THE BOOK OF EZRA

Did you know the book of Ezra and Nehemiah are the same?  Ezra and Nehemiah were some of those that were taken captive by the Babylonians  at a time when Israel had sinned against God.Ezra was not a prophet but a scribe and priest that had prepared his heart to seek the law of Moses to do it and to teach it to the Israelites. Prophet Jeremiah had prophesied the release of the children of Israel from Captivity after seventy years as written in Jeremiah 29:10. God  stirred up the spirit of king Cyrus  of Persia or Babylon to allow them go back and rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem and Judah. They went  as the hand of God was upon them and rebuilt it. But their work was halted  as they were sarbotaged by their enemies. Later, Prophet Haggai and Prophet Zechariah prophesy the rebuilding of the house of God. It was reminded  to king Darius about the decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem and Judah made by King Cyrus and later  king Artaxerxes  allows them to go and rebuild the house of God. Ezra and Nehemiah  interceeded  for the sins of the people through prayer, offering of sacrifices, fasting and  brought to and end to those that had intermarried  with the heathen.