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 Question: coming out of Babylon, where should they go?
Going to the literal exile: When did the Jews come out of Babylon and where did they go?

Daniel 9 Daniels Prayer for the People 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Daniel was very distressed, because the time was almost up, and then he prayed a very

serious prayer; Daniel is our first prayer warrior. After that, Gabriel came to him and answered his prayer 25 Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
After literal 70 years the Jews, the Jews would be permitted to come out of Babylon From the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, it should last 490 Years to the time of Jesus. According to the book of Ezra-Nehemiah, the Persian Cyrus the Great ended the exile in 538 BCE, the year in which he captured Babylon There were four decrees: 1 st decree (Cyrus) 539-536 B.C./ 56-53 B.C. Ezra 1

End of the Babylonian Captivity 1 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, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 2nd decree: Ezra 6 (darius) 520-519 B.C. / 37-36 B.C.
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Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: 3rd decree Ezra 7 (7th Year of Artaxerxes) 458-457 B.C. / 26-27 A.D.

The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra


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This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel: 12 Artaxerxes,[a] king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth.
I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; 15[..] 25 And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them. 4th decree: Nehemiah 1 (20th Year of Artaxerxes) 445-444 B.C./ 39-40 A.D. Nehemiah 2 4Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And 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. Only the 3rd decree leads to the right date of the ministry of Jesus. Why did God base the
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prophecy just on that 3rd decree of Ezra?


Lets look at it again (Ezra 7) and ask the question, what kind of guy was Esra?

Ezra 7: 1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given.
What was a scribe? After the return from the Babylonian Captivity (see Why Babylon?), when the people of Judah had lost their independence and had no king of their own to serve, the scribes concentrated their activities on the law, becoming "experts of the law," or "lawyers." (Ezra 7:6,10-12; Nehemiah 8:1,4,9,13). Scribes, doctors of law, and lawyers, were only different names for the same class of persons. Richard Watson, Nathan Banks, a Biblical and theol. Dictionary. Ezra was a lawyer! 2

Ezra is called "a ready scribe in the law of Moses, having preparexthis heart to seek the law of the Lord, ibidem. What was his mission? If we look at the decrees carefully (do it, go back to the top and read aloud), only the 3rd

decree allowed the restoration of a system based on Gods law: Both were necessary for the restoration; the building of the temple AND the establishment of a judicial system based on Gods law! Only Then, the prophetic clock started ticking
Nothing could stop that clock or accelerate that clock. No matter what, 490 years later.

Jesus would be preaching and teaching in that second temple in that City that was originally based on Gods law. Jesus was going to fill this second temple with the glory of His presence:
EGW (GC):Solomon, the wisest of Israel's monarchs, had completed the work. This temple was the most magnificent building which the world ever saw. Yet the Lord had declared by the prophet Haggai, concerning the second temple: "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former." "I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:9, 7 But the second temple had not equaled the first in magnificence; nor was it hallowed by those visible tokens of the divine presence which pertained to the first temple. There was no manifestation of supernatural power to mark its dedication. No cloud of glory was seen to fill the newly erected sanctuary. For centuries the Jews had vainly endeavored to show wherein the promise of God given by Haggai had been fulfilled; yet pride and unbelief blinded their minds to the true meaning of the prophet's words. The second temple was not honored with the cloud of Jehovah's glory, but with the living presence of One in whom dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily--who was God Himself manifest in the flesh. The "Desire of all nations" had indeed come to His temple when the Man of Nazareth taught and healed in the sacred courts. In the presence of Christ, and in this only, did the second temple exceed the first in glory. For the coming out of Babylon both, the temple and Gods law had to be established:

Gods presence (mercy) and Gods law (judgement) would be established, so the clock could start ticking. The temple alone was not enough. Mercy was not enough; justice had to come with it.
Moreover, the great prophetic clock of the 2300 years would start ticking as well (what

day is today? October 22, 2011)


Back to Revelation: Taking the typology of Ezra and Nehemia, where would Gods people

go after coming out of Babylon?


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Into a city or church which would have Gods mercy and Gods judgment in her

proclamation (mercy and judgement). Both Gods law and Gods temple would be proclaimed in that movement. We know what movement that was and is:
The seventh day Adventist church with the Sabbath in the middle of Gods law and the

heavenly sanctuary teaching


Now lets go back to Ezra: what crises did occur during the rebuilding of Jerusalem?

There were two major crises, which would be repeated in the antitypical setting of the endtime church.
There were two major crises and two more prayer warriors:

First crisis: (from the inside) compromise, prayer warrior Ezra Second crisis: (from the outside) persecution, prayer warrior Nehemiah
What was the first crisis about?

Ezra 9: What are the elements Ezra9:6? 6 And I said: O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; [..] And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, [..] and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us [..] to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins. [..] Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day
We read about remnant, revival, repair, and about mixed marriage. The problem was about compromise. Compromise by the children of God, because they

took Babylonian marriage partners.


Do we have an indication that something similar will happen with the remnant Christian

church?
We heard about the shaking; that the teaching of the straight testimony will cause a

spiritual revival and the shaking.


One description of a compromising church in Revelation is found in Revelation 2:12-17,

the church of Pergamos: 14 [..] But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the
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doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.[a] 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. [..] To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.
US. Naturalization: you can pick a name; but the Federal judge has to approve it (new

name is a formal judicial decision)


Compromise comes thru false doctrine; what was the reward for the overcomers: hidden

manna (sanctuary) and white stone (means acquittal after a legal trial): the temple and Gods law restored; mercy and justice restored.
The second crisis of the Jews coming out of Babylon came from the outside; this was

the great moment for the third prayer warrior, Nehemiah:


EGW PK 628: By messengers from Judea the Hebrew patriot learned that days of trial had come to Jerusalem, the chosen city. The returned exiles were suffering affliction and reproach. The temple and portions of the city had been rebuilt; but the work of restoration was hindered, the temple services were disturbed. Overwhelmed with sorrow, Nehemiah could neither eat nor drink; he "wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted." In his grief he turned to the divine Helper. "I . . . prayed," he said, "before the God of heaven." The Jews suffered affliction and reproach; in the antitypical sense, this would mean persecution of the remnant church AFTER the shaking, after the revival.

So far the prophetic-historical implication. What are the personal implications of the three prayers?
1. Daniel: meditation over scripture, spiritual enlightenment personal and as a group, getting

answers and knowledge from God if we have difficulties with His word.
2. Ezra: confess our sins, inside purification, personal spiritual revival, eliminate our

compromise; we are left as a remnant (clear typology in Rev).


3. Nehemia: EGW: [..] As Nehemiah prayed, his faith and courage grew strong. I prayed," he said, "to the God of heaven." In that brief prayer Nehemiah pressed into the presence of the King of kings and won to his side a power that can turn hearts as the rivers of waters are turned. To pray as Nehemiah prayed in his hour of need is a resource at the command of the Christian under circumstances when other forms of prayer may be impossible. [..] In times of sudden difficulty or peril the heart may send up its cry for help to One who has pledged Himself to come to the aid of His faithful. [..] This example of wise

forethought and resolute action should be a lesson to all Christians. God's children are not only to pray in faith, but to work with diligent and provident.

God will be with us in times of utter discouragement; He does have a plan for each of us; He will use each of us in His work; He will have a purpose for each of us. Also: as Nehemia, we will be witnessing before kings, and they might help us further the work of the Lord!
Insight, revival and courage! The devil is a psychopathic monster (read Bob Trefz) who will stop at nothing to hurt our

families, us and to discourage us to walk to journey of faith and help prepare the coming of the Lord Jesus.
But the great news was there was an extremely powerful force coming out of these three

prayers; if we pray like did Daniel for insight, Ezra did for revival and Nehemia did to move the arm of the omnipotent to touch the heart of kings, the devil will be defeated, and he knows that, and he does not like it.
To summarize the antitypical meaning of Ezra & Nehemiah: where do Gods people go when they come out of Babylon? They would join the movement that keeps Gods law; that would teach the temple=sanctuary message to distribute the hidden manna. That movement will have false doctrines creeping in, but a spiritual revival will cause a shaking. Nevertheless, people of that movement will suffer affliction and reproach because of their faith The movement will be carried by strong soldiers of the gospel; prayer warrior with tremendous faith. Prayer will be a strong force during the end-time, and they will arrive at the throne of God: Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. Like the saints of old, it is our responsibility to hasten the coming of the Lord (The general of light) and stall the interference of the General of the dark. 6

A Mighty General With Well-Matured Plans


"They do not know that their enemy is a mighty general, who controls the minds of evil angels, and that with well-matured plans and skillful movements he is warring against Christ to prevent the salvation of souls. Among professed Christians, and even among ministers of the gospel, there is heard scarcely a reference to Satan, except perhaps an incidental mention in the pulpit. They overlook the evidences of his continual activity and success; they neglect the many warnings of his subtlety; they seem to ignore his very existence." {GC88 507.2} We have the greatest general ever-Jesus Christ, Who already threw Satan out of heaven, Who defeated Satan on the Cross, and will capture Satan's armies of the Beast and its Image, and throw them into the Lake of Fire.

Prayer of Faith Moves the Arm of Omnipotence


The Great God in heaven loves faith. He puts in motion the arm of omnipotence in answer to the prayer of faith. "Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence. He who marshals the stars in order in the heavens, whose word controls the waves of the great deep--the same infinite Creator will work in behalf of His people, if they will call upon Him in faith. [Pastoral Ministry] 180.1}

Let us pray 1. Sweet hour of prayer 2. Take it to the Lord in prayer.

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