Ancient Empires and Bible Prophecy

It was by the Assyrian Empire that the kingdom of Israel was destroyed. Recent annals of Assyrian Kings have been found in which they themselves had their own exploits recorded. In these annals names of ten Hebrew Kings occur: Omri, Ahab, Jehu, Menahem, Pekah, Hoshea, Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh. Many statements are found which confirm Biblical statements. Nineveh was its capital.

Assyrian policy was to deport conquered peoples to other lands, to destroy their sense of nationalism, and make them more easily subject. Assyrians were great warriors. Most nations then were robber nations. Assyrians seem to have been about the worst of them all. They built their state on the loot of other peoples. They practiced cruelty. They skinned their prisoners alive, or cut off their hands, feet, noses, ears, or put out their eyes, or pulled out their tongues, and made mounds of human skulls, all to inspire terror.

Assyria was founded, previous to 2000 B.C., by colonists from Babylon, and for many centuries was subject to, or in conflict with, Babylon. About 1300 B.C. Shalmaneser I threw off the yoke of Babylon and ruled the whole Euphrates Valley. Then Assyria declined, Tiglath-pileser I, (1120-1100 B.C.) made Assyria again a great kingdom. Then decline again, followed by 300 years as World Empire.

This was the Empire that broke the power of Assyria, and, in its westward sweep, destroyed Judah, and conquered Egypt. This empire lasted 73 years (612 - 539 B.C.). The 70 year prophecy runs from the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. until 517 B.C. at the worship rededication in the Restoration Temple. Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. and in 538 B.C. he authorized the return of the Jews to their own land. First return was in 536 B.C.

The Empire's capital was in Babylon. In Isaiah's time Assyria was the dominant power of the world. Babylon was a dependency of Assyria. Babylon rose to world power status and then fell in 539 B.C. Isaiah sang of the Fall of Babylon 100 years before its rise in 612 B.C. (Isaiah 13:1, 13:19, 14:22). Babylon's splendor as the Queen city of the pre-Christian world, "the glory of kingdoms" and "the city of gold" (Isaiah 13:19, 14:4) was clearly envisioned. Babylon's fall is also pictured in detail, naming the unknown Medes as destroyers of Babylon. (Isaiah 13:17-19). Babylon was to supersede Assyria (Isaiah 14:25), Media shall supersede Babylon (Isaiah 13:17); and Babylon shall pass away forever (Isaiah 12:19-22, 14:22-23, Daniel 5:31).

The Persian Army took Babylon without a battle during the days of Nabonidas and his first son Belshazar.

The Persian Empire, often called the Medo-Persian Empire, was the second great world empire represented in the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In 549 B.C. a Persian named Cyrus conquered the area known as Babylonia in 539 B.C. as prophesied by Isaiah over 150 years before. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1).

As the policy of Assyrian and Babylonian kings had been to deport conquered peoples, that is take them away out of their own lands, and scatter them in other lands; so, the policy of the Persian kings were more humane than Assyrian and Babylonian Kings.

One of the first acts of the first Persian king, Cyrus, who was a "singularly noble and just monarch," in his first year, was to authorize the Return of the Jews to their own land. Persia was the mountainous plateau east of the lower end of the Euphrates-Tigris Valley. The Persian Empire was vaster in extent than its predecessors had been. It extending eastward in India and reaching westward to Greece. Its capitals were Persepolis and Susa; its kings sometimes residing at Babylon. As a world empire, it lasted 200 years, 536 - 331 B.C..