GOD IS IN CONTROL

The Only God

Isaiah 43:1–4 “1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life.”

Here in this passage we see the lord speaking through Isaiah the prophet to HIS people Listen to what the Lord God is saying through the prophet. I have called you buy your name and he says you are mine. This is God’s promise of deliverance to the Church of the 1st Century and his promise of deliverance to the Church of the 21st century and every other century in between. He is declaring that we are able to be regenerated and adopted because we have been called. Not has he just called you buy he has called you by name. When God calls you he calls us to him, not to the Church or Religion or a routine, or a Doctrine from man, he is calling you away from those thing and calling you to leave the old things in place where he calls you from. When he calls us we dont’t just move away from the things that bring forth death to man, but we make a change of direction. This change of direction is to take us as far away from our old self as quickly as possible there for we must understand that making distance between some on and you the best way is to walk directly away, not at an angle that not creating the space you need to create directly away putting distance between you and your old self. when you become discouraged in the dangers and things that come against you remember that he LOVED you so much that he called you by name. I am encouraged when someone remembers my name and chooses me. Look at verse 4 here for a second God says that no man should be spared but becuase of your faithfulness to HIM he will give many for one of the faithfull. one interpertation is that he will give all the wicked in the world for just one.

Look at this passage “If you pass through the waters If you pass through” “When I will be with you” the rivers shall not overflow, walk through the fire not burned and not scorched. I am the Lord your Gd The Holy one of Israel as your Savior

Egypt was the ransom you are honored and loved he gives us men and Life and says he will gather descendants from the east and you from the west.

Everyone who is called by God and created for God’s glory. look God declares that “I have form him I have made him.”

Isaiah 44:5–8 “5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ And name himself by the name of Israel. 6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. 7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ””

The declaration that God is Soverign He says that I am the first and the Last beside me there is no other GOD. He asks who else can make this claim if any should give a name he says let them set it in order and let their god show the past the present and the future. Only the great archaritech knows the plans he has for you because he is the one who has put those plans into motion. No God beside the one True God (a Triune God, consistanting of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit) the creator of heaven and earth and all things in on and around them in the depths of the see in the heights of the heavens above, One God the one who spoke and things began to form out of the depths of the void and chaos

God is so much in control lets look at this passage of scripture I want you to see what God has chosen to bring forth His desires for the in order that the nothing shall stand in the way of the blessing of God coming forth. In the book of Ezra 1:1-4 we see this. Jeremiah the Prophet speaks these words and now in the First year of his Reign look at what he puts in writing and makes decree of

Ezra 1:1–4 “1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 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. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.”

The prophecy fro the prophet Jeremiah is being fulfilled. This prophecy was given by Jeremeiah in his life time which ranged from 650 BC to approximately 570 BC. Meaning this prophecy was most likely in the early portio of his tie as the Prophet. Jeremiah served 13 years under Josiah, only till 626 BC. Solomon’s temple was still in place, until 587 BC. and the First year of Cyrus was 559BC. So this prophetic work calling Cyrus the Great was most likely done between 627 BC the first year of Jeremiah the prophet, but no later than 609 BC the end of Josiah’s reign as King.

This prophecy would come to pass some 68 to 50 years before Cyrus was appointed King of Persia after the Babylonian reign was ended.

Babylonian 586 to 539

Persian 539-332

Greek 332- 141 BC

Roman 70 BCE to 324 CE

So the bear necessity 50 Years before it would be put into action and God would do the following things.

Isaiah 45:1–6 “1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other;”

Has your name ever been called and you not understand why or for what purpose you were being called to something. Here we see one of the most unlikely candidates we can think of in this time to be called and used by God and possibly having never made a confession with the Lord and Savior Jesus. We are going to look at Cyrus the Great today and attempt to understand the message of the Prophet Isaiah which was given to him from the Lord. Isaiah would fill his office for at least 47 years but most likely closer to 61 or 62 years. The scripture teaches us that Isaiah’s life was taken under the reign of Mannessah

Isaiah, Volume 1 § 2. Life of Isaiah, and the Characteristics of His Writings

he discharged the prophetic office under the reign of the kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

GOD’s works through people

As we get into this passage of scripture today, I want you to understand what is happening here. God has called someone to come and conquer the Babylonian empire, which at the point has the Children of Israel (God’s chosen people) in captivety. God is using someone Cyrus the Great to perform His will upon the land and people. In this process God gives Cyrus the Great a multitude of riches, and pours our blessing upon him for the purpose of having his children released and the temple and Jeruslem being rebuilt. God goes before Cyrus and gave him Nation after nation. This is consistent with how we see God move in the New Testament as well. (Acts 17:26, )

The scripture says that Cyrus was taken by the hand and led by GOD.

Ezra 1:1–2 “1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 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.”

This action was prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 30-31.