If you were reading in some recently discovered papers from several hundred years ago, and saw written the name of a contemporary person, you would be surprised. You might think the author was some type of a prophet. Imagine if someone at the time of the American Revolutionary War, around when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, spoke of a coming president, one two hundred years later, and named a name, that of Jimmy Carter, president in 1976! Giving a specific name, and then having the prediction come to pass shows that the prophecy is true. Rarely is this ever done. However, in our Scripture today we see this exact occurrence. Let’s take a look at this rare prophecy.
The Old Testament prophets did two things. First they spoke God’s Word, admonishing the people to follow and obey God, proclaiming blessings if they did, and punishment from God if they didn’t. Secondly, the prophets often spoke of coming events. They prophesied the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. They prophesied of coming judgments from the Lord God, often in wars, famines, and droughts. The key point to know if they were a true prophet of the Lord God Yahweh was if their words came true and were fulfilled. A false prophet, one not sent from the Lord, would not have their words fulfilled. They were speaking their own words, or that of the devil, and people were not to listen to them (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
Isaiah spoke the Words of God, we can be sure. When he spoke to admonish and reprove the people for turning to their own ways, and would direct them back to the ways of the Lord, that was Yahweh’s Words. When he spoke of the coming of the Messiah, each of those prophecies came true, along with those of God’s coming judgments for their wicked ways. And there was one particular prophecy that Isaiah gave which was very specific, and its fulfillment showed that he, indeed, was speaking the Words of the Lord.
Beginning in the last verse of the 44th chapter of Isaiah, and continuing on in the first several verses of chapter 45, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of a certain political and military leader by his specific name, that of Cyrus. Cyrus was the great military general and then later emperor of the vast Persian empire. The Persian empire spread across 2,000 miles, including both the areas of the earlier Assyrian and Babylonian empires, and then even more, and was the largest empire of the world at that time. When Isaiah gave his prophecy it was at least 150 years before Cyrus was born, and 200 years before the events came to pass that he spoke of.
God, of course, knows all world events, from the dawn of time until the end, as He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. God knew of Cyrus long before he was born, just as He does with each of us. And He set Cyrus apart for a divine purpose. God chose Cyrus to be a tool to do a job, which was to send His people back to the land of Israel and to rebuild the Temple. Nearly seventy years after the Temple was destroyed and the last of the people of Judah were brought into captivity, Cyrus, who had defeated the Kingdom of Babylon, gave the order for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. God gave His prophet Isaiah this message, nearly 200 years prior, and specifically had him speak of Cyrus by name, so that this pagan emperor would be aware that the God of the Jews was the One in charge of everything, and it was He who was giving him victorious conquests (vs. 3).
God is the power over all powers on earth, both back in ages past, and even today. When we see events unfolding in the world today, countries rising and falling, political leaders growing strong and then being defeated, we do not need to fear if we are one of God’s children. He anoints whom He chooses for His special purposes. As Cyrus and the people of that day saw, the God of Israel is in control of human events.
Isaiah spoke these words to give the people reassurance, and we can also take reassurance as we see major events unfolding around the world. God will take care of the situations that concern us. We don’t have to worry. God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful and in full control. Whatever He allows into our life is for a reason.
There is coming a day when the whole world will know that Yahweh alone is God. World leaders throw their bombs and missiles around, thinking that they are in charge, but they’re not. Other world leaders speak bold words, thinking they are the ones to be listened to, but they aren't. When Cyrus became aware that a prophet of Yahweh had mentioned him by name 200 years prior, did he turn to the God of Israel in belief, and become a child of God? We don’t know. We do know that he was a tool, used by God. Tools get used and then put away. A child, though, lasts forever. Are you just a tool, or are you a child? Turn to the Lord Jesus today, and become a part of His family, a child of God.
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