moment his book is black with the thunder and the darkness of the storm The next, the rainbow shines through, and he sweeps his readers on to the Golden Age that still lies ahead for the world.”10 Isaiah spoke mainly to the chosen people of God, but his message was also directed to foreign nations, prophesying judgment but also proclaiming the evangel to them (read 11:10; 42:6; 45:22) C MESSIANIC PROPHECIES Isaiah is known mostly for his Messianic prophecies Some of these, such as chapter 53, are classic examples of literature at its nest There are more Messianic prophecies in Isaiah than in any other prophetic book Unger says, “Every glory of our Lord and every aspect of His life on the earth are set forth in this great evangelical prophecy.”11 Read the following passages and note what each prophecy of Christ contributes to the topics listed: salvation: 12:1-2; 40:10; 52:7; 61:1 pardon: 6:7; 40:2; 53:5; 55:7 cleansing: 1:18, 25; 27:9; 52:15 peace: 9:6; 26:12; 32:17; 53:5 Continue this exercise by reading the following passages, noting what each says about Christ: 7:14-15; 8:8; 9:1-2, 7; 11:1-2; 35:5-6; 40:12-18; 42:1-3; 50:5-6; 51:13; 52:13-14; 53:1-12; 59:20; 61:2; 63:1-6; 66:15-19 One can easily see why Isaiah is called the evangelical prophet He speaks of Christ and of His redemption with almost the same clearness and fullness as any of the New Testament writers The way of salvation is plainly and simply set forth In the passages you have just studied you have seen prophecies concerning such things as His virgin birth, human and divine names, twofold nature, humiliation, sacri ce, and exaltation D PROPHETIC PROSPECTIVE Isaiah, like many of the prophets, was given divine revelation concerning four prophetic points: (1) the prophet’s own time, (2) coming captivity, (3) coming of Christ, (4) new heavens and new earth (See Chart 79.) How these are distributed throughout the book is summarized below The prophet’s own time Messages concerning this appear throughout the book Forthtelling was Isaiah’s major role Captivity Isaiah foresaw Judah taken captive by the Babylonians God alone knew when the captivity would come (586 B.C.) The rst mention of Babylon (Shinar) as the captor is in 11:11 In the days of King Hezekiah the prophecy was made very clear (cf 39:6) Coming of Christ These prophecies abound in the “Book of Consolation” (chaps 40-66) They concern both the rst and second comings of Christ New heavens and new earth Isaiah prophesies of end times, especially with reference to the Millennium, with Christ as the Prince of peace (9:6), and the elect nation of Israel gathered together after their worldwide dispersion (27:12-13; 43:5-7; 65:8-10) On the most distant horizon he sees the new heavens and new earth (65:17) VI KEY WORDS AND VERSES One of the key phrases of Isaiah is “Holy One of Israel.” It is the prophet’s favorite reference to God, appearing more than twenty- ve times in the book ( rst ... why Isaiah is called the evangelical prophet He speaks of Christ and of His redemption with almost the same clearness and fullness as any of the New Testament writers The way of salvation is plainly... reference to the Millennium, with Christ as the Prince of peace (9:6), and the elect nation of Israel gathered together after their worldwide dispersion (27:12-13; 43:5-7; 65:8-10) On the most distant... Coming of Christ These prophecies abound in the “Book of Consolation” (chaps 40-66) They concern both the rst and second comings of Christ New heavens and new earth Isaiah prophesies of end times,