A Prophetic Moment

A man named Cyrus was king of the Medo-Persian empire from 559 B.C. to 530 B.C. We know quite a bit about him from historical records, but I won’t regale the reader with details that can be found in any number of history books; that’s not the purpose of this article. I will tell you that, for an Oriental despot, he ruled with some moderation and wisdom, and was so highly regarded by the Greeks that they tagged him with the adjective “the Great.” And thus, that’s how he is largely known in history—Cyrus the Great. He has a good name among Bible believers as well because he is the king who allowed the Jews, in 536, to return to Palestine from Babylonian Captivity to rebuild their city and temple.

We know all of this, hindsight, from historical records. The prophet Isaiah, if he, at present, has any knowledge of our knowledge of Cyrus, is probably not terribly impressed. Because he knew about Cyrus about 170 years before the Persian king issued his edict about the Jews.

Keep in mind that Cyrus became king of Persia in 559; he allowed the Jews to return to Judah in 536. Isaiah was writing his book in the late-8th/early 7th century B.C., around 700, give or take a few years—about 170 years before Cyrus permitted the Jewish return from exile. Yet, the prophet wrote about him: “[The Lord] says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid." Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut…For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me” (Isaiah 44: 28; 45:1, 4). 170 years before the act, Isaiah named by name the man who would allow the Jews to return to their homeland to rebuild their city and temple. But notice how minutely accurate this passage is. Cyrus said to the temple, “your foundation shall be laid.” Now, while Cyrus (according to Ezra) did allow the Jews to return to Judah to rebuild the temple, they never got it done during his lifetime. They only got the foundation laid! It wasn’t until several years after Cyrus’s death, spurred on by the preaching of the prophets Zechariah and Haggai, that the Jews began to build the temple above the foundation.

Now, somebody explain to me how Isaiah, 170 years in advance, knew that a man named Cyrus (who did not know Jehovah) was going to allow God’s people to return to their homeland and rebuild their city and temple. And that only the foundation would be laid during that time. There is only one way Isaiah could have known it—God told him. Man simply does not have the ability to minutely predict historical events 170 in advance. Anybody want to tell me what’s going to happen in the year 2180? We don’t even know, for sure, what’s going to happen tomorrow. But God does. And He can tell us if He wants to. And he told Isaiah about a man’s actions 170 years before they happened.

“Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare” (Isaiah 44:7-8). God challenges man to predict “the things that are coming.” We can’t do it; He can. That’s one thing that makes Him God and us human. And such prophetic utterances, as Isaiah made regarding Cyrus, are all through the Bible.

Don’t try to tell me that Book wasn’t written by God.

Addendum:  Cyrus was the Medo-Persian king who overthrew and ended the Babylonian empire.  Read Isaiah 13:17.  Also read Isaiah 13:20 and tell me how many Babylonians you know today.  Compare that with what Ezekiel prophesied about Egypt in Ezekiel 29:14-15.  Open your own Bible, I'm not going to do all your work for you ;).

Addendum No. 2:  In Isaiah 13 and 14, the prophet predicts the destruction of Babylon, which wasn't even the major Middle Eastern power at the moment.  Assyria was.  Babylon won't rise for at another two generation, but Isaiah is already predicting its fall (who told him?).  Also, note very carefully the reference to "Lucifer" in Isaiah 14:12, still within the discussion of the overthrow of Babylon.  "Lucifer" is not Satan; he is some unnamed Babylonian king.  Context and historical background are absolutely crucial in understanding any Biblical passage.