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Pastor Thom Keller: Remember that there is a God who causes kingdoms to rise and fall. It is God who promotes one king and deposes another. As we enter into this election season, some of you are afraid what will happen if X wins or what will happen if Y wins.

If that's you, try to have the mind of Daniel. Think of him settled in his knowledge that God rules and reigns over the affairs of men. God is able to care for you through the midst of the most dire circumstances. Do you believe that?

Guest (Male): It's a comforting truth, especially in troubled times, that God is in control. If God can cause kingdoms to rise and fall, He can take care of you. Hello and welcome to Study the Word. Last time Pastor Thom Keller began a study in the book of Ezra.

We'll learn from this historical book reasons to not only be comforted by God's sovereignty but thankful as well. It's because God keeps His word. That's important. You see, He has given us a lot of promises. We can have confidence in our God and His word for several reasons. One of them is the proof of prophecy with an unimpeachable example of it. Here's Pastor Thom.

Pastor Thom Keller: This Babylonian Empire lasted exactly, exactly 70 years. And Judah was in captivity during these exact same 70 years. Now, this 70-year period in exile was prophesied by Jeremiah 61 years before it happened. If you can put Jeremiah 29 up.

Jeremiah the prophet says, "This is what the Lord says: You will be in Babylon for 70 years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised and bring you home again." Jeremiah wrote this in 597 BC. It happened 61 years later.

And who was it that conquered Babylon? Babylon was then conquered. Babylon had a 300-feet high wall all around it. That's 30 stories, folks. That wall went 35 feet down into the ground so nobody could dig under it. It encompassed 60 miles. A 300-foot wall that ran 60 miles. And they were conquered by Cyrus and the Persian Empire.

How did he do it? How do you take a city like that? It's a fascinating story. This is the historical account. A battle was fought a short distance from the city of Babylon in which the Babylonians were soundly defeated by the Persian King Cyrus, whereupon they withdrew into their city. Here they shut themselves up and they made light of his siege. They mocked it. They made fun of it, having laid in store provisions for many years in preparation against this attack.

For when they saw Cyrus conquering nation after nation, the people of Babylon were convinced that he would never stop and that their turn would come at last. Cyrus was now reduced to great perplexity. He didn't know what to do as time went on. Some made one suggestion, another another. Or possibly, he thought of the plan himself.

There is a river that enters the city. You can see that it’s the Tigris that went right through the city of Babylon. He would place an army with orders to march into the town by the bed of the stream as soon as the water became shallow enough. He then withdrew himself off with the unwarlike portion of his host. He went back to the backland to the Tigris by a canal. He diverted the water into a basin which was at that time a marsh, by which the river sank to such an extent that the natural stream became fordable.

He diverted the Tigris river. He had his soldiers dig a trench that would divert the water into a lower marsh area. Because the Tigris went down, he could march into the city through the bed of this stream. If you think about what size river it was he diverted, I think that was some formidable job.

The story continues and says, "Hereupon the Persians, Cyrus, entered the stream, which had now sunk to reach about up midway to a man's thigh, and thus he got into the town. Had the Babylonians been apprised of what Cyrus was about to do or had they noticed their danger, they would never have allowed the Persians to enter the city, but would have destroyed them utterly. For they would have made fast all their street gates which gave access to the river. And mounting upon the walls that were formed on either side of the river, they would have so caught Cyrus as it were in a trap. But it was the Persians came upon them by surprise and so took the city."

Owing to the vast size of the place, 60 miles around, the inhabitants of the central parts knew nothing about what had happened but as they were engaged in a festival that day. And they continued dancing and reveling until they learned about the capture. Such then were the circumstances of the taking of Babylon.

But Cyrus, who took power in 549 BC, their plan for dealing with conquered people was very different. As we said, Assyria dispersed the people. Babylon dispersed the people. Instead of dispersing the people, Persia allowed them to live in their own land, even sending people that had been displaced by Assyria and Babylon, even sending them back to their homeland.

George Hegel in his work, *The Philosophy of History*, says this: "The Persian Empire is an empire consisting of a number of states which are indeed dependent but which have retained their own individuality, their manners, and their laws. The general enactments binding upon all did not infringe upon their political and social idiosyncrasies, but even protected and maintained them so that each of the nations that constitute the whole, each had its own form of constitution. The Persian Empire extends over a multitude of nations but leaves to each one its own particular character. Some even have kings of their own with each one having a distinct language, arms, ways of life, and customs."

Leaving each of them free, thereby a stop is to be put to that barbarism and ferocity with which the nations had previously, Assyria and Babylon, which the nations previously had been subjected under the Assyrians and Babylonians.

So when we read Ezra 1:1-4, let's read that. "In the first year of the King of Cyrus," this is the beginning of the book we're studying now. This is Ezra 1. The background: Cyrus's plan is to bring people back to their—all people—back to their homeland.

"In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and send it throughout the kingdom. This is what the King of Persia, Cyrus, the King of Persia, says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem, and may your God be with you. Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward the expense by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the temple of God in Jerusalem."

So when we read this, when you read this in the future, be aware of this, that Cyrus did not just do this for the Jews. History records that the Persian kings also sent subjected people back—as an example, history records—to Egypt and to the Great Isle of Delos. And why did he do this? Why did Cyrus, why did the Persians take a different position from the Assyrians and the Babylonians?

They did it in an attempt to curry the favor of all of the gods of those individual nations. Because in this time, people believed, all people believed, that each nation had its own gods. And those gods had power in those regions. And so Cyrus's plan was by sending the people back, that they would pray to their gods for the safety and peace of Cyrus, for the safety and peace of Cyrus's sons.

In fact, the Cyrus Cylinder, a famous cylinder they've discovered, it says this, Cyrus speaking: "I return to these sacred cities, many more than just Jerusalem, the sanctuaries which have been in ruins for a long time, the images, the idols, of the—of the ones that worshipped idols—the images which used to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I, Cyrus, also gathered all their former inhabitants and returned them to their habitations."

You know, it's funny when people say the Bible's not historically accurate. They're so wrong. "May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask daily Bel and Nebo for a long life for me. To Marduk, my lord, may they say this: Cyrus, the king who worships you and Cambyses, his son," and then the rest is missing.

So again, Cyrus believed by doing this, he and his sons would live in peace, having gained the favor of all of these gods. Now back in Ezra 1:1, it says the Lord fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy. Actually, there were quite a few prophecies that are fulfilled here.

Jeremiah 25:11, which was written 131 years before. 25:11 says, "This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the King of Babylon for 70 years."

Jeremiah 25:12 says this: "Then after 70 years of captivity are over, I will punish the King of Babylon and his people for their sins. I will make the country of the Babylonians a wasteland forever. I will bring upon them all the terrors I have promised in this book, all the penalties announced by Jeremiah against the many nations against the nations. Many nations and great kings will enslave the Babylonians, the Persians, just as they enslaved my people. I will punish them in proportion to the suffering they caused my people."

Jeremiah 29:10: "This is what the Lord says: You will be in Babylon for 70 years," exactly the length of Babylon's reign they were there. "But then I will come and do for you all the good things I promised, and I will bring you home again."

And Daniel, while in Babylon, was one of the king's chief advisors, and he discovered these writings by Jeremiah when he was in Babylon that they would be released after 70 years. Daniel chapter 9 says it was the first year of the king of the reign of Darius the Mede. And you're going to see this is Cyrus. You can really put Cyrus in here in place.

It was the first year of the reign of Cyrus the Mede, the Mede and Persians, the son of Xerxes, who became King of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from the reading of the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for 70 years. They knew the exact date of their captivity. They knew the exact date of when they were conquered. Daniel knew exactly when this was going to end.

And again, Isaiah wrote this prophecy 200 years before the event. Isaiah 45 says this: "This is what the Lord says to Cyrus," written 200 years before Cyrus was born. "This is what the Lord says to Cyrus: Isaiah names him by name, 200 years before he was born. This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to be shut again. This is what the Lord says: I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness, secret riches. I will do this so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name."

And Isaiah 45:13, even more: "I will raise up," 200 years before Cyrus was born. "I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people without seeking a reward. I, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, have spoken."

And Josephus, the reliable Jewish historian, relates that when Cyrus found the book of Isaiah and read his name in the book of Isaiah, that he would conquer Babylon and send the Israelites back to their own land and build a temple. Josephus says this. Now remember, Isaiah was written 200 years before Cyrus was born.

This is what Josephus says: "Accordingly, when Cyrus read this and admired the divine power, when he read about his name being prophesied in advance, when Cyrus read this in Isaiah and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written. So he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon. And he said to them," this is what we're reading in Ezra. "And he said to them that he gave them leave to go back to their own country and rebuild their city of Jerusalem." And who were one of Cyrus's top three administrators? Daniel was one of those three.

Let me make some applications. Number one, how does this apply to me today? Number one: Concerning atheism. Biblical prophecy renders atheism as an impossibility. Why? Because atheism by definition must reject the paranormal. Said another way, if any paranormal events can be validated, atheism falls.

Webster's Dictionary: "God: A being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and power." Explain prophecy apart from a power that has something beyond natural attributes and powers. Atheism requires that the world be explained only by the natural, rational, predictable, explainable cause and effect. Anything outside of that decimates atheism. For Isaiah to name Cyrus 200 years before he was born and that he would send the Jews back to Jerusalem, which is exactly what happened. For Jeremiah to prophesy that Judah would be in Babylon exactly 70 years, and 61 years before it occurred, and to have been fulfilled exactly 70 years later is more than natural abilities and powers.

Number two: Consider the fact that God uses unbelievers to fulfill and accomplish his promises and blessings in the life of believers. He called Cyrus "my anointed." You might have a boss that isn't very kind to you. Nebuchadnezzar wasn't very kind. These kings were not particularly kind. But God used them anyway. You might have a very unfair boss. Maybe that's what he looks like. But God can use even that.

Number three: Learn to pray for favor. We've talked about this before. This is a little aside. But you know, this should be a common and regular prayer in the daily life of every believer. God, give me favor. You make a phone call before you make the call. Give me favor in this conversation. You go for an appointment. God, give me favor. You go for a job interview. God, give me favor. You go to see a doctor. God, give me favor. God can give you supernatural favor. He did with Daniel. He did with Ezra. He did with Jeremiah. He did with Nehemiah. Learn to pray for that.

Number four: Remember that there is a God who causes kingdoms to rise and fall. It is God who promotes one king and deposes another. As we enter into this election season, some of you are afraid what will happen if X wins or what will happen if Y wins. If that's you, try to have the mind of Daniel. Think of him settled in his knowledge that God rules and reigns over the affairs of men. God is able to care for you through the midst of the most dire circumstances. Do you believe that?

In 333 BC, Persia fell to Alexander the Great, the king of the Greek Empire, as Daniel predicted would happen. And on his way to conquering Babylon, before he conquered Babylon, he conquered the countries north and west of Jerusalem. So Alexander is now going to take over the Persian Kingdom.

And there's an account written of how Alexander and his troop came into Jerusalem. You want to hear a story about how God can preserve and protect? Listen to this story. Josephus, Jewish historian who lived at the same time as Jesus, wrote this: "Now Alexander, when he had taken Gaza, which is to the west of Jerusalem, made haste to go to Jerusalem. And Jadu, the high priest, when he heard that Alexander was coming, the high priest was in agony and in terror, not knowing how he should meet the Macedonians, since the king had been displeased at the priest—high priest's—foregone disobedience.

"The high priest therefore ordered that the people should make prayers and supplications and should join with him in offering sacrifices to God, whom he besought to protect that nation and to deliver them from the perils that were coming upon them. Whereupon God warned him, the high priest, in a dream which came upon him after he offered sacrifice, that he should take courage, he should adorn the city, make it festive, he should open the gates, and that all should appear in white garments, but that he and the priests should meet the king in habit proper of their order—in other words, their priestly garments.

"So in his dream, he has this dream. And in the dream, it says, when Alexander comes, have all the people open the gates, have all the people outside the city, everyone dressed in white, and all of the priests in their high priestly gear, in their priestly gear. Open the gates. He ordered any ill consequences which providence of God prevent, upon which when he rose from his sleep, he greatly rejoiced and declared to all the warning he had received from God.

"According to the dream, he acted entirely, and so waited for the coming of Alexander. When he understood that Alexander was not far from the city, he went outside the city with his procession, with the priests and the multitude of citizens. Alexander reached the city gates, and when the Phoenicians and Chaldeans that followed him thought that they should have liberty to plunder the city and torment the high priest to death, which the king's displeasure fairly promised them, the very reverse happened.

"For Alexander, when he saw the multitude at a distance in white garments, while the priests stood clothed in their fine linen, and the high priest in purple and scarlet clothing with the golden plate on which the name of God was engraved, Alexander approached the high priest by himself and adored that name on the chest. And he saluted the high priest. The Jews did also together with one voice salute Alexander and encompass about him.

"Whereupon the kings of Syria and the rest were surprised at what Alexander had done and supposed him to be disordered in his mind. They thought Alexander went mad. However, Parmenio, Alexander's second-in-command, went alone to Alexander and asked him how it came to pass that when all others adored him, that he should adore the high priest.

"To whom Alexander replied, 'I did not adore him, but that God whom has honored him with that priesthood.' And Alexander said, 'For I saw this very person in a dream and this very uniform when I was at Dios in Macedonia, who when I was considering with myself how I should obtain dominion over Asia, I was exhorted in that dream to make no delay but boldly pass over the sea and that he would conduct my army and that he would give me dominion over the Persians.'

"Whence it is that having seen no other than that—this person in this habit, in this clothing, and now seeing this person in it and remembering my vision and the exhortation which I had had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under divine conduct and shall therewith conquer Darius and destroy the power of the Persians, and that all things will succeed according to what is in my own mind.

"And when he had said this to Parmenio, he had given the high priest his right hand. The priest ran along by him and he came into the city. And he went up into the city, up into the temple. And Alexander offered sacrifices to God according to the high priest's direction, and magnificently treated both the high priest and priests.

"And when the book of Daniel was showed him, where in Daniel declared that one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, Alexander supposed that he himself was that person. And it was then that he was glad, and he dismissed the multitude at present. But the next day he called them all back in and bade them ask what favors they would ask of him.

"Whereupon the high priest desired that they might enjoy the laws of their forefathers and that they might pay no tribute. Alexander granted all they desired. And when they entreated him that he would permit the Jews in Babylon and Persia to enjoy their own laws, willingly he promised to do so whatever they desired."

Isn't that incredible, how God can make provision in the most dire of circumstances? And here's the final point. These Jews were in trouble and they trusted God. God delivered them in a miraculous way. Some of you this morning are in very difficult situations. For some it’s relational, others financial. It might be health or emotional. It's your children, your parents, your boss, a coworker. It's cancer. It's a financial disaster looming. These Jews were in trouble and they trusted God. God delivered them in a miraculous way.

Guest (Male): God delivered His people then and will do the same for you today. For our God is able and is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thanks for studying the word with Pastor Thom Keller. He's been in Ezra 1 today on Study the Word. You can hear this message again as well as what you may have missed in the series online at ccleb.com.

You can also call and request a CD copy at 717-507-7862. That's 717-507-7862. We've picked out a resource we believe can lead you to live the life of an overcomer. It's called *Your Victory in Jesus*. This excellent book by D.L. Moody shows you how to walk by faith and have victorious results. Experience the joy of the Lord as you read *Your Victory in Jesus*. We'll send this your way for a gift of any amount to Study the Word this month.

Here's where to write: Study the Word, 740 Willow Street, Lebanon, Pennsylvania 17046. Or call 717-507-7862. And we'd love to have you visit us here at Calvary Chapel Lebanon. See when and where we meet as you visit us at ccleb.com. And download our free Android app. Search Calvary Chapel Lebanon in the Google Play Store. More from Ezra coming up next time on Study the Word with Thom Keller. Until then, God bless.