This Tabriz rug depicts the Kings of Persia from Cyrus the Great to Shah Abbas. God inspired Cyrus to make a Decree to Rebuild the Temple. The Kings of Persia had extensive dealings with the one true God a thousand years before the Arab conquest.

Some 500 years before the birth of Isa al-Maseeh, the prophet Daniel foretold that the Messiah would come 69 'sevens' after the command to restore the city of Jerusalem.

Artaxerxes gave this command in 458 B.C. and 69 'sevens' is 483 years from that date (69 x 7 years=483 years). This brings us to 26 A.D. at which time John the Baptist publicly announced Jesus as the Messiah. (See Daniel 9:25-26) For more about this prophecy, see Dr. D. James Kennedy's article.

Perhaps even more surprising to some is the fact that some Persians worshipped the only true God, the God of the Bible many centuries before the Arab conquest. See A Brief History of Christianity in Iran. For more, see Persians in the Bible in Farsi and English

In 458 B.C., Artaxerxes I (Ardashir) [top, fourth figure] gave the Decree to Rebuild Jerusalem as prophesied in the book of Daniel in the Bible.

The IBS site offers The Bible in Farsi (PDF format).

Back to Good News for Iranians