“ . . . Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” – Isaiah 49:23
Biblical scholars have found the book of Isaiah to be similar to the Bible in its structure. The book of Isaiah has 66 chapters and contains two divisions just like the Bible has 66 chapters and is divided into the Old and New Testaments. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah are comparable with the Old Testament in the Bible (39 books) in that it deals with God’s case against humans because of their sin. The end of the first section of Isaiah closes with prophesying about a coming King or Messiah.
The second section or division in the book of Isaiah (chapters 40-66) opens with the “voice of Him that crieth in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3). It is similar to the New Testament opening with John the Baptist announcing the arrival of Jesus as the “voice of one crying out in the wilderness” (John 1:6, 23) with the remainder of the New Testament concerned with the person and work of Jesus Christ. Further, the book of Isaiah ends with the vision of a new heaven and earth where righteousness perfectly dwells (Isaiah 62:1-2; 65:17; 66:22), and is similar to the New Testament that closes with that same vision (Revelation 21).
The book of Isaiah contains two emphases. Isaiah the prophet, pictured Israel (the children of God) and a Savior that was to come to bear our sins and be exalted and glorified. We must understand that prophets were not popular in their day because they dealt with moral and religious conditions of their time, which were generally bad just like they are today.
Prophets were called upon when a nation was out of sync with God and walked in disobedience. We know that the truth is seldom unpopular with sinners but God tells us that we must give an account to Him when we do not listen to His prophets. Deuteronomy 18:18-19 says, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.. . whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
Just as the prophets of old were looking forward to future events, we are also doing the same thing today. God gave each generation abiding principles for all times. Just as the prophets foretold of the failure of the chosen people and the coming of the Messiah through whom God will bring to pass His purposes, some people, including religious leaders still refuse to believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah. God’s Kingdom is yet to be established on earth. Throughout the Bible, we find stories about God’s ultimate triumphs. His plans shall continue to be fulfilled through Jesus’ victory at the cross and in the grave.
