April 24, 2026

A Timely Lesson

As the book of Ezra opens, Cyrus, King of Persia, has allowed a remnant of Israelites to return to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding their Temple. Seventy years prior, because of their apostasy, God had allowed Israel to be taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Later, toward the end of the 70-year exile, they came under Cyrus’s rule when he conquered Babylon. God then moved upon the heart of Cyrus, a pagan and idolatrous king, to permit this return. He even stirred the king’s heart to help them raise the needed funds for the rebuild (see Ezra 1:1-4).

Also, King Cyrus returned to them all the vessels and utensils that Nebuchadnezzar had plundered from Israel’s Temple and placed in the temple of his gods. These articles totaled 5400 gold and silver pieces. That’s a chunk of change.

Here in Ezra, a remnant returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel’s leadership and began work on the Temple. Ezra tells us: “When the workers laid the foundation of The Temple of God, the priests in their robes stood up with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise God in the tradition of David…All the people boomed out hurrahs, praising God as the foundation of The Temple of God was laid. As many were noisily shouting with joy, many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first Temple, when they saw the foundations of this Temple laid, wept loudly… People couldn’t distinguish the shouting from the weeping. The sound of their voices reverberated for miles around.” (Ezra 3:10-13, MSG)

It has always intrigued me that many Israelites–the young ones–shouted for joy so loudly that it could be heard for miles, while some of the older ones wept. We are left to wonder why the older folks wept. I suppose it could have been joyful weeping because the restoration was beginning. Or perhaps they were remembering the pain of the Babylonian captivity with its tragic losses. They could have been reflecting on the Temple’s former glory and mourning the present state of Ichabod (“the glory has departed”). Or were they, with their wiser perspective that comes from age, considering the reality of just how far away they were from the Temple’s full restoration? I also think it’s possible they were lamenting the apostasy that created the former Temple’s destruction. We are never told the reason. Personally, I believe a good guess would be all of the above, a mix of emotions. One thing is certain: their perspective was different.

There is one more thing that is certain about the celebration that took place that day: it was a bit premature. Satan also had plans for the project. Daniel 7:25 tells us he attempts to alter “times and laws.” This is a major tactic of the “prince of Persia” (Daniel 10:13), who is one of his principalities. Persia, of course, is present-day Iran. The Hebrew word used for time in this verse means an appointed time; the word for laws can mean, among other things, the decree of a king. Daniel 2:21 says God changes times and seasons. He also decrees His good plans and purposes for us, both in His written Word and through prophetic words. However, the verse in Daniel 7:25 tells us satan tries to alter those times and decrees. Let that sink in: God’s preferred timing and plans can at times be altered.

Satan obviously can’t do so by overpowering or outwitting God; instead, he does this by attacking God’s instruments–us. Satan, through the “prince of Persia,” succeeded in delaying God’s answer to Daniel for 21 days. He didn’t physically attack Daniel, and probably not the angels he “withstood” in the spirit realm (Daniel 10:13). The Hebrew here is a word used not only in a military sense but also in a legal one. The word was often used to describe someone “standing” before a judge, or an adversary in court, bringing an accusation against another. This suggests the possibility that the prince of Persia wasn’t using physical force but rather legal claims–spiritual authority, if you will–to contest the angel’s right to operate in territory he controlled. In the past, I have taught how our sins can give legal right for satan to control a person or territory (see Ephesians 4:27). Daniel persisted in prayer, and Michael was sent with heaven’s verdict.

Daniel 7:25 reveals that one of the methods satan uses to alter times and decrees is by “wearing down” the saints. The Hebrew word this is taken from is never used in Scripture to describe physical fatigue, only mental and emotional weariness. Satan attempts to wear us down, causing us to grow weary (literally: “lose heart”) in our minds and emotions (Galatians 6:9). Fear, discouragement, hope deferred, and other emotional responses attack our faith and can cause us to lose heart. This then can alter our God-appointed times. It did so for this remnant of Israelites in Ezra’s day, just as it did in the Exodus. Moses’ generation made it out of Egypt, but not into Canaan.

In Ezra, we’re told that satan began working to alter God’s time through other people in the region–I believe overseen by the prince of Persia: “So these people started beating down the morale of the people of Judah, harassing them as they built. They even hired propagandists to sap their resolve. They kept this up for about fifteen years, throughout the lifetime of Cyrus, king of Persia, and on into the reign of Darius, king of Persia” (Ezra 4:4-5, MSG).

These propagandists, or “counselors” as other translations refer to them, would be the equivalent of liberal media and politicians of our day. They released accusations and misinformation to try to hinder the plans of the Israelites. The propaganda campaign worked. Rather than remaining strong and trusting God to help them overcome this, the Israelites yielded to fear and discouragement. The result? The rebuilding of the Temple stopped for 16 YEARS! All they had was a foundation.

During this delay, the Israelites began building their own homes and businesses, while abandoning God’s house. They justified this by saying it must not be God’s appointed time for the Temple to be rebuilt. Opposition, however, should never signal to us what is or isn’t God’s will. Nor is it the determining factor as to His appointed time for something. Haggai and Zechariah were raised up to correct this and get Israel back on track.

We believers in America today must not make the same mistake. We must not grow weary in our prayers for revival and the turning around of our nation. Evil lobbyists, media opposition, inappropriate laws, intimidating government agencies, elections that don’t go our way–satan wants to use these and more to try and wear us down. Resist this. Regarding Iran, the prince of Persia is trying to alter the timeline of history, changing the appointed time for his overthrow. We must pray that our President is not influenced by lying media and politicians, and the influence of this “prince” ends, just as it did with Haman in the book of Esther. It is time for America’s turnaround, and it is time for revival in the Middle East, including Iran.

Pray with me:

Father, thank You for alerting us to satan’s goal of changing times and decrees. In our humanness, all of us have the potential of growing weary in our efforts. You told us to FIGHT the good FIGHT of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). Since Jesus won the spiritual battle for our redemption, and promised that we can always triumph in Him (2 Corinthians 2:14), the only way we lose is by default. We will not do so. 

Give strength to the intercessors as they war for the soul of America. Keep the watchmen on their posts. Do not allow setbacks, delays in the past, disillusionment from corruption, evil that succeeded in trenching itself in our land, or any other occurrence to cause us to grow weary and lose heart. Do not allow our leaders, who are fighting a good fight of faith in our nation’s government, to lose heart. It is very difficult for them to sacrifice their time, careers elsewhere, family time, and more for our nation, as it takes so long to turn it around. Encourage them by letting them know they are making a difference.

Do not allow the prince of Persia in the Middle East to change the time and season, thereby enabling himself to remain in power. We join our faith as Your Ekklesia and bind his attempts to withstand the prayers of the church. Give President Trump and our leaders the perseverance and the strategies they need. Break the hold of this spirit, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our decree:

We decree that we will not grow weary in our good works and allow satan to steal our “right time.”

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