Ezra 1 & 2 – The ascension of Cyrus to power is a fulfillment of prophecy. 2023

6 months ago
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Ezra 1:1
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

King Cyrus was born about 600 BC and died at the age of 70. He reigned over the Persian Empire for 30 years. Cyrus is going to tell the Jewish people to return to their homeland if they will rebuild the Temple. The release of Judah coincides precisely with the seventy years of captivity for Judah spoken of in Jeremiah's prophecy Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). A number of inscriptions from the reign of Cyrus, most notably the famous Cyrus Cylinder, indicate that Cyrus was a clever politician who knew how to win the loyalty of conquered subjects. It shows that Elohim sovereignty used Cyrus to reestablish His people (Prov. 21:1). The ascension of Cyrus to power is a fulfillment of prophecy, delivered more than 200 years earlier, which called him Elohim's "anointed" Isa 44:28-45:4). Josephus states that the partiality he showed toward the Jewish people arose from the prophecies being shown to him, probably by Daniel.

Ezra 1:2
"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

It certainly does look as if someone showed King Cyrus the prophecies concerning himself. Keep in mind that the passages in Isaiah say that Cyrus does not "know" Elohim. While Cyrus acknowledges the prophecies and sees them as true, he does not follow Torah and therefore does not "know" Him. However, it was prophesied that Cyrus would do this and expect nothing in return. Isa 45:12-13).

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