Bird of Prey: Cyrus or Felix Y. Manalo?

 ISAIAH 46:11-13 NKJV

11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

12 “Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness:

13 I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not [a]linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.

WE SHOULD NOTICE THREE CONDITIONS THAT THE BIBLE GIVES IN ORDER TO DESCRIBE THIS PARTICULAR SERVANT OF GOD.

 PLACE OF ORIGIN WAS THE FIRST. WHAT WAS IT?

- A far country in the east or far-east.

 THE SECOND, THE TASK THAT WAS GIVEN TO ACCOMPLISH; WHAT WAS IT?

- To execute God’s counsel by bringing His righteousness near to people.

God’s righteousness, as we’ve learned from , Romans 1:16 and 17 is

 ROMANS 1:16-17 NIV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[a] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[b]

So his role- to preach the gospel.

 AND THE THIRD, PEOPLE THAT GOD WOULD SEND THIS SERVANT TO.

Who are they?

They are those who are far from righteousness or far away from the true gospel.

So we pose the question.

Does Cyrus meet these biblical conditions proving to be the one referred to?

• Could Cyrus be the fulfillment of that prophecy then being the one referred to there?
  

No. He can't... Why?

QUESTION: WHERE IS CYRUS FROM

EZRA 1:1 NKJV

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, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

CYRUS WAS A PERSIAN.

• PERSIA is in NEAR EAST not a FAR COUNTRY in the EAST.
• The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran, northeastern Syria and Kuwait), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran (Elam, Media, Parthia and Persia), Anatolia/Asia Minor and the Armenian ... (Wikipedia, Ancient Near East)
  

QUESTION:
WAS CYRUS A PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL TO BRING GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS TO PEOPLE?

• Was it his assignment to preach the gospel in order to bring God’s righteousness near again to people?

ISAIAH 44:28 NKJV

Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

the Bible teaches the assignment of Cyrus, it teaches that Cyrus was sent by God to restore Jerusalem and to restore the Temple.

Not to preach the Gospel to those that were far from the Gospel or far from righteousness as Isaiah 46:11-13 described.

As Isaiah 46:11-13 described. That was not the assignment given to Cyrus. Cyrus cannot therefore be the fulfillment of that prophecy.

QUESTION:
HOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE GOD SENT CYRUS TO?

Were those people far from righteousness as the prophecy in Isaiah 46 indicated?

Well, we have already learned God sent Cyrus to restore Jerusalem and the Temple which was for God’s nation of Israel

What was the condition of Israel?

Were they far from God’s words?,

far from His righteousness?,

far from His teaching?,

far from His law that they needed to be brought near to it again by Cyrus?.

We can read the answer to that in Romans, in the book of

ROMANS 9:4.

the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.

the Bible makes clear here that Israel, they were not far from God’s righteousness or far from God’s law.

In fact, they were the ones that already had the law.

• Therefore we can safely conclude that the messenger being mentioned in the prophecy written in Isaiah 46:11 is definitely not Cyrus. -- It’s impossible.

The messenger being mentioned in the prophecy written in Isaiah 46:11 is definitely not Cyrus

Why?

He does not fit that prophecy.

He is from the wrong place and he did not do what the prophecy indicated.

Why should we believe this?

Because this is not merely an option that we feel, an opinion that we feel, but this is the truth because that’s in the Bible.

So if Cyrus is definitely not the messenger prophesied in Isaiah 46:11, then who is? The one who fulfills the conditions described in the prophecy of Isaiah 46:11 and many more biblical prophecies is none other than

Brother Felix Y. Manalo.

Remember, the three conditions that we learned about earlier from the prophecy that the Bible gives to describe this particular servant of God.

FIRST:
Place of origin:
What did we read? a far country in the east or Far East

SECOND:
The task or assignment given to accomplish.
What was it?

Task given to accomplish:

• execute God’s counsel by bringing Hisrighteousness near to peopIe

To execute God’s counsel or His words by brining His righteousness, God’s righteousness is the Gospel. Romans 1:16-17:

His assignment is to bring that gospel, bring God’s righteousness near again to God’s people.

THIRD:

• The people God will send the servant to was important part of the prophecy.
• Who were they?
  Those who were far from righteousness or far from the true gospel.
  

People God will send this servant to:

• those who are far from righteousness
  Brother Felix Manalo Was from the Philippine Islands which is the Far East, a far country in the east.
• He was also a preacher of the pure gospel. Never teaching personal opinion but rather always reading the Bible’s answers to questions.
• And he was sent to people who, to actually hearing what he preached from the Bible, they were not even aware of how far away from the truth they really were.
• Believe it cannot be Cyrus. It’s not Cyrus but instead Brother Felix Manalo.
• He brought the true gospel again near to people. But those who were far from it, in false religions, brought them back to the true gospel in fulfillment of the prophecy.

Brother Felix Y. Manalo:

1. from the Far east (Philippine Islands)

2. preacher of the pure gospel

3. sent to those who are far from righteousness

He is the fulfillment of what is recorded here in the Bible.