The Christian Post's Top 10 Most Popular Op-Eds of 2016

By Napp Nazworth, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Michael Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries. He is the author of 25 books and hosts the nationally syndicated, daily talk radio show, the Line of Fire.

9. Is Donald Trump Like Cyrus From the Bible? by Michael Brown

Ever since Donald Trump began to surge as a candidate last year, Christians have been pointing to the book of Isaiah and comparing Trump with the ancient Persian king Cyrus. Some have even claimed that God has revealed to them that He will use Trump for the good of America just as He used Cyrus for the good of the Jewish people, even though Cyrus was a "pagan" king.

Could this be true?

Let's first look at the biblical and ancient Near Eastern evidence.

Cyrus (whose name was pronounced ko-resh in Hebrew) became king of Persia in 559 BC and conquered Babylon in 539 BC. He is mentioned in a majestic passage in Isaiah where the Lord says of Cyrus, "'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.'" (Isa 44:28)

In other words, Cyrus would be the one who would cause Jerusalem to be rebuilt after it had been destroyed decades earlier by the Babylonians.

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