“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him…”

Isaiah 45:1-7

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“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 45:1

The anointing that was on Cyrus was far from being a prophet or a spokesman of the word of the Lord. The anointing on Cyrus was that he was an instrument in the hand of the Lord to defeat the Babylonian Empire and to release the Israelites from Babylonian captivity.

Cyrus was anointed by God in that he was raised up as an instrument of God to free the Israelites from their captivity to the Babylonians. That is described in the post on Isaiah 41:1-7 and also Isaiah 41:25-29, and in the verses of this post. Cyrus was prophesied about, through Isaiah, around 150 years before Cyrus conquered the Babylonian Empire. For 150 years, the name of Cyrus laid in Scriptures, and when he came, we can envision the astonishment of the fulfillment of such a detailed prophecy. Our Lord called Cyrus by name, “For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.” Isaiah 45:4

God held the right hand of Cyrus, meaning He led him step-by-step in his conquest of nations, and all for the purpose of freeing the Israelites from their captivity. Cyrus was the king of Persia with a massive empire. On the image below, to the left is seen the Empire of Cyrus colored in orange. God led Cyrus in conquering that whole territory. On the map to the right, Cyrus was from Persia to the east but traveled north to the northern point of Mesopotamia and came south to conquer the Babylonian Empire. As the Lord Gad said, “I have raised up one from the north, and he will come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come against princes as though mortar, as the potter treads clay.” Isaiah 41:25

God led Cyrus by the hand to loose the armor of kings, meaning to loose the armor that held their swords etc. That would render the enemies of Cyrus defenseless so that he was able to subdue many nations. The double doors were opened by Cyrus, meaning he was able to enter through the gates of the Babylonian Empire to conquer it. Those gates also remained opened to release the Israelites and those gates never closed against the Israelites.

God raised Cyrus up in an astonishing way, by calling him by name, for the purpose of showing that He is able to use any leader in the world as an instrument to fulfill His purpose on this earth. Our Lord has raised up the government of the beast, which in turn will bring an end to the global government of the beast. That happens through the Battle of Armageddon, as described in Revelations 16:12-16. The river Euphrates is what connects Cyrus to the Battle of Armageddon.

This is what the book of Revelations says about the Euphrates, relating to the Battle of Armageddon, “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.” Revelations 16:12 Astonishingly, Cyrus was able to virtually dry up the river Euphrates to be able to cross over and to defeat of the Babylonian Empire.

The Euphrates River formed a barrier for the Babylonian Empire so that an invading army was not able to pass through. However, Cyrus diverted the flow of the Euphrates River by building canals upstream of the Euphrates, causing the river to drain into a marsh or reservoir. When the “dams” were opened, that lowered the water so that it was no longer creating a barrier for the Babylonians. That made it possible for Cyrus and his armies to easily cross over, by the cover of darkness, to defeat the Babylonians.

On the map below, you can easily see the Euphrates River. You can compare that to the map above that is on the right. On the map above, Babylon can be seen along the Euphrates where the red dot is. Cyrus went upstream of the Euphrates, near the northern tip of Mesopotamia, where he cut off the flow of the Euphrates that ran through the Babylonian Empire. The “drying up” of the Euphrates is how the Battle of Armageddon begins, Revelations 16:12-16

On the map above to the right, the other river to the right of the Euphrates is the Tigris River. The Tigris is also seen on the map below [the thin blue river just right of the Euphrates]. Cyrus, coming from Persia, had to bypass the Tigris, by going around it to the north, to the tip of Mesopotamia, where he drained the Euphrates and easily crossed into the Babylonian Empire to conquer it.

“‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who calls you by your name, Am the God of Israel.” Isaiah 45:2-3

The Lord promised to give Cyrus the “…treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places…”. Cyrus was given all of the treasures and riches of the nations that he conquered, but not the treasures and riches of the Kingdom of God. Cyrus was a man who lived by the sword, who profited by worldly conquests of other nations. But he was also the one whom the Lord raised up with the sole intention of conquering the Babylonian Empire to bring liberation to the Israelites who were in captivity to the Babylonians. Cyrus was given the treasures of darkness and the riches of the secret places so that he would know that the Lord is God and the God of Israel. 150 years before Cyrus conquered the Babylonian Empire, the Lord called him by name, and the name of Cyrus lived in the scriptures for him to see after he conquered Babylon.

Today, the Lord has raised up the government of the beast through the hearts that are hardened against Him, Christ Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The treasures of darkness and the riches of the secret places are given to them. The treasures of darkness come through the beast that has power over physiology to give people what to say, do, think, and feel. Those treasures are also the riches of the secret places. While the world serves the beast that gives them what to do and say, no one is openly talking about it. Our Lord Jesus says this to us, “….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come...I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’” Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1

The Lord has called forth by “name” the government of the beast and its global culture. The reason He has done that is so it can be seen that the Lord is God who has called them by “name”. There is no place in this world where anybody will hear about the government of the beast. Politicians will not talk about it, community leaders will not mention it, those of the fallen churches do not warn about it, it is not openly discussed in the educational system, etc. The Holy Bible is the only place where anybody will ever hear about the image of the beast that is given breath/life to speak by speaking and living through people. The Lord has made this revelation to all the world so that we may know that He is the One who has made it happen and He is indeed God.

The word of God is true, and the Lord wants us to know that deliverance is coming for everyone who believes Him through His Son, Christ Jesus, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The Holy Bible warns us that the beast would come and sit within the temple of God as if is God, and our body is the temple of God, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 The beast sits within us by the power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, say, and do. That beast is the one “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Click for a post on that.

The Holy Bible even reveals to us the formation of the global government of the beast. The United Nations was established in 1945, immediately after World War 2, and brought the government of the beast with it, as described in Daniel 8:1-14 and also Revelations 17.

The Holy Bible also reveals that the beast will rule on this earth for “42 months” or “1260 days”, as described in Revelations 13:5-6. The end of the rule of the beast comes in the Fifth Plague of Revelations 16:10-11 when the power center of the beast is plunged into darkness. The beginning of the rule of the beast came around 1945, as described directly above this paragraph.

“…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution…evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them…you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timotyh 3:12-17

“For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.” Isaiah 45:4

It was for the sake of the Israelites that Cyrus was called by name. Cyrus did not know the Lord, he was a Persian conqueror living by the sword and creating a huge empire, as seen in the maps at the top of this page. He had never heard of the Israelites, never gave a thought about a Living God, never heard of the Ten Commandments, and didn’t have a clue about the atonement for sin, or even if there was such a thing as sin to be forgiven.

The Lord God raised up Cyrus solely to release the Israelites from their captivity to the Babylonians, to support them in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, and in rebuilding Jerusalem, as described directly below,

Released the Israelites from captivity: “I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for payment or reward, says the LORD of Hosts” Isaiah 45:13 

Supported the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem: “In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: ‘Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to offer sacrifices and let its foundations be laid.’” – Ezra 6:3

Returned articles to the temple in Jerusalem: “Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon—those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. And he said to him, ‘Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple site that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its former site.’ Ezra 5:14-15

Cyrus is an example of the Lord’s ability to use governments and powerful rulers as instruments in His hand, regardless of whether they think so or not.

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other;” Isaiah 45:5-6

The Lord raised up Cyrus for this purpose, “That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other;” The Holy Bible is given to us, concerning the rising up of the government of the beast and its global culture, so that all the world can see that He is God and there is no other god beside Him.

“I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’” Isaiah 45:7

In the context of Cyrus: The Lord formed the Light in His word when He spoke about calling Cyrus by name for the purpose of liberating the Israelites from captivity to the Babylonians. The darkness was created in the sense that Cyrus didn’t have a clue that he was an instrument in the hand of the Lord to conquer the Babylonian Empire and to free the Israelites. Through Cyrus, the Lord made peace with the Israelites by freeing them from captivity, but at the same time He created the calamity of war and violence through Cyrus who lived by the sword. That calamity was directed against the Babylonians who held His people in captivity. The Lord God does those things.

“Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” Matthew 18:7

The power of darkness rules in the world today through the beast that gives people what to say, do, think, and feel. For them, the darkness is created, and our Lord Jesus says to them, “…this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:53 For we who live for God through Jesus Christ, we are living in the Light, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:4-5

Peace comes through our Lord Jesus, but calamity is a consequence of rejecting Him. As our Lord Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:34 Those who serve the power of darkness despise we who live for God through Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit, and that is the spiritual warfare we are engaged in, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19

We are separated from the power of darkness by the sword of the Spirit, “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” Ephesians 6:17 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
‘I am coming soon. 
Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1