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.'” 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: “I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” (Isaiah 44:28–45:3, NIV 1984).
My Musings – The prophecies of Isaiah occurred around 742 B.C. Jerusalem had not yet fallen, and the Temple had not yet been destroyed (586 B.C.) by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar, much less rebuilt. The Persian Empire had not yet been founded by Cyrus the Great (550 B.C.). Yet here he is, being “[summoned] by name” in the prophecies of Isaiah.
My Advice – The entirety of the Scriptures are chock full of prophecies that were fulfilled down to the minutest details. In this case, the name of future King of a not yet established kingdom. Do not be hasty in dismissing those prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled.
“You must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this coming He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'” (2 Peter 3:3–4, NIV 1984).
“I [John] saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh, He has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11–16, NIV 1984).
Oh, He’s coming back alright. Just as He said, down to the minutest detail written in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation. We don’t want to be among those “He treads in the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” And by His grace, we don’t have to be.
The Brew Is A Musing 