Is Trump a modern version of the Persian king Cyrus?
Rival petitions calling for a ban on a state visit from President Trump and supporting such a visit, have attracted sufficiently large numbers of supporters in the UK to trigger a debate in Parliament scheduled for 20 February 2017.
The outcry from the anti-Trump campaigners has been the larger and most vociferous. It rapidly attracted over 1 million petitioners in the first few days, encouraged by street demonstrations in many cities across the world.
The petitions resulted from an executive order signed by Donald Trump imposing a three-month suspension of visas for visitors from seven countries with Muslim-majority populations. The seven are Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen – all known to have connections with Islamic terrorists.
Recent anti-Trump protest, New York. See Photo Credits.Why has this caused such an outcry in Western nations? It surely cannot be that large numbers of Westerners want to encourage Middle Eastern Muslims to go to the USA. There has to be another reason. Of course, it’s an opportunity to express dislike of Trump and the many offensive things that he said during his campaign. But the spontaneous outburst also needs to be seen in the wider context of the huge backlash against the Trump inauguration both in the USA and in many other nations.
Elite Outcry
This backlash has come particularly from those within the US who support the liberal elite – the secular humanist intelligentsia who have controlled the political scene in the country for several decades. The prospect of them losing the political power and social status they have enjoyed for so many years is driving them to a frenzy of protest, using every possible means of expressing their fury - from traditional street demonstrations to celebrity endorsements and social media.
The latest move by President Trump to appoint a conservative judge to fill a vacancy in the Supreme Court underlines the social and moral revolution that is beginning to unravel decades of social engineering that has taken place in the USA.
The backlash against Trump is coming from the secular humanist intelligentsia who have controlled the political scene in the USA for decades.
One of the major reasons for Trump attracting large numbers of supporters who do not usually vote Republican and large numbers of the disillusioned and disenfranchised is because he promised "to drain the Washington sump". Americans understood this as getting rid of the cabal of professional politicians and civil servants who have imposed a far-left social ideology upon the USA for the past two or three decades.
Trump as Cyrus
Evangelical Christians in the USA have hailed Donald Trump as being in the mould of Cyrus, the 6th Century BC Persian ruler who was described by the Prophet Isaiah as being chosen by God, although he didn’t even know the name of the God of Israel (see Isa 45:4).
It is an interesting comparison because Cyrus overthrew the all-powerful Babylonian Empire that had ruled what we now know as the Middle East for 70 years. The then-current Babylonian Emperor, Nabonidus, was weak and ineffective. When Cyrus approached Babylon there was no battle and no resistance – people welcomed him and he took control of the whole Babylonian Empire without a drop of blood being shed.
Cyrus was different from any other ruler before him. He did not publicly kill Nabonidus. He arrested him but treated him kindly. Also, he signed a decree releasing all the political prisoners held by the Babylonians. This enabled all the Jews who had been enslaved by Nebuchadnezzar and used as forced labour in Babylonia, to go back to their homes in Israel and to re-build the ruined city of Jerusalem.
Cyrus’s decree also released people from other countries who had been deported to Babylon. They were allowed to go back to their countries of origin and take with them the edifices of their gods which had been brought to Babylon. The Jews did not have images of God, but they were allowed to take all the sacred vessels stolen by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple in Jerusalem.
Evangelical Christians in the USA have hailed Donald Trump as being in the mould of Cyrus, the 6th Century BC Persian ruler.
Helping God’s People
Cyrus not only allowed the Jewish people to go back to Jerusalem; he also gave a large sum of money to the Jews for the re-building of the Temple, on the understanding that they would regularly pray for him and his family. The ‘Cyrus Cylinder’ which is held in the British Museum in London gives details of this arrangement, which is hailed by many historians as the first ‘Charter of Human Rights’ in world history.
Cyrus was the first Emperor to rule his empire by ‘consensus’ and not by force. He believed that if the people felt gratitude towards him and he showed generosity rather than cruelty; they would accept him and not oppose his authority. History shows a period of peace throughout the region during his lifetime and those of his immediate successors.
Today’s Changes
So, are American Christians justified in comparing Trump with Cyrus?
First, look at the situation in Washington: a revolutionary period of change has begun in the USA – not through violent revolution (even though there have been protests) but via a peaceful transition of power, like Cyrus’s takeover of Babylon. The man leading today’s revolution is very different from all those who have gone before; he has no entrenched political ideology. He has no experience of government or diplomacy; but that was probably what was needed to effect fundamental change (although he is likely to make some clumsy mistakes until he gains experience).
Now look at the nature of the changes that are taking place. The secular humanist liberal elite that has ruled Washington for decades is being replaced by a much more conservative administration who wish to emphasise traditional, biblically-based social and moral values. Of course, there are many in America who hate what is happening and they are very vocal in protest. But that doesn’t mean that the changes taking place are necessarily bad.
Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian Empire in a peaceful revolution, and was different from any other ruler before him.
Battling for the Soul of the West
Meanwhile, the same battle is going on in Europe: it is a battle for the soul of the Western nations in a largely post-Christian era. In Britain, the battle has become focused around Brexit, with secular humanists on both the left and the right, such as Nick Clegg and Ken Clarke, still fighting to keep Britain within the European Union.
Listening to the debate in the House of Commons this week, it was clear that the division between supporters of Brexit and Remainers is no longer political and economic - it is about social values and the ethos of our national identity: at root, it is a spiritual battle.
It is essential that Christians understand the nature of this battle that is taking place in our lifetime – for it is a battle where prayer and Christian witness are of vital significance for the outcome.
Is Trump a Modern Cyrus?
So, back to the original question: could Trump be a modern Cyrus? Cyrus the Persian was a great leader: he was wise and compassionate. Do we see the same characteristics in Trump? Probably not at the moment, but can he change? Only time will tell.
The same battle is going on in Europe – it is a battle for the soul of the Western nations in a post-Christian era.
But one thing is certain – God has allowed his election to happen and I firmly believe in the sovereignty of God and that with God nothing is impossible. So, I’m prepared to wait and see and to join American Christians in surrounding the man with prayer, in the hope that he may grow in wisdom and grace for the sake of the peace and prosperity of the world.
