Message: God’s way to restore Israel according to His sovereign will and time
By Rev.
Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries Date: June 15, 2025
In
the first year that king of Persia, Cyrus was ruler of the conquered Babylonian
Empire (538, though he had been king of Persia since 559). 2 Chronicles 36:22 -23 identical to Ezra
1:1-2 lead the reader directly to the continuing historical account in the book
of Ezra.
In the book of Ezra records the fulfillment of God’s promise to
restore Israel to her land after the seventy years of captivity in Babylon
(Jer.25:11) This was accomplished
through the help of three Persian kings (Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes) as well
as Jewish leaders such as Zerubbabel, Joshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra.
Cyrus overthrew Babylon in October 539, and in accord with his policy of
encouraging subject people to return to their homelands, he issued a decree in
538 allowing the Jews to do the same. About fifty thousand did return under the
leadership of Zerubbabel, and the foundation of the Temple was laid,
though it was not completed until 515 in the reign of Darius. Ezra charge 1-6
describes these events.
Ø The decree of Cyrus, king of Persia
as follows,
“In the first year of Cyrus king of
Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord
moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his
realm and to put it in writing: “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. Anyone of His
people among you may the Lord his God be with him and let him go up.” (2
Chronicles 36:22-23)
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in
order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the
heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and
to put it in writing: “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. Anyone
of his people among you may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem
in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in
Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living
are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with
freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.” (Ezra1:1-4).
Ø Isaiah’s prophecies about Cyrus
According to Isaiah 44:28 says,
“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.” (Isa. 44:28) And
Isaiah 45:1 says, “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.”
(Isa.45:1). It indicates Cyrus’ designation as
shepherd. Cyrus, as a temporal deliver of God’s people, serves as an
illustration of Jesus Christ, the eternal Redeemer: and because vassal rulers
were anointed. Open doors. on
the night the Persians captured Babylon some of the men entered on the dry
river bed and opened the gates to their armies from the inside. By their
superior rulers, Cyrus, as one who carried out God’s purposes, could properly
be said to be an anointed vassal.
Ø Jeremiah’s prophecies concerning
Elam-
Elam is located E. of Babylonia.
The Elamites had had a long and eventful history but, by Jeremiah’s time, had
largely been absorbed by the Persians (the modern
Iran).
“This is what the Lord Almighty says, “See, I
will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four
quarters of the heavens; I will scatter them to the four winds, and
there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go. I will shatter Elam
before their foes, before those who seek their lives; I will bring disaster
upon them, even my fierce anger,” declares the Lord. “I
will pursue them with the sword until I have made in Elam and destroy her king
and officials,” declares the Lord. “Yet I will
restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the Lord.”(Jeremiah
49:35-39)
Ø Ezekiel’s prophecies about Persia (the modern Iran) in 38:1-6 as follows,
The Word of the Lord came to me: “ Son of man,
set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech
and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you
around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army your
horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small
shields, all of them brandishing their swords.
Persia, Cush and Put will be with them,
all with shields and helmets also Gomer with all its troops and Beth Togarmah
from the far north with all its troops the many nations with you.” (Ezekiel
38:1-6)
Ezekiel
predicted (chapter 38) that after the Jewish people return to Israel they will
be attacked by an alliance from Russia, Iran and Libya. No doubt these allies
will be motivated by fierce anti-Semitism. Their hostile efforts will not
succeed, however, and will result in their humiliation and defeat. The winds of
this hostility are blowing in the Middle East today. Anti-Israel sentiment is
not typical of many peace loving Muslims, but it is a smoldering fire that is
being fueled by anti-Zionist propaganda. A Zionist is a person that believes
that the Jewish people have a right to the land that was promised them by God
forever. Today’s anti-Zionism is no different than the anti-Semitism that swept
through central Europe during the 1930’s and 1940’s and which has manifested
repeatedly against the Jewish people. But to Abraham, God said, “I will bless those who bless you, and him
who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth will bless
themselves.”(Gen.12:3).
Ø Biblical insight of Cyrus
The reason the Lord raised up Persians in
order to capture Babylon in 539 B.C. and allowed the Jews to return, which
was the fulfillment of God’s promise to
restore Israel to her homeland after the seventy years of captivity in Babylon
(Jer.25:11). God changed Cyrus’s heart and used him to free the Israel by a
decree, As Cyrus wrote “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. Anyone of his
people among you may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in
Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in
Jerusalem.” Cyrus’ designation as shepherd,
Cyrus, as a temporal deliver of God’s people, serves as an illustration of
Jesus Christ, the eternal Redeemer.
God’s resolution to free the
captivity of Israel according to His sovereign will, and in
His way and in His time, ultimately, God rebirth of Israel, all living
Israelites will be saved at the second coming of Christ, and the Lord will
execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.
According to Isaiah’s prophecies 66: 10-16 a vivid picture of the judgments at
the return of Christ, it says,
The hopes of
Christians and Jewish people throughout the world are merging in a common hope
for the coming of the messiah. In present time the war between Israel and Iran,
we pray that God’s sovereign will be done.
It is the Lord come with fire and with his sword to execute judgment
upon the earth. We are in the prophetical timeline, be alert, be watchful and
be ready for bridegroom Christ comes again.
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible
(NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
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