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THE RISE OF KING CYRUS
PROPHECY: "Who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please. He will say of
Jerusalem, 'Let it be rebuilt,' and of the temple, 'Let its foundations be laid.'" Isaiah 44:28
PROPHECY: "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."
Isaiah 45:1
Isaiah was able to foresee the reign of King Cyrus 150 years before he was born and was able to describe him
by name.
THE SURVIVAL OF GOD'S WORD
PROPHECY: "Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." Mark 13:31
FULFILLMENT: Jesus proclaimed this very bold statement approximately 2000 years ago. His words could have
easily passed into obscurity yet the Scriptures have survived immense persecution throughout history. From
ancient Roman emperors to modern communist countries, enemies have tried to ban, seize, burn, and destroy
the Holy Scriptures. What other author, philosopher, or orator in history has made such a confident claim and
come to be correct? No other book even begins to compare to the Bible in terms of circulation, distribution, and
number of translation.
THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL
PROPHECY: "See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire
against your people. They plot against those you love. Come, they say, let us destroy them as a nation that the
name of Israel be remembered no more. With one mind they plot together. They form an alliance against you.
The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia, with the
people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot." Psalms 83:2-8
FULFILLMENT: Three thousand years ago, King David, the author of the Psalms, prophesied that once Israel
was reborn as a nation, it would immediately be surrounded by enemies. David even went on to name the
countries that would declare themselves enemies of Israel. Though these verses use ancient titles, these
countries today include the Arab nations of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
THE FALL OF TYRE
PROPHECY: Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you Tyre and I will bring many nations
against you, like the sea casting up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers. I will
scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for
I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. She will become plunder for the nations, and her settlements on the
mainland will be ravaged by the sword. From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your
settlements on the mainland with the sword. They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will
break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea. I
will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the
Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a
desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters
cover you. I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again
be found, declares the Sovereign Lord."
Note: The full context of the above passage is the entire chapter of Ezekiel 26 (it has been paraphrased due to its
length).
The ancient city of Tyre was a prominent center of commerce. Because of its hostility towards the Jews, God
promised the city would come to ruin under in the following fashion:
- Instead of suffering an immediate destruction, the demise of Tyre is compared to the waves of the sea. In
other words, the city would gradually be destroyed over time (as compared to a sudden destruction like
Sodom and Gomorrah). - The city would be ruined by a succession of invasions and wars with various kingdoms. The first blow
indeed came in the form of the Babylonian invasion lead by Nebuchadnezzar in 6th century B.C., followed
by the siege led by Alexander the Great in 4th century B.C., and ultimately the Muslim invasion of the
13th century A.D. - These series of invasions eventually lead to Tyre's destruction.
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