The Last Adam and the Last Eve, Christ Ahnsahnghong and God the Mother

Tag: Freedom from Slavery

Passover, the law of life

The Passover, the Law That Gives Life

Paul teaches that we who were once under the law of sin and death has been freed and are now under the law of the Spirit and life through Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Then what is the law of the Spirit and life that gives us freedom from the slavery of sin and death and leads us to the eternal kingdom of heaven?

The Law of Life Prophesied in the Old Testament

Through Prophet Jeremiah, God already foretold the appearance of the law of life through which God would allow us to receive freedom from sin and death. Jeremiah prophesied:

Jeremiah 31:31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Through Prophet Jeremiah God promised that He would make a new covenant with his people, a law through which God would forgive the wickedness and sins of his people. Then what is the new covenant prophesied in Jeremiah? We can find the fulfillment of this prophecy in the work of Jesus Christ.

Jesus and His Disciples Keeping Passover

Jesus Coming To Bring the Law of Life

Prophecy of the Appearance of the Lord

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist filled with the Holy Spirit foretold the coming of Messiah to give salvation (or life) through the forgiveness of sins to the people of God.

Luke 1:76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Here Zechariah says that his son John the Baptist is the prophet Elijah who came to prepare the way for the Lord or Messiah to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi. (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, Malachi 4:5). And he also teaches the appearance of the Lord or Messiah who would come after John the Baptist. He would appear as “the rising sun” giving light to people “living in darkness and in the shadow of death” and he would bring them “salvation through the forgiveness of sins.”

The Passover, The Law of Life

This prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus coming as Lord bringing the law of life that gives us freedom from sin and death through the establishment of the new covenant, “the law of life”. On the night of the Passover, Jesus established the new covenant through the Passover bread and wine as it was prophesied by Jeremiah.

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

According to the teachings of Paul and Jeremiah, this new covenant Passover is the law of life that give us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Let us find out the meanings of the Passover. Paul says that the law of life has power to give the forgiveness of sin and free us from the power of death. Also it give us eternal life or salvation.

The Forgiveness of Sins Through the Passover

While establishing the Passover, Jesus taught us about the blessings contained in the Passover. One of the blessings of God in Passover is the forgiveness of sins. Jesus Christ proclaimed the forgiveness of sins through the Passover bread and wine.

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.

On the night of the Passover, giving out the wine of the Passover, Jesus proclaimed that the Passover wine represents his blood he shed for the forgiveness of sins. Through the Passover the law of life, we can receive the forgiveness of sins and freedom from the slavery of death.

Since we are freed from sins and death, we can have the right to participate in the eternal life in heaven.

How can we wash our robe white through the blood of Lamb?

Eternal Life Through the Passover

Jesus teaches that those who received the forgiveness through the Passover can participate in the eternal life in heaven. In the Book of John, he explains another meaning of the Passover like this:

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.

Here Jesus teaches that those who participated in his flesh and blood through the Passover bread and wine are the ones who can have salvation and will be raised into eternal life in heaven. And in the Book of Revelation they are described as the ones who can enter the kingdom of heaven.

Revelation 7:14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

In Revelation 7 we can see a multitude who washed their robe white with the blood of Lamb and in Chapter 22 they are described as the ones who can eat from the tree of life and enter into the city, that is, heaven. Then what does it mean to wash the robe white with the blood of Lamb? It means to cleanse the sins through the blood of Christ through the Passover.

Conclusion

Paul says that those who are in Christ are freed from the law of sin and death and they are the ones who would be in the law of the Spirit and life through Jesus Christ. Through the teachings of God in the bible we can understand that the law of life Christ established for our salvation is none other than the Passover of the new covenant.

Through the Passover, Christ promised the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Therefore, those who want participate in the promise of God of eternal life must keep the Passover of the new covenant. Now is the time that we have to understand the will of God to enter heaven. (Matthew 7:21) And the will of God for us is to keep the Passover and have the law of life in us to be the people of God. Let us keep the Passover with a humble mind.

09/16/2019
God’s Promise in the Passover: Inheritance of Canaan

In the previous two articles we have studied that we can receive the promises of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the Passover. In this article, we are going to see the ultimate purpose of God giving us the Passover.

What does God want to do for us when we keep the Passover and receive the precious promises of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. To understand the matter, let us first take a look at the Passover of the Old Testament as copy and shadow so that we can know the will of God for us.

Passover and Canaan

God’s Will in the Emancipation of the Israelites

In Exodus, God explains the reason why he gave the freedom from the Egyptian slavery to God’s people.

Exodus 6:6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

The will of God for them was clear that he wanted to take them to the Land of Promise Canaan and give the land to the Israelites as inheritance. He did not want them to live in Egypt after the freedom.

Journey to Canaan the Promised Land

After keeping the Passover, we can see the Israel people leaving out of Egypt the land of slavery right the next day. They started their journey toward the Land of Promise Canaan.

Exodus 12:31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.” 33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”

The Egyptians got terrified after they experienced the power of God in the last plague the plague of the first-borns and in the Passover that gave the protection to the Israel people from the disaster. And they urged the Israel people to leave the country and to go wherever they wanted. So the Israel people could leave Egypt as free men right next day.

Conquering the Promised Land Canaan

After the freedom and the forty year’s journey in the desert, they could enter the Land of Promise in the end. And they could inherit the land just as God promised them.

Joshua 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.

To fulfill the promise of God the Israel people could conquer the Promised Land. And they could receive the land “flowing with honey and milk” as their inheritance.

True Meaning of Inheritance of Canaan

Slavery of Sin and Death

All these things in the Old Testament were just a copy and shadow for the reality which would be revealed to the true Israelites or God’s people in Jesus Christ. (Colossians 2:16) Then what is the reality God have wanted to teach through the Law of Moses in the Old Testament?

As we have seen in the previous article, all mankind is the people of God in the spiritual sense. (Romans 2:28) They were once angels in heaven. However, because of the sins they committed in heaven, they were cast down to this earth, living in the agony of death.

About the life on this earth, Christ teaches us that we are living as slaves to sin and death.

Freedom Through the Passover

However, God took pity on the people who are suffering the pain of death and listened to their prayer for salvation. To give them freedom from sins and death, God came down to this earth and gave himself as ransom on the cross. He took up our sins in our stead and gave us the forgiveness of sins, the freedom from sins and death through the Passover.

Through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross we could be freed from the slavery of sins and death. First, Christ gave us the forgiveness of sins through the Passover. (Matthew 26:26) And also he gave us the freedom from death or the eternal life through the Passover. (John 6:53)

Spiritual Canaan the Kingdom of Heaven

Then what was God’s will for us in giving the freedom from the slavery of sins and death? Does God want us to live on this earth forever? In the Old Testament the will of God for the Israel people after the emancipation from the slavery was to lead them to the Promised Land, not living in Egypt.

Likewise, God’s will for those who have been set free from the slavery of sin and death is to lead them to the Promised Land or the spiritual Canaan, that is, the Kingdom of Heaven.

Both Apostle Peter and John testifies about the spiritual inheritance God’s people would receive through the redemption work of God. Apostle Peter prophesies about the destruction of the earth we are living in and the creation of new heavens and earth (or the Kingdom of Heaven) where the saved would receive as inheritance.

2 Peter 3:7 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly, ,,,,, 13 But in keeping with his promise we (the saved) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

New Heaven and New Earth

And Apostle John testifies about some characteristics of this new heaven and new earth.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ….. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The most important characteristic of the new heaven and new earth is that there is no death there, which means there is only eternal life in the new heaven and the new earth. Since we cannot receive this inheritance with the body of sin and death, God eagerly wanted to give us “the forgiveness of sins” and “eternal life” that we may enter the new heaven and new earth. This is the reality of the Promised Land God wanted to show us through the Law of Moses.

Conclusion

God gave us so many precious promises through the Passover of the new covenant. The message of God in the Passover can be summed up as inheritance of Canaan the Promised Land. Even though we are sinners from heaven, God made the plan for the creation.

Through the creation work of God, the elect will be made into a perfect creation and they will receive the kingdom of heaven as eternal inheritance. All the forefathers of faith made their journey toward heaven through the faith in God. As chosen people of God, people in Zion should follow the Spirit and the Bride, Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem to the end.

04/10/2019
Spiritual Cyrus Christ Ahnsahnghong

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.

Illustration of Babylon the Great

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?

The Light of truth that reveals the identity of Babylon the great

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.

05/07/2017
Cyrus the Great And the Prophecy

King Cyrus the Great

“…. I am Cyrus, king of the universe, the great king, the powerful king, the king of Babylon…..As for the population of Babylon who as if without divine intention had endured a yoke not decreed for them, I soothed their weariness, I freed them from their bonds.” From Cyrus Cylinder

Cyrus Cylinder in British Museum

This is the record inscribed in the Cyrus cylinder which was written in a cuneiform to celebrate the conquest of Babylon in 539 BC. Cyrus the Great was the king of Persia, who later conquered the kingdom of Babylon in 539 BC. After completing the conquest of Babylon, the very first thing he did was to free the exiles and let the expatriated peoples return to their own land and nations. In this time of Cyrus, Jews were among those who repatriated from Babylon to the land of Israel. What is more amazing in this part of history is that this event was also recorded in the bible.

Biblical Description Of The Emancipation By Cyrus the Great

Ezra 1:2 The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 4 And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.

This is the declaration made by Cyrus the Great to the Jews who had been expatriated around 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon when he conquered the city of Jerusalem. In this declaration, he basically set all the Jews free from the exile. And he let them go back to their own land. What is unusual in this decree is that he allowed them to rebuild the Jerusalem temple, which once was burnt down by the Babylonians. Moreover, he commanded his people living with Jews to provide them the materials the Jews asked for the reconstruction of the temple.

Enigmatic Messages In the Decree

Due to the decree of the king, the Jews could gather many valuable offerings among the Babylonians and could come back to their own land. This was one of the most important events in the history of the Jews. What is interesting about this event is the reason why Cyrus the Great made this seemingly improbable decree. He could simply make the exiles stay in the places where they were at the moment and use them for various purposes as the Babylonians did. More than anything else, what is inexplicable in this decree is the reason he allowed the Jews to build the temple for God and even provided materials for the purpose.

Originally, the state religion of the kingdom of Persia was the Mithraism. And the people of Persia worshiped the sun-god Mitra. And this was true to Cyrus the Great. Even though he was a sun-god worshiper who did not believe in the God in the bible, he praises God for the authority given to him. He attributes his power and authority to God Jehovah, not Mitra and in return for the favor of God Jehovah, he allowed the Jews to go back to their land and build God’s temple in Jerusalem. Then how could this happen? There was one thing that moved the heart of King Cyrus.

The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great

The Prophecy Of Cyrus the Great

After he conquered the kingdom of Babylon, he could know a prophecy through God’s people who had been living in the land as exiles. The prophecy was precisely concerned about him. Let us take look at the prophecy of Cyrus in the bible.

Isaiah 45:1 “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: 2 I will go before you and will level the mountain; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. 4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

This prophecy was from Prophet Isaiah about 700 BC, which means this prophecy was recorded about 170 years before Cyrus actually became the king and conquered Babylon in 539 BC. After the conquest of Babylon, he became acquainted in this prophecy and he was moved in his heart. He realized that the God of Israel is the true God. God was the one who named him even before his birth and gave him all the power and authority to establish his vast kingdom.

God’s Will For Cyrus

In realizing this Cyrus wanted to do the will of God. He eagerly wanted to obey the mission entrusted to him by God by faithfully fulfilling the will of God. Then what was the will of God He had prepared for Cyrus?

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.”

According to this prophecy, God reveals the reason he has chosen Cyrus as his prophet. The mission given to Cyrus was first, to set God’s people free from the Babylon exile. Second, He had chosen Cyrus to entrust the work of rebuilding the temple of God which had been burnt down by the Babylonians. When Cyrus realized the mission God gave him, he had done everything according to the words of God obediently.

The Message Hidden In the Prophecy Of Cyrus

Then what kind of message is hidden in the story of Cyrus? Is the account of Cyrus just a part of the history of Israel? Definitely not. The bible says God bring up the past to teach the future.

Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

Roman 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

The words of God in the bible is not just a record of what had happened in the past. But rather through the things of the past, God teaches about what is going to happen in the future. In other words, the history of the past is actually working as the prophecy about the future. In this sense, the story of Cyrus is not just a history of Israel, but it contains a prophecy which would be completed by the appearance of a spiritual Cyrus, a man summoned by God to fulfill the prophecy in the bible.

Then who is the spiritual Cyrus and what is the work that God entrusted him to complete?

04/20/2017

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