…who
says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
and
will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ Isaiah 44:28
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ Isaiah 44:28
“This
is what the Lord says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut: Isaiah 45:1
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut: Isaiah 45:1
I will
raise up Cyrus in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,
says the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 45:13
I will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,
says the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 45:13
In 559 BC, King Cyrus of Persia rose to
power. In 539 BC, he defeated the
reigning nation, Babylon. Isaiah was
written between 740 to 686 BC, over one hundred years before Cyrus and God
mentions him by name.
“This
is what Cyrus king of Persia
says: “‘The Lord, the God of
heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to
build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may
go up, and may the Lord their God
be with them.’” 2 Chronicles 36:23
Cyrus
seemed to know this prophecy and later financed the rebuilding
of the temple through Ezra. He allowed
the Jews to return to Jerusalem. God
knows the name of every ruler of every nation now and into the future.