LastGenReporter: Prophecy and the Book of Isaiah -(BPT)

Prophecy and the Book of Isaiah

By Chuck Missler
Koinonia House

"Hereupon the Persians who had been left for the purpose atBabylon by the river-side, entered the stream, which had now sunk so as to reach about midway up a man's thigh, and thus got into the town." - Herodotus

In 539 BC, Cyrus son of Cambyses took Babylon without a struggle. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Cyrus diverted the course of the Euphrates river, making the river level drop and giving the invading forces the ability to enter into the city that night through the river bed. Nobody noticed them coming in, and the city gates that opened up onto the river were not closed; the Persians were able to just walk into town. Within a year, Cyrus declared that all the Jews captive in Babylon were free to return home to Jerusalem, as described in Ezra 1.

These two events - the taking of Babylon the Great without a battle and the magnanimous freeing of the Jews soon after - are both remarkable historical events in themselves. What makes them even more notable is the fact that God told about them in Isaiah 44:26-45:1, 13, appointing Cyrus by name 100 years before this son of Cambyses was born.

The Book of Isaiah is one of the most greatly admired and beloved books of the Bible. The New Testament writers quote Isaiah more than all the otherOld Testament prophets combined. From a literary point of view, the writing of Isaiah is superb, full of parallelism and euphony; scholars savor Isaiah's obvious attention to the literary art of his writing.

Beyond his writing skill, Isaiah's book is filled with prophecies about Judah and the surrounding lands. It also contains a host of very important Messianic prophecies (7:14-16; 9:1-7; 11:1-16; 32:1ff; 42:1-7; 50:5-8; 52:13-15; 61:1-3; 65:17), even describing in detail Jesus' crucifixion 700 years before it happened.

In Isaiah 44 and 45, God not only describes the ease with which Cyrus would enter the city with the "two leaved gates" (gates that were not even shut against the invaders!) but also notes that He would "loose the loins of kings" before Cyrus – a euphemism regarding the fear these kings would feel and the mess in their pants they'd make as a result. As a matter of fact, about the time Cyrus' men were entering the city, King Belshazzar, second in command under his father Nabonidus, was being interrupted in his feast. A hand began to write on the wall to tell Belshazzar that his time was up.Daniel 5:6 puts in not-so-delicate terms how greatly the fear of this sight affected Belshazzar, saying, "his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another." Who says God isn't detailed!

In circles of modern liberal criticism, though, it has become popular to dismiss the idea, held for some 2500 years, that Isaiah son of Amoz wrote the entire book credited to his name. Old Testament scholars have found it fashionable to argue that there were at least two "Isaiahs", perhaps even three or more. These critics argue that it makes no sense for God to have foretold events that would not have taken place during the life of the prophet. They attempt to argue that the character of God in Isaiah 1-39 is far fiercer than the gentle God of Isaiah 40-66, that the language is different in the two sections, and that there are two different views of the Messiah between the first part of Isaiah and that written by the alleged Deutero-Isaiah. Ultimately, they do not believe that Isaiah could have written about Cyrus the Great in 700 BC. They cannot believe that the precise information in that prophecy could have been penned 150 years before it came to pass.

These criticisms can sound scholarly on the surface, but they depend far less on evidence than on a bias against predictive prophecy. While these scholars may believe that a bias against the supernatural - and the power of God to speak through His prophets centuries in advance - is scientific in this modern world, the truth is, it's still a bias. It's still just their opinion based on a humanistic worldview.

Honest scholarship strongly supports the historical view that Isaiah ben Amoz wrote the entire book with his name on it.

Historically, Isaiah has always been recognized as the author of all 66 chapters:

  • The Septuagint: When the Septuagint was translated in the 3rd century BC, merely two centuries after Deutero-Isaiah was supposed to have been written, there was no indication that the book had more than one author.
  • The New Testament: The New Testament writers treat the entirebook of Isaiah as one book belonging to one author and quote him more than all the other prophets combined. In fact, in John 12:37-41, John quotes from Isaiah chapter 53 and chapter 6 back to back, giving Isaiah credit for both sections.
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls: An entire copy of the book of Isaiah was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. There is no separation between Chapters 1-39 and 40-66. In fact, chapter 40 starts on the last line of the same column that ends chapter 39. As Oswald Allis notes, "Obviously the scribe was not conscious of the alleged fact that an important change of situation, involving an entire change of authorship, begins with chapter 40."

Internally, Isaiah offers extensive evidence of one author:

  • Isaiah's Hebrew: Throughout all 66 chapters, Isaiah uses pure Hebrew. Unlike Ezra and Nehemiah, which use terminology adopted from Babylon, Isaiah's Hebrew is free from the vocabulary that the Jews gained during the exile.
  • Jerusalem and the land: The destruction and future healing of Jerusalem are described in chapters 1-39, and Jerusalem is described as still standing in chapters 40-66, demonstrating distant prophecy in the first part of Isaiah and an early date for the end of Isaiah. For instance, in 3:8, Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem as already fallen and destroyed in the context of a prophecy about the future. In 6:11-13, which all agree is a passage by Isaiah son of Amoz, God describes the future destruction of the land followed by the return of the remnant. On the other hand, passages like 40:9 and 62:6 treat Jerusalem and the cities of Judah as still standing, as they were before the Babylonian invasion.
  • Topography: The description of the topography in Isaiah 40-66 is the rocky mountainous land of Judah and not the flat alluvial Fertile Crescent. For instance, 57:5-6 describes the "clifts of the rocks" and the smooth stones of the streams.
  • Themes: Certain themes and terminology are repeated throughoutthe book. The "highway" theme comes up repeatedly (11:16; 19:23; 35:8; 40:3; 62:10). Isaiah refers to God as "Lord of hosts" repeatedly throughout the entire book. "The Holy One of Israel" is Isaiah's distinctive name for God used 12 times in chapters 1-39 and 14 times in chapters 40-66. The phrase is only used six other times in the Bible outside of Isaiah.
  • The significance of idolatry: Idolatry was a major problem in Judah before the exile, but the post-exilic writers Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi do not mention idolatry even while discussing the nation's other sins. Yet, in the latter end of his book, Isaiah continues to speak strongly against idolatry (41:29; 44:9-20; 57:4ff; 65:2-7), indicating an early authorship.
  • The by-line: Only Isaiah, son of Amoz, is named as the author throughout the book of Isaiah, at the beginnings of chapters 2, 7, 13, 20, 38, and 39. No other author is mentioned at all. Even when Ezra and Nehemiah were bound together, those two books did not get confused and lumped together under Ezra. Yet, "Deutero-Isaiah" was allegedly lost to history. Chapters 40-66 contain some of the highest quality literature in all of written history, yet we are expected to believe that this writer went mysteriously unrecognized until he was "discovered" by recent scholarship.

As Gleason Archer Jr. declared, "There is not a shred of internal evidence to support the theory of a Second Isaiah, apart from a philosophical prejudice against the possibility of predictive prophecy."

Isaiah is an amazing book, filled with the power and passion of God. In it He declares, "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Related Links

 The Book of Isaiah: Authorship Analysis - Scribd.com
 The ACU Commentary and the Unity of the Book of Isaiah - ChristianCourier.com
 Case For the Unity of Isaiah - BiblicalResources.com
 Why We Know The Bible Is Inspired Of God - The Baptist Pillar
 Cyrus Captures Babylon Account in 539 B.C. - Bible-History.com
 Isaiah Commentary Online - Koinonia House
 How Many Isaiahs? - Koinonia House
 The Prophet Isaiah: A Commentary - Victor Buksbazen (Book)

Devotions with Emotion

Michael James Stone

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This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

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The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

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Devotions with Emotion

Michael James Stone

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Last Call

‘Your Devotion with Emotion’

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

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“the simple format”

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do. mrnetbizness@gmail.com

Last Days of the Last Generation                                                                                 “Last Generation”

                                      The simple format                                                                                      “the prophecy site just about prophecy”

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity Journalist

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

One Thousand Years: Genesage "King of Kings" (Chp 6:3)

The Rapture Series

Why Do you Believe?          What Do you Believe?             How Do You Believe?              Who Do You Believe?

“Reason to Believe”

One Thousand Years

Genesage

"King of Kings"

(Chp 6:3)

"Look to Me."

It was as if a pressure valve let go.

The steam whistle blowing, giving a call, the tsunami warning, the siren raid, a blast like a shofars horn.

The words gave impetus as they caused many in the mob, the crowd of thousands upon thousands, to begin to weep. It was too much.

So much had happened to everyone present.

As so often in mob mentality, or mass hysteria, one thought ran through the mob. One emotion which caught all, involving everyone. The mass became one in response, all cried.

There was too much raw power, pure passion, overwhelming feeling in the words themselves.

Having been so long in darkness.

Too many days in the cold.

Months in torture, years in suffering, now in the Light it felt as though in those words someone cared. Someone heard. Someone was listening, even responding.

In the light as it kept flowing upon them in golden almost rainbow-ic aura; that was enough. They were heard; someone cared; someone reponded.

Hope slipped in unawares by surprise.

At the same time an image came to mind.

Almost like a Michelangelo painting all those that had lost everything had a visage come to their individual mind. A view to a killing, one that occurred too long ago.  A murder that had lasted too long and certainly could not have produced a more devastating effect on the human body.

The person who cared, the one who listened, He stood before them.

The messiahs body, the scarred remains of the man they could see now clearly as if standing in front of face to face, He was here.  All could see Him as He is. The Lamb slain.

The scars Jesus as Christ still bore.  He looked like the Survivors from the Tribulation Period. His image as theirs. They saw his obedience as the same Will that had caused them to survive, but as through fire. The cleansing purification of the Tribulation upon the World. They could see him as he was now in the Kingdom.  Just like them, except they knew, and it was obvious they knew. They knew He had chosen to be scarred and marred for them.

Maimed and scarred more than any other man.

The saw his wounds, how he was pierced.

They Knew..,

"I Am."

The word themselves were spoken by the thunder as the Living Word reached out upward.

The results were instant.

Nothing could stand.

All fell down, prostrated.

Angels had easily bowed turning a knee to bow down.

But the thousands upon thousands who were in the plains alongside the Mount of Olives looking at the Son of Man, the Son of God, fell. A forest of prostration blown flat by the cataclysm himself.

They lay flat on their faces; weeping and healing; realizing and seeing; knowing and apprehending; waiting for the very words they knew were to be uttered to come forth.

  They lay prostrate as they fell like dead men hardly breathing.

Hearing, not moving.

Trumpet like noise shouted in melodic declaration. They were notes on a scale everyone heard as words in the notes. It was as if all spoke in another language and knew that language inherently.

The language of sound; the rhythm of music; the very chords of perfect harmony. They knew.  In that sound, the words were heard.  The trumpet sounding blasts shouted.

"King of Kings"

As the words were sung; trumpeted; shouted; in harmonic or fulfillment in the notes of the sounding of shofar; there was a resounding blast of breath from God. The Spirit was there.   Vocals and harmony descended upon him. That noise; melodic, harmonic, came from straight above and the force of the air that followed it was like a  pressing hurricane downward. It alone would have forced any one not flat on their face to do so now.

                                               

"Hallelujah   Hallelujah"

It was as one would have expected heaven to be of the angelic proportion.

None would have thought to have been blasted literally into prostration before the sound and by the wind that followed it. It was as if a giants breath, but in a magnitude never envisioned, carried the words that flew into each person. Each of the words were sown into the very fiber of their being.

So much so that if it were possible to know, it was found in the very center of their DNA code. Inscribed as part of the RNA forever. The words placed there  King of Kings, inscribed.

Creation branded by the Creator of all.

The blast of horn, how could it speak?

It did. Resounding again in trumpeting effect and images flowed with the words themselves.

As incredible as it was no one felt anything anymore but a general sense of awe. A Pause prevailed, a holiness supreme. 

There was a moment of silence.

A Silence of thought, heart, soul and mind

Natzsal

Natzsal

(blogger)

Michael James Stone

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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Last Call

‘Your Devotion with Emotion’

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call Digest

Last Days of the Last Generation                                                                                             “Last Generation”

 

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

LastCall: Are you adapting to new situations? (108-4) -Barry Werner





Are you watching, listening, and adapting to new situations? (108-4)




A leader’s life is filled with unexpected circumstances and situational twists. Any leader that does not consider a plan “B” as they develop and implement plan “A” is lacking leadership experience or, at a minimum leadership wisdom.


Situational leadership is not the easy road. It demands the leader’s careful attention to the current situation and an eye to the potential negative or positive changes to that situation in the near and distant future.




David was a well established king in Israel and had peace or at least non-aggression arrangements with most of the neighboring nations. This situation changed with one neighbor when Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died and his son Hanun succeeded him. David read the new situation and quickly sent a delegation to meet with Hanun to insure his intentions for relations with Israel were the same as his fathers.


Hanun was an inexperienced leader with inexperienced advisors and did not read the situation quite as well as David. Israel was a stronger nation militarily and Nahash had treaties in place for a good reason. Hanun disgraced the members of David’s delegation and sent them home embarrassed.


David responded quickly to the changed situation with the Ammonites; the hostile actions of Hanun toward the delegation from Jerusalem required David to move from peace and reward toward conflict and retribution.
Wise leaders are intentional about situational leadership. They understand situational leadership requires watching and listening. Leaders who can analyze a situation and adapt their leadership activity to address it can function effectively at a high level in their leadership role.


Wise Christian leaders understand that their projections will not reliably carry them far into the future, but they have confidence that they serve a God who is surprised by nothing and who holds the future in His hands and they stay connected to Him.


Proverbs 21:1(lb) “Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so the Lord directs the king’s thoughts. He turns them wherever He wants to.”
·       




Tags: Adapting

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Devotions with Emotion
Fair Use Notice
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.
‘Your Devotion with Emotion’
This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.
“the simple format”
Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do. mrnetbizness@gmail.com


Last Days of the Last Generation                                                                                 “Last Generation”
                                      The simple format                                                                                      “the prophecy site just about prophecy”
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

LastCall: Catholics In The Rapture? -Jack Kelley





Catholics In The Rapture?



Q. I am a born again Christian.  I can’t get enough of the Word of God and His saving Grace.  I marvel at the articles you have written.  I am 74 yrs and have really begun to love our Lord and humble myself before him.  

My husband passed after 53 years of marriage and during his last years attended the Catholic church as the Priest seem to connect with him. He really didn’t practice the Sacraments or Jesus plus Mary as you indicated.  He was a generous man and didn’t consider his works to get him into heaven. 

 He was a baptized Baptist in his youth and I know he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour who died for his sins.  Did you mean that Catholics will not be raptured?  I know that God considers the heart.  So that would mean that Catholics would go to heaven with the right heart condition of God.
A. In all my writing I’ve been very clear in saying that I believe Catholics who adhere to the simple gospel of salvation by grace alone and reject the additional requirements imposed on them by Catholic doctrine will be taken in the rapture.  Those who die before the rapture are with the Lord now, awaiting the Resurrection.

Related Posts:

o   Is She Saved Or Not?
o   Who Will Go In The Rapture, Follow Up
o   Catholics In The Rapture?
o   Catholic Christians?
o   The Catholic Church In The Tribulation
Devotions with Emotion
Fair Use Notice
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.
‘Your Devotion with Emotion’
This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.
“the simple format”
Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do. mrnetbizness@gmail.com


Last Days of the Last Generation                                                                                 “Last Generation”
                                      The simple format                                                                                      “the prophecy site just about prophecy”
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.
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