Preterism ends now ...but futurists are not right either

[3 Resurrections]

Wrong. Daniel doesn't refer to anyone making the decree. Is says the "Going forth of the command" ie the publishing it. It was God who made the command and Cyrus published it.

Ezra 1:2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.

Isaiah 44:28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Nehemiah was one of the leading Jews who returned under Cyrus, and it the Artaxerxes 1 was the link, then Nehemiah would have been at least 155 when he rode round the walls. Nehemiah only repaired the walls didn't build the city.

Daniel gives 7 weeks, 49 years for the city and walls to be built.
Daniel 9:25b There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 49 years from Cyrus will end near the end of Darius reign.

The particular "going forth of the decree" could really be a phrase descriptive of all four decrees, since the law of the Medes and Persians could not be abolished, and each one of the decrees was related to the process of restoring the Jews to their land in one way or another. It's just that Daniel 9:26's particular decree "to restore and to build Jerusalem" in Daniel 9:25 involved something more in addition to just rebuilding the temple, which Cyrus's decree specified. Cyrus's decree did not write anything about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem or its walls and street. That was God's statement of promise to Jerusalem that this would be done.

The city's walls and gates needed to be set up before Jerusalem could really be called "restored". That was done during the "troublous times" of harassment by Tobiah, Sanballat, etc. The Jews building the walls had to have their sword girded on their side at the same time they were building the walls in those 52 days.

The decree for that particular focus on "restoring and building Jerusalem" was specifically the one given in the 20th year of Artaxerxes I in 454 BC. It is not necessary to the terms of the 70 week prophecy that Nehemiah was alive to see the finished building of the city. The focus of the prophecy was on the year the DECREE was given which authorized that restoration and rebuilding of the city to commence.

From that 454 BC year, 483 years elapsed before Christ the Messiah began His miraculous public ministry in AD 30 when He proclaimed "The time is fulfilled", (the beginning of the 70th week had begun), "and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15).

 

[David Kent]

The particular "going forth of the decree" could really be a phrase descriptive of all four decrees, since the law of the Medes and Persians could not be abolished, and each one of the decrees was related to the process of restoring the Jews to their land in one way or another. It's just that Daniel 9:26's particular decree "to restore and to build Jerusalem" in Daniel 9:25 involved something more in addition to just rebuilding the temple, which Cyrus's decree specified. Cyrus's decree did not write anything about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem or its walls and street. That was God's statement of promise to Jerusalem that this would be done.

The city's walls and gates needed to be set up before Jerusalem could really be called "restored". That was done during the "troublous times" of harassment by Tobiah, Sanballat, etc. The Jews building the walls had to have their sword girded on their side at the same time they were building the walls in those 52 days.

The decree for that particular focus on "restoring and building Jerusalem" was specifically the one given in the 20th year of Artaxerxes I in 454 BC. It is not necessary to the terms of the 70 week prophecy that Nehemiah was alive to see the finished building of the city. The focus of the prophecy was on the year the DECREE was given which authorized that restoration and rebuilding of the city to commence.

From that 454 BC year, 483 years elapsed before Christ the Messiah began His miraculous public ministry in AD 30 when He proclaimed "The time is fulfilled", (the beginning of the 70th week had begun), "and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15).

Well you are relying on secular dating to interpret scripture. Apart from that there is a glaring error in your post.

Herod died in 4 BC. Jesus was about 30 years old when he started his ministry, so he must have been born before 4 BC. When the wise men came to visit, herod had all the babies under 2 years old murdered, so he was most likely born 6BC or before.

Cyrus followed God's charge to order the rebuilding of the city and temple. He only mentioned the temple because that was the most important to him. How did Cyrus know that God had charged to build the order the temple and city to be built? He must have been shown the prophecy, probably by Daniel.

Here is the charge:

Isaiah 44:26 (I am the LORD) That confirmeth the word of his servant,
and performeth the counsel of his messengers;
that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited;
and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built,
and I will raise up the decayed places thereof
27 That saith to the deep, Be dry,
and I will dry up thy rivers:
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.

Cyrus was one of only two men in the scripture who were named in the scripture over 100 years before they were born and both had prophecies about them which were 100% accurate.

 

[3 Resurrections]

Jesus was about 30 years old when he started his ministry,

Jesus "began to be about 30 years old" when He was baptized. His public ministry did not begin until later. He was 33 plus when He began His miraculous public ministry in AD 30 when He announced to the people (once John was cast into prison) "The time is fulfilled..." in Mark 1:15. That year was the beginning of the 70th week of "confirming the covenant with many" of Daniel's people.

Cyrus followed God's charge to order the rebuilding of the city and temple. He only mentioned the temple because that was the most important to him.

Cyrus did not order that the city Jerusalem would be rebuilt. Cyrus only mentioned the temple and the release authorizing God's people to return to their own land to rebuild that temple.

Daniel's 70-week prophecy was dated to begin from the particular decree of Artaxerxes I, which specifically mentioned rebuilding the walls and the street of the city. And that was in 454 BC in Artaxerxes I's 20th regnal year. A date for which we have archaeological evidence.

 

[David Kent]

The particular "going forth of the decree" could really be a phrase descriptive of all four decrees, since the law of the Medes and Persians could not be abolished, and each one of the decrees was related to the process of restoring the Jews to their land in one way or another. It's just that Daniel 9:26's particular decree "to restore and to build Jerusalem" in Daniel 9:25 involved something more in addition to just rebuilding the temple, which Cyrus's decree specified. Cyrus's decree did not write anything about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem or its walls and street. That was God's statement of promise to Jerusalem that this would be done.

The city's walls and gates needed to be set up before Jerusalem could really be called "restored". That was done during the "troublous times" of harassment by Tobiah, Sanballat, etc. The Jews building the walls had to have their sword girded on their side at the same time they were building the walls in those 52 days.

The decree for that particular focus on "restoring and building Jerusalem" was specifically the one given in the 20th year of Artaxerxes I in 454 BC. It is not necessary to the terms of the 70 week prophecy that Nehemiah was alive to see the finished building of the city. The focus of the prophecy was on the year the DECREE was given which authorized that restoration and rebuilding of the city to commence.

From that 454 BC year, 483 years elapsed before Christ the Messiah began His miraculous public ministry in AD 30 when He proclaimed "The time is fulfilled", (the beginning of the 70th week had begun), "and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15).

Well you are relying on secular dating to interpret scripture. Apart from that there is a glaring error in your post.

Herod died in 4 BC. Jesus was about 30 years old when he started his ministry, so he must have been born before 4 BC. When the wise men came to visit, herod had all the babies under 2 years old murdered, so he was most likely born 6BC or before.

Cyrus followed God's charge to order the rebuilding of the city and temple. He only mentioned the temple because that was the most important to him. How did Cyrus know that God had charged to build the order the temple and city to be built? He must have been shown the prophecy, probably by Daniel.

Josephus said that Cyrus ordered the city and temple to be built which is what he was charged to do by God. You are assuming that the Artexerxes in Nehemiah is Artaxerxes Longimanus. Herodotus who lived art the time, only mentions Artaxerxes as being in charge of the kingdom while his father Xerxes was away at war with Greece.

That doesn't explain the supposed large gap of time between Ezra 6 and 7.
Anstey suggests as well as others that that Artexerxes was given to Darius after his successful campaigns.

Herodotus said that Darius meant Merchant, Xerxes Warrior, and Artaxerxes Great warrior. These seemed to be titles rather than personal names.

Nehemiah new that the walls were down when he first returned so he wouldn't be surprised if they were down. He only repaired the walls. The seven weeks 49 years were the time the city and walls were to be built.

We can see from scripture that some of these names were used for kings we know from history.
Ezra 4:6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.

 

[David Kent]

Cyrus 9 years, Cambyses 6, Bardia 8 months Herodotus, 1 year Josephus, Darius September 522 BCE – October 486 BCE wikipedia 36 years, Xerxes 21 years, Wikipedia. Which I make 72 years till the first year of Artaxerxes. (I have given 9 years for Cyrus but I have seen estimates for his reign from 6 years to 31)

Wikipedia gives Cyrus 29 years reign, which I think is too long but if it is correct it would make it to 92 years till the first year of Artaxexes.

Far more than the 49 years in which the city was to be built.

The shortest time would make Nehmiah at least 102 at the first year of Artaxexes.

The city was built before the temple.
Haggai 1:1-4 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

 

[3 Resurrections]

Cyrus 9 years, Cambyses 6, Bardia 8 months Herodotus, 1 year Josephus, Darius September 522 BCE – October 486 BCE wikipedia 36 years, Xerxes 21 years, Wikipedia. Which I make 72 years till the first year of Artaxerxes. (I have given 9 years for Cyrus but I have seen estimates for his reign from 6 years to 31)

Artaxerxes I shared a co-regency period with his father, beginning in 474 BC. THIS is the year which began that 20-year regnal period of Artaxerxes I in Nehemiah 2:1, until the 454 BC decree was given in that 20th year to rebuild the street and the wall - starting the no-gap 490 year prophecy of Daniel 9:24-25.

You are presuming that the first 49 years is dedicated to rebuilding the city, and that is one possibility for interpreting the prevailing purpose of that period. But we are not told in scripture exactly why that particular period of 49 years is segregated from the rest. And the city was not considered "rebuilt" until the defensive walls of the city were completely restored under Nehemiah. Those walls and street were completed after the temple had been finished earlier under Zerubbabel's hands.

The city proper and the homes within it were still not built, even after the wall and gates were completed, according to Nehemiah 7:4. "Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded." So it is possible that the first "week" of 49 years really did consist of the people reconstructing their homes within the defensive walls and gates of the city.

Look at it this way: in the New Jerusalem, the "walls" of this city, (built of the believers as "living stones"), are continually having new believers added to those "walls", built upon the foundation of the Apostles, with Christ as the "chief cornerstone". The city of New Jerusalem will finally have the very last "living stone" laid down before that city is considered to be in a finished state. This is a spiritual reality going on today, which was prefigured by the symbolism of the physical Old Jerusalem's defensive walls being completely rebuilt. The city was not considered intact until the walls and gates had been completely restored with no breaches left in it.

"Build thou the walls of Jerusalem" has more than one meaning behind it in Psalms 51:18.

 

[parousia70]

I would say before 66 AD (the first arrival of the Roman army that was abandoned), but in general you are correct. The base logic of the fulfillment at least can then have merit. The secondary argument then goes to mapping the fulfillment to the prophecy, and in Revelation's case mapping the metaphorical imagery to history.

In 2 Samuel 22, After David's Battlefield victory over Saul, David described the events of the battle thusly:

8“Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 “The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

Any thoughts on how one might "Map this metaphorical imagry to history"?

How would we "map" the imagry of God being optically seen coming down from heaven on the clouds, riding a cherub, kindling fires with His nostril breath, shaking the entire earth to it's foundations and drying up the seas, to the events of this battle?

 

[David Kent]

Ezra 4:11 This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time. Ezra 4:12 Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations.Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.

Ezra 4:23-24 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
That is the same year as Haggai's prophecy.

Ezra 6:14-15 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

This Darius and Artaxerxes are one and the same which is why chapter 7 is Artaxerxes. The temple was finished in the 6th year of Darius, so we see the in chapter 7 the same Artaxerxes. Your maths are wrong you are relying on secular chronology based on the writings of 2nd century Astrologer Ptolemy. There is no long gap between chapters 6&7.

 

[3 Resurrections]

How would we "map" the imagry of God being optically seen coming down from heaven on the clouds, riding a cherub, kindling fires with His nostril breath, shaking the entire earth to it's foundations and drying up the seas, to the events of this battle?

Those "comings" of God in the OT are different than the coming of Jesus Christ in glory. Because after His bodily resurrection, Jesus Christ retained His human form of bodily-resurrected glory and never discarded it. Any coming return which He performs since then MUST of necessity be done in that same glorified, resurrected body which He has always retained since He ascended in Acts 1.

 

[3 Resurrections]

Your maths are wrong you are relying on secular chronology based on the writings of 2nd century Astrologer Ptolemy.

Actually, no, my chronology is opposed to that of Ptolemy's. Ptolemy never included a co-regency period of Artaxerxes I with his father starting in 474 BC. That is the problem which has put a snarl in most of people's computations of this 70-week prophecy - they haven't considered that the 20th year of Artaxerxes I's reign started 9 years earlier than Ptolemy thought.

 

[David Kent]

Actually, no, my chronology is opposed to that of Ptolemy's. Ptolemy never included a co-regency period of Artaxerxes I with his father starting in 474 BC. That is the problem which has put a snarl in most of people's computations of this 70-week prophecy - they haven't considered that the 20th year of Artaxerxes I's reign started 9 years earlier than Ptolemy thought.

That is assuming that he had an official co Regency. If I remember from Herodotus, ( I don't have it now it was a cheap Penguin edition on poor paper and it fell to bits) he just said that Artaxerxes was left in charge while Xerxes was away at the war. Although Herodotus outlived Xerxes, he doesn't mention Artaxerxes being king. Xerxes invaded Greece in the 6th year of his reign as far as I can establish from the Internet, so if he left Artaxerxes as pro rex and he continued in that role that would be 15 years before Xerxes died.

Anyway that is not relevant for the scripture tells us plainly that Cyrus would publish God's instruction. Daniel doesn't say these instructions were followed only that they were to be published. They were.

You are mis reading scripture.

 

[3 Resurrections]

Anyway that is not relevant for the scripture tells us plainly that Cyrus would publish God's instruction. Daniel doesn't say these instructions were followed only that they were to be published. They were.

You are mis reading scripture.

If you read Cyrus's decree, there is nowhere in his decree in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 or in Ezra 1:1-4 either where he mentions rebuilding the city proper or the walls and street. Do you need me to print it all out here?

Daniel 9:25's decree which begins the 490 years includes the specific decree that would restore the walls and the street, even in troublous times. That was the Nehemiah 2 letters from Artaxerxes I in the 20th year of his reign.

That is assuming that he had an official co Regency. If I remember from Herodotus, ( I don't have it now it was a cheap Penguin edition on poor paper and it fell to bits) he just said that Artaxerxes was left in charge while Xerxes was away at the war. Although Herodotus outlived Xerxes, he doesn't mention Artaxerxes being king. Xerxes invaded Greece in the 6th year of his reign as far as I can establish from the Internet, so if he left Artaxerxes as pro rex and he continued in that role that would be 15 years before Xerxes died.

For proof of that 454 BC decree in the 20th year of Artaxerxes I's reign, I would suggest you read Ussher's Annals of the World, including the editorial comments to locate the archaeological proof of that 454 BC date for yourself. It is mentioned in his notes # 1177, and #1184-1185.

 

[David Kent]

If you read Cyrus's decree, there is nowhere in his decree in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 or in Ezra 1:1-4 either where he mentions rebuilding the city proper or the walls and street. Do you need me to print it all out here?

Daniel 9:25's decree which begins the 490 years includes the specific decree that would restore the walls and the street, even in troublous times. That was the Nehemiah 2 letters from Artaxerxes I in the 20th year of his reign.

Well God said He gave the decree in Isaiah and that Cyrus would order the temple and city to be built. Do you think that God was a false prophet?

I have also shown you in Ezra that the temple was finished in the 6th year of Darius, and that Darius was the same person as Artaxerxes

The kings mentioned in Ezra 4
Cyrus
Ahasuerus, a.k.a Cambyses
Artaxerxes, a.k.a pseudo Smerdis or Bardiya
Darius , a.k.a. Artexerxes

In Daniel 6.14. There are only 2 kings mentioned as the temple was finished in the 6th year of Darius.

I suggest that you read Martin Anstey The Romances of Bible Chronology. or Philip Mauro . I once read it online but I can't find a downloadable version now although you can get reprints quite reasonable in the US. Or you can download his Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation. From Open Library Internet archive.

I have just found The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended by Sir Isaac Newton on Google books. It looks interesting perhaps if you read it and I do, we could compare notes. It is not easy for us to read as it uses s that look like f without the crossbar. I have not read it. Yet. A re view that I read said that he says the ancient kings greatly exaggerated the length of their reign.

Ezra Chapter 6 ends in the sixth year of Darius when the temple was completed and chapter 7 goes straight into the seventh year of Artaxexes, the same king.

 

[parousia70]

Those "comings" of God in the OT are different than the coming of Jesus Christ in glory. Because after His bodily resurrection, Jesus Christ retained His human form of bodily-resurrected glory and never discarded it. Any coming return which He performs since then MUST of necessity be done in that same glorified, resurrected body which He has always retained since He ascended in Acts 1.

Excellent. So when He says: " For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He is there, in their midst, of necessity, in Glorified Human Bodily Form?

And when He came to Paul on the road to Damascus, His coming return He performed to Paul, of necessity, was in glorified Human Bodily Form, the very same Human Bodily form that rose from the grave and walked the earth for 40 days?

Or are those simply two notable exceptions to your "MUST of necessity" rule?

 

[3 Resurrections]

Excellent. So when He says: " For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He is there, in their midst, of necessity, in Glorified Human Bodily Form?

"By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit." The Comforter is being referred to in the presence of the "two or three gathered together" in His name.

And when He came to Paul on the road to Damascus, His coming return He performed to Paul, of necessity, was in glorified Human Bodily Form, the very same Human Bodily form that rose from the grave and walked the earth for 40 days?

That was the same glorified, resurrected Christwhich came out of the grave with a deathless human body that also appeared to Paul in the way to Damascus. We are told that the glorified, resurrected body of Christ on the road to Emmaus "appeared in another form" (morphe) unto the two disciples. The risen Christ can adopt different appearances that He chooses to reveal - or not reveal - to others, but that is one of the peculiar characteristics of a glorified, resurrected human body.

 

[parousia70]

"By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit." The Comforter is being referred to in the presence of the "two or three gathered together" in His name.

Nothing in Matthew 18 says anythig about the Holy Spirit being the "I am there" person.
It's plainly Jesus.

That was the same glorified, resurrected Christwhich came out of the grave with a deathless human body that also appeared to Paul in the way to Damascus. We are told that the glorified, resurrected body of Christ on the road to Emmaus "appeared in another form" (morphe) unto the two disciples. The risen Christ can adopt different appearances that He chooses to reveal - or not reveal - to others, but that is one of the peculiar characteristics of a glorified, resurrected human body.

So by your own assertion, Jesus can Choose to come in the exact same Glorious way and appearance of the previous OT comings of God the Father.

Noted.

And makes sense, for that is the exact way He said He would come:

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

 

[3 Resurrections]

Nothing in Matthew 18 says anythig about the Holy Spirit being the "I am there" person.
It's plainly Jesus.

You're right, it doesn't specify that in Matthew 18:20. But it does specify that Jesus Christ is equated with the Spirit among those "two or three gathered together" in the other verse I quoted. Sorry, I neglected to include that reference in 1 John 4:13. "By this we know that we remain in Him AND HE IN US because He has given to us of HIS SPIRIT."

Also, the same statement is made without doubt in 2 Corinthians 3:17. "Now THE LORD IS THAT SPIRIT, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Two or three gathered together in His name have that same Spirit of the Lord among them. That is because Christ promised to send that Spirit as a Comforter to the saints when He departed by ascending bodily to the Father in heaven, leaving His Spirit behind for their consolation and guidance (John 16:6-7).

So by your own assertion, Jesus can Choose to come in the exact same Glorious way and appearance of the previous OT comings of God the Father.

No, because the OT "comings" of God did not yet include the incarnate characteristics of the resurrected Son. For any coming returns which that resurrected Son would make after His resurrection, of necessity they would involve the same glorified human body which emerged from the tomb on His resurrection day.

We are shown in scripture just what characteristics that glorified human body of Christ had.
Becoming invisible by "vanishing" from sight is one characteristic.
Being able to pass without hindrance through solid physical obstacles (such as the totally-intact, enclosed sepulchre).
Being able to eat and drink is another.
Being able to be handled, with a body which has tangible flesh and bones.
Being able to levitate.
Being able to travel from earth to heaven's realm and into God's presence, and back again to earth, even before a couple hours had gone by, apparently with the speed of thought.
Being deathless, with no risk whatever of ever dying again a second time.
Being able to adopt at will variations of appearance in that human form.

Any resurrected believers, as "joint-heirs with Christ", receive in the resurrection process a change for their body that includes all of these features listed above.

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

You will note that this Matthew 16:27 verse still refers to Christ as "the Son of MAN" in this case - meaning He would still be in that glorified, resurrected HUMAN body when He would come with the angels in the glory of His Father.

 

[David Kent]

If you read Cyrus's decree, there is nowhere in his decree in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 or in Ezra 1:1-4 either where he mentions rebuilding the city proper or the walls and street. Do you need me to print it all out here?

ISAIAH 44:28 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 45
Verse 1 Cyrus, God's anointed. God subdued many nations before him. Fulfilled. The gates of Babylon were unlocked after the river was dried up. Fulfilled. God loosed the loins of kings, fulfilled Daniel 5:6, Belshazza became incontinent and his knees knocked together. fulfilled

Belshazza had that great feast exactly to defy God, using the sacred vessels, because I am sure he would have been aware of the Isaiah prophecy, and to defy Cyrus who had surrounded the city several days before.

The prophecy regarding Cyrus was fulfilled.

 

[David Kent]

3:17. "Now THE LORD IS THAT SPIRIT, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

That is an interesting verse. I wonder what the JWs make of that? I just looked it up in the NWT and it reads: "17 Now Jehovah is the Spirit; and where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom." Hm. I will have to ask them that next time I see them. They will probably deny that that refers to the Holy Spirit.

 

[3 Resurrections]

ISAIAH 44:28 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.

This part of the verse - "even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built: and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid" - was God saying this to Jerusalem. It does not say that Cyrus would decree the rebuilding of Jerusalem's defensive walls, gates, and street. Cyrus's decree fulfilled his first part of this entire restoration process which God intended (the temple rebuilt, and the people of Israel authorized to return home) , and the succeeding kings of Persia also played their part in this process by their further decrees as well regarding the rebuilding process.

Cyrus's decree, of which we are given two copies in 2 Chronicles and Ezra, says nothing about rebuilding the city, its walls, or street. That part of the complete restoration process only came later under Artaxerxes I in 454 BC at the beginning of the 70-weeks prophecy.