PEOPLE WHO CAME BACK. Ezra 2 A new foreign policy was in effect when Persia became the dominant empire in the Middle East under Cyrus's leadership. People who had been taken captive by the Babylonians were allowed to return to their original homes, creating a buffer zone around Persia. Because of this policy, Cyrus was inspired by God to send the Jews living in Babylon as captives back to Judah and Israel. Although Cyrus was not a believer in the sense of being born again, evidence shows he acknowledged God as the Supreme Being and did not want God's judgment to fall on him, as it did on Belshazzar, who died after a night of reckless, licentious revelry in which he used the vessels of the Lord as drinking cups.
Like Egypt represents the world (cosmos) system of society and government, Babylon represents the religious world of popular opinion and human ideas as the way spiritual life is to be practiced. When men put their opinions into the mix of "spiritual" life, there is nothing but confusion and controversy. Each person or group that promotes their own convictions becomes a sect, dividing them from other sects. When the people of God are committed to the scriptures of truth as the only source of information as to belief and conduct of life, there is a sense of submission to divine authority instead of human authority, and a willingness to stay within the parameters of the word of God, even though that is despised by religionists.
The children of Israel had been in bondage to Egypt, the world, for hundreds of years before. Now, they had spent seventy years in captivity in Babylon. This decree of Cyrus opened the way for those who loved God to go "up to Jerusalem," to the "house of God," even if they had to start from scratch. The temple needed to be rebuilt. However, God's people were ready to move forward despite their weaknesses and difficulties.
God has had His people all through the centuries who have had no man-made name to identify them except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He remains the same today. People ask, "Who are you? What is your religion? Why can't you be like others so we can identify you?" For some reason, they fail to see that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose name is above every name, is the name of the Person we gather around. It is not just a religion but a living body united to a living Person who "is the same yesterday, and today, and forever." When we gather in that name alone, we are guided and overseen by the Holy Spirit of God under the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Since the church was born on the day of Pentecost, there have been periods of revival and rebuilding among God's people that have positively impacted the entire body of Christ. One such revival, which affected the English-speaking world, led to a return to the Bible as our sole source of guidance and instruction. Assemblies of God's people who have rediscovered the simplicity of practicing what the scriptures teach are now gathered throughout the world. These groups are committed to the word of God in the scriptures as their only source of information and truth for gospel activities and church teachings. Revival can—and often does—occur when the right time and conditions align in the lives of God's people. "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land."
It is our duty to leave behind what belongs to the world of Egyptian bondage and worldly religion —Babylonian bondage—and turn to God and to "the place" where the Lord has placed His name. The key point is who we are gathered with and the location where we are, not what we have left behind or what others might say. The names of those who make the journey to where our Lord has put His name are known to Him. "We are not our own. We have been bought with a price." The list of names in this chapter includes leaders, families and their cities, priests, Levites, and servants. All are important, and each plays a role in the rebuilding process. No one is insignificant in the family of God or in the work of the Lord.