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-38-
God Hath Spoken
PROPHECY
The Prophecy of Cyrus
In Isaiah chapter 44, consider verse 24. "Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; that frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; that confirmeth the word of His servant, and performeth the counsel of His messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid" (vs. 24-28).
In this passage Cyrus is named as the king who is going to command that Jerusalem and the temple should be rebuilt. This was prophesied in 712 B.C. and according to II Chronicles chapter 36, verses 22, 23, in the first year of his reign, Cyrus, king of Persia issued a proclamation allowing the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem. That was 538 B.C. —more than 170 years after the prophesy was given. Isaiah names the king who is going to do this, although Cyrus was not yet born.
The Destruction of Tyre
Consider Ezekiel chapter 26, beginning at verse 3: "Therefore, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations" (vs. 3-5).
Ezekiel prophesied that the walls and the tower would be broken down. Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city for 13 years, at which time the people took its treasure to an island half a mile out to sea. Nebuchadnezzar broke down the walls, and the people who escaped fled to the island.
The prophecy stated that the dust of the city was going to be scraped up and cast into the sea. About 240 years after the siege by Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great scraped up the dust of the city, dumped it into the sea and thus built a road to the island and thereby conquered the city.
The third part of the prophecy states that fishermen are going to cast their nets there. This was prophesied about 590 B.C. After taking the city of Tyre, Alexander the Great actually took the stones of the island city and threw them into the sea. Today, fishermen spread their nets over the city.
The Judgment On Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida
Turn to Matthew chapter 11, and begin with verse 20. "Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. [Question: "Why then did God not do such works there?" Because He did not choose to.]
"But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:20-30).
Note here that the Lord Jesus pronounced judgment on Capernaum, on Chorazin, on Bethsaida and yet He said nothing about the fourth city on the sea of Galilee, the city of Tiberius. Today, it is almost impossible to find the first three cities, and yet 1900 years later Tiberius is still a thriving city.