Prophecy about Cyrus in the Scriptures
The Book of Isaiah records a prophecy that was announced about 150-200 years before the events. It is contained in the verses:
Isaiah 44.26-28 "That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid."
Isaiah 45.1-6 "Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else."
Isaiah 45.13 "I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts."
IV important points of the prophecy
Earlier and subsequent verses of Isaiah note the fall of Jerusalem and great Babylon, but here the ruler Cyrus appears. Who was Cyrus? The ruler of Media and Persia, an insignificant state at the time, which stood no chance against mighty Babylon. The prophecy foretells that:
1. Jerusalem and the Temple will be conquered and destroyed, and later rebuilt. This prophecy must have caused an outcry among the Jews, because the Temple has never been destroyed since its founding, just as the buildings of Jerusalem were not previously a pile of rubble. Yes Jerusalem had previously been conquered, but it had not been destroyed and the inhabitants continued to live there. The prophecy about the destruction of the Temple was recorded some 140 years before these events. The Temple and the city were completely destroyed by the Babylonian attack.
2. Jerusalem was to be repopulated by the Israelites. This prophecy also shocked, as the city was full of life. It was only after Babylon invaded that the then inhabitants were abducted into slavery, and a scant handful of local people were left to cultivate vineyards, among other things. This prophecy was written some 210 years before the events. The Israelites were in captivity for 70 years and returned home thanks to Cyrus' decree.
3. The conquest of Babylon will be accomplished by draining the riverbed. Babylon was, it seemed, an impregnable city. It would take years to besiege it, food supplies would last a long time, and the incumbent King Belshazzar was so confident that when Cyrus approached the walls with his army, he gave a drunken feast. The Medes and Persians at some distance from Babylon dug a canal through which the Euphrates River changed its course, so that Cyrus' army, under cover of darkness, entered the city through the dried-up bed of the Euphrates River and the city was captured.
4. Pointing to Cyrus as the one who will do God's will. It is significant that Isaiah wrote the name of a ruler who was not yet alive. Josephus Flavius, a Jewish historian who lived from 37-94, wrote: "Now Cyrus
learned this (as to building the House) by reading the book that Isaiah had left of his own prophecies 210 years before ... These things Isaiah foretold 140 years before the temple was destroyed. When Cyrus therefore had read them, and had admired their divine character, an impulse and emulation seized him to do what was written." Cyrus, after capturing Babylon, freed the Jewish slaves and issued a decree allowing them to return to their native lands with the possibility of rebuilding. And although the final rebuilding of the temple came later it was thanks to Cyrus that the events were initiated, he was the first to pass a law permitting rebuilding.
Describing Cyrus as a shepherd and doer of God's will is not equivalent to saying that Cyrus was holy or did God's will with his entire life. His role as a shepherd and doer of God's will was that he would conquer cruel pagan Babylon, free the Jews from slavery and allow Judea to be rebuilt. At the same time, this prophecy would not, in the case of Cyrus, justify inhumane treatment of his subjects or bestial murders, it was only about defeating the enemy, liberating God's people and decreeing reconstruction. Just as Babylon had previously been a tool in God's hands, Cyrus was heralded as the one who would fulfill prophecy. Cyrus' conquests and war skills make him similar to Alexander the Great, one and the other enjoyed incredible military successes. It is recognized that Cyrus did not follow the Jewish religion, but he was tolerant of other faiths and was guided by justice.
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