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CYRUS THE GREAT "Named by God 150 Years Before His Birth"

Isaiah the prophet foretold that a king of Persia would be born, Cyrus the Great (Surnamed by God) 150 years before his birth.

"Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus whose hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him two leaved gates; and the gates shall not shut; .For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. That saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasures: even saying to Jerusalem, thou shalt be built; and to the Temple, thy foundation shall be laid." ... Isaiah 44:1,4, 28

Cyrus was to be a "shepherd" of God's people, in that he, by decree, permitted them to return to their own land and rebuild their cities and their Temple. ... According to Pliny, the Roman Historian, the wealth in jewels, gold, and silver of Cyrus the Great amounted to $353,427,200.00. The knowledge of God may have been given to Cyrus by Daniel, Ezra, or Nehemiah. In the book of Ezra we see Cyrus acknowledge Jehovah as the True God at the time he decreed the rebuilding of the Temple.

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,.Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah..Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (He is God,) which is in Jerusalem" Ezra 1:1-3

Cyrus (580-529 BC) was the first Achaemenid Emperor. He founded Persia by uniting the two original Iranian Tribes- the Medes and the Persians. Although he was known to be a great conqueror, who at one point controlled one of the greatest Empires ever seen, he is best remembered for his unprecedented tolerance and magnanimous attitude towards those he defeated.

Upon his victory over the Medes, he founded a government for his new kingdom, incorporating both Median and Persian nobles as civilian officials. The conquest of Asia Minor completed, he led his armies to the eastern frontiers. Hyrcania and Parthia were already part of the Median Kingdom. Further east, he conquered Drangiana, Arachosia, Margiana and Bactria. After crossing the Oxus, he reached the Jaxartes, where he built fortified towns with the object of defending the farthest frontier of his kingdom against nomadic tribes of Central Asia.

The victories to the east led him again to the west and sounded the hour for attack on Babylon and Egypt. When he conquered Babylon, he did so to cheers from the Jewish Community, who welcomed him as a liberator- he allowed the Jews to return to the promised Land. He showed great forbearance and respect towards the religious beliefs and cultural traditions of other races. These qualities earned him the respect and homage of all the people over whom he ruled.

The victory over Babylonia expressed all the facets of the policy of conciliation which Cyrus had followed until then. He presented himself not as a conqueror, but a liberator and the legitimate successor to the crown. He also declared the first Charter of Human Rights known to mankind. He took the title of "King of Babylon and King of the Land". Cyrus had no thought of forcing conquered people into a single mould, and had the wisdom to leave unchanged the institution of each kingdom he attached to the Persian Crown. In 539 BC he allowed 42,000 Jews to leave Babylon and return to Palestine while 960,000 remained in Babylon. This step was in line with his policy to bring peace to Mankind.
Cyrus was upright, a great leader of men, generous and benelovent. The Hellenes, whom he conquered regarded him as 'Law-giver' and the Jews as 'the annointed of the Lord'.

Cyrus founded a new capital city at Persepolis in Fars. and had established a government for his Empire. He appointed a governor (satrap) to represent him in each province, however the administration, legislation, and cultural activities of each province was the responsibility of the Satraps. Accoding to Xenophon, Cyrus is also reputed to have devised the first postal system. His doctrines were adopted by the future emperors of the Achaemenian dynasty.

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Persian Christians

The Persian Empire

The Persian Empire, often called the Medo-Persian Empire, was the second great world empire represented in the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In 549 B.C. a Persian named Cyrus conquered the area known as Babylonia in 539 B.C. as prophesied by Isaiah over 150 years before. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1).

As the policy of Assyrian and Babylonian kings had been to deport conquered peoples, that is take them away out of their own lands, and scatter them in other lands; so, the policy of the Persian kings were more humane than Assyrian and Babylonian Kings.

One of the first acts of the first Persian king, Cyrus, who was a "singularly noble and just monarch," in his first year, was to authorize the Return of the Jews to their own land. Persia was the mountainous plateau east of the lower end of the Euphrates-Tigris Valley. The Persian Empire was vaster in extent than its predecessors had been. It extending eastward in India and reaching westward to Greece. Its capitals were Persepolis and Susa; its kings sometimes residing at Babylon. As a world empire, it lasted 200 years, 536-331 B.C..