The Parallax Mk 2

By Rodney Osborne

At last: the Christian way of life and the toolbox of problem solving devices to go with it - all in one volume. The Divine Dynasphere, described as a fortified city, meets every attack with a devasting arsenal described as a Ten Problem Solving Devises. Master the skills and techniques outlined here & The Master will guarantee a masters degree in the Christian way of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rodney Osborne
• Release date: Apr 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9780987254962

Book preview

Ibid.

Section 1: The Divine Dynasphere

The Divine Dynasphere

Gate 1: The Filling of the Holy Spirit

Gate 2: Basic Modus Operandi

Gate 3: Teach-ability

Gate 4: Spiritual Momentum

Gate 5: & 6: Motivational Virtue & Functional Virtue

Gate 7: Momentum Testing

Gate 8: The Winner’s Gate

Summary of the Divine Dynasphere

The Divine Dynasphere

Stand aside, my pride, and let me see that ugly sight, myself. I have been deceived all my life by sayings of philosophers, by scraps of poetry, but most of all by the pride of my own heart, into an opinion of self-power, which the Scriptures plainly tell me, and my repeated failures tell me, that I possess not. It is the design of the religion of Jesus Christ to change men’s views, to change their lives, and to change their very tempers. Yes. But how? By the superior excellence of its precepts? By the weight of its exhortations, or by the promise of rewards? No. But by convincing men of their wretchedness, and guilt, and blindness, and helplessness. By inculcating the necessity of the remission of sin, and the necessity of supernatural light and assistance, and by promising to the penitent sinner, and by actually conveying to him, these evangelical blessings. (Written in the margin of Private Thoughts, Thomas Adams, by Coleridge, British Museum)¹⁴

Word meaning

DYNASPHERE – An arrangement of interrelated parts making up a powerful system of sustainable growth. A teaching device developed by R.B. Thieme, Jr. using the Greek word for power (dunamis) in the locative of Sphere. Dunamis is the root for some of our English words, i.e. dynamic, dynamite. By placing dyna (dunamis) and sphere together, you get dynasphere.

DIVINE DYNASPHERE – placing ‘divine’ before dynasphere allocates ownership to God. This is the original and was the only system for mankind to live by. Jesus Christ used the prototype system. The believer uses the operational system.

COSMIC SYSTEM - A second system that was introduced by Satan. The Cosmic System has two subsystems in it: the Arrogance Complex, and the Hatred Complex. Any personal development system that excludes God operates in the ‘Cosmic System’.

GATE/LOCH – Each Dynasphere (Divine or Cosmic) consists of a number of Loch’s or Gate’s. I prefer the term Loch as it is descriptive of the system of sections a ship has to pass through when travelling over land. As an example; the Panama Canal. The two terms will be used to alternatively by which is appropriate. The Divine Dynasphere has eight Gates. The Cosmic Arrogance Complex has twelve Gates and the Cosmic Hatred Complex has nine Gates.

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Basics

THE DIVINE DYNASPHERE is a description of the Christian way of life. It is the system of Christian living, the plan of God for believers, and the spiritual life of the believer. The dynasphere is the believer’s fortress and palace, and whilst living in it, they are in God’s plan which protects and gives the believer access to all His promises and rewards.

We find the Bible character Job, living in the Divine Dynasphere in Job 1:10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land." (Job 1:10)

Living within the walls can be interpreted as having to live within boundaries that are restrictive. Most are more comfortable with the idea of freedom, defined as having no boundaries. "God’s boundaries are not meant to take the pizzazz out of life. Instead, they are divine fences constructed with God’s wisdom to help us avoid the treachery and trouble of reckless living."¹⁵ Freedom without authoritative boundaries is imprisonment.

The concept of the Divine Dynasphere being the Christian way of life is to be in the ‘love’ system. See PSD7 & 8275, 305. To have love is to have ‘grace integrity’, a modern word for holiness. Integrity/holiness for God is inevitable because God is love. "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (1Jn. 4:16) For mankind to have integrity/holiness requires grace (see PSD4234), for he cannot have it otherwise. Grace also precedes love. Gates one to four build integrity, and Gates five and six build love.

The Divine Dynasphere also defines the boundary lines of the Christian life. In 2 John 1: 9 crossing the boundary is described: Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2Jn. 1:9)

The Divine Dynasphere has but one recognised entry point, entry from the outside, which is Gate One: the Filling of the Holy Spirit. Our illustration of the Loch fits well here. Once the ship has entered the gate (the person has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ) the Loch closes behind it (the believers is ‘sealed’ and has eternal security) and it is filled with water (filled with the Holy Spirit) and lifted up to the next level to travel to the next Loch.

It is an act of disobedience to attempt entry by any other Gate. Here the illustration of a Gate suits better. There is no entry point from the outside from Gate two to eight. Entry into these gates is only possible from the inside of the Divine Dynasphere. The sad and tragic result of such an attempt is entry into another system, the ‘Cosmic’ System 1: the arrogance complex142.

We could look at the temple in Mathew 11, as a type of Divine Dynasphere. This is when Jesus tore up the place, whip in hand and prevented people from travelling through the temple, taking shortcuts. "And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple." (Mar 11:16) Often it is the money changers that get the attention in this passage, but look closer. People were taking short-cuts through various temple gates, carrying their goods, probably to save time and effort, both reasons are self-centred and both to use as a shortcut to another part of the Cosmic System134. There is only one gate of entry in the Divine Dynasphere and all the baggage of sin is left outside.

The Divine Dynasphere, though it has one entry point, also has multiple exit points. The way to exit the Divine Dynasphere requires no teaching. It is to sin or the allowance of unconfessed sin to remain in the believer’s life. Once out of the Divine Dynasphere, the believer operates in one or both of the Cosmic System systems. "The Divine Dynasphere and Satan’s Cosmic System are mutually exclusive. We always reside in one or the other: if not in God’s system, we live in Satan’s power system."¹⁶ There is no ‘no-man’s-land’ just outside the walls of the Divine Dynasphere. Neither is there any ‘sitting on the fence’ nor being a ‘nominal Christian’. There is only in the Divine Dynasphere or in the Cosmic System.

To regain entry to the Divine Dynasphere, the believer must use the first problem solving device (Section 3) called Rebound189. Rebound is based on 1 John 1:9 and will be used as often as necessary, until the Lord returns. As soon as the believer ‘rebounds’, he is filled with the Holy Spirit209 (the second problem solving device) and re-enters the Divine Dynasphere through the same titled Gate one. This does not necessarily mean the believer has to start all over again, moving through each gate sequentially. Once back in the Divine Dynasphere, the believer can advance to any place prior to where he exited. This may vary depending on how much time was spent in the Cosmic Systems and to what depth it has been entered. Each individual differs here. Who can judge accurately enough to say for you but the Holy Spirit?

To exit the Divine Dynasphere is simple and easily done, much easier that entry or re-entry. From the inside the walls are like tissue paper, or a membrane, there to protect that which is inside. It is easily penetrated from the inside, but more challenging from the outside. To remain in the Divine Dynasphere requires something more, yet summed up in a word. A word, which many struggle with, all their lives. That word: obedience. Obedience is not too different from the expected response of a karate student to his instructors command. Or the soldier’s response, to his commanding officer. It takes disciplined training to have the capacity to simply and quickly obey and to do so without question. In this case, the theological truths and mandates involved in the Divine Dynasphere must be obeyed to be effective. "Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed. The purpose behind all doctrine is to secure moral action.¹⁷" To stay within the fortress and palace of the Divine Dynasphere, the believer must apply the ten problem solving devices detailed in Section 3.

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Rom 6:16

The Divine Dynasphere is a system.

•A perfect system created by a perfect God.

•A cohesive system

•A system readily available to every believer

The Divine Dynasphere is a system of gate’s or gates

•The gates have specific locations and there is an order in which the believer must go through them.

•The gates are designed in a certain way to ensure they serve their purpose for the believer.

•The function of the gates are for entry, not exit. They also function as a defence for the Divine Dynasphere.

The Divine Dynasphere is a system of gate’s encircled by a wall of fire

•The wall of fire is impenetrable from the Cosmic System

•The wall of fire is provided by God and is not the work of men.

•The wall of fire protects the believer like the human eye is protected.

Awareness of the Divine Dynasphere:

•Brings spiritual awareness

•Provides a means of assessing your own strengths and weaknesses in the face of a crisis, thus providing a plan to eliminate vulnerabilities.

The Divine Dynasphere has watchman towers on every gate

Every believer has a watchman and every believer is a watchman. The watchman’s message is one of warning, must be delivered and heeded by acting on it.

Going in Deep

The Divine Dynasphere is the unique, sole, and exclusive system for successful Christian living. It has been created by the perfect God for the outworking of His perfect plan for human history. Therefore the Divine Dynasphere is a perfect system. "If we are tempted to tell God how life should work, let’s remember He invented it! May He help us to humbly acknowledge our ignorance and rely on Him – the Creator of the universe."¹⁸ This system "is greater than any human system or individual Christian. God’s plan works in every generation, for anyone who will follow its mandates."¹⁹

The components of a system which claims to be a winning success, as does the Divine Dynasphere, must be "a cohesive system of organization, authority, training, and discipline."²⁰ It must also have; purpose (to glorify Jesus Christ), policy (grace) and authority (the sovereignty of God). These will be explored as our journey continues.

Even being a perfect system, like any other, it has a prototype in order for testing and in order to prove its viability for human use. Once it has been fully tested, it can then be made available to the public domain, in this case, the public is the community of believers, whom it has been designed for.

The Prototype

The Divine Dynasphere is a unique system where God has combined a number of divine principles to make it operational. Those principles are:

•Purpose: The glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the exploitation of the victory over Satan achieved by Jesus through the believer’s residence and parading within the walls of the Divine Dynasphere.

•Policy: Grace. Grace is commonly described as ‘unmerited favour’. Grace is a gift from God to man, a gift that cannot be received or earned by any price or effort. The Divine Dynasphere has a grace environment, a place where maximum grace is available.

•Authority: The Word of God. This is the absolute authority which the residents of the Divine Dynasphere must be under. The believer cannot afford to have any problems or issues with the Word of God or with authority.

•Objective: the believer gains momentum whilst in the Divine Dynasphere towards spiritual maturity. Maturity is the overall goal. Maturity is vital to the preparation of living in eternity in a resurrection body. If the resurrection body were a suit, it would come in one size – ‘M’ for mature. Every believer will receive one, but it will fit best the mature believer.

•Protocol: Obedience. To stay within the Divine Dynasphere, obedience to the divine mandates will insure happiness on earth. These mandates will be revealed as progress is made in this book.

•Point of reference: Love of God. From this point of reference, navigation towards the objective can be determined. The Divine Dynasphere is the system of God’s love.

•Result: Good decisions. Decisions made from the Divine Dynasphere are made from a position of strength. Outside the Divine Dynasphere good decisions at best are made from a weak position and of all decisions to be made, the only valid and effective one is PSD 1: Rebound189.

•Enemy: The Cosmic Systems134. The Divine Dynasphere is a fortress for good reason. Outside of the Gates is the aggressive and opposing systems. The believer makes use of the ten problem solving devices, as battalions to stand against the constant onslaught of the enemy.

Lived by Jesus Christ

"The Divine Dynasphere was designed for Jesus Christ. This system of power could not be given to believers until Christ had proven the system throughout His life."²¹

A study of the life of Christ will reveal that He proved the Divine Dynasphere to be, not only perfect, but also humanly achievable. Because He proved it with His humanity; it is now made available, obtainable and achievable for every believer.

As a man, Jesus’ unique entry into the world of humans required Him to have a divine support system, a system that would be available for anyone who chooses to believe on Him. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Joh.1:14)

This brief reflection of the life of Christ will also reveal that each component and standard of the prototype was met by Him. "By His own self-discipline He perpetually resided in the Divine Dynasphere and developed maximum capacity for life."²²

Too many believers find themselves in a role or position that is beyond their capacity. This of course can only lead to unhappiness and cannot be sustained for any great length of time. By His perpetual residence in the Divine Dynasphere, Jesus’ humanity was sustained, His mission accomplished and His destiny on earth was fulfilled.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (Joh.15:10)

Available to believers

So it will be for the believer, who’s stay in the Divine Dynasphere is prolonged. "The same divine system that sustained Jesus Christ now belongs to each believer."²³ The believer will be sustained, his mission accomplished and his destiny fulfilled.

As a resident of the Divine Dynasphere the believer has the superiority of their eternal position, integrity that perpetuates nobility and royalty status which lives by a superior code of honour. The believer, in comprehension of God’s plan as a system, will be able to "adhere to all God’s mandates for us."²⁴

The question of when does the Divine Dynasphere become available to the believers is simply answered. The believer receives the Divine Dynasphere at the point of regeneration²⁵. The point of regeneration is the moment a person receives the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. He or she is born again.

The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians chapter one, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness [Cosmic System] and transferred us to the kingdom [Divine Dynasphere] of his beloved Son," (Col.1:13). At the point of being born again, the believer takes up residence in the Divine Dynasphere. He or she is reconciled a] by God (2Cor.5:18-19; Col.1:20) and b] to God (Rom.5:10; 2Cor.5:20; Eph.2:14-17). The believer is redeemed from the Cosmic Systems slave market outside the walls of the Divine Dynasphere (Rom.3:24; Col.1:14; 1Pt.1:18), positionally delivered from the power of the sin nature [the Cosmic System] (Rom.8:2; Phil.3:3; Col.2:11) and appointed a priest unto God (1Pt.2:5, 9; Rev.1:6).

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There have been a great number of doctrines touched on in the last few pages, some of which have been summarised in the ‘Book of doctrines’, while others which to give justice to require much more explanation. These explanations will be given as progress is made through the book and will be mostly found in the ‘Going in deep’ sections. Here though we can summarise with the Divine Dynasphere is a perfect God made system, Jesus proved the prototype, and the believer uses the operational version.

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2Cor.3:18)

The Loch’s/Gate’s

One way to look at the Divine Dynasphere is to make some observations from the gates in Ezekiel’s temple, found in Ezekiel chapters 40-44. All comparisons or illustrations can be taken only so far. For example, Ezekiel’s temple has six gates, where the Divine Dynasphere has eight. Nevertheless we can extract certain truths from the use of this comparison, by looking at the gate location, the gate design, and the function of the gates.

The gate locations

The first observation, the location of the gates, reveal that half give entry to outer court and the other half provide entry to the inner court.

The same principle is in the Divine Dynasphere. The first four Gates are representative of entering the outer court which we can call ‘spiritual childhood’. The next four Gate’s provide entry into the inner court, representing spiritual adulthood. The ‘new Christian’ is defined here as being in the outer court of the Divine Dynasphere meaning they are [a] being filled with the Holy Spirit, [b] learning the Christian’s Modus Operandi, [c] remaining teachable, and [d] gaining spiritual momentum through the learning and application of Bible Doctrine. Entry into the inner court (spiritual adulthood), is dependent on going through each part of the outer court.

Another observation comes from reading the passages rather than the diagram, is the attention given to the East Gate.

Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory…. As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, (Eze.43:1-2, 4)

Gate one: The filling of the Holy Spirit - The East gate is the first to be mentioned, measured and entered (40:6). It is likened to the front door. Once inside the outer court, the north gate is measured (40:20), and same approach is made for the south gate (40:24); Gates two to four are measured from the inside. We can learn from this that the first Gate in the Divine Dynasphere is the appropriate one to enter. The other outer gates of the temple or gates of the Divine Dynasphere can be entered sequentially from inside: being filled with the Spirit. Then the inner Gate’s (40:28, 32, 35) can be accessed.

Our passage does mention entry to the temple via the north gate, but it is worth noting what that means: See 40:4-10. Those that enter via the north gate are to be marked well, because they are rebellious and strangers to the royal family of God.

If we go over to Jeremiah another mention of the east gate is made:

"The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be uprooted or overthrown anymore forever." (Jer.31:40)

Here we see what lies outside the East gate; death and decay. The brook Kidron is another study not necessarily in the scope of this treatise, but it is worth knowing that the brook of Kidron is where all the idols were dumped. It would be similar to the city garbage dump. What we can observe here is that being outside the Divine Dynasphere there is nothing but rubbish, decay and death. Often one must go through a lot of garbage to find the entry gate to the Divine Dynasphere, and the way to enter the Divine Dynasphere is via the East Gate, the filling of the Spirit. All the baggage of sin, all the garbage is dumped prior to entry.

As a point of interest, after Cain murdered his brother, he went east ‘away from the presence of the Lord.’ "Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden." (Gen.4:16) A further study of Scripture on ‘coming from the east’ and ‘going to the east’ will reveal that every time someone comes from the east, they come into the Divine Dynasphere and every time they go east, they enter the Cosmic System.

The gate design

These gates are nothing like the gates we are familiar with today, especially like my side gate, or even the gates we see used for city gates of fortified cities on the movies. Looking at the design from above, the first impression is the strength of the gate. Looking at the design, it appears to be the strongest part of the wall. It is built into the wall of the temple with towers on either side, for guards and ‘watchman.’ A staircase must be climbed to enter providing a protected entry that slows the attack of an enemy. We can also note that entry to the gate is a step-by-step process.

Once through the initial part of the gate, to get to the other end, one must pass ‘side chambers’. These chambers were used for those going through the gate to prepare for sacrifices (40:38), which involved the purchasing of sacrificial animals and materials. They were also used for housing the guards and a place for the elders and judges to resolve conflicts and give advice.

Then, at the end of the gate there is a porch. The porch was used for the slaying of the burnt offerings (40:39). This speaks of the believer’s spiritual preparation for each Gate in the Divine Dynasphere. These preparations will become clear as we examine each Gate.

Another observation, which with a stretch of the imagination could be relevant, is the length of the gates. The distance from the stairs to the porch is 50 cubits. 1 cubit = 51.81 cm or 1 foot 8.7 inches (approx.). The length of the gates is 86.35 feet or 26.32 metres. The numbers themselves may not have much significance, though I am sure a numerologist could find something, but the idea of distance required to get through each gate might tell us that it will take time and there are no short-cuts.

The gate functions

The main function of a gate is ‘the way of entry’ and we have already established that entry to the Divine Dynasphere is made at Gate one: the filling of the Holy Spirit. This gate of Ezekiel’s Temple, however, has more.

Perfect environment - Inside the Divine Dynasphere is the dwelling place of God. To reside in the Divine Dynasphere provides perfect environment PSD 3221 in the soul of the believer.

…the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, and he said to me, Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings at their high places," (Eze.43:5-7)

Living under grace – To live under grace means to be living in the unmerited favour of God. Grace is possible because the Lamb of God was slain on the porch. The believer goes through each gate in the knowledge and reality that all sins have been taken away and the whole system operates without any human works or efforts.

"They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them… But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord GOD…. They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat." (Eze.44:11, 15, 18).

Freedom – from oppression and to the reception of an inheritance. The believer can have his very own vibrant spiritual life within the Divine Dynasphere.

"…of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes." (Eze.45:8)

Prophetic – there is also a prophetic meaning in the gates.

"Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east. And it was shut. And the LORD said to me, ‘This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut." (Eze.44:1-2)

The day will come when the gates will be shut. This is speaking of the end of the church age, marked by the rapture of the church. The opportunity to receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour will have passed. The gate will be shut. Until then:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." (Joh.10:1-7)

Doctrine of eminency of the Rapture

(see section four – Book of Doctrines)

The gates serve to defend a city when they are the primary target for an attacking enemy. A city will be decimated if the gates are battered and ruined. Isa.24:12 says, "Desolation is left in the city; the gates are battered into ruins."

The gates must be used according to the purpose in which God set them up. Mar.11:15-17 says, "And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.

The gates serve to provide entry to the city for growth. Isa.26:1-3 says "In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

The gates are the focus in this section of Mk.II. Gates on their own however lose their purpose unless there are walls connecting them. The previous verses describes a strong city as one that has ‘salvation as walls.’ Walls are mentioned throughout the Scriptures, so it is important to note a few things about them.

The Wall of Fire

"And said to him, "Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the LORD. Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: (Zec.2:4-8)

To best illustrate what the ‘wall of fire’ means for us, we should start with the context of Zec.2:4-8. In November of 521 B.C., the second year of Darius’ reign, Zechariah the Prophet recorded eight visions and 2:4-8 is part of the third. Zechariah was one of the families of Jewish priests that returned from Babylon where Israel had been taken captive in 586 B.C.

At the time of being taken captive, Jerusalem, a walled city, and the temple was destroyed and now Cyrus, the king of Persia had authorised the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Some of the Jews chose to remain in Babylon due to how they had prospered there and the ‘details of life’ were in their favour. Others, including Zechariah, did not hesitate to return.

Other significant persons that returned to Jerusalem were Haggai, Ezra and later Nehemiah. Ezra, who at the time of Zechariah’s vision was present and is known for his assistance in the rebuilding of the temple and the lengthy public reading of the Scriptures. The response of the returned Jews was:

"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the