Problem: Does the earth last forever, or is it destroyed? Psalm 78:69 says, “And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.” But 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” So which one is correct? Does the earth last forever, or is it destroyed?
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Isaiah 65:17 – Does the earth abide forever or not?
Problem: Does the earth abide forever or not? Psalm 104:5; Ecclesiastes 1:4 and Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:10
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Isaiah 56 – Does this chapter mark the beginning of “third” Isaiah?
Problem: Critical scholars charge that this section of Isaiah is actually a third author, who felt the freedom to tack on more chapters to Isaiah’s book. We have already considered the arguments for multiple authors for the book of Isaiah (see “Authorship of Isaiah”). What was Isaiah’s purpose in these final chapters?
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Isaiah 51:9 – Does the Bible support the belief in mythical monsters?
Problem: This passage makes reference to the seven-headed, Ugaritic, mythological creature Leviathan (cf. 42:1). Does the Bible purport a belief in mythological creatures such as the Leviathan?
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Isaiah 45:7 – Does God create evil?
Problem: Does God create evil? Isaiah 45:7 and Amos 3:6. No, God does not create ontological evil. He creates calamity which is sometimes translated as ‘evil.’
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Isaiah 45:7 – Does God create evil?
Problem: Isaiah writes that God is the one who “[causes] well-being and creating calamity” (Isa. 45:7). Older translations render this Hebrew ra’ as “evil” (ASV). Is God the author of evil?
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Isaiah 44:28-45:1 – How could Isaiah predict King Cyrus?
Problem: If Isaiah really wrote from Israel before the Exile (739-681 BC), then he would have predicted King Cyrus by name—over two hundred years in advance. Cyrus didn’t reign until roughly the 500’s BC (Ezra 1:1-5; 6:1-5). Critics claim that this is evidence against the single authorship of Isaiah, because a singular author could not predict such a thing in the 8th century BC. Rather, it makes more sense to conclude that a post-exilic prophet added chapters to Isaiah’s original work. Is this the case?
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Isaiah 44:24 – Is Jesus or God the creator of all things?
Problem: Is Jesus or God the creator of all things? Since Jesus is God in flesh and God created all things, then the answer is easy.
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Isaiah – 43:10 How many Gods are there, one or many?
Problem: How many Gods are there, one or many? The Bible speaks of both one and many. There is only one God in actuality, but there are many false gods that idolators believe in.
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Isaiah 40:3 – Does Mark 1:2 correctly cite this passage?
Problem: Mark cites from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Why does he do this?
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Isaiah 40:2 – Why does God punish them “double” for their sins?
Promise: Isaiah writes that God punishes the Jews “double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:2). Was God punishing them in an unfair way?
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Isaiah 38:8 – Did God turn back time?
Problem: Isaiah said, “‘I will cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.’ So the sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down” (Isa. 38:8). Did God turn back time?
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Isaiah 38:10-11 – What is Sheol?
Problem: Isaiah says that the people will go to “Sheol” in judgment (pronounced SHE-ole). What is Sheol?
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Isaiah – 35:4-6 – Did Jesus fulfill this passage?
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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Isaiah – 33-34 – Why is there a break in the Isaiah manuscript at this point?
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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