Isaiah 45

I want to first follow up to my blogs the last two days, I would add the Lord's words -

"...Israel mine elect..."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:4)

As well as -

"In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:25)

Can you imagine the thoughts of Cyrus of Persia when he is presented the words of Isaiah, where a hundred and sixty years before, a prophet of God writes the words of the Lord directly to Cyrus, even calling him by name saying -

"THUS saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:1 - 3)

Could there being any doubt by Cyrus of the only true God and his living prophet.  He continues to speak to Cyrus -

"I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:5 - 8)

"I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:12)

And then directing Cyrus -

"I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:13)

Of which Cyrus did.

The Lord then provides this truth to all nations -

"...there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:21 - 23)

The Lord finishes with a comment to all self-appointed or assumed religious leaders on the earth -

"Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed."  (Old Testament | Isaiah 45:24)

As I read that, I cannot help but remember the testimony of Joseph Smith concerning the ministers of his day as he recalls -

"...there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, "Lo, here!" and others, "Lo, there!" Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.
6 For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions."  (Pearl of Great Price | JS-History 1:5 - 6)