April 13, 2025

Isaiah 42: 1-4

Isaiah 42: 1-4

We begin our exegetical study of Isaiah 42:1-4

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We begin our exegetical study of Isaiah 42:1-4

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Looking at our world from a theological perspective.

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This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central.

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Well.

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In the last episode, I had my Bible open Isaiah.

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Chapter forty two.

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It was right there in front of me, and I

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was like, we can start Isaiah forty two. We can

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take our observational outline. We can start the first section,

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which is Isaiah forty two one through four. We can

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jump right in start studying it exegetically.

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But we couldn't.

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We had to take a massive detour. We had to

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go back to the eighteen hundreds. We have to hear

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the story of how the cyrus cylinder was discovered and

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its significance and understanding not only history but it's significance,

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and helping us understand Isaiah forty through fifty five, and

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placing Cyrus at the center of this versus all the

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other things pastors do.

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So we did that. It's wonderful. It's great.

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I have Isaiah forty two open, and I should be

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very excited right here. I should be like, I can't

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wait to get into the exegetical study of Isaiah forty

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two one through four. I'm ready to go, but I'm

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a little conflicted here and it's been a weird back

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and forth with artificial intelligence on Isaiah forty two one

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through four. All right, so I started working with our

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artificial intelligence on Okay, let's put together an exegetical study

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of Isaiah forty two one through four. Right, Well, the

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first two or three that AI gave me this is

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when I was struggling with Well, wait a minute, I'm

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not so sure Isaiah forty two one through four is

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about Jesus, even though every sermon says so. And of

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course AI is pulling from all of what Christianity has

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to say about Isaiah forty two.

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It keeps telling me, this is Jesus, this is Jesus,

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this is Jesus, this is Jesus.

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And I'm like, I'm struggling. So let's just read it.

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Isaiah forty two one through four. Behold my servant, whom

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I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul delighteth. I

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have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth

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judgment to the gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up,

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nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

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A bruised read shall he not break, and the smoking

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flex shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment

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unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till

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he have set judgment in the earth, and the aisles.

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Shall wait for his law.

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Now you listen to any sermon they immediately say Jesus.

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So I kept struggling with that, going I'm not so sure,

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I'm not so sure.

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I'm not so sure.

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So we did so before I got into trying to Okay,

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you know, I can't really try to interpret this. Let's

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do our observational outline, right, So we did our observational outline. Now,

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to be fair, we didn't really follow the rules because

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it was in the midst of our obsentional outline of

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the entire chapel a chapter Isaiah forty two, that we

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we cheated. We offered an interpretation because we put forth

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the idea. Well, Sarah put forth the idea, and I

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ran with it. That Isaiah forty two, the servant mentioned

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in verse one through four, that is Cyrus. And when

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you jump to verse nineteen, who is blind but my servant?

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That is still Cyrus.

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That Isaiah forty two is the tell of one servant.

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But maybe there's also another additional understanding.

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We'll get to that.

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But we kind of went with the idea that no,

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Isaiah forty two, what we need to talk about is

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not Jesus. We need to talk about Cyrus, and that

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it's it's one servant. It's not a chapter of two servants,

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because most commentaries will.

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Say it's two servants.

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Isaiah forty two one through four, that's Jesus nineteen, that's Israel,

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two separate servants.

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And we were like, ah, no, so here's the thing

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I've now. This is what I was originally going to do.

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I was gonna say, okay, let's start our exegetical study

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of Isaiah forty two one through four. And I was

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going to take one of the exegetical studies that me

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and AI came up with with our back and forth,

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back and forth, back and forth, and then say here

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was attempt number one, or here was attempt number two,

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go through it completely, then back up, go through the

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next one, and then say here's the one we concluded. Now,

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it would be interesting to do that just to see

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the kind of the how it evolved and how it

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kind of became what we have. But on the other hand,

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it would become very repetitive and very redundant because we'd

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be saying the same thing.

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Over and over and over. So I threw out all

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of that. Here's what we're gonna do.

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We're gonna go through Isaiah forty two one through four,

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and we're gonna do so with the presupposition already imposed

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on the text that we do not believe that this

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is Jesus, that we believe this is Cyrus. Because we've

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already argued and argued and argued and argued and kind

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of defended everything about this, right, I don't feel like

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I need to spend a lot of time going, well,

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it could be this. It could be that we tried

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to be as neutral as we could be in our

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observational outline because that's where we try. But here we

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can't be as neutral because we're going to be now

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trying to defend it.

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We've kind of already I think this is.

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What we're going to do, is we go through Isaiah

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forty two one through well through the entire chapter exegetically.

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Is now it's not so much proposing our hypotheses. It's

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not even so much about just doing observational work. Now

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it becomes about defending the hypotheses that this isn't Jesus,

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this is Cyrus, and I think in the last hour

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we kind of did that utilizing well, the Cyrus cylinder,

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I think in many cases proves the point. So we're

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going to go through this and I'm going to be

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utilizing what me and AI.

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Came up with.

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Me and me an artificial intelligence intelligence. Whenever we work

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on things, it's like an ongoing conversation. It's like I

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will type out like a paragraph and then and I

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will say, well, what about this, or what about or

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put this together?

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Utilizing my words. Then it will take my words.

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And then obviously structures it, adds it, and then kind

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of turns it into something you know that sounds different,

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but it's still based off what I had said. So

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a lot of this is going to be between me

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and artificial intelligence trying to figure out exactly how to

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handle this section of scripture. AI wanted, and this is

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AI insisted that we call Isaiah forty two one through

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four Isaiah forty two one through four, that we refer

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to this as a two level servant. A two level servant.

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AI did not want to just a bet and in

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any exploit any mention of Jesus here. AI did not

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want want to do that Now I'm I'm conflicted because

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part of me is like, Okay, we can talk about Jesus,

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but the point is here in Isaiah forty two. Let

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me just I'm gonna be I'm gonna emphasize this multiple times.

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For the people that this is written to, they're in

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Babylonian captivity. Their their life is focusing on Babylon, the

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Babylonian deities, Babylonian King Cyrus taking over deliverance, going back

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to Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple.

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The discussion of Jesus.

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For them is of utter it's it's meaningless to them

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in this context.

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It's like, oh, so someone's going.

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To come what you know, five six, seven hundred years later,

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Oh well, wonderful, great, we'll all be dead.

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So Cyrus to me is the emphasis here. But but

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Ai was like, no, no, no, no, there's two levels.

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There's two levels. And I do agree there's two. I

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just think in the immediate context, the second level is

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of no value to them. All right, So this is

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how Ai stated it. Cyrus is the immediate agent, Christ

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is the ultimate fulfillment. And what happened is me and

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Ai was kind of going back and forth arguing and

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then AI basically said, well, what if I put it

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this way, Cyrus is the immediate agent. Christ is the

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ultimate fulfillment. I'm like, okay, well we'll compromise. We'll compromise

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a little bit.

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Maybe.

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All right, so this Isaiah forty two one through four.

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We can call this the story of Ah. We'll just

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call it the a two level servant or the two

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level servant or the two level servant. I don't know

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how you want to phrase it. AI placed it as

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a two level servant, A two level servant, okay, but

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it's two different all right. Well, I'm not going to

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sit here in debate debate it all day, but Cyrus

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is the immediate agent, and I'm one hundred percent there's

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no way to get around that. He is the immediate agent.

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Christ is the ultimate fulfillment. So let's break this down.

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You're ready, Let's take this apart. Here we go. First,

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I want us to see the contextual AI calls it

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the contextual orientation. I just want us to see this

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in context. I kind of want to place this in

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some form of context. All right, So here we go,

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Isaiah forty through forty eight. If we're gonna put this

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in some kind of textual context. Isaiah forty through forty

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eight is written to the exiles and Babylon. Now I

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will argue Isaiah forty through fifty five is written to

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the exiles, but I think for to put this in

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its appropriate context, Isaiah forty through forty eight is what

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we'll focus on. But it's written to the exiles and

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babel line. There's no question. Now this section forty through

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forty eight emphasizes God's sovereignty over history.

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I think we can agree with that. His challenge to idols.

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Keep that in mind.

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He over and over God's going to he challenges the idols.

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He challenges the idols, and we saw in our last

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study on the Cyrus cylinder a historical reason for why

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this is occurring. So it's going to show God's sovereignty

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over history, his challenge to idols, his unique power to

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name and raise Cyrus before his birth. If you look

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at Isaiah forty four, Isaiah forty four to twenty eight,

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Isaiah forty four to twenty eight, here we go that

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saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd and shall perform

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all my pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, thou shalt be built,

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and to the temple thy foul foundation shall be laid.

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Look at forty five to one.

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Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose

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right hand I have holden.

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Remember the Cyrus cylinder.

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That's almost a direct statement from the Cyrus cylinder or

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the Cyrus cylinder.

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Well, we can get.

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Into the whole discussion here because this was before the

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Cyrus cylinder. So the Sirens cylinder is using the exact words,

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but they're attributed to Marduk, not to Yahweh. All right,

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but this show so in this section, it's going to

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emphasize God's sovereignty, his unique power to name and raise

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Cyrus before his birth, and we see that in forty four,

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twenty eight and forty five to one. Right, this is

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a call for comfort and reassurance.

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Does that not sound familiar? Comfort? Ye?

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Comfort, ye, my people, Saith you're God. As a chapter

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forty verse one, Cyrus it will emerge. It emerges in

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chapter forty one. So he's already emerged in the since

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we've already seen him.

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Right.

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In fact, he's found in forty one through forty five

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as God's chosen instrument to liberate his people. But He's

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also described as a pagan king who does not know Jahweh,

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and we see that in forty five. I believe it's

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forty five. Let me go verify forty five verse four

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for Jacob, my servant's sake in Israel, minelect, I have

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been called Thee. I have even called thee by thy name.

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I have summoned thee, though thou hast not known me. Right,

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So it's very clear Cyrus is chosen by God, called

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by God. He's a shepherd, anointed, He's God's gonna hold

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him by the hand. But yet Cyrus does not know God.

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He's blind, as we see, and we're going to see

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in forty two.

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As we go through the chapter.

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Isaiah forty two to one through four introduces my servant

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with attributes that may seem, you know, while these are

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very maybe exalted attributes or maybe like the perfect idea

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of a servant, but they also appear to be possibly

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mysteriously layered in many ways.

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So what is the context.

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Isaiah forty through forty eight is written to exiles and Babylon,

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and the section emphasizes God's sovereignty, his challenged to idols,

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his unique power, a call for comfort and reinsurance and cyrus.

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That's what this section is about. And forty two to

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one introduces the servant. Well, if forty two is introducing

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a servant and a section where cyrus is clearly central,

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then there's a high Then from a textual standpoint, it

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makes a lot of sense to go, I think that's cyrus,

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even though everyone's going to tell you you're wrong. So there's

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kind of the kind of that kind of gives us

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some orientation to the context, that gives us the context.

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And by this point whenever, just so that you know this,

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we set up the context in chapter forty, we set

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up the context in forty one, we set up the

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context in forty two.

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It's the same context.

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Over and over and over and over and over and

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over and over and over again. And you say, well,

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why do you have to keep stating the context over

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and over again?

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We get it.

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I don't think anybody does, because Christianity has had an

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open book test for two thousand years and we flunk it.

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Every single Sunday, some pastor opens up Isaiah forty through

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fifty five because they never bother to ever do this.

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They only pay lip service to the context and then

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immediately move out Judah, move us in, Move out Cyrus,

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move in Jesus, and then turn it into us something

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about your life, my life, problems, trials, difficulties, and it

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just at the whole thing is destroyed. So all I

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can do is just bore you to death with stating

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the context over and over and over and over again

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until you're screaming at your phone.

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I get it, shut up, move on.

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Well, I'm sorry I can't because we've got to We've

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got to double down on it. I at church, I

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played the beginning of a sermon, remember where immediately he

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read I think it was Isaiah forty two, and he

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immediately said, this is Jesus, like just dogmatically asserts it,

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didn't even explain it. And I'm like, that's that's what

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happens in sermon after it. I mean, I can pull

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up audio right now, we just we could just start

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randomly pulling up sermons, and I could spend the next

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four hours just randomly picking sermons, and by the end.

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Of it, you'd be like, we get it.

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Well, considering how many sermons we've already reviewed, you should

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already see why this is a problem.

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So there's the context. Now, how about the textual.

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Evidence, textual evidence for Isaiah forty two one through four

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and Cyrus. Isaiah forty two and Cyrus. Okay, hang on,

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my notes just went absolutely crazy here. All right, okay,

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all right, the textual evidence for Isaiah forty two, one

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through four and Cyrus.

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Now we have verse one. Are we ready? Here we go?

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Now, see this is what This is where I struggle.

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This is where me and AI struggled, because AI wants

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to immediately go, okay, well, let's let's look at the

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textual evidence for proving this is Cyrus. But there's a

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part of me that doesn't want to go through the

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text proving it's Cyrus.

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I just want to go through the text. But that's

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kind of what we did in.

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The observational part. So I'm very conflicted here in how

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to do this exegetically. I just kind of want to

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work through it, but you almost have to work through

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it proving Cyrus, since that's going to be the key

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takeaway from this chapter.

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So let's start with the.

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First phrase or a couple of phrases here, Isaiah forty two. Behold,

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we can start right here.

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Behold.

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I think that's significant, right, because it's like, hey, pay

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attention here.

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Look, behold and what are you? What is everyone to

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behold in the midst of everything going on?

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Behold, look, pay attention to my servant, my servant, mine elect.

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I have put my spirit upon him. I'm just pulling

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out some of the things from it. Right, So in

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verse one, we have this idea of my servant, my elect,

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and I will put my spirit upon him. Let's go

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with just those three things. All right, My servant, my elect,

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I've put my spirit upon him. My servant is a

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term is a term not exactly used in Isaiah forty

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four to twenty eight and forty five to one of Cyrus, right,

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because if you.

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Look at those verses forty four to twenty eight.

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And again, I think it just depends on translation forty

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four twenty eight. Thus, Saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd.

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It's not called servant, but he's called shepherd. Then, if

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you look at forty five, the Lord to his anointed,

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so he's called anointed. So he's referred to he's referred

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to annoint, he's referred to as anointed, he's referred to

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as shepherd. I think some translations have him referred to

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as a servant. Now we could get into all the

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textual issues. So some may say, well, he's literally referred

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to a servant. Later on, others may say, no, he's not.

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But you're still on this very exalted language, my anointed,

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my shepherd, and I believe it's not too far fetched

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to see him being referred to here as my servant.

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I don't think that there's a problem anywhere here now

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Isaiah forty five four, Isaiah forty five to four, we

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read for Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect.

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I have even called thee by thy name. I have

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surnamed thee, though thou hast not named me. I am

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the Lord, and there is none else. There is no

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God beside me. So he called him, he chose him. Well,

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now forty two my servant, whom I uphold mine elect.

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Now I know what some people could say, Well, that

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sounds also like language that refers to Israel, because Israel's

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referred to as servant and Israel's referred.

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To as elect.

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So maybe Isaiah forty two one through four is Israel.

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I still don't think it works. I still doesn't think

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I don't think it works in any way, shape or form,

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but just and just so you know, that's always the

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difficult part in a lot of this is because similar

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language is used for Israel, similar language is used for Jesus,

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similar language.

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Used for Cyrus.

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So you can see where everyone can put forth their arguments.

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But here servant is used, and chosen is used, or

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my elect is using, and then I have put my

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spirit upon him forty two to one, I've put my

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spirit upon him. Now this is where some people may argue,

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because some people will say this is the most difficult

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to link to Cyrus, because nowhere is Cyrus explicitly said

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to receive God's spirit. However, the argument could be made

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that the spirit here can refer to empowering for a

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task not necessarily in dwelling, because in Judges three ten,

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the spirit comes upon someone to judge Israel Athniel I

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think is who it comes upon. You can look at

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Judges three ten, Judges three ten. I want to make

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sure I'm not missing quoting it or remembering it incorrectly.

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Judges Chapter three, Judges three. You look here, I think

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you'll know the idea I'm referring to here. Okay, uh uh,

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And the spirit of the Lord came upon him and

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he judged Israel. It's off now, right, So yeah, I've

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got I've got the uh the example.

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Right.

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So in the there are times in the Old Testament

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where the Spirit simply is seen as referring to empowering

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someone for a task, not necessarily in dwelling them, because

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it would be problematic if, obviously, if we would refer

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to Cyrus as being in dwelt by the Holy Spirit

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when he's clearly a pagan, right, that would be philologically problematic.

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But if it just comes upon him to empower him

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to rule, to judge, or just to empower him to

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deliver Judah back to Jerusalem, then then then makes sense and.

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It fits perfectly.

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We don't have we don't have any problem, all right,

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Isaiah eleven and Isaiah sixty one. The Spirit also refers

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to Messianic anointing. Well, in a way, he's kind of anointed.

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I mean, he's referred to his anointed. He's kind of

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gets a Messianic anointing in the sense that he's going

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to be the liberator, the deliverer, the setting the captives

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free in this historical context. So this idea that the

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Spirit come upon him. Is the idea of anointing him.

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I think.

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I think that's the idea to empower him, to anoint him.

398
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To set him apart.

399
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Historically, Cyrus is historically elected, chosen, set apart to be

400
00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:59.519
God's servant, to be God's anointed, to be his shepherd,

401
00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.920
to we bring the people back from Babylonian captivity, to

402
00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:09.160
fulfill God's covenant promise. So I think it's it's being

403
00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:12.960
used functionally here. I think it's describing God empowering of

404
00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:18.960
Cyrus for his redemptive task. It's it's describing him being chosen, anointed,

405
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and and and and empowered.

406
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By the Holy Spirit to do this task.

407
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Right. Do you see all of that in Isaiah forty two.

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Behold my servant, whom I have hold my elect and

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whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him.

410
00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:37.079
He shall bring forth judgment to the gentiles. Now that

411
00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:40.640
part my soul delighteth. We can see where that gets

412
00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.480
a little. Some people will say, well, God can't delight

413
00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:47.880
He's done. I think he's delighted in him to anoint him,

414
00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:52.559
to make him his shepherd, his servant for this particular purpose.

415
00:23:54.680 --> 00:23:56.880
I think I think that's the only way that work.

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Some people may push back on that. But again, and

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00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:01.839
as if you just want to everybody wants to run

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00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:03.480
and make this about Jesus. But if you make it

419
00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:08.240
about Jesus, that says nothing. He doesn't do anything for Israel.

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In this particular context, then we have in verse two

421
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he shall not cry aloud. This describes a quiet, non

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00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:24.400
boastful figure. Now some people say this mirror is the

423
00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:29.799
historical conquest of Babylon by Cyrus. It was peaceful, it

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00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:34.599
was nonviolent, and he was welcomed by many, and some

425
00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:39.440
notes even Ai right here at this point said see

426
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:42.279
the Cyrus cylinder. So that's why we just spent an

427
00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:46.039
hour working on it. Right, He was not a tyrant.

428
00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:50.359
He governs without making a noise in the street.

429
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I look at the way it reads in.

430
00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:56.079
Isaiah forty two, verse two, he shall not cry, nor

431
00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.039
lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in

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the street.

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00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:01.720
That he does doing it in a radically.

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00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:05.200
Different way than many kings and leaders would. Now, in

435
00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:09.799
some ways he lifts up his voice in the Cyrus cylinder, okay,

436
00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:12.400
But as far as it's coming in and the way

437
00:25:12.440 --> 00:25:15.880
he does it, he does it in a quiet way.

438
00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:19.839
I think there's I think there's a I think we

439
00:25:19.880 --> 00:25:23.079
can see that, all right. How about verse three, A

440
00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:27.119
bruised read shall he not break or will not break?

441
00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:31.319
Depending on your translation, this seems to imply restraint and

442
00:25:31.400 --> 00:25:35.240
care for the week the exiles were bruised and dimly burning.

443
00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:39.240
A bruised read, he will not break? That was Judah.

444
00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:43.200
They're bruised. Cyrus did not crush them. He sends them

445
00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:46.359
back to rebuild, fulfilling Isaiah forty four to twenty eight

446
00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:50.079
and Asra chapter one, verses one through four. Cyrus fits

447
00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:57.160
that very very very well, all right. Verse four, he

448
00:25:57.240 --> 00:26:00.880
shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set

449
00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:03.480
judgment in the earth, and the aisles.

450
00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:05.960
Shall wait for his law.

451
00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:12.240
His resolve mirrors that of Cyrus and Isaiah forty one

452
00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:17.279
two through three. If you go back to forty one

453
00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:20.359
forty one, is it two through three?

454
00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:21.400
Yes, forty one.

455
00:26:21.319 --> 00:26:25.160
Two through three, who raised up the righteous man from

456
00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:28.839
the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations

457
00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:32.640
before him, made him rule over kings. He gave them

458
00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:35.599
as the dust to his sword, and has driven stubble

459
00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:39.599
to his bow. That's Cyrus being risen up. It mirrors

460
00:26:39.640 --> 00:26:42.599
the same kind of concept and language very well.

461
00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:45.799
Verse three. He pursued them and passed safely, even by

462
00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:48.960
the way that he had not gone with his feet.

463
00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:51.680
And then if you look at twenty five and verse

464
00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:55.640
twenty one, or in chapter forty one, if you look

465
00:26:55.680 --> 00:27:00.240
at verse twenty five, I believe it's twenty five, twenty

466
00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:05.279
five and twenty seven. I have raised up one from

467
00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:08.039
the north, and he shall come from the rising of

468
00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:10.720
the sun. Shall he call upon my name, He shall

469
00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:15.640
come upon princess, upon mortar. And as the potter treadeth Clay,

470
00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:19.240
who hath declared from the beginning that we may know

471
00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:23.000
and before time that we may say he is righteous? Yay,

472
00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:25.200
there is none that showeth yay. There is none that

473
00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:29.480
declareth yay. There is none that heareth your words. Now,

474
00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:31.880
if you look at some of the way i Cyrus

475
00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:35.119
has described and Isaiah forty one in other parts, well

476
00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:40.240
forty two sounds he shall not be discouraged.

477
00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:42.039
He shall set judgment upon the earth.

478
00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:44.839
He's going to accomplish, he's going to do so, nothing's

479
00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:46.799
going to stop his advancement.

480
00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:51.240
It all sounds very, very very similar, all right.

481
00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:55.200
Until he has established justice in the earth, Cyrus established

482
00:27:55.200 --> 00:28:00.000
imperial justice, allowing displaced people to return home the coastline

483
00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:05.079
wait for his law. Likely this is poetic of distant

484
00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:12.920
nations awaiting liberation or decree. Okay, Cyrus's edict and Ezra

485
00:28:13.079 --> 00:28:17.519
chapter one, verses one through four seems to be, from

486
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:20.799
what we can tell, was known widely, so other people

487
00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:24.319
may have been waiting for his law, his decree him

488
00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:26.599
to give the same kind of decree so that they

489
00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:30.559
could be set free, that they could be delivered because

490
00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:31.200
look at.

491
00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:33.240
Cyrus would come in.

492
00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:36.920
He would not not he would immediately take over, and

493
00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:40.319
usually enough, not always, but in a peaceful way. But

494
00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:43.519
he would always repatriate the people. He would let them

495
00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:47.640
go back. He would restore their temples, restore their religion,

496
00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:50.839
and a says, restore their culture. So yeah, if you're

497
00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:53.839
if you're any any kind of bondage, you're like, please Cirrus.

498
00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:56.839
You're almost looking to Cyrus. Is that's the deliverer. We

499
00:28:56.880 --> 00:28:59.880
want to come to us, to our far land and

500
00:29:00.039 --> 00:29:00.839
deliver us.

501
00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:07.119
If you had heard the stories, So there's the context,

502
00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:11.880
there's the textual evidence that it's Cyrus to the best

503
00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:15.720
of our ability. Now let's look at the historical evidence

504
00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:19.559
supporting Cyrus. Well, we've got the Cyrus Cylinder, a Persian

505
00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:23.599
document that describes cyrus conquest to Babylon, claims divine appointment

506
00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:27.039
by Marduk to bring justice and peace, confirms his policy

507
00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:28.920
of returning exiled people to their lands.

508
00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:30.519
A unique historical.

509
00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:35.400
Act matches Isaiah's petrel as a ruler who acts justly

510
00:29:35.640 --> 00:29:38.839
and restores displaced people. So I will argue that the

511
00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:43.640
Cyrus Cylinder really strengthens our interpretation of Isaiah forty two

512
00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:46.440
being about Cyrus, I.

513
00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:48.079
Think it does. It fits perfectly.

514
00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:52.200
And again, even though I know some people would say, well,

515
00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:57.079
but wait a minute, servant elect, that sounds like Israel.

516
00:29:57.319 --> 00:30:00.519
But immediately I have put my spirit upon him. He

517
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:04.160
shall bring judgment to the gentiles. He shall not cry

518
00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:09.200
nor lift up. This immediately sounds like he's referring to

519
00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:13.559
an individual, not referring to Israel. Now you can say,

520
00:30:13.599 --> 00:30:16.839
but in Isaiah, whatever was it forty four? I think

521
00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:20.559
it's forty four. Israel's referred to Jacob as an individual.

522
00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:22.599
I know you can make all of these arguments. It's

523
00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:23.720
just it doesn't fit.

524
00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:24.960
It has to be.

525
00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:28.680
It has to be Cyrus, right, and most most people

526
00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:30.839
even forget the Israel possible connection.

527
00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:33.440
But I think in the context it doesn't make any sense,

528
00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:35.799
all right, it doesn't.

529
00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:41.640
That's my feelings here, And as we go through if.

530
00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:43.880
We see something that, look, I'm always willing to change it.

531
00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:47.480
But it's Cyrus, all right, and the historical evidence backs

532
00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:50.319
it up. So we got to Cyrus cylinder as historical evidence,

533
00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:52.960
and you've got Asra chapter one, verses one through four.

534
00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:55.799
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to build

535
00:30:55.839 --> 00:30:57.119
him a house at Jerusalem.

536
00:30:57.519 --> 00:30:58.640
It uses clear.

537
00:30:58.400 --> 00:31:03.039
Biblical language of divine initiation and fulfillment of prophecy. It

538
00:31:03.119 --> 00:31:06.240
confirms Cyrus's decree as the act of God used to

539
00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:11.799
deliveral to deliver Israel from exile. So the Cyrus cylinder

540
00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:15.400
I think proves Isaiah forty.

541
00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:18.440
Two to one through four. I think the language itself can.

542
00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:21.000
Be supported by the other parts of Isaiah that mentions

543
00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:24.640
Cyrus by name. So I think there's one evidence of proof,

544
00:31:24.680 --> 00:31:28.119
textual proof, and then the historical proof to Cyrus cylinder.

545
00:31:28.359 --> 00:31:31.920
And then the other historical proof is well the decree

546
00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:35.799
of Cyrus as recorded in Ezra one versus one through four.

547
00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:40.200
I think all of that proves it right. So we've

548
00:31:40.200 --> 00:31:47.799
got context Cyrus, We've got the verses themselves compared and

549
00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:51.240
contrasted with the other verses in Isaiah forty through forty

550
00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:55.680
five through forty eight where Cyrus is mentioned. And then

551
00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:58.799
we have historical evidence, we've got the cylinder, and we've

552
00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:02.119
got the decree of Cyrus and Ezra one. Now, what

553
00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:07.559
are the theilological implications. I think the theological implications are.

554
00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:12.559
These are just a couple. Cyrus is the servant not

555
00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:16.640
because he's righteous, not even because of faith, but because

556
00:32:16.680 --> 00:32:21.480
of divine commissioning and purpose. Cyrus is the servant because

557
00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:31.279
God elected him, commissioned him, anointed him, appointed him, empowered

558
00:32:31.440 --> 00:32:36.799
him Isaiah forty five five through six. I gurge you,

559
00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:40.720
though you do not know me, is really the key. Hey,

560
00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:44.559
I chose, I've chosen you, I've elected you, I have

561
00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:48.599
anointed you. I'm holding you by the hand, But you

562
00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:51.799
do not know me. God uses Cyrus as an instrument

563
00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:54.920
of justice, mercy, and deliverance. Yet the tension is clear.

564
00:32:55.240 --> 00:33:00.240
Cyrus is blind and death Isaiah forty two nineteen. He

565
00:33:00.359 --> 00:33:06.839
serves without knowing God. He accomplishes justice externally, but lacks

566
00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:13.559
spiritual knowledge internally, he may bring justice externally. He doesn't

567
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:17.680
have anything going on spiritually internally because he's completely blind,

568
00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:22.000
he's completely deaf, and he's attributing everything to the god

569
00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:23.799
Marduk of Babylon.

570
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:26.759
I mean that that.

571
00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:29.720
That's just You've got to see this kind of theological

572
00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:36.000
tension and contrast and what happens here. Now that's all Cyrus.

573
00:33:36.039 --> 00:33:41.000
That's Isaiah forty two one through four, all about Cyrus.

574
00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:48.000
He's the agent, the immediate agent. What about the ultimate

575
00:33:48.720 --> 00:33:54.799
fulfillment Isaiah forty two to one through four. Now we

576
00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:59.559
go from can we call it the imperfect Cyrus is

577
00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:02.920
the perfect servant, He's the blind and death servant.

578
00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:05.599
Now we go to the perfect servant.

579
00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:11.719
Cyrus may fulfill Isaiah forty two one through four functionally.

580
00:34:12.440 --> 00:34:16.039
Cyrus may fulfill Isaiah forty two one through four, not

581
00:34:16.079 --> 00:34:22.280
only functionally but historically, but maybe only Jesus fulfills it

582
00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:29.840
fully and personally. If you go to Matthew chapter twelve,

583
00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:49.199
Matthew chapter twelve, Matthew twelve, verse seventeen, Matthew twelve, verse seventeen.

584
00:34:49.239 --> 00:34:51.480
If we go back to fifteen, just for context, Matthew

585
00:34:51.480 --> 00:34:54.760
twelve fifteen. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself

586
00:34:54.760 --> 00:34:57.800
from thence, and great multitudes followed him, and he healed

587
00:34:57.840 --> 00:34:59.760
them all. And he charged him that they should not

588
00:34:59.800 --> 00:35:03.400
make him known, that it might be fulfilled, which was

589
00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:07.400
spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, behold, my servant, whom

590
00:35:07.440 --> 00:35:10.199
I have chosen, my beloved, and whom my soul is

591
00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:13.320
well pleased. I have put my spirit upon him, and

592
00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:16.519
he shall show judgment to the gentiles. He shall not

593
00:35:16.599 --> 00:35:19.679
strive nor cry. Neither shall any man hear his voice

594
00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:22.320
in the street a bruise read, shall he not break?

595
00:35:22.519 --> 00:35:25.719
And smoking flax? Shall he not quench, or shall he

596
00:35:25.800 --> 00:35:29.679
not quench till he send forth judgment unto victory. And

597
00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:34.920
in his name shall the gentiles trust.

598
00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:36.719
Matthew quotes this.

599
00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:42.880
It's applied directly to Jesus, and it seems to be

600
00:35:42.880 --> 00:35:48.239
applied directly to Jesus first coming. Jesus is truly God's

601
00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:52.039
chosen and spirit filled and in spirit filled Matthew three

602
00:35:52.159 --> 00:35:55.519
sixteen through seventeen. This is whom this is, my beloved son,

603
00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:58.559
and whom I am well pleased. The spirit of God

604
00:35:58.599 --> 00:36:03.079
descends upon him. He's anointed, He's the anointed one. He's anointed.

605
00:36:03.159 --> 00:36:06.239
He's He's the Christ right, the anointed, He's the prophet,

606
00:36:06.239 --> 00:36:10.280
the priest, the king. He brings healing and compassion to

607
00:36:10.360 --> 00:36:15.440
the broken bruce reads and smoldering wicks. He's extinguished them.

608
00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:20.679
He does not break them. He refuses spectacle or coerci.

609
00:36:21.039 --> 00:36:23.440
He will not quarrel or cry aloud. He's not there

610
00:36:23.480 --> 00:36:30.880
to fight. He brings justice not through politics, but through

611
00:36:30.920 --> 00:36:34.000
the Cross and resurrection. Cyrus may be doing it politically,

612
00:36:34.119 --> 00:36:36.719
he may be doing it in a physical way. Christ

613
00:36:36.760 --> 00:36:40.880
has come to bring justice through the Cross and the resurrection.

614
00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:48.559
But the question is did he fulfill all of this

615
00:36:48.639 --> 00:36:54.760
at his first coming? Well, he does inaugurate the kingdom right,

616
00:36:55.239 --> 00:36:57.800
his kingdom is at hand. He does bring about his

617
00:36:57.840 --> 00:37:01.519
spiritual kingdom. He does re ill the nature of God's

618
00:37:01.679 --> 00:37:06.480
justice and compassion. But justice had not been established in

619
00:37:06.519 --> 00:37:09.880
all the earth, so.

620
00:37:09.880 --> 00:37:10.800
That did not happen.

621
00:37:11.239 --> 00:37:14.039
The nations still wait the final imposition of his rule

622
00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:20.760
Revelation nineteen and twenty. The second Coming will fulfill Isaiah

623
00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:23.800
forty two to four in its global and visible fullness.

624
00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:25.800
So even if we look at Isaiah forty two to

625
00:37:25.800 --> 00:37:28.960
one through four, and we say that's Jesus. Even if

626
00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:30.840
we say Isaiah forty two to one through four is

627
00:37:30.920 --> 00:37:33.760
Jesus and its ultimate fulfillment, I don't even think the

628
00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:36.639
ultimate fulfillment even happened in this first coming. The ultimate

629
00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:39.760
fulfillment hasn't even happened yet, which would even.

630
00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:41.679
Remove it even further and further and further.

631
00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:44.360
Away from the original recipients. That's why we have to

632
00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:48.639
have Cyrus there as the immediate agent, as the immediate fulfillment,

633
00:37:48.920 --> 00:37:53.480
as the historical fulfillment. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment and

634
00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:56.440
his first coming, but not really the ultimate fulfillment happens

635
00:37:56.440 --> 00:38:01.880
in his second coming. So I believe Isaiah forty two

636
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:05.000
is best read is almost kind of a dual layered prophecy.

637
00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:10.239
The immediate context, the immediate person is Cyrus historically fits

638
00:38:10.280 --> 00:38:15.079
the description. He's chosen upheld empowered in a functional sense.

639
00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:20.000
He brought justice that he freed exiles. He acted quietly,

640
00:38:20.599 --> 00:38:24.599
was very efficient, yet he was blind and unaware. He

641
00:38:24.719 --> 00:38:31.400
was the paradoxal servant. The ultimate fulfillment is Christ. He's

642
00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:32.320
the perfect servant.

643
00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:33.239
Truly knows.

644
00:38:33.280 --> 00:38:36.760
God filled with the spirit, brings not just national justice,

645
00:38:36.840 --> 00:38:40.159
but eternal justice. Brings mercy to the weak and will

646
00:38:40.199 --> 00:38:43.119
one day complete what Cyrus and others can only begin.

647
00:38:48.920 --> 00:38:52.960
Cyrus is the historical servant who delivers by decree, empowered

648
00:38:53.000 --> 00:38:56.239
by God, for Israel's physical return. Christ is the eternal

649
00:38:56.280 --> 00:39:00.199
servant who delivers by sacrifice, empowered by God for the

650
00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:01.719
world's spiritual return.

651
00:39:03.559 --> 00:39:03.960
Justice.

652
00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:15.960
Cyrus reorders nations. Jesus restores hearts and creation. So I

653
00:39:16.039 --> 00:39:18.360
think one of the key observations we have to make

654
00:39:18.360 --> 00:39:22.119
here about Isaiah forty two, since Christ didn't even feel

655
00:39:22.199 --> 00:39:25.199
all of Isaiah forty two in his first coming. We're

656
00:39:25.239 --> 00:39:28.400
even still waiting for that fulfillment. That makes the words

657
00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:31.800
of Isaiah forty two even less comforting, not only for

658
00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:35.199
those in Babylon captivity, but in some ways even for

659
00:39:35.320 --> 00:39:38.199
us now. In some ways, the words don't even really

660
00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:41.639
bring comfort to us now in our immediate context. It

661
00:39:41.679 --> 00:39:45.360
only gives us hope for the future. But we don't

662
00:39:45.400 --> 00:39:47.719
know what We may never experience that, at least not

663
00:39:47.800 --> 00:39:53.280
in this life until the end. So the first coming

664
00:39:53.360 --> 00:39:56.519
of Christ did not fulfill Isaiah. I think we just

665
00:39:56.559 --> 00:39:59.480
have to be honest, right, Jesus, Did Jesus bring justice

666
00:39:59.519 --> 00:39:59.880
to the nation?

667
00:40:00.039 --> 00:40:00.280
Yans?

668
00:40:01.119 --> 00:40:04.760
No, not visibly or politically. The Roman Empire still ruled

669
00:40:04.760 --> 00:40:11.239
and injustice persisted. His first coming brought maybe I mean

670
00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:15.159
it brought a spiritual kingdom, not a global establishment. I

671
00:40:15.199 --> 00:40:18.239
think we can state that did he establish justice in

672
00:40:18.280 --> 00:40:21.079
the earth. Isaiah forty two says he will not grow

673
00:40:21.119 --> 00:40:23.559
faint or be discouraged until he has established justice in

674
00:40:23.599 --> 00:40:26.920
the earth. The earth today still lacks justice. Wickedness, oppression

675
00:40:26.960 --> 00:40:30.119
of sin persist. Did the coast lands nations submit to

676
00:40:30.119 --> 00:40:30.840
his instruction?

677
00:40:31.559 --> 00:40:32.920
No, they did not.

678
00:40:34.440 --> 00:40:38.760
Even the Church has not completely submitted to his instruction

679
00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:47.800
because we violated in sin all the time. The fulfillment

680
00:40:47.840 --> 00:40:53.719
in Jesus' first coming was partial at best, spiritual and

681
00:40:53.760 --> 00:40:59.920
pretty much invisible to anybody. For the exiles and babble,

682
00:41:00.599 --> 00:41:07.679
that's a six hundred year delay and no comfort. If

683
00:41:08.360 --> 00:41:10.880
Isaiah forty two one through four is referring to Christ,

684
00:41:11.400 --> 00:41:13.360
then it means the exiles were told to look, a

685
00:41:13.440 --> 00:41:15.039
servant is coming to bring justice.

686
00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:17.400
But that servant would not appear for six hundred years.

687
00:41:17.480 --> 00:41:18.440
And even then, he.

688
00:41:18.400 --> 00:41:21.079
Didn't deliver them from Babylon. He didn't rebuild the city,

689
00:41:21.159 --> 00:41:23.920
restore them. He didn't even when Jesus showed up, and

690
00:41:23.960 --> 00:41:27.000
that's what was such, that's what confused everyone. If they

691
00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:29.920
were thinking, okay, here's the servant. They thought he was

692
00:41:29.960 --> 00:41:31.000
going to get rid of rome.

693
00:41:31.239 --> 00:41:35.480
He didn't even do that. He didn't get rid of rome.

694
00:41:37.679 --> 00:41:38.559
He went and died.

695
00:41:38.639 --> 00:41:40.840
And they were like, whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute,

696
00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:43.960
whoa no no, no, no, no, no, something's completely wrong here.

697
00:41:46.760 --> 00:41:50.199
So if the passage is interpreted only messled, only referring

698
00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:54.639
to Christ, it would be utterly meaningless to Isaiah's original audience.

699
00:41:55.119 --> 00:41:59.400
No real comfort, no real hope, just delayed distant promises

700
00:42:00.719 --> 00:42:03.440
that shouldn't be how and I don't believe that's how prophetic,

701
00:42:04.199 --> 00:42:08.079
the prophetic literature works. Prophets addressed real people with real

702
00:42:08.159 --> 00:42:15.960
expectations and real historical meaning. And if you consider where

703
00:42:15.960 --> 00:42:21.639
we are today, we're two thousand, we're over two thousand,

704
00:42:21.760 --> 00:42:24.400
seven hundred years after Isaiah's words something like that.

705
00:42:24.840 --> 00:42:25.400
It's math.

706
00:42:25.639 --> 00:42:31.400
It's a long time after Isaiah's words. We're what two

707
00:42:31.440 --> 00:42:35.039
thousand years after Jesus first coming? What are we still

708
00:42:35.079 --> 00:42:39.280
waiting for justice to be established globally, all nations to

709
00:42:39.280 --> 00:42:43.199
submit to his instruction, the full expression of the servants reign.

710
00:42:43.639 --> 00:42:50.679
We were still waiting for all of that, So I

711
00:42:50.719 --> 00:42:56.079
think the text must have an immediate fulfillment. In the

712
00:42:56.119 --> 00:43:00.280
original context, Cyrus was called by name, raised up by

713
00:43:00.280 --> 00:43:05.039
God describe using similar language to Isaiah forty two, upheld

714
00:43:05.199 --> 00:43:08.599
chosen instrument of justice, the one who actually brought comfort

715
00:43:08.639 --> 00:43:11.639
to the exiles. That means Isaiah forty two had an

716
00:43:11.639 --> 00:43:15.719
initial fulfillment that encouraged the exiles in their time, demonstrated

717
00:43:15.719 --> 00:43:18.000
God's power in history, and served as a type and

718
00:43:18.039 --> 00:43:28.199
shadow of the ultimate servant to come. Without Cyrus and

719
00:43:28.320 --> 00:43:34.000
Isaiah forty two one through four, the passage fails completely.

720
00:43:35.079 --> 00:43:37.840
I think it fails to comfort the original audience. I

721
00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:41.639
think it failed to even comfort the people. It failed

722
00:43:41.639 --> 00:43:44.360
to comfort the people at the time of jesus first coming,

723
00:43:44.480 --> 00:43:46.320
because I think that's what they were looking for.

724
00:43:46.480 --> 00:43:53.320
Come establish justice, bring your role, set us free, deliver us.

725
00:43:53.440 --> 00:43:56.119
And Jesus is like, I'm going to die, man, You're

726
00:43:56.119 --> 00:43:58.960
going to stay in You're going to stay under Rome.

727
00:43:59.039 --> 00:44:00.360
Oh and you're all going to be why off the

728
00:44:00.360 --> 00:44:02.559
face of the earth in seventy eight. Oh and then

729
00:44:02.599 --> 00:44:06.480
the church is going to be persecuted and killed. Who

730
00:44:06.480 --> 00:44:08.960
whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, whoa, what just happened here?

731
00:44:14.440 --> 00:44:15.559
So think of it this way.

732
00:44:16.280 --> 00:44:20.519
Without Cyrus, the passage fails to comfort its original audience

733
00:44:20.559 --> 00:44:24.800
and even later audiences. Now if you look back and go, oh,

734
00:44:24.840 --> 00:44:27.480
well Cyrus did that, then okay, that's not about us,

735
00:44:27.880 --> 00:44:29.719
then it all makes some sense. Right, You're gon to

736
00:44:29.719 --> 00:44:32.880
be at least comforted that those people were delivered. So

737
00:44:32.960 --> 00:44:38.239
without Cyrus, the passage fails to comfort. Without Christ, the

738
00:44:38.320 --> 00:44:42.480
passage fails to reach any ultimate fulfillment.

739
00:44:46.239 --> 00:44:54.199
So you need both. So to be true to the text,

740
00:44:55.960 --> 00:45:01.480
Cyrus must be the immediate fulfillment, and Christ must be

741
00:45:01.599 --> 00:45:06.760
the ultimate fulfillment, not in his first coming but in

742
00:45:06.800 --> 00:45:07.719
his second coming.

743
00:45:09.880 --> 00:45:11.599
So if you're gonna apply it to Christ, you have

744
00:45:11.639 --> 00:45:15.320
to at least go, well, hey, this is still waiting.

745
00:45:15.440 --> 00:45:18.119
And then it fits Revelation nineteen twenty.

746
00:45:18.519 --> 00:45:23.760
But not perfectly right, because because Revelation nineteen twenty that

747
00:45:23.880 --> 00:45:25.639
doesn't describe this right.

748
00:45:25.840 --> 00:45:27.280
Revelation nineteen twenty.

749
00:45:27.599 --> 00:45:30.400
He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his

750
00:45:30.519 --> 00:45:33.239
voice to be heard in the street. A bruised read

751
00:45:33.559 --> 00:45:36.519
shall he not break? And the smoking flax shall he

752
00:45:36.599 --> 00:45:41.199
not quench. Oh, No, Revelation nineteen twenty. It's coming loud.

753
00:45:41.559 --> 00:45:44.840
It's gonna be violent, it's gonna be vicious, it's gonna

754
00:45:44.880 --> 00:45:48.360
be destructive. There's gonna be blood, there's gonna be death.

755
00:45:48.639 --> 00:45:51.840
And then he will establish his rule with a rod

756
00:45:51.880 --> 00:45:57.880
of iron. Okay, that's the ultimate. So obviously some of

757
00:45:57.880 --> 00:46:00.840
that pointing to Christ clearly is the first coming, because

758
00:46:00.840 --> 00:46:04.880
not only would it make sense, but it's historical context.

759
00:46:05.280 --> 00:46:13.360
It's Cyrus. So there's forty two, one through four. There

760
00:46:13.360 --> 00:46:19.800
we go. We'll stop now. Next time we'll go five

761
00:46:19.840 --> 00:46:21.519
through nine, and we'll do the same thing.

762
00:46:21.760 --> 00:46:24.719
We're going to keep following this Cyrus idea all the

763
00:46:24.719 --> 00:46:26.960
way through. I know it kind of changes the way

764
00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:30.199
we've been doing the exegetical studies, but we just have

765
00:46:30.280 --> 00:46:33.960
to follow this through since we've so thrown out such

766
00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:35.440
a radical idea.

767
00:46:35.559 --> 00:46:38.440
Now is it perfect? Let me make it very cloud.

768
00:46:38.519 --> 00:46:41.400
Just end with this. It's not perfect, okay. I mean

769
00:46:41.440 --> 00:46:42.960
I could sit here and try to pick it apart.

770
00:46:43.119 --> 00:46:47.639
Go, well, the Jesus thing fall Look, the Jesus thing

771
00:46:47.679 --> 00:46:50.719
falls completely apon Actually, I think Cyrus is more perfect

772
00:46:50.760 --> 00:46:53.880
than anything else. The Jesus thing falls completely apart because

773
00:46:53.920 --> 00:46:56.920
it just ignores the original recipients. So that doesn't make

774
00:46:56.960 --> 00:46:59.280
any sense, all right, And even trying to understand the

775
00:46:59.320 --> 00:47:01.119
Jesus part to try to figure out which part's the

776
00:47:01.159 --> 00:47:04.039
first coming, which part's the second coming, which only convolutes

777
00:47:04.039 --> 00:47:06.760
it and makes it more complicated, all right, And then

778
00:47:06.880 --> 00:47:08.800
anybody else you try to put there as servant, he

779
00:47:08.920 --> 00:47:11.280
try to put Israel there. I just think that that

780
00:47:11.320 --> 00:47:15.360
falls apart. And we even try to consider that and

781
00:47:15.440 --> 00:47:17.719
try to understand how that would work, and it did

782
00:47:17.760 --> 00:47:26.320
not work for us, all right. Yeah, yeah, that does

783
00:47:26.320 --> 00:47:27.000
not work either.

784
00:47:27.119 --> 00:47:29.000
So Cyrus is the only thing that really makes any

785
00:47:29.039 --> 00:47:35.519
sense personally. Now what happens in five.

786
00:47:38.199 --> 00:47:41.519
Oh and also if you'll notice verse five, Thus saith

787
00:47:41.599 --> 00:47:44.079
God the Lord, he that created the heavens and stretched

788
00:47:44.079 --> 00:47:47.199
them out, He that spreadeth forth the earth, and that

789
00:47:47.239 --> 00:47:49.840
which cometh out of it, He that giveth breath unto

790
00:47:49.880 --> 00:47:54.119
the people upon the spirit. Well, yeah, we could get well,

791
00:47:54.199 --> 00:47:56.480
then a covenant of the people. Well, there's a lot

792
00:47:56.519 --> 00:47:59.920
of I'm not going to get into everything there, but yeah,

793
00:48:00.559 --> 00:48:03.039
I was trying to remember were referenced to section It

794
00:48:03.039 --> 00:48:06.360
may be that section there that if Israel's being referred

795
00:48:06.360 --> 00:48:08.480
to as a servant, and one through four, it's just

796
00:48:08.519 --> 00:48:10.679
a little bit later that then Israel's referred to as

797
00:48:10.719 --> 00:48:14.440
his people in a plural way, So why would Israel

798
00:48:14.480 --> 00:48:18.480
be here? Yeah, then it starts falling apart textually. But

799
00:48:18.920 --> 00:48:22.960
the main point today was forty two is Cyrus one

800
00:48:23.000 --> 00:48:25.480
through four, no question about it.

801
00:48:25.559 --> 00:48:33.719
Based off the context, forty through fifty five, based off history,

802
00:48:34.440 --> 00:48:40.480
the Cyrus cylinder and Ezra Chapter one, the Cyrus Decree,

803
00:48:40.559 --> 00:48:43.320
the Decree of Cyrus, it makes sense.

804
00:48:43.360 --> 00:48:48.920
And then just from a practical standpoint, all right, I'll sep,

805
00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:53.719
all right, thanks for listening. Everyone, have a great Sunday.

806
00:48:53.920 --> 00:48:54.679
God bless