From Babylon to Jerusalem

Wesley Wright

Lighthouse Bible Church

Sunday, September 28, 2025

 

From Babylon to Jerusalem

 

EZR 1:1-11

 

Cyrus was a Persian king who God compelled to help the Israelites rebuild their temple. Interestingly enough, there’s no evidence he was a believer.

 

When Cyrus came to power, the Jewish temple was in ruins. Babylon put the people of Israel under severe persecution for a period of 70 years.

 

JER 29:10-14

 

JER 27:1-12

 

God made it clear he would use Babylon’s king to judge Israel

 

EZE 40:1-4

 

*this is during the Babylonian persecution

 

Consider God’s sovereignty — the prophet Isaiah predicted this well before Cyrus was alive.

 

ISA 44:24-28

 

ISA 45:1-7, 11-13

 

Nebuchadnezzar removed certain objects from the house of the Lord and put them in a pagan temple. Cyrus brought those back.

 

Isaiah predicted a foreign king taking those objects: 2KI 20:12-21

 

2CH 36:11-21 (Babylonian captivity for 70 years)

 

2CH 36:22-23 notes the reign of Cyrus, prophecies of Jeremiah + same details

 

Since he was king in Persia, Cyrus represented the man from the east: ISA 41:1-10 (emphasis on v. 2)

 

God had long promised via the prophets and psalms that He would re-gather His people in this way.

 

PSA 107:1-9

 

PSA 136:16-24

 

JER 33:1-13

 

JER 30:18-20

 

Remember that God can use anyone for His own purposes. Think of Pharaoh, Pilate, Cyrus, etc.

 

Remember as we read more about this trek back to Israel the rebuilt temple paled in comparison to the first: EZR 3:8-13

 

In the same way that God knew (and knows) his eventual plan for the exiles from Israel, he knows yours.

 

God can use resources from anywhere on the Earth to accomplish His will, and we should trust in that same as the Israelites of old.