“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” —Ezra 6:14

---

They had started strong.

The Israelites had come home from exile with a mission. The king of Persia himself—Cyrus—had issued a decree that they should rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God had stirred his heart. The impossible had happened.

So they laid the foundation. They stacked the stones. Hope was rising from the ruins.

But then—opposition. Accusations. Threats.

The work stopped. The years dragged on. Had they imagined the promise? Had God changed His mind?

No one seemed to remember the decree. No one could prove it.

Until one day, someone dared to ask the question.

“Search the Archives.”

The Israelites weren’t just facing opposition—they were facing amnesia.

Their enemies challenged them, demanding to know what authority they had to rebuild the temple. The Jewish leaders didn’t argue. They didn’t panic. Instead, they made a simple request:

“Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house… whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem.” (Ezra 5:17)

In other words: Go check. Look for yourself. The truth is already written.

So King Darius ordered a search of the archives. And sure enough, in Ezra 6, they found it—the original decree, recorded and preserved in the royal scrolls of Media.

And that changed everything.

Because under the laws of the Medes and Persians, once a decree was issued, it could never be revoked. (Daniel 6:8)

The promise still stood. The king’s word was final, legally binding, unchangeable—no matter how much time had passed.

And because the decree could not be undone, the work had to continue.

Darius didn’t just confirm it—he enforced it. He commanded their enemies to fund the temple’s completion. The very people who had tried to stop them were now required to support them.

Opposition silenced. Work resumed. Temple completed.

What God had spoken had never changed.

God’s Promises Don’t Have an Expiration Date

The Jews didn’t have to manipulate the king into action. They didn’t have to fight their own battle. They simply stood firm on what had already been declared.

Maybe today, you feel like you’ve been waiting forever. You started strong. You believed in the promise. But time passed. People forgot. Maybe even you started to doubt.

But listen: If God spoke it, it still stands.

Time doesn’t cancel His promises. Delay doesn’t erase His plans. The opposition can argue all it wants, but the decree is still on record.

God Will Finish What He Started

The Hebrews didn’t have to force the king to listen. They didn’t have to dig through the records themselves. They simply trusted that if the promise was real, God would confirm it at the right time.

And He did.

God will do the same for you.

At the right moment, in the right way, He will bring the truth to light. He will confirm what you knew all along. He will open doors no one can shut.

So keep building. Keep believing. Keep trusting.

Because what God starts, He always finishes.

And the decree still stands.