Appearance of Spiritual Cyrus
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–We have seen about Cyrus the Great who freed God’s people from the Babylonian slavery. Even though he was a Gentile king, he acknowledged God. He did everything God commanded through the prophecies of Isaiah. Then why did God allow this history of Cyrus to be recorded in the bible, the book for God’s salvation work?
The bible says that the Old Testament works as copy and shadow to show the reality of what was to happen in the New Testament. In other words, the Old Testament was working as prophecies for the things that would happen in the New Testament. (Hebrews 10:1)
Slavery of Babylon and King Cyrus
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–The bible says that God summoned Cyrus the Great for the sake of God’s people. In the time of Cyrus God’s people were under the Babylonian slavery. When the appointed time came, God raised up Cyrus to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah.
Isaiah 45:13 I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty.”
This prophecy was made about 160 years before the king Cyrus by Prophet Isaiah. In this prophecy, God already prophesied that God’s people would be in Babylonian slavery. And to set them free, he will raise up Cyrus, King of Persia. Finally, 160 year later, Cyrus was born and became a king of Persia. When he came to know the prophecies of Isaiah, he understood that it was God who gave him life. God made him to be a king and conquer many nations. After realizing this, he wanted to do the will of God.
As it says in the Book of Ezra, the king set the Israelites free from the Babylonian slavery. He let them go and rebuild the ruined temple of God. Furthermore, he provided all the materials for the construction of the temple. All these happened to fulfill the prophecies of the bible.
Spiritual Fulfillment of the Prophecy
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–Then what is the purpose of the history of Israel? Is it just a history of one nation? No, it is more than that.
Hebrews 10:1 The law (or the Old Testament) is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.
The bible teaches that the law or the Law of Moses in the Old Testament was a shadow to teach us the realities for the New Testament. The story of Cyrus in the Old Testament also works as shadow. The true meaning of this story can be found in the New Testament. Then let us find out the meaning one by one.
Spiritual Slavery of Babylon By God’s People
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–The Book of Revelation teaches that God’s people would be under the slavery of Babylon in the last days.
Revelation 17:1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
This is a prophecy about a church which will put God’s people under the slavery of sin and death by making them commit adultery. Let us find out the meanings of the prophecy one by one.
Spiritual Meaning In the Prophecy
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–First, what is the woman sitting on many waters? Waters represent human society as we can see in Verse 15. And a woman in the bible signifies a church as in 1 Peter 5:13. Therefore, this prophecy is about a false church (a great prostitute) which will control and rule over the whole human society in the last days. In Verse 5, God named the false church as “Babylon.” And in Verse 6, he shows God’s people under persecution of this false church.
Once the Israelites were under the control and slavery of Babylon around 600 BC. They were in pain and suffering under onerous burden of Babylon slavery. This history was actually working as prophecy for God’s people who would be under the slavery of spiritual Babylon. And the bible says God’s people are under the slavery of Babylon the Great in the last days. In this hopeless state, God sent Cyrus to conquer Babylon. And finally, Cyrus set the Israelites free.
This also shows the appearance of spiritual Cyrus in the last days who will set God’s people free.
Emancipation From the Slavery Of Babylon
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–Then who is the spiritual Cyrus? How can we recognize him who would come to set us free? To understand this we have to first understand the kind of slavery we are in. We are not physically a slave to anyone today. Therefore, we have to know the figurative meaning behind it. Then what is slavery in the spiritual sense?
John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
Spiritually, slavery means the slavery of sin and death. As we have seen in the prophecy of Revelation, in the last day everybody is committing adultery because of Babylon the Great. In this state, nobody is free from sin. And because of the sin, everyone is under the destiny of death since the wages of sin is death. (Roman 6:23)
Appearance of Cyrus and Freedom From Sin and Death
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–However, in this miserable state the bible prophesies that one would appear to set God’s people free from the slavery of sin and death.
Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
This is the prophecy of the appearance of Cyrus and the fall of Babylon the Great. When this angel appears the world covered in the complete darkness is brightened up by the great light he brings into the world. At that moment people will be able to see clearly the true identity of Babylon the false church. Once people have been deceived by Babylon and followed its sinful ways. But now people can see that it is filled with falsehood, impurities, and uncleanness.
Then who is this angel? And what is the light that reveals the identity of Babylon?
Light Of Truth, Passover
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–What is light that brightens up the dark world with its great splendor?
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
In the bible, the light means the words of God or the truth. Then what is the truth that would be revealed in the last days? We can know the truth through the work it is supposed to do in the last days. According to the bible, this is the truth that gives freedom from the slavery of sin and death. In other words, this is the truth that gives the forgiveness of sins, the freedom from sin. And also this truth must give us eternal life, the freedom from death. Then what is the truth that gives us “forgiveness” and “eternal life.” It is the truth of the Passover new covenant.
Forgiveness And Eternal Life Through The Passover
Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–2000 years ago Jesus established the Passover with his flesh and blood. By participating in the bread and wine of the Passover we can receive the promise of Christ, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. So the light of truth that would be revealed in the last day is the Passover of the new covenant.
Abolishment Of The Passover
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–The Passover Jesus established with his flesh and blood was abolished and came to be lost through the Council of Nicaea in 325 BC. Since then people could not keep the Passover. They could not receive the promise of forgiveness and eternal life. Everybody has fallen into the slavery of sin and death. Why all these things happened in the history of Christianity? It was all because of Babylon the Great.
Then what is Babylon the Great that put God’s people under the slavery of sin and death? To find answer to this question, we must find out the one who abolished the Passover. In the history of Christianity the one who abolished the words of God and introduced falsehood into the church was the Roman Catholic Church. (Daniel 7:25, Revelation 13:1-8) The Roman Catholic changed the truth into falsehood. They changed the Sabbath (Saturday) into Sunday worship. Also it changed Passover into Christmas (December 25).
During the reign of Babylon the Great, all the truth of the new covenant was taken away from the world. In the figurative sense, the world fell into the darkness since there was no truth or light. Without the truth of the Passover, everyone became enslaved by sin and death.
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong–This is the spiritual state in the last days. The whole world is under the complete darkness because of the lack of light or the truth. But according to the bible, in the last day one angel would appear with great light that would reveal the identity of Babylon. At that moment, people will come to know the truth, and the falsehood of Babylon would be laid bare. And God’s people who once were under the slavery of Babylon would be emancipated through the truth. Then who is the angel who would bring the truth and set us free from sin and death?
John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ……36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Through these verses we can know that it is only the son Jesus who can gives us the truth that set us free from the slavery of sin and death. In other words, Christ must come back again in the last days. He must teach us the truth of the new covenant Passover. Through this truth, we can be set free.
Conclusion
Then in our time, who restored the Passover, the light of the truth? Who gave us freedom from sin and death? Who allowed the forgiveness and eternal life? Who revealed the identity of Babylon with the light of truth? It was Christ Ahnsahnghong. Cyrus the Great the king of Persia destroyed the kingdom of Babylon. And he gave freedom to the Israelites. This was a prophecy for the last day.
In the last day, God’s people became slaves to spiritual Babylon, the false church which changed the words of truth. Christ Ahnsahnghong appeared to us as spiritual Cyrus the Great. And he gave us freedom from the slavery of Babylon through the new covenant Passover. Just as Cyrus gave the Israelites a mission to rebuild the Jerusalem temple, Christ Ahnsahnghong gave us a mission of establishing spiritual Jerusalem temple. He commanded us to go and find all the building materials of the spiritual temple, that is, our brothers and sisters.
Physical Israelites went through many difficulties while rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple. However, they endured and overcame all the hardships and completed the temple in the end. (Ezra 7:14) In the same way, we might have some difficulties and hardship in the completion of this mission. However, we must overcome and complete the work entrusted to us with a willing mind.