Who destroyed Jerusalem and who gave the command to rebuild the temple?
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 606 B.C. during the Babylonian captivity. God then made commandment through Cyrus, king of Persia, to go back and rebuild the temple, and that rebuilding was carried out under Ezra. A little remnant of Jews returned from Babylon to begin setting the stage for Israel at Christ’s coming.
Les explains that after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 606 B.C., the Babylonian captivity lasted about seventy years. God made commandment through Cyrus, king of Persia, to go back and rebuild the temple, and this took place under Ezra. Ezra rebuilds the temple, and a little remnant of Jews come back from Babylon and begin to set the stage for the nation of Israel at the coming of Christ.