In case you didn’t know, tomorrow is International Day of Cyrus the Great. King Cyrus was a political revolutionary and towering humanitarian, and the man responsible for galvanizing the disparate peoples of ancient Mesopotamia into the Persian Empire, one of antiquity’s mightiest empires.

Two and a half millennia on, many Iranians—including, it would appear, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—continue to invoke the brilliant accomplishments of their legendary patriarch. In Tehran last month, Ahmadinejad unveiled the Cyrus Cylinder, a Persian artifact from the sixth century b.c. detailing King Cyrus’s abiding devotion to human rights. In his speech, Ahmadinejad recalled the king’s achievements and spoke of the Cyrus Cylinder as a symbol of Iran’s continued commitment to “culture, human values, justice, love and sacrifice.”

Go ahead, chuckle.

Despite periodically fawning over King Cyrus, Iran’s president values the history of Persia’s greatest king about as much as he values human rights, or Israel’s right to exist, or the opinion of Barack Obama. Fact is, if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad grasped the full depth of the history of Cyrus the Great, he would banish the name from his vocabulary.

The reason for this is simple: The magnificent legacy of King Cyrus of Persia condemns Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his band of radical brothers!

Let’s consider this legacy, using the Bible as the chief source of history. Chronologically, the first person to discuss Cyrus in the Bible is the Prophet Isaiah. In chapter 44 of his book, God writes through the prophet that “Cyrus ‘… is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid” (verse 28, Revised Standard Version throughout).

Here, the Bible recalls King Cyrus commissioning the Jews in the sixth century b.c. to return from Babylon to Judea, where they were to set about rebuilding Jerusalem, including the temple, which had been sacked by the Babylonians in 585 b.c. The Bible and secular history books concur that this decree was issued by Cyrus in 539 b.c. immediately after he overran the city of Babylon.

Although secular historians and the Prophet Isaiah agree on this history, there is one critical difference. While historians such as Herodotus and Xenophon record the accomplishments of Cyrus after his death, the Prophet Isaiah wrote his great work in the latter half of the eighth century b.c.—more than 150 years before King Cyrus commissioned the Jews to return to Jerusalem. So how do you explain King Cyrus being identified by Isaiah, by name, more than 150 years before he became Cyrus the Great, and the Persian king responsible for sending the Jews home?

If we believe the Bible, the truth is simple and thrilling. In Isaiah 44:28, God states explicitly that “Cyrus … is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill my purpose.” The point is, the God of ancient Israel raised up King Cyrus of Persia to fulfill His purpose, specifically in regards to the Jews!

Surely, among all his terrific accomplishments, Cyrus’s greatest accomplishment was being the living, breathing fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy!

Think now about the Cyrus Cylinder. Discovered in 1879, this clay cylinder was created in 539 b.c. Archeologists are confident this date is correct because inscribed on the cylinder in ancient cuneiform is a decree by King Cyrus. In the 40-line decree, the king recalls his defeat of Babylon and outlines a number of policies designed to defend the rights of the conquered. The Cyrus Cylinder confirms King Cyrus’s reputation as a great humanitarian. According to the United Nations, the clay artifact is the “world’s first charter of human rights.”

So King Cyrus was a towering humanitarian. The question is, where did his respect for human rights, and the culture and traditions of other races and peoples, originate?

We find the answer in Ezra 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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? 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 … ” (verses 1-3).

This biblical passage is key to understanding the character, as well as the accomplishments, of Cyrus the Great—but you never see it discussed in history books!

Chew on this passage for a moment. First, consider the fact that it was the God of the Israelites who “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” to display matchless fondness toward the Jews. Historians, and even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, recognize that Cyrus had exemplary respect and tolerance for human values, and for the culture and traditions of all people. Among all his great qualities, this humanitarian trait was his defining quality.

Ezra 1 reveals its origin: King Cyrus’s respect for humanity—for the Jews certainly, but even for all the people he conquered—was the result of a miracle God caused in the king’s mind!

Before you discard that as poppycock, consider what Cyrus himself said about God’s presence in his life and work. “The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth,” read his decree releasing the Jews.

Further evidence of this miracle can be found in the book of Daniel, particularly chapter 6. In verse 25, the king promotes Daniel, a Jewish man, to a position of great power and influence over the mighty Persian Empire. Notice, the king of Persia even issues a decree to “all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth,” demanding “that in all my royal dominion men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.”

King Cyrus recognized God, and even commanded his subjects to “tremble and fear” before the God of Israel!

According to most history books, King Cyrus didn’t do much for the Jews beyond issuing the decree guaranteeing their safe passage back to Jerusalem. Ezra 1 says otherwise. It shows King Cyrus wholeheartedly supporting the Jews returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, including Solomon’s temple. In fact, verse 2 records Cyrus himself saying God had “charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem.”

Cyrus took his commission from God seriously, actively sponsoring the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. He financed the building project using money from his own treasury, and happily returned to the Jews the “vessels of the house of the Lord” that had been taken when the temple was sacked in 585 b.c.

By his own admission, King Cyrus of Persia was a patron of the Jews, and a willing facilitator of those of them inhabiting Jerusalem!

Studying this history, the case is strong that Cyrus the Great was the most important advocate in history of Jewish statehood in Judea!

Standing tall and bright in the grand lobby of Armstrong Auditorium, our breathtaking new concert hall here in Oklahoma, are two glistening candelabras. Each of these shimmering beauties weighs 650 pounds and is decked with 802 pieces of Baccarat crystal from France.

The most impressive feature of these candelabras, however, is their story. They were commissioned by the Shah of Iran in 1971 to commemorate the 2,500-year anniversary of the Persian Empire. The purpose of the candelabras and the Shah’s week-long celebration, wrote the Plain Truth at the time, “was to reawaken the people of Iran to their past and reawaken the world to Iran.”

Our candelabras were commissioned by the Shah of Iran to celebrate the reign of Cyrus the Great—the Persian king whose life, from beginning to end, was shaped by God. The Persian king whose mind God inspired to build the temple in Jerusalem!

Last night, as guests entered the Armstrong Auditorium to enjoy another world-class performance, many paused to admire these majestic candelabras. Perhaps they didn’t know it, but these folks were peering into the glorious and spiritually uplifting history of ancient Persia, of Cyrus the Great, a patron of the Jews—and a man whose life and work prove the existence of an all-powerful God!