The second prophecy is about a man named Cyrus, this man was not an Israelite, but wonderfully fulfilled what was written about him by the Israelite prophet, Isaiah, the main prophecy concerning Cyrus was spoken by Isaiah over 150yrs before he was even born.  The prophecies concerning Cyrus were very clear, not just informing us as to what he would achieve, but astoundingly, the fact that he was literally named by Isaiah, not only did he conquer mighty Babylon as Isaiah said, but he achieved that a mammoth feat with relative ease, also as Isaiah said.  Cyrus also fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, who specifically stated that the captivity of Judah in Babylon would be exactly 70 years and that is exactly what it was.

So just imagine having to actually name a person, from another country (he was Persian) that was going to end the captivity of Judah, and all these prophecies spoken before he was born.  It would be impossible and yet all these prophecies came to pass.  Never in the history of man has anybody even attempted such a task, but this happened exactly as it was written and it was 100% correct.  Call me a goose if you must, by I think it is an indisputable proof that there is a God, how else could these specific predictions be fulfilled so accurately except it be that there is a divine eternal being who declares what shall be before it happens, and by overseeing or with direct involvement, makes sure his words (through the prophets) come to pass.

To get a grasp of what was prophesied by Isaiah you need to have a understanding of the magnitude of the great city of Babylon, which as mentioned in the Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel’s story, God saw as the most distinguished of all the kingdom/empires achieved by man. 

Babylon was a huge fortified city that, in our modern day, is extremely hard to imagine.  Very thorough work performed by many skilled archaeologists has established that the size of the city was approximately 430 square kilometres or almost 200 square miles. Apparently it had side-walls that extended for over 30 kilometres (14 miles) and a total circumference of 123 kilometres (56 miles).  The city was completely surrounded by a 10metre (approx. 30ft moat), the outer-walls were approximately 100 metres high (310 ft plus) and were over 35metres wide (85-90 ft) which is enough for at least 11 vehicles parked abreast.  Babylon had 100 gates of brass and 250 watch-towers that were over 30 metres (100ft) above the top of the walls.

So it would have looked extremely impressive and it would have appeared impregnable to any human observer, but the problem for Babylon was the same problem that so easily bothers us, it became a bit too consumed of itself and as a result minimised the relevance of the being a true God, and of that God had an opinion which he is allowed to have, he warned, that for all that the people manifest in their lifestyle, he saw (because the Bible informs us, that God doesn’t see as a man sees) a pride and arrogance that would bring to pass, its demise. It is stated in the Book of Numbers, if God speaks of something that is to happen in the future, it will come to pass, and in regards to Babylon, come to pass it did, to the absolute amazement of all who witnessed it.  We all do very well to appreciate, that of all the several hundred prophecies in the Bible, no matter how extreme the possibility of being fulfilled, every single one has come to pass, the only exceptions being the final few that will be completely fulfilled at the time of the imminent 2nd coming of Jesus Christ.

To name Cyrus as the person to over-throw Babylon (before his birth) is stunning, but to get him to achieve this amazing feat to the exact year, as spoken by the prophet Jeremiah is once again unfathomable.  But that is what happened, Jeremiah literally prophesied that the captivity of the Judah people in Babylon would be exactly seventy years, and because Cyrus came when he did and took the exact time that he did, Jeremiah’s precise prophecy was literally, and dare I say, perfectly, fulfilled.

But there’s more, much more and it is just as amazing (if not more) as Cyrus and Jeremiah combined. 

In Isaiah 13 verses 19-22, Isaiah 14 verse 23 and Jeremiah 51 verses 26 & 43 (Josh)

During the thriving, glory days of Babylon, the days when it was the undisputed capital of the ancient world, the head of the Babylonian Empire, when it was the centre of trade, culture, education and a lot more, both Isaiah and Jeremiah had the Holy Spirit of God, inspire them to clearly speak of its eventual end, but not just its end but how it would be till the end of time.   

These scriptures spoke of the end of Babylon, saying it would be like Sodom and Gomorrah:

• Would never be inhabited again

• Tents would not be placed there by the Arabs

• Sheepfolds would not be there

• Desert creatures would infest the ruins

• Stones (foundation) would not be removed for other construction purposes

• The ancient city would not be frequently visited and it would be covered with swamps of water.

Let me say it again, these prophecies were given in Babylon’s absolute heyday and as a result would have been viewed as type lunacy that proved beyond doubt that the God of Israel was fictitious fool.  But this was not so, as previously mentioned because even though against mammoth odds, all has come to pass and here we stand with a witness before our very eyes, that is desperately wanting to speak with us.

If you would like to read the scriptures which this article references please click below

• Isaiah 13 verses 19-22

• Isaiah 14 verse 23

• Jeremiah 51 verses 26 & 43