The Book of Matthew - The Temple and the Book of Esther

Zechariah is an important book, as you and i have discussed here before. I think it has the most messianic references prophecies of anything in the old testament. It looks like zechariah was alluding to this gigantic political, global military shake up that was going to come a couple centuries after he was writing. Cyrus the great is the persian leader who topples the babylonians led by nebuchadnezzar. The book of esther unfolds in this political moment. And it is cyrus the great who sends the jewish captives home to go and rebuild the temple.