The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great
c. 600 or 576-530 BC.

   There are many people in the world today who believe that the Bible is little more than a book of myths—something that I am sure you are all aware of. Indeed, it is no secret that many people believe that the Bible was written by men, changed over time as their ideals and philosophies evolved, moving ever closer to cultured enlightenment. Many of these people also believe that the Old Testament—its prophesies, historical records, and laws—are not contemporary to the events they record, but were instead written down during the Babylonian Exile sometime during the mid 500s BC. This would of course support the belief that the Jewish Torah—and indeed, the very foundation for both Judaism and Christianity—is of a fictitious nature; a grand history dreamed up by despondent exiles in a land not their own. 
   However, if one takes the time to examine the historical record, one will soon discover that there are numerous problems with this theory. Indeed, there are far to many historical facts, philosophical loopholes, and errors in reasoning for me to do more than scratch the surface on the subject. 

   That being said, I am going to give you one example of how it is utterly impossible for the Old Testament to have been created during the Babylonian Exile: The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great.

“This is what the Lord says—

    your Redeemer and Creator:

‘I am the Lord, who made all things.

    I alone stretched out the heavens.

Who was with me

    when I made the earth?

I expose the false prophets as liars

    and make fools of fortune-tellers.

I cause the wise to give bad advice,

    thus proving them to be fools.

But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!

    By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will live here again,’

and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be rebuilt;

    I will restore all your ruins!’

When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’

    they will be dry.

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.’”

This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one,

    whose right hand he will empower.

Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear.

    Their fortress gates will be opened,

    never to shut again.

This is what the Lord says:

“I will go before you, Cyrus,

    and level the mountains.

I will smash down gates of bronze

    and cut through bars of iron.

And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—

    secret riches.

I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,

    the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

“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,

so all the world from east to west

    will know there is no other God.

I am the Lord, and there is no other. ...

... 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!”
~Isaiah 44:24-28, 45:1-6, 45:13 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis added]

   As is clearly stated by the Prophet Isaiah, this Old Testament passage refers to Cyrus II, King of Persia. But what few people realize is that the Prophet Isaiah lived and died at the turn of the 8th and 7th centuries BC. (c. 740-681 BC. ) Which means that this prophecy about Cyrus the Great was made approximately 100-150 years before Cyrus II was even born. (c. 600-576 BC. ) 
   So then, how is it that the Bible could accurately predict the rise of the Achaemenid Empire, and even go so far as to call its ruler by name? Not only did the Bible predict these events, it even goes on to describes Cyrus II's war-standard in Isaiah 46:11.

The Standard of Cyrus the Great

“... I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—

    a leader from a distant land to come and do my bidding.

I have said what I would do, 
    and I will do it.”
~Isaiah 46:11 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis added]

   How could Isaiah have known that a king named Cyrus would have a bird of prey as his banner before the man was even conceived? Furthermore, how could he have predicted the events surrounding the fall of Babylon and the rise of the Persian Empire? And how could he have known that Cyrus II would return the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem 100 before the Babylonians had even conquered Judah? (The approximate date for the Babylonian conquest of Judah is somewhere between 587 and 581 BC. ) 

   Is it possible that Cyrus somehow learned of this prophesy—despite having never traveled west of the Euphrates river until his invasion of Mesopotamia—and then proceeded to fulfill every word, to the letter, through ambition and sheer will-power alone? Unlikely. The odds of someone accurately fulfilling such a specific prophecy are virtually nonexistent. Humanly speaking, it can not be done—not without some sort of supernatural intervention and/or orchestration.

   The same thing can be said of Isaiah's prophesies about Jesus Christ. Not only did Jesus fulfill Isaiah's prophesies to the letter, he also fulfilled every other messianic prediction in the entire Old Testament.

   So how can this be? How could a book, written by dozens of authors over thousands of years accurately predict the rise and fall of nations, and call a king by name before his parents were even born? The answer lies in Isaiah 46:8-10.

“Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!

    Remember this, you guilty ones.

Remember the things I have done in the past.

    For I alone am God!

    I am God, and there is none like me.

Only I can tell you the future

    before it even happens.

Everything I plan will come to pass,

    for I do whatever I wish.”

~Isaiah 46:8-10 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis added]

   The Bible's prophesies are specific and accurate because the Bible was written by the only one who knows history before it even begins—The Lord God Almighty. 

Case closed.