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NASB | Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed [confidently trusted in, relied on, and adhered to] our message [of salvation]? [Is 52:7, 10] And to whom [if not us] has the arm and infinite power of the LORD been revealed? [John 12:38-41; Rom 10:16] |
Bible Question: It's me, again. The same atheist has challenged that Isaiah is NOT a prophecy of the Lord's birth, life and death. BECAUSE he says, it's written in PAST TENSE, so therefore, cannot be a prophecy, since prophecies are for the future only. How do I answer this? Any suggestions? Any are welcome! |
Bible Answer: Hi, Liberty Belle! Atheists and anti-Christians have problems with Scripture because they simply de not believe!: What does it say, then? The word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith, the faith which we preach that if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. 10 It is by believing with the heart that you are justified, and by making the declaration with your lips that you are saved. (Romans 10:8-10) Had your acquaintance believed in God he/she would have no problem understanding that God is transcendent and so is His Word! Here’s an excellent example of God’s transcendence: I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us. While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except one who was destined to be lost, and this was to fulfil the scriptures. But now I am coming to you and I say these things in the world to share my joy with them to the full. I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth. I pray not only for these but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me. (John 17:11-20) Though Christ is speaking prior to Judas’ betrayal and His death and resurrection He speaks in terms of things that have already taken place: “I am no longer in the world,” Clearly He is speaking of being with the Father though still physically with the disciples in the world! And though some may want to interject with some type of metaphorical spin, Jesus is making reference to events that have not yet occurred as though the have: “While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except one who was destined to be lost,” Again, though physically with the disciples, Jesus chose to express the events in a past tense--as though it had already happened… well, to God, it all had happened (Genesis 3:15)! Further proof of this is the fact that the disciples had not yet been persecuted by the world and yet Jesus speaks of future events in the past term: “I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them,” Another little problem nonbelievers have is that they seek to limit God to our finite abilities and understanding… Jesus tells us that nothing is impossible to God, and He gives us small demonstrations of this: “They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth.” Jesus is the Word of God, so since God’s Word is the truth it is understandable that Jesus refers to Himself as the Truth (John 14:6)… and though He prays to the Father to Consecrate the disciples in the truth, He Himself has the power to Consecrate Himself and His disciples: “and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.” And there’s no doubt that Jesus is speaking in past terms that cover not only His contemporaries but all Believers all of the time: “I pray not only for these but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me.” Christ himself died once and for all for sins, the upright for the sake of the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. They refused to believe long ago, while God patiently waited to receive them, in Noah’s time when the ark was being built. In it only a few, that is eight souls, were saved through water. (1 Peter 3:18-20) Sadly, much too frequently the most we can do for atheist and anti-Christians is pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten their minds, hearts and spirits so that they may accept God in His terms and humbly submit their will to His!: They will have to answer for it before the judge who is to judge the living and the dead. And this was why the gospel was brought to the dead as well, so that, though in their bodies they had undergone the judgemente that faces all humanity, in their spirit they might enjoy the life of God. (1 Peter 4:5-6) God Bless! Angel |