The Lord will go before you,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
—Isaiah 52:12
Babylonian captivity ended when King Cyrus decreed that the Jews who wished to return to their homeland were free to go. In the first wave, 42,360 chose to go home. Others opted to stay in Babylon. It was the only home some of them had ever known. They had built homes, made friends, and had jobs.
Isaiah had prophesied in advance that the day would come when God would escort his people home.
You have a choice: you can stay in Babylon, or you can go with God.
Going with God carries no promise of an easy journey—some of the terrain is rugged. But you do have the assurance that God will be in front of you to lead you and behind you to protect you. He will see you safely home.
Only God can be in more
than one place at once.