63 When Paul told the Athenians that the “unknown” God had determined the allotted periods and boundaries of the several kingdoms, he was underscoring the fact that our Lord is the author of all national histories. This is made plain in Amos 9:7: “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor [Crete] and the Syrians from Kir?” It is God “who removes kings and sets up kings” (Dan. 3:21) — such as the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar who received his “kingship and greatness and glory” from the Most High (Dan. 5:18). Yet not only does God raise up foreign leaders and hold them accountable, but He also uses these rulers to bring glory to His name and to fulfill His redemptive purpose. For this reason, the prophet Isaiah spoke of a future pagan ruler who — 200 years later — would unite Medo-Persia under his rule: “of Cyrus, ‘He 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’” (Isa. 44:28). So, not only did Cyrus later rule by God’s decree, his singular purpose in history was to restore Israel, “subdue nations before him and to loosen the belts of kings.” Of Cyrus, the Lord’s “anointed” (Christos), we are told, “It is I, the Lord, who calls you [Cyrus] by your name, for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by name yet you do not know me. … I equip you, though you do not know me” (Isa. 45:1–5). This was in fulfillment of His promise to the people of Israel prior to their entering the Promised Land: “The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. … [But] you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them” (Deut. 4:27, 34). And so, in order that His word might be fulfilled, “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” (Ezra 1:1) to commence the restoration of God’s covenant people. What we find throughout the Bible that is vitally important to one’s understanding of history, is this simple truth: the Lord carries out His saving mission among men through men. This also includes working even through hapless unbelievers in powerful places, such as a certain Roman prefect who flaunted his political autonomy before the Supreme Governor of the universe! “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” In His response, Jesus meekly corrected Pilate’s secular understanding of temporal rule: “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:10–11). As with everything else that happens in history, Jesus’ interrogation and resultant death was all part of
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