Is Babylon symbolic of this world’s greed-motivated system that enslaves people to debt and abandons the poor? Let’s look at Isaiah 47.
Speaking to Babylon like a young woman, will she be uncovered and shamed?
Come down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans. For you will no longer be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, lift up your skirt, uncover your legs, and wade through the rivers. Your nakedness will be uncovered. Yes, your shame will be seen. I will take vengeance, and will spare no one. Our Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies is his name, is the Holy One of Israel. (Isa 47:1-4 WEB)
When God used Babylon to punish His people for their sins, did they go too far, acting without pity?
Sit silent and go into darkness, Daughter Chaldea, because they will no longer call you Queen of Kingdoms. I was enraged with my people; I made my inheritance impure and put them under your power. You took no pity on them. You made your yoke heavy even on the elderly. You said, “I’m forever; I’m the eternal mistress.” You didn’t stop and think; you didn’t consider the outcome. (Isa 47:5-7 CEB)
Will Babylon’s self-deluded sense of power suddenly fail?
You think that you alone are all-powerful, that you won't be a widow or lose your children. All you care about is pleasure, but listen to what I say. Your magic powers and charms will suddenly fail, then you will be a widow and lose your children. (Isa 47:8-9 CEV)
Did Babylon feel secure and strong in her power? Is this a warning for our nations?
You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, “No one sees me”; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. (Isa 47:10-11 ESV)
How did God challenge those who use spells, sorcery, and astrology?
So take your stand with your spells and your many sorceries, which you have wearied yourself with from your youth. Perhaps you will be able to succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror! You are worn out with your many consultations. So let them stand and save you—the astrologers, who observe the stars, who predict monthly what will happen to you. Look, they are like stubble; fire burns them up. They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. This is not a coal for warming themselves, or a fire to sit beside! This is what they are to you—those who have wearied you and have traded with you from your youth—each wanders on his own way; no one can save you. (Isa 47:12-15 HCSB)
Did John also predict what would similarly happen to a future symbolic Babylon?
Just as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, inflict on her just as much torture and misery. In her heart she says, ‘I am a queen on a throne, not a widow. I will never see misery.’ For this reason, her diseases that result in death, misery, and famine will come in a single day. She will be burned up in a fire, because powerful is the Lord God who judges her.” The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality with her and lived in luxury with her, will cry and mourn over her when they see the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. Frightened by the torture that she experiences, they will stand far away and cry out, “How terrible, how terrible it is for that great city, the powerful city Babylon, because your judgment arrived in a single hour!” (Rev 18:7-10 ISV)
Is Babylon symbolic of this world’s greed-motivated system that enslaves people to debt and abandons the poor? You decide!
Empty Idolatry (Isaiah 46)
What is the difference between powerless idols and the all-powerful God? What idols does our culture worship? Let’s look at Isaiah 46.
Could the Babylonian idols Bel and Nebo protect Israel from going into captivity?
Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity. (Isa 46:1-2 KJV)
Did idols or God carry Israel from birth into old age and promise to rescue them?
Hear Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been burdening Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you, and I will rescue you. (Isa 46:3-4 LSB)
Did Isaiah expose the futility of worshiping idols? Can an idol answer shouts and save anyone from distress?
To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal, and compare Me, That we would be alike? Those who lavish gold from the bag And weigh silver on the scale, Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. They lift it on the shoulder, carry it, And set it in its place, and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may shout to it, it cannot answer; It cannot save him from his distress. (Isa 46:5-7 NASB)
Who alone makes known the end from the beginning? Who summons Cyrus, a bird of prey from the east, to fulfill His purpose?
Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. (Isa 46:8-11 NIV)
Is God’s righteousness near and will His salvation linger or be delayed?
Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness: I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory. (Isa 46:12-13 NKJV)
Did Paul criticize the fake manufactured gods of the world?
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. (Rom 1:21–23 NLT)
What is the difference between powerless idols and the all-powerful God? What idols does our culture worship? You decide!
Could the Babylonian idols Bel and Nebo protect Israel from going into captivity?
Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity. (Isa 46:1-2 KJV)
Did idols or God carry Israel from birth into old age and promise to rescue them?
Hear Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been burdening Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you, and I will rescue you. (Isa 46:3-4 LSB)
Did Isaiah expose the futility of worshiping idols? Can an idol answer shouts and save anyone from distress?
To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal, and compare Me, That we would be alike? Those who lavish gold from the bag And weigh silver on the scale, Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. They lift it on the shoulder, carry it, And set it in its place, and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may shout to it, it cannot answer; It cannot save him from his distress. (Isa 46:5-7 NASB)
Who alone makes known the end from the beginning? Who summons Cyrus, a bird of prey from the east, to fulfill His purpose?
Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. (Isa 46:8-11 NIV)
Is God’s righteousness near and will His salvation linger or be delayed?
Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness: I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory. (Isa 46:12-13 NKJV)
Did Paul criticize the fake manufactured gods of the world?
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. (Rom 1:21–23 NLT)
What is the difference between powerless idols and the all-powerful God? What idols does our culture worship? You decide!
God Alone (Isaiah 45)
Who is able to save us, things made by the hands of men or God alone? Let’s look at Isaiah 45.
What did God say prophetically to the future Cyrus, Persian king, who would come along about 150 years later? Was he to be a foretype of the Messiah, the anointed one?
Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. (Isa 45:1-3 NKJV)
Why did God call a man who did not yet even know Him?
And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name when you did not know me? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me, so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. (Isa 45:4-7 NLT)
Can God command the heavens to give either physical or spiritual rain?
Rain, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may produce salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, Yahweh, have created it. (Isa 45:8 WEB)
Is us questioning God as foolish as clay questioning the potter? Can God rebuild Jerusalem by a Persian king?
Doom to the one who argues with the potter, as if he were just another clay pot! Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?” or “Your work has no handles”? Doom to one who says to a father, “What have you fathered?” and to a woman, “With what are you in labor?” The Lord, the holy one of Israel and its maker, says: Are you questioning me about my own children? Are you telling me what to do with the work of my hands? I myself made the earth, and created humans upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens. I commanded all their forces. I have a right to awaken Cyrus; I will smooth all his paths. He will build my city and set my exiles free, not for a price and not for a bribe, says the Lord of heavenly forces. (Isa 45:9-13 CEB)
Would Israel one day lead the nations to the one true God?
My people, I, the Lord, promise that the riches of Egypt and the treasures of Ethiopia will belong to you. You will force into slavery those tall people of Seba. They will bow down and say, “The only true God is with you; there are no other gods.” People of Israel, your God is a mystery, though he alone can save. Anyone who makes idols will be confused and terribly disgraced. But Israel, I, the Lord, will always keep you safe and free from shame. (Isa 45:14-17 CEV)
Is God the one true God and is idolatry the worship of things that cannot save us?
For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. (Isa 45:18-21 ESV)
Where should we turn to be saved? In whom alone can we be justified and find glory?
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance. It will be said to Me: Righteousness and strength is only in the Lord.” All who are enraged against Him will come to Him and be put to shame. All the descendants of Israel will be justified and find glory through the Lord. (Isa 45:22-25 HCSB)
How is the lesson of the potter and the clay discussed by Paul?
On the contrary, who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, “Why did you make me like this?” A potter has the right to do what he wants to with his clay, doesn’t he? He can make something for a special occasion or something for ordinary use from the same lump of clay. (Rom 9:20-21 ISV)
Who is able to save us, things made by the hands of men or God alone? You decide!
What did God say prophetically to the future Cyrus, Persian king, who would come along about 150 years later? Was he to be a foretype of the Messiah, the anointed one?
Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. (Isa 45:1-3 NKJV)
Why did God call a man who did not yet even know Him?
And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name when you did not know me? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me, so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. (Isa 45:4-7 NLT)
Can God command the heavens to give either physical or spiritual rain?
Rain, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may produce salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, Yahweh, have created it. (Isa 45:8 WEB)
Is us questioning God as foolish as clay questioning the potter? Can God rebuild Jerusalem by a Persian king?
Doom to the one who argues with the potter, as if he were just another clay pot! Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?” or “Your work has no handles”? Doom to one who says to a father, “What have you fathered?” and to a woman, “With what are you in labor?” The Lord, the holy one of Israel and its maker, says: Are you questioning me about my own children? Are you telling me what to do with the work of my hands? I myself made the earth, and created humans upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens. I commanded all their forces. I have a right to awaken Cyrus; I will smooth all his paths. He will build my city and set my exiles free, not for a price and not for a bribe, says the Lord of heavenly forces. (Isa 45:9-13 CEB)
Would Israel one day lead the nations to the one true God?
My people, I, the Lord, promise that the riches of Egypt and the treasures of Ethiopia will belong to you. You will force into slavery those tall people of Seba. They will bow down and say, “The only true God is with you; there are no other gods.” People of Israel, your God is a mystery, though he alone can save. Anyone who makes idols will be confused and terribly disgraced. But Israel, I, the Lord, will always keep you safe and free from shame. (Isa 45:14-17 CEV)
Is God the one true God and is idolatry the worship of things that cannot save us?
For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. (Isa 45:18-21 ESV)
Where should we turn to be saved? In whom alone can we be justified and find glory?
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance. It will be said to Me: Righteousness and strength is only in the Lord.” All who are enraged against Him will come to Him and be put to shame. All the descendants of Israel will be justified and find glory through the Lord. (Isa 45:22-25 HCSB)
How is the lesson of the potter and the clay discussed by Paul?
On the contrary, who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, “Why did you make me like this?” A potter has the right to do what he wants to with his clay, doesn’t he? He can make something for a special occasion or something for ordinary use from the same lump of clay. (Rom 9:20-21 ISV)
Who is able to save us, things made by the hands of men or God alone? You decide!
Redemption (Isaiah 44)
How did God pay the redemption price to set sinners free? Let’s begin in Isaiah 44.
Will God give Israel’s dry land water and their descendants the Holy Spirit?
People of Israel, I have chosen you as my servant. I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Israel, don't be terrified! You are my chosen servant, my very favorite. I will bless the thirsty land by sending streams of water; I will bless your descendants by giving them my Spirit. They will spring up like grass or like willow trees near flowing streams. They will worship me and become my people. They will write my name on the back of their hands. (Isa 44:1-5 CEV)
Does God explain to Israel why they can rely upon His promises?
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” (Isa 44:6-8 ESV)
What profit is there in the business of making useless statues to worship as idols?
All who make idols are nothing, and what they treasure does not profit. Their witnesses do not see or know anything, so they will be put to shame. Who makes a god or casts a metal image for no profit? Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame, and the craftsmen are humans. They all will assemble and stand; they all will be startled and put to shame. (Isa 44:9-11 HCSB)
What futility is involved in the various ways of making idols?
The blacksmith prepares a tool and works in the coals, then fashions an idol with hammers, working by the strength of his arm. He even becomes hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. The carpenter measures it with a line; he traces its shape with a stylus, then fashions it with planes and shapes it with a compass. He makes the idol like a human figure, with human beauty, to be at home in a shrine. He cuts down cedars, or chooses a cypress tree or an oak, and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. Or he plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow. He divides it up for people to burn. Taking part of it, he warms himself, makes a fire, and bakes bread. Or perhaps he constructs a god and worships it. He makes it an idol and bows down to it. Half the wood he burns in the fire, and over that half he places meat so he can eat. He sits by its coals, warms himself, and says, “Ah! I am warm in front of the fire.” And the rest of it he makes into a god. To blocks of wood he bows down, worships, prays, and says, “Save me, since you are my god.” (Isa 44:12-17 ISV)
What has God done to the deceived eyes and hearts of idolaters?
They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? (Isa 44:18-20 KJV)
Why should the mountains break forth into a shout of joy? Did God pay the redemption price to set Israel free?
“Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me. I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a cloud. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Shout for joy, O heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Make a loud shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For Yahweh has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His beautiful glory. (Isa 44:21-23 LSB)
What does our redeemer say about diviners, fortune-tellers and the wisest of us? Did God prophecy of Cyrus rebuilding Jerusalem about 150 years later?
This is what the Lord says, He who is your Redeemer, and the One who formed you from the womb: “I, the Lord, am the Maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth alone, Causing the omens of diviners to fail, Making fools of fortune-tellers; Causing wise men to turn back And making their knowledge ridiculous, Confirming the word of His servant And carrying out the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise her ruins again. I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’ And I will make your rivers dry up. It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he will carry out all My desire.’ And he says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’” (Isa 44:24-28 NASB)
Who fulfilled this passage having paid the price for our redemption?
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Eph 1:7 NIV)
How did God pay the redemption price to set sinners free? You decide!
Will God give Israel’s dry land water and their descendants the Holy Spirit?
People of Israel, I have chosen you as my servant. I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Israel, don't be terrified! You are my chosen servant, my very favorite. I will bless the thirsty land by sending streams of water; I will bless your descendants by giving them my Spirit. They will spring up like grass or like willow trees near flowing streams. They will worship me and become my people. They will write my name on the back of their hands. (Isa 44:1-5 CEV)
Does God explain to Israel why they can rely upon His promises?
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” (Isa 44:6-8 ESV)
What profit is there in the business of making useless statues to worship as idols?
All who make idols are nothing, and what they treasure does not profit. Their witnesses do not see or know anything, so they will be put to shame. Who makes a god or casts a metal image for no profit? Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame, and the craftsmen are humans. They all will assemble and stand; they all will be startled and put to shame. (Isa 44:9-11 HCSB)
What futility is involved in the various ways of making idols?
The blacksmith prepares a tool and works in the coals, then fashions an idol with hammers, working by the strength of his arm. He even becomes hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. The carpenter measures it with a line; he traces its shape with a stylus, then fashions it with planes and shapes it with a compass. He makes the idol like a human figure, with human beauty, to be at home in a shrine. He cuts down cedars, or chooses a cypress tree or an oak, and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. Or he plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow. He divides it up for people to burn. Taking part of it, he warms himself, makes a fire, and bakes bread. Or perhaps he constructs a god and worships it. He makes it an idol and bows down to it. Half the wood he burns in the fire, and over that half he places meat so he can eat. He sits by its coals, warms himself, and says, “Ah! I am warm in front of the fire.” And the rest of it he makes into a god. To blocks of wood he bows down, worships, prays, and says, “Save me, since you are my god.” (Isa 44:12-17 ISV)
What has God done to the deceived eyes and hearts of idolaters?
They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? (Isa 44:18-20 KJV)
Why should the mountains break forth into a shout of joy? Did God pay the redemption price to set Israel free?
“Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me. I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a cloud. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Shout for joy, O heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Make a loud shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For Yahweh has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His beautiful glory. (Isa 44:21-23 LSB)
What does our redeemer say about diviners, fortune-tellers and the wisest of us? Did God prophecy of Cyrus rebuilding Jerusalem about 150 years later?
This is what the Lord says, He who is your Redeemer, and the One who formed you from the womb: “I, the Lord, am the Maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth alone, Causing the omens of diviners to fail, Making fools of fortune-tellers; Causing wise men to turn back And making their knowledge ridiculous, Confirming the word of His servant And carrying out the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise her ruins again. I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’ And I will make your rivers dry up. It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he will carry out all My desire.’ And he says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’” (Isa 44:24-28 NASB)
Who fulfilled this passage having paid the price for our redemption?
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Eph 1:7 NIV)
How did God pay the redemption price to set sinners free? You decide!
A Chosen People (Isaiah 43)
Do we believe that Christians are a chosen race to speak of the wonderful acts of the One who called us out of darkness into God’s amazing light? Let’s look at Isaiah 43.
What kind promise did God make as Israel passed through different difficulties?
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (Isa 43:1-2 KJV)
Why did God encourage everyone who is called by His name, not to fear?
For I am Yahweh your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your seed from the east, And gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Isa 43:3-7 LSB)
Did God challenge the nations to either prove their false beliefs or accept Him? Which group of people had witnessed God’s hand?
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And those who are deaf, even though they have ears. All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses so that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. I, only I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, And there is no one who can rescue from My hand; I act, and who can reverse it?” (Isa 43:8-13 NASB)
Will God punish Babylon? Is this a dual prophecy which includes the final symbolic Babylon?
This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride. I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” (Isa 43:14-15 NIV)
In what appears to be a dual prophecy, with final fulfillment in the end of all things, does God encourage Israel not to be stuck in the bad memories of the past?
Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters, Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. (Isa 43:16-21 NKJV)
Why would believers refuse to ask God for His help, but instead burden Him with their sins?
“But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me, O Israel! You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with requests for grain offerings and frankincense. You have not brought me fragrant calamus [incense] or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults. (Isa 43:22-24 NLT)
Does God offer forgiveness for those who repent? Did their teachers commit evil? Do ours?
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Declare your case, that you may be justified. Your first father sinned, and your teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; and I will make Jacob a curse, and Israel an insult.” (Isa 43:25-28 WEB)
Is verse 21 (This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise) referred to in the New Testament?
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. (1 Pet 2:9 CEB)
Do we believe that Christians are a chosen race to speak of the wonderful acts of the One who called us out of darkness into God’s amazing light? You decide!
What kind promise did God make as Israel passed through different difficulties?
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (Isa 43:1-2 KJV)
Why did God encourage everyone who is called by His name, not to fear?
For I am Yahweh your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your seed from the east, And gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Isa 43:3-7 LSB)
Did God challenge the nations to either prove their false beliefs or accept Him? Which group of people had witnessed God’s hand?
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And those who are deaf, even though they have ears. All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses so that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. I, only I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, And there is no one who can rescue from My hand; I act, and who can reverse it?” (Isa 43:8-13 NASB)
Will God punish Babylon? Is this a dual prophecy which includes the final symbolic Babylon?
This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride. I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” (Isa 43:14-15 NIV)
In what appears to be a dual prophecy, with final fulfillment in the end of all things, does God encourage Israel not to be stuck in the bad memories of the past?
Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters, Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. (Isa 43:16-21 NKJV)
Why would believers refuse to ask God for His help, but instead burden Him with their sins?
“But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me, O Israel! You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with requests for grain offerings and frankincense. You have not brought me fragrant calamus [incense] or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults. (Isa 43:22-24 NLT)
Does God offer forgiveness for those who repent? Did their teachers commit evil? Do ours?
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Declare your case, that you may be justified. Your first father sinned, and your teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; and I will make Jacob a curse, and Israel an insult.” (Isa 43:25-28 WEB)
Is verse 21 (This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise) referred to in the New Testament?
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. (1 Pet 2:9 CEB)
Do we believe that Christians are a chosen race to speak of the wonderful acts of the One who called us out of darkness into God’s amazing light? You decide!
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