God's Work with Planet Earth

At this point in the history of the scriptures, Israel, the nation God had brought out of slavery in Egypt, for the purpose of bringing the knowledge of Him to the rest of the world, had rejected Him and become even more evil than the neighboring pagan nations. Two examples that commonly show up in the Bible are ritual prostitution at the shrines of false gods (sexual immorality), and human/child sacrifice (murder).

So in the same way that God directed the Israelites to drive the Canaanites out of the land, He now brought Assyria and Babylon to destroy Israel and Judah, and take the people prisoner. After the seventy years God had prescribed, the alliance of Medes and Persians conquered Babylon, and a lot of prophecies through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and other prophets came true. That’s what we’re looking at in this post.

“Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” Zechariah 9:12

“For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:10-13

“I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.” Amos 9:14

“But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” Isaiah 49:15-17

Here we see it was actually Christ speaking through Isaiah. He knew what He would do to save humans in the future. “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…” When Christ was born as the the human Jesus, and crucified, and raised to life, and transformed into a glorified body in Heaven again, He still has the scars of the nails on his hands and feet.

“And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’” Zechariah 13:6

It’s incredible that Jesus Christ would consider humans His “friends” after His own people crucified Him! But He was looking forward to the restoration of humanity. (Hebrews 12:2)

Did God keep these promises?

Let’s go back to a prophecy God gave through the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah’s ministry as a prophet lasted about 53 years between 740 – 687 BC.

“Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”

“Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held–To subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut:” Isaiah 44:28-45:1

Cyrus was not even born for another 90-plus years after this prophecy was made. Judah would not be taken into captivity by Babylon for another 80 years. But God used Cyrus to accomplish everything stated in the above prophecy:

First Detail: The night the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon (539 BC), Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson by marriage, Belshazzar, was so overconfident in Babylon’s walls and defenses that he was throwing a drunken party and a feast for the rulers. The leaders and soldiers were not alert or on guard. This was how God “loosed the armor of kings” in this case.

Second Detail: Cyrus had his men divert the water of the Euphrates River away from the arch where it flowed into the city. He found that the gates which protruded down into the water had been left open, and his army marched into the city on the now open riverbed. God had actually “opened before Cyrus the double doors/gates”.

Third Detail: The very next year (538 BC), Cyrus freed the Jews, allowing them to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild. This happened right on time, exactly 70 years after Nebuchadnezzar had taken them, just like God had said through the prophets. The historical accounts of this in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are supported by the Cyrus Cylinder (which was discovered in Babylon, in modern Iraq, in 1879).

Fourth Detail: Not only did Cyrus let the Jews go back to Jerusalem, he also gave them gold, silver, and the vessels Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple with the express purpose that they would rebuild the Temple. This was prophesied in Isaiah 44:28.

When God’s chosen people forsook Him to follow the false gods, He used a pagan king to discipline them (Nebuchadnezzar) and another pagan king to send them back home to Jerusalem (Cyrus).

The Humbling of a Great Pride

We find another example of correction and discipline followed by restoration with King Nebuchadnezzar himself in Daniel 4.

While the Holy Spirit humbled King Saul for “a day and a night” in 1 Samuel 19, it took seven years to humble King Nebuchadnezzar’s pride. Daniel interpreted a second dream for the king about a tree that sheltered and provided for the whole earth (at least the civilized world of that time).

As King Nebuchadnezzar recounts the dream, a holy angel comes down from heaven and pronounces that the great tree must be chopped down, but a bronze band placed around it, because it was to be restored after seven years.

Daniel reluctantly explained that the great tree represented Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled the civilized world of his day. He was to be humbled by the God of Heaven.

“…seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” Daniel 4:25

Daniel’s advice to King Nebuchadnezzar:

“Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Daniel 4:27

But one year later Nebuchadnezzar was walking around his royal palace in Babylon.

“The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” Daniel 4:30

Immediately, the king lost his mind and became like an animal, and they put him in the field with the animals. Just as the vision had predicted, he remained this way for seven years.

But at the end of seven years, God restored his throne, his wisdom, his counselors, and in verses 34-37 he praised the God of Heaven.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.” Daniel 4:37

So even a pagan/heathen king, God can use for his purposes, and take away his authority or restore it as He pleases. And in this case, what God did resulted in Nebuchadnezzar believing in Him and praising Him, and we can expect that he will be resurrected when Jesus returns to this world, and we’ll be able to meet him in person.

Regional to Global

The same thing that happened with the Israelites is happening now with the United States and the rest of the world. The nations are suffering the consequences of turning their backs on God.

But just like in the time of the Israelites, there are some who still love and follow God. And God has a plan to reconcile the world to Himself, and the center of His plan is Jesus.

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-20