So who gave the commandment which began the countdown to the Messiah mentioned in Daniel 9:25? In last weeks post A Divine “Command” to Return and Build Jerusalem we asked whether this commandment was of men or God. Scholars have long held that there were four Persian decrees or commandment which might qualify. In this weeks post we will look at the first of four Persian rulers who have been deemed the person who gave the “commandment” of Daniel 9:25.

“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.”
Isaiah 44:28

We begin our search for the “commandment” of Daniel 9:25 with Cyrus the Great of Persia, founder of the Achaemenid Empire. It is believed by some scholars that it was Cyrus’s viceroy or general, Darius the Median, who is mentioned in Daniel 5:31. If you recall, this Darius conquered Babylon on that infamous night when Belshazzar, king of Babylon, asked Daniel to Continue reading →