As punishment for their continual disobedience Israel was taken captive by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon for 70 years. Isaiah, wrote this prophecy 150 years before King Cyrus, who vanquished the king of the Medes, then integrated all the Iranian tribes, “When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’ he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’” (Isa. 44:28) And then the Lord goes on to say, “And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name WHEN YOU DID NOT KNOW ME? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. I am the LORD; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you DON’T EVEN KNOW ME…I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will RESTORE MY CITY AND FREE MY CAPTIVE PEOPLE—without seeking a reward! I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” (Isa. 45:4-5, 13)
The prophet Jeremiah shows this prophecy to King Cyrus and he gladly carries it out. Sends the Jews back home and pays for the temple to be rebuilt.
Interestingly AMY, the US embassy in Israel moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister remarked, “I want to tell you that the Jewish people have a long memory, so we remember the proclamation of the great king, Cyrus the Great, Persian king 2,500 years ago. He proclaimed that the “Jewish exiles in Babylon could come back and rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu’s suggestion that Trump may be compared to Cyrus because of his specific policies affecting the Jewish community gives his analogy a unique twist. But American evangelicals have compared Trump to the Persian ruler since the Republican primaries.
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham