by Brett Manero
In c. 700 BC, the Jewish Prophet Isaiah wrote these famous words:
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer…who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,
and he shall fulfil all my purpose”;
saying of Jerusalem, “She shall be built,”
and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and ungird the loins of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed (Isaiah 44:24, 28; 45:1).
Isaiah, speaking over a century before the end of the Kingdom of Judah in 586 BC, is predicting both the exile of Judah’s population to Babylon and the eventual return of the Jewish people to the Promised Land. Amazingly, Isaiah goes so far as to name the liberator of the Jewish people: King Cyrus the Great of Persia. Of all of history’s monarchs, Cyrus is indeed one of those who is worthy of being titled the Great. Cyrus conquered the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC, bringing liberation to the captive Jewish population that had been exiled to Babylon since 605 BC. This fulfilled both the prophecies of Isaiah that Cyrus would be their liberator, as well as the prophecy of Jeremiah that the Babylonian Exile would last for seventy years.
We in the United States have that special gift of religious freedom, the right to practice whatever religion which one chooses without fear of punishment or persecution. This freedom is often thought to have started with the reign of Cyrus, who granted freedom of religion to his subjects following his defeat of Babylon in 539.
Cyrus went even further: following the end of Babylon and the liberation of the captive Jewish captives, Cyrus permitted the Jews to return home to Judah to rebuild their nation, their culture, and even their majestic Temple in 535. Cyrus even donated resources and funds to help complete the project. For this reason, Persia has often been referred to as ancient friend of the Chosen People. The ancient Persian Empire also has tremendous foreshadowings of the Church and the way she governs, which can be read in the Old Testament’s Book of Esther.
Persia has gone through remarkable changes throughout its history. I am by no means an expert in Persian history, but I do know that Persia eventually became known as Iran in the West beginning in 1935, when the shah requested that all peoples refer to the nation in its native name, which is Iran. The history of this unique nation in the twentieth century is one of immense upheaval, which coups by the Western powers and the corruption of the royal family being at the forefront.
It is well-known that in 1979, the revolution which overthrew the reigning royal family took place, bringing about the beginning of the Islamic Republic which remains in power in Iran to the present day. The Republic is anything but a true democratic republic, ruling the Iranian people with brutal suppression and immense cruelty. While the Iranian constitution technically grants religious tolerance to both Christians and Jews, religious freedom is not at all granted in practice. Iran has become an international pariah, becoming a horrific source of terrorism which is exported by the regime all around the Middle East. They regularly call for the death of Israel, the United States, and the West in general.
In the past week, a remarkable scene has unfolded in this ancient land: the people of Iran, brutally suppressed by the regime since 1979, is rising up as never before. Mass protests have taken place all around the country. The regime has, not surprisingly, reacted with typical cruelty, killing thousands of protesters, even peaceful ones. Some protesters are apparently calling for a return of the son of the Shah, and apparently a return to the old monarchy, which is amazing in itself. The world watches as the scene unfolds. The regime has never appeared to be more unstable than now, as the protesters continue and the economy of Iran teeters on the edge. Will the regime finally meet its end? Will religious freedom, as begun by Cyrus the Great so many centuries ago, finally return to this ancient and beautiful land? Only time will tell. As Christians and believers, we can always pray, and prayer does work.
Let’s pray for the people of Persia, that they may return to the glorious roots of her ancient past.