Donald Trump: The Modern Day Cyrus?

“4 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.

5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:” ( Isaiah 45: 4-5)

The passage above refers to a king who had not yet been born, but whom God would use to bless His people: Cyrus, the King of Persia.

This prophecy went forth, even though the Israelites had rejected His promises and repudiated his covenant.

The heathen king of Babylon, permitted by the LORD, took the Israelites captive and destroyed the temple.

The judgment would last seventy years, in order to restore the Sabbath rest to the land.

Yet as foretold among the prophets, God had mercy, and restored His people back to the Promised Land.

How would he do it? Through another heathen ruler: Cyrus of Persia.

Isaiah’s prophecy includes the following, right before the above passage cited:

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;

…

28 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.” (Isaiah 44: 27-28)

God seeks to bless us, even in our worst situations, even when our troubles are our own doing.

Today, Americ

ans feel a sense of exile, of loss, of alienation and disillusionment. For the last eight years, a secular tyrant  has imposed a destructive vision of his ideal society onto us. Standards mean noting. Equality of outcome is the only goal. President Obama’s chief religion is not Christianity. He has rooted out and removed all references to Jesus Christ and His Finished Work. Military personnel who pray or even say the name of God receive censure or court-martial.

Thankfully, this heathen is about to go. Sadly, many of the voting public feel that another heathen is about to take over: Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump.

And yet, Donald Trump, one of the choices deemed uncharitably as “the lesser of two evils”, may be our modern day Cyrus.

He may not know the portentousness of his role, but as a Presidential candidate who wants to protect Americans, who wants to destroy the political correctness devouring our society, he is a sharp, welcoming contrast to Heathen Hillary. He wants to restore law and order, and make it safe to say “Merry Christmas”. He wants to repeal that anti-liberty Johnson Amendment which has silenced our churches.

He acknowledges that Christians are getting poor treatment, where tolerance has turned into acquiescence to the destructive secular agendas removing God from of our culture.

“But Donald Trump is an arrogant jerk!”

“He’s a rodeo clown! He’s an elitist rogue!”

He has also sacrificed lucrative contracts and taken heavy hits to his public image. He is the only candidate who has contacted and supported the families of victims murdered by illegal aliens.

“But he’s been married three times!”

I am pretty sure the Israelites did not care about King Cyrus’ private life, when he decreed that the Jewish people could return to their homeland and rebuild the temple.

Historians have recorded him as “Cyrus the Great.” Make Persia Great Again, anyone?

He respected different religious beliefs.

He probably had many wives and concubines.

He treated his subjects with dignity and respect, just like his own children.

What else do we know about Cyrus’ decision to restore Israel?

Ezra the Scribe records:

1 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,

2 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 an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 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 the God,) which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1: 1-4)

Let’s remember that all power comes from God:

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13: 1)

God does not always bless us through people whom we would expect:

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1: 27)

We should rejoice to live in a country such as our own. Men and women can elect their leaders. The residents of ancient times had no such luxury. They had to depend on the chance that the next born successor for their nation would demonstrate any kind of benevolence.

Many people think that someone as fleshly and extravagant as Donald Trump is unfit for any office. But Cyrus was most likely the last person anyone would have guessed to restore the glory and prominence of the Israelites back to the Promised Land.

But Cyrus helped make Israel great again, under God’s  loving direction.

Perhaps God our Loving Father can do the same for America through Donald Trump.