Month: January 2024

Problem: In Matthew 11:4-5, Jesus claimed to fulfill Isaiah 35:4-6. This passage states, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah.” How did Jesus fulfill this passage?
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Problem: For years, critical scholars claimed that there is a division in authorship for the book of Isaiah. As we have already argued, no such division is warranted. However, the Isaiah scroll of Qumran has a considerable space between Isaiah chapters 33 and 34. Does this support the concept of dual authorship? What is the significance of this gap in the manuscript evidence?
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Problem: Isaiah writes, “And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper” (Isa. 29:4 ESV). Mormon apologists argue that this passage predicts the Book of Mormon being discovered in the ground. Is this the case?
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Problem: Why does Paul quote Isaiah 28:11 in this passage? Did he rip this passage from its original context?
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Problem: “Most of the scholarly world agrees that there is no concept of immortality of life after death in the Old Testament.”[1] With these words, George Mendenhall summarizes the consensus of critical academics regarding the afterlife in the Hebrew Bible. Even many Jewish thinkers deny an afterlife. For instance in a 1991 interview, Jewish professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz said,
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Problem: The Scriptures teach that all people will be raised bodily from the tomb (cf. Dan. 12:2; 1 Cor. 15:22; Rev. 20:4–6). Indeed, Jesus said that one day “all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth” (John 5:28–29). However, Job seems to say just the opposite, when he wrote: “he who goes down to the grave does not come up” (cf. also Job 14:12; Isa. 26:14; Amos 8:14).
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Problem: The Bible makes a number of predictions about the devastation of specific ancient cities, mentioning details about their destruction. This type of predictive prophecy demonstrates that the God of the Bible is in charge of secular nations and cities—not just spiritual matters. In my opinion, while these predictions are not the most persuasive evidence for the inspiration of the Bible, they still help to support the cumulative case that the Bible is a uniquely inspired book.
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Problem: Some interpreters claim that this passage refers to Satan. They point out that this passage refers to “Lucifer” who has “fallen from heaven” (Isa. 14:12 NKJV). He said, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God… I will make myself like the Most High” (vv.13-14). Does this passage describe Satan?
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Problem: The Bible makes a number of predictions about the devastation of specific ancient cities, mentioning details about their destruction. This type of predictive prophecy demonstrates that the God of the Bible is in charge of secular nations and cities—not just spiritual matters. In my opinion, while these predictions are not the most persuasive evidence for the inspiration of the Bible, they still help to support the cumulative case that the Bible is a uniquely inspired book.
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Problem: Why does the Bible say houses will be plundered and wives ravished? Why does God prophesy such a bad thing?
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Problem: Critics of the Bible note that John writes of “the four corners of the earth” (Rev. 7:1). They argue that this demonstrates that the authors of Scripture believed in a flat earth. Is this the case?
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Problem: Isaiah states that the Jewish people will be regathered “a second time.” Some interpreters argue that the first gathering refers to the Exodus from Egypt (citing verse 16), and the second gathering refers to the return from the Babylonian Exile.[1] Is this the case?
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Problem: This passage in Isaiah is messianic, and it speaks of a future person who will have the Spirit of the Lord (v.2) and bring righteousness to the Earth (v.4). However, Isaiah writes, “A shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse” (Isa. 11:1), who was David’s father. Usually, the prophets spoke about the son of David, who would be the Messiah –not the son of Jesse. Why does Isaiah use Jesse, instead of David here?
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Problem: When Isaiah gets his calling to be a prophet, God tells him, “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed” (Isa. 6:10). Did God send Isaiah so that the people would not repent?
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Problem: Matthew writes, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 15 ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned” (Mt. 4:14-16). Why does Matthew cite this passage, and how is fulfilled by Christ?
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