Some observe a memorial of the Prophet Isaiah May 9th of each year.
Here is some information about him:
The first verse of the Book of Isaiah states that Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah (or Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1). Uzziah’s reign was 52 years in the middle of the 8th century BCE, and Isaiah must have begun his ministry a few years before Uzziah’s death, probably in the 740s BCE. Isaiah lived until the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign (who died 698 BCE), and may have been contemporary for some years with Manasseh. Thus Isaiah may have prophesied for as long as 64 years.
Isaiah’s wife was called “the prophetess” (Isaiah 8:3), either because she was endowed with the prophetic gift, like Deborah (Judges 4:4) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14–20), or simply because she was the “wife of the prophet” (as he is named, for instance in Isaiah 38:1). (Isaiah. Wikipedia, accessed 07/17/15)
The greatest of the Hebrew prophets of whom literary monuments remain. He resided at Jerusalem, and so contrasts with Micah, the prophet of the country districts. He was married (Isa. viii. 3), and had children (vii. 3, viii. 3). His bearing indicates that he could maintain his dignity in the highest society, as is shown by his freedom toward Ahaz (vii.) and his acquaintance with Uriah, the chief priest (viii. 2). The heading in Isa. i. 1 refers to Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah as the kings under whom he prophesied. This and similar headings, however, have no historical authority, being the work of later writers whose statements had no documentary basis and were purely inferential. It is true, moreover, that no prophecy can be shown to be as early as Uzziah’s time, except indeed the kernel of ch. vi. “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord,” etc. (vi. 1, R. V.), seems to come from a cycle of prophetic narratives, some of which (comp. viii. 1-3, 5; ii. 16), rightly or wrongly, claimed the authorship of Isaiah. Certainly the whole man is reflected in the grand vision of ch. vi. No personal consideration holds him back (contrast Jeremiah) from offering himself as the Lord’s spokesman, and though assured that no exhortation will affect the callous consciences of his hearers, he still goes in and out among his people as if hope existed; and perhaps (human nature is inconsistent) hope still persisted even when reason altogether denied its right. (Isaiah. Jewish Encyclopedia 1906)
A nearly complete copy of the Book of Isaiah was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. This copy helped prove that the Masoretic Hebrew text of Isaiah that has been used by many translators was extremely accurate.
As far as prophetic accuracy goes, Isaiah recorded that God can make predictions and make them come to pass:
9 Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it. (Isaiah 46:9-11)
Notice that God inspired Isaiah to write (around 700 B.C.) the following:
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; (Isaiah 44:24)
28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”‘ (Isaiah 44:28)
1 “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: 2 ‘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. 3 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. 4 For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me .I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’ (Isaiah 45:1-7)
Cyrus did rise up and also had the Jews rebuild the temple:
Jews … returned to their city, Jerusalem and rebuilt their temple there under the auspices of Cyrus, that Persian conqueror who … in 539 B.C. overthrew Nabonidus, the last of the Chaldean rulers in Babylon. (Wells H. Outline of History. Jazzybee Verlag, 1919, p. 98)
in 538 [B.C.] Cyrus granted to the Jews, whom Nebuchadressar had transported to Babylonia, the return to Palestine and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 6, 1958, p. 940 as cited by Christian Courier, accessed 03/30/18).
God also inspired Isaiah to write that the Babylonian empire would be destroyed by the Medes (Isaiah 13:1,17). That happened:
Babylon fell to the Persians in 539 B.C.E. The Persians were an Indo-European-speaking people related to the Medes. Both peoples probably formed part of the great waves of Indo-European migrations into the Mediterranean, the Near East, and India. (Spielvogel JJ. Western Civilization: A Brief History, Volume 1, 8thedition. Cengage Learning, 2013, p. 38)
Isaiah also had a variety of prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.
Since Isaiah lived 2700 plus years ago, could his prophetic writings still be applicable today?
Yes.
But first consider that God told Isaiah that there will be people who generally do not understand or will not sufficiently pay attention to what he wrote:
9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’10 “Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”
And He answered:
“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,
The houses are without a man,
The land is utterly desolate,
12 The Lord has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. (Isaiah 6:9-12)
Few understand what Isaiah has written related to the 21st century–most will not understand until after the massive destruction occurs that God told Isaiah to write about.
Consider also the following that Isaiah wrote, which is not about the time the land is utterly desolate, but may have had fulfillment in the 21st century:
9 All the people will know —
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria —
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 ‘The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.” (Isaiah 9:9-10)
Essentially, in Isaiah’s day the leaders of ancient Ephraim and Manasseh declared that they would rebuild. Some have stated that Isaiah 9:9-10 seemed to be related to what happened in the USA because of the 9/11/2001 attack.
Isaiah had warnings for leaders which apply in the last days:
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20)
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed (Isaiah 9:16).
We are seeing political leaders in many lands, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand erring by promoting sins that the Bible condemns.
There is a specific prophecy from Isaiah that should concern Germans and end time descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh. It appears to be the longest prophecy involving Assyria in the Bible (see also Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History). And this seems to be directed towards the modern Germanic and perhaps other peoples in Europe (note: since it is the “king of Assyria” who is specifically mentioned in certain portions of Isaiah 10, it may be that many of the specifics are directed towards this end time king himself–while other parts of it are related to the peoples that support him–which are expected to include also non-Germanic ones).
Here is the first portion of it:
5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?'” (Isaiah 10:5-11)
In the above passages, we learn that God will use Assyria to punish Jerusalem and Samaria and other lands. Other than the German tendency to cut off various nations in WWI and WWII, there are certain specifics that tie this in with the end time European power that God is going to use (see Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy). But also notice that Isaiah says that this will not seem to be the Assyrian/Germanic original intent to destroy, but it will happen anyway.
It should probably be mentioned that portions of Bible prophecy seem to tie the descendants of Manasseh as being prophetic Samaria. Isaiah wrote:
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 All the people will know —
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria —
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 ‘The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still…21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still. (Isaiah 9:8-12,21)
(For more scriptures that help tie Samaria/Manasseh with the USA, see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel.)
Isaiah wrote that Assyria/Germany will be punished after it has invaded the modern descendants of Israel/Jacob and Judah:
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.”
13 For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. 14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people, And as one gathers eggs that are left,I have gathered all the earth;And there was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.”
15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! 16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,Will send leanness among his fat ones; And under his glory He will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire. 17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame; It will burn and devour His thorns and his briers in one day. 18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, Both soul and body;And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. 19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest Will be so few in number That a child may write them.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God. 22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of them will return;The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts Will make a determined end In the midst of all the land.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.” 26 And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.27 It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. (Isaiah 10:12-27)
The famous third century Catholic theologian and Bishop Hippolytus of Rome tied Assyria in with the Antichrist/King of the North power:
But Isaiah also speaks thus: “And it shall come to pass, that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will punish (visit) the stout mind, the king of Assyria, and the greatness (height) of the glory of his eyes“…For when he has the power, he will begin to exalt himself against God, neither in truth fearing God, nor regarding the Son of God…And Isaiah also to the like effect: “Forasmuch as the people refuses…therefore, lo, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and full, even the king of Assyria.” By the king he means metaphorically Antichrist…(Hippolytus. On the Antichrist, chapters 16, 57).
Although he believes that the final Antichrist springs from the tribe of Dan (Ibid, chapter 15), Hippolytus seems to be connecting attributes of the King of the North who exalts himself above God (Daniel 11:36-37) with the king of Assyria (Isaiah 8:3-8; 10:5-11) who is punished in Isaiah 10:12. The Bible is clear that Assyria will be an end time northern power that God will punish per Zephaniah 2:13-15, which seems to go along with Revelation 18:1-10. Jerome, in his passage involving Assur and Germany (for details see Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History), also mentioned Antichrist, hence he may have continued with Hippolytus’ view.
After some abandon idols of gold and silver, the punishment will come to Assyria/Germany:
7 For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold — sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.
8 “Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of mankind shall devour him.
But he shall flee from the sword,
And his young men shall become forced labor. (Isaiah 31:7-8)
Isaiah had messages for peoples in the 21st century.
Of course, Isaiah wrote about the millennium (see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?) and many other subjects that are for the future. But those concerning the USA, its Anglo-Saxon allies, and the Germanic peoples are even more overlooked by most.
Hopefully, you will pay attention to what God inspired Isaiah to write.
