DURING his excavations at Babylon (1879-1882) Hormuzd Rassam, a Chaldean Christian from Mosul who had assisted Layard at the excavation of Nineveh, uncovered a baked clay barrel about nine inches long. This turned out to be the famous inscription known as the Cyrus Cylinder, which tells the king's own story of his conquest of Babylon. The cuneiform text impressed on the clay cylinder tells of Marduk seeking a righteous man, then pronouncing Cyrus as the one destined to rule the world; it records how Babylon was taken without a battle; how Cyrus was welcomed by the people; and then by royal edict the captives were released and permitted to return to their own lands and restore their sanctuaries.
Much of what we read on the cylinder can be correlated with the Bible, particularly with Isaiah 44:24-28; 45:1 -6,13. And what makes this remarkable parallel so incredible is that the words of Isaiah were written more than one hundred years before Cyrus was born. Notice the prophecy: "That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall per form all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid" (Isa. 44:28). And reading on into verse 1 of chapter 45: "Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut."
The Cyrus Cylinder reads: "Marduk . . looked through all the countries, searching for a righteous ruler. . . . He pronounced the name of Cyrus king of Anshan, declared him to be the ruler of all the world. ... He made him set out on the road to Babylon, going at his side like a real friend. His widespread troops their number, like that of the water of a river, could not be established strolled along, their weapons packed away. With out any battle, he (Marduk) made him (Cyrus) enter his (Marduk's) town, Babylon, sparing Babylon any calamity."
Daniel 5:30, 31 records, "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old." Darius died within two years, and Cyrus, who had led the Median army in the conquest of the city, then assumed the throne.
Concerning the fall of the city, Isaiah had foretold, "I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut" (Isa. 45:1). In a dramatic and literal fulfillment of this prophecy the invading forces entered the Babylonian capital by way of the channel of the river that ran through the city, whose waters had been diverted by an artificial lake, and through the inner gates that had been carelessly left open.
Having taken the city, Cyrus made it his policy to allow the captives to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples. The decree of Cyrus permitting the Jews to return to Jerusalem and re build their city and Temple is given in 2 Chronicles 36:23 and in Ezra 1:2-4. The words are confirmed on the Cyrus Cylinder: "I returned to these sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time, the images which used to live in them, and I established for them permanent sanctuaries. I also gathered all their former inhabitants and re turned to them their habitations."
What is most remarkable is that this work of Cyrus was foretold a century before. Isaiah predicted concerning Cyrus, "I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 45:13).
God and Nation
In the prophecies of Scripture and their unique fulfillment the curtains are drawn aside, and we behold the sovereign God working out the purposes of His own will. When Israel spurned God's grace, he used the Assyrian nation to punish them. Through Isaiah, God declared: "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation" (chap. 10:5). Under God, Assyria became a nation greatly blessed. Ezekiel speaks of the blessing that came to her, comparing her to the lofty cedar in Lebanon (Eze. 31:3-9). But as so often happens, Assyria, instead of using her blessings for the benefit of mankind, be came the scourge of the nations, and God had to remove her from the scene.
God used Assyria as "the rod of mine anger" to punish Israel because of their apostasy. In the same way He shaped the affairs of the ruling nations of earth so as to bring the Babylonians into the ascendancy. Not only were the "terrible and dreadful" Chaldeans used to bring about the destruction of Assyrians but they were God's instruments for the chastisement of Judah, His disobedient people. Jeremiah prophesied at that time: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all the nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations" (Jer. 25:8, 9).
Here it is clearly foretold that Nebuchadnezzar would be used of God to accomplish His will. God referred to him as "Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant." Jeremiah also foretold the number of years that the tribes of Judah would be in captivity in Babylon "and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years" (verse 11).
At just the right time Babylon came on the world scene. King Nebuchadnezzar finally became a righteous instrument in the hands of God through a series of providential experiences. He then acknowledged the true God through the empire, declaring: "All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? ... Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase" (Dan. 4:35, 37).
On the night of Babylon's fall, Daniel was called in to interpret the strange writings on the walls of the banquet hall. Before King Belshazzar he re viewed God's dealings with his grand father, Nebuchadnezzar, repeating the story of his pride at the great city he had built; of his banishment for seven long years; of his humiliation "till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will" (chap. 5:21). Having said this, the prophet of God declared, "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this" (verse 22).
Babylon had had her day. She had gone the way of other nations. She was weighed in the balances and found wanting. "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom" (verses 30, 31).
It is most significant that at just the time when the seventy weeks foretold by Jeremiah as the period of Judah's captivity was coming to its end, Cyrus came to the throne of Medo-Persia the right man at the right time to accomplish just what God wanted accomplished for His people. Subsequently we have his decree authorizing their return to Jerusalem and their restoration of the Temple all in fulfillment of prophecy.
Cyrus was no doubt familiar with the story of Nebuchadnezzar. The deliverance of Daniel from the den of lions must have made a deep impression upon him. It is logical that Daniel should have called his attention to the prophecies concerning himself, and we know that God moved upon his heart to fulfill His will.
The daring prophecy of Isaiah relating to Cyrus, with its amazing fulfillment, has led skeptics to claim that the book of Isaiah from the fortieth chapter onward must have been written after the events described, rather than before. Subsequently, the view developed that the book of Isaiah is actually the work of two or more authors. But then came the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in 1947, the most famous among them being the two Isaiah scrolls. There is no evidence at all that chapters 1-39 ever existed as a separate document apart from chapters 40-66. To the contrary, the evidence indicates that it was then regarded as the work of a single author.
Although historians of a former day looked with some suspicion on the Bible account of Cyrus and his decree, such discoveries as the Cyrus Cylinder have confuted the critics and helped establish the veracity of the Bible account.
U.S. Spiritual Upsurge Cited in a New Gallup Survey
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new spiritual upsurge appears to have begun in the U.S. in the past few years, according
to a new Gallup study, "Religion in America, 1976."
The report indicated that declines in religious participation and interest, which began in the 1960's, have apparently subsided. It also found that certain facets of religious faith have always remained constant.
Findings of the latest Gallup study reveal that 94 per cent of Americans believe in God and 69 percent believe in
life after death. Both figures have remained constant since 1948, according to Gallup.
However, the percentage who believe religion is "increasing its influence on American society" dropped from 69 percent in 1957 to 14 per cent in 1970. By 1975 the affirmative response had risen to 39 percent.
Surveys of last year and this year also indicated that 56 percent of Americans said religious beliefs are "very important," 30 percent said "fairly important," and only 5 percent said "not at all important."
The research findings offer a "positive outlook for religion in America as we enter the third century of our existence," said the Gallup study.
"Social commentators have expressed surprise that so many people in what they describe as a 'secularized and
largely agnostic nation' have supported a devout evangelical Southern Baptist, Jimmy Carter," the study said. "Yet the fact is, Americans are extraordinarily religious people."
Gallup noted that while certain denominations have suffered membership losses in recent years, the religious picture for the nation as a whole has changed "surprisingly little" over the past four decades.
Some 61 per cent of Americans say they are Protestants; 27 percent, Roman Catholics, and 2 percent, Jews, with 6 percent stating no religious preference. The survey said that 71 percent of Americans say they are members of a church or synagogue, compared with 73 percent in 1952.
Concerning political affiliation, 75 percent of Protestants are Republicans. Eighteen percent of the Catholics and
1 percent of the Jews are Republicans. Among Democrats, 56 percent are Protestants, 33 percent are Catholics and 3 percent Jews. Among independents, 59 parcent are Protestants, 26 percent are Catholics, and 2 percent are Jews.
The Gallup study revealed that 44 percent of Americans said they have a "great deal of confidence in organized religion," 24 per cent said "quite a lot," 20 percent said "some," 9 percent, "very little," and 1 percent, "none."
Gallup's report contained a global study of life-styles and religious beliefs conducted by Gallup's international division for the Kettering Foundation, Dayton, Ohio.
Americans were found to be the "most religious people" among industrialized nations. The study found that "something approaching a collapse of faith may be occurring in certain European and other nations of the world."
Japan and Scandinavia were found to have the lowest religious convictions among the developed nations. Nations of Africa and the Far East measured high in religious convictions. Among Americans who indicated no religious preference, 68 percent are female, 80 percent are white, 42 percent are college graduates, and 54 percent are under 30.
Figures on church attendance showed that weekly Protestant attendance remained relatively stable at 38 percent
from 1964 to 1975.
Catholic attendance dropped from 71 percent in 1964 to 54 percent in 1975.
About 20 percent of Jews attended worship services in a typical week in 1975. No figures are available for 1964, but the peak synagogue attendance recorded in the past two decades was 49 percent in 1958, the Gallup study said.
—Religious News Service.
