Keys to Prophecy: God Makes Choices

God chose a place for Israel to worship Him.

“But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even to his habitation shall you seek, and there you shall come;”
Deut 12:5 WEB

Then when God made a choice, Israel was obligated to perform all of their formal worship in that place.

God choose Jerusalem in ancient times, both a the one and only place where the Jews could carry on the formal worship of God, AND as a type, symbolic of the heavenly Jerusalem where God actually “dwells.” Compare Heb 12:22 and Rev 21:1-2.

“Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go to the place which Yahweh shall choose:”
Deut 12:26 WEB

Also God has the right to choose who will be allowed
to approach Him for worship.

“and he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, In the morning Yahweh will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near to him.”
Num 16:5 WEB

We might compare it to our being able to choose who will come into our house to visit with us, so God has the right and does choose who can approach Him. In the test that followed in Numers 16, the presumptuous Korah was rejected as a priest, and he and all his house then entered Sheol alive, for their trying to push their choices on God!

And chose a special family for His Christ.

“Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph,
And didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which he loved.”
Psa 78:67-68 WEB

He can do that. If we can make decisions, God surely can.

“He also chose David his servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;”
Psa 78:70 WEB

Then from that family Yahweh will bring His special One, His Messiah (Hebrew), His Christ (Greek).

“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”
Isa 42:1 WEB

And of course, He did.

At a time, a still future time, God can “the second time recover” the Jews.

Of course the first time that God recovered the Jews from “Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath,” was in the time of Ezra of Nehemiah. However, before even that first time happened, Isaiah foretold that God would recover the Jews a second time!

“It shall happen in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, who shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.”
Isa 11:11 WEB

He can do that, He can decide that, and perform whatever He wishes.

And God choses the time when He will judge
the heavens and the earth.

“When I choose the appointed time,
I will judge blamelessly.”
Psa 75:2 WEB

God makes choices.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: God Works in History, Part III of III

Remember the objective is that, “that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him,” Acts 17:25 WEB

Jeremiah compares God’s work with the nations
to a potter working with clay.

“3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he was making a work on the wheels. 4 When the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”
Jer 18:3-4 WEB

Then the Lord comments,

“House of Israel, can’t I do with you as this potter? says Yahweh. Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.”
Jer 18:6 WEB

Even so, God is not just concerned with physical Israel, but with all men. God oversees and deals with all men, to discourage them from wickedness, and to encourage them “to seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him.”

So perhaps “a nation” has turned aside to
selfish and evil conduct.

Then God may decide concerning that nation to destroy it.

“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it;”
Jer 18:7 WEB

However, if that nation will repent, and turn toward better conduct?

if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them.”
Jer 18:8 WEB

God has the power to do whatever He wills with, and can either bless them or destroy them.

At other times God may decided to bless a nation.

“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;”
Jer 18:9 WEB

Sometimes though, when nations experience just a little of prosperity they immediately begin to indulge in evil things which they had not considered before. What then? So God says,

if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good, with which I said I would benefit them.”
Jer 18:10 WEB

These are continual things in history.

Nations are not made safe by military might. It takes more than that.

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle;
But victory is with Yahweh.”
Prov 21:31 WEB

Assyrian War Chariot

Further, in our time, in New Testament times, all of this power and authority over the nations is given to God’s One and Only Son, Jesus the Christ (Mtt 28:18), that He exercises the rule over the nations, and He,

“Yahweh will send forth the rod of your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies. ”
Psa 110:1-2 WEB

That is of course out of the heavenly Zion that Jesus presently rules.

How we act, the decisions we make, do make a difference. Thus the relevance of what God sees as happening in history.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Coronavirus and Scripture, Part III of III

“Plague” is a very general word in the Bible sense

It is far wider than our modern sense of a wide spread disease, epidemic, or pandemic. The basic Greek word used in the New Testament is pl?g? and it means to hit something. It a word used to describe a literal beating, or the wounds that might result from such a beating. Thus it could include any serious blow to a man, or to a nation, or to the world.

There is though another aspect of the wars and disease and desolations of our world which are such a huge influence in our sinful world. It is that,

These blows often serve as Trumpets of Warning

These blows are often not the end in themselves, but they serve as warnings. In Revelation chapter 8 things are going very wrong on the earth. The prayers of the saints are going up to God as incense in Rev 8:1-4. This results in a response, and seven angels are given seven trumpets to sound. Not the final punishments for the sins of men or nations, but loud warnings of judgement to come for our sins, Rev 8:6ff.

Similarly, also these age long disasters which fall on us as men are often meant to warn us, and to straighten us out.

The First purpose would be to wake us up

Chapter VI.” Trumpets of Warning” in “Revealing the Christian Age,” gives a more complete discussion the trumpets in Revelation chapters 8-11.

First to the fact that not everything is right in our world. That things are often not even right with ourselves. Often we know our sins, but do not deal with them. Let’s face it, as men we are frequently a very hard headed lot. What will get our attention? What will get us to turn and avoid final judgement for our sins.

“Tell them, As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, …?”
Ezek 33:11 WEB

Often we are asleep to the dangers that come on us. First God will try gentle methods, and when these do not work, then more severe methods are often allowed.

“It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline?”
Heb 12:7 WEB

The Second purpose would be to get us to
no longer live for ourselves

Quite often in life we are all wrapped up in ourselves. However, it says of Jesus,

“… all things have been created through him, and for him.”
Col 1:16 WEB

We were made by Jesus, and for Jesus! What then should be our orientation for this temporary life we have now, in this temporary world?

We need to be aware that Jesus came to earth to die for your sins and mine, so that we will NOT have to die for our sins.

He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.”
2Cor 5:15 WEB

God wants us to realize how transient we are, how vulnerable we are, so that we will act with a mind of wisdom. The Coronavirus and Scripture.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Coronavirus and Scripture, Part II of III

When speaking of major powers at work in the Christian Age, the Bible uses more than one set of symbolism. One set is,

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
in Revelation chapter 6

I do not think Jesus is just speaking here of things at the very end of the age. I think rather He is speaking of powers that are at work all through the Christian Age. You might even say they are the everyday things of history. I am only going to discuss two of these horsemen in this post.

The first horseman is Jesus the Christ Himself

Revealing the Christian gives a more complete disucssion of the Four Horsemen who run through history. It is available through your bookseller.

Jesus is THE dominant power of our age!

“And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.”
Rev 6:2 (Compare Rev 19:11-16)

ALL authority has been given to Jesus the Christ, both in heaven and on earth, Mtt 28:18. Jesus reaches out to men to try to get them to change before it is eternally too late. What is the method to this rule?

“26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
Acts 17:26-27

Jesus presently rules in the midst of His enemies, Psa 110:1-2. He rules over the kings of the earth NOW, Rev 1:5. These kings are warned,

“10 Now therefore be wise, you kings.
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve Yahweh with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
For his wrath will soon be kindled.
Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.”
Psa 2:10-12

Everyone will have to submit to Jesus the Christ, before this is over.

The fourth horseman is Death and Hades

“And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.”
Rev 6:8

Now this is NOT talking about extraordinary times at the end of this age, but we could say normal times, in an abnormal, sinful world. This ‘horseman” has authority to let death rule over “one fourth of the earth” (Rev 6:8 above).

This “horseman” includes the wars of our world (“to kill with the sword”), the famines and desolations we see on TV, the murders, the inexplicable accidents. It includes the Spanish Flu of 1918, and the regular flu which kills about 60,000 each year in the United States. In truth the World is in “bondage to decay,” Rom 8:21, and it affects us all, everyday.

Sin and death go together. Things are not right in our universe, things are not right with us. Compare Psalm 94 in our previous post.

The only real escape is a permanent one

Giving our lives to Jesus Christ so we might be counted worthy of that new heavens and new earth where only righteousness dwells, 2Pe 3:10-13.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Coronavirus and Scripture, Part I of III

I am afraid it is a fact of life that this world is under a curse.

It all began when our ancestors rejected the
Instructions of the Lord our God.

When that happened God told our ancestors directly that,

“… cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”
Gen 3:17

Not all of the environmental problems we have are because of trash or plastic bags or oil on the ground or in the water. Our sins bring a curse on both our work and on our environment.

Now God can either help us or oppose us,
and He often does.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke of how God often deals with nations.

“7 At what instant I shall speak concerning A nation, and concerning A kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; 8 if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them. 9 At what instant I shall speak concerning A nation, and concerning A kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good, with which I said I would benefit them.”
Jer 18:7-10

God is the one who gives us prosperity or discipline. We may think our work gives us what is good, but God says,

“17 and lest you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. 18 But you shall remember Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at this day.”
Deut 8:17-18

He can send people to oppose us, or can give us peace with other men.

When a man’s ways please Yahweh,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Prov 16:7

God Himself disciplines the nations

Sometimes we may think God doesn’t even know what we are doing, but the Bible says something different in Psalm 94.

“8 Consider, you senseless among the people;
You fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who implanted the ear, won’t he hear?
He who formed the eye, won’t he see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, won’t he punish?
He who teaches man knows.
11 Yahweh knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.
12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, Yah,
And teach out of your law;
13 That you may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked.”
Psa 94:8-13

We live in a world in which things have gone wrong,
WE have gone wrong.

So now things can go wrong against us! Including things like viruses.

“From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.

“Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
lead us from night, to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory laud and praise be ever Thine.”

From our National Hymn, “God of Our Fathers.”

Romans 8 speaks of that principle of Physics
called “entropy,” or the Second Law
of Thermodynamics.

It calls it vanity, and our “bondage to decay,” and does say that one day,

“that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.”
Rom 8:21

It hasn’t happened yet, but it will ! Jesus offers it through His gospel. Despite Covid-19

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: The Kingdom will come!

Even now the kingdom exists and Jesus has ALL authority, Mtt 28:18. Even now He rules over all of the kings of the earth, Rev 1:5, and if they do not serve His purposes, He may shatter them, Psa 2:9; or He may destroy in their way, Psa 2:12.

Just the same, there are future aspects to the
kingdom which are yet unseen.

Mankind has yet to see the kingdom in its fulness. So near the end of his life, Paul says,

“And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for his heavenly kingdom; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
2Tim 4:18 WEB

There is a future sense to this kingdom which is yet unseen, and Paul expects to be there. These things are to happen when Jesus comes again.

“20 and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, 21 whom heaven must receive UNTIL the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.”
Acts 3:20-21 WEB

So there are times of restoration which are yet to come. It is also called “times of refreshing.

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,”
Acts 3:19 WEB

When does this restoration, this renewal happen. At the Second Coming of Christ, as seen above in Acts 3:21.

Then this present universe will pass away.

“… ”the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”
2Pe 3:10 WEB

Then a new universe will come, a new universe where sin and death and entropy (things run down!) are no longer operating principles. So Peter notes,

This universe will pass away, and a new universe not subject to death and decay will be created.

“But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which dwells righteousness.”
2Pe 3:13 WEB

So also it says in Revelation that the apostle John says,

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.”
Rev 21:1 WEB

“He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.””
Rev 21:5 WEB

It is called “heaven,” or a new heavens and a new earth. It is called the heavenly kingdom. It will be an everlasting rule.

“Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end …”
Isa 9:7 WEB

At that time, Jesus will say to
one Christian,

““‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’”
Lk 19:17 WEB

And to another, “‘And you are to be over five cities.’” Lk 19:15. There will be cities there. This will be a real place. These things have not happened yet, but they will.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: Some Types/Symbols are Announced

There are other terms for symbolism.

“who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses was warned by God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, “See, you shall make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.””
Heb 8:5 WEB

So when a person, place, thing, or event in history is symbolic of some future person, place, thing, or event, it might be called a “copy,” or a “shadow,” or a “pattern.” In this verse the word translated “pattern” is the the word tupos, which also sometimes translated as “type,” as for instance in Rom 5:14 in the New American Standard 95 ed., and the New King James Version. Other words are also used at times.

Moses is clearly a “type,” symbolic
of the Christ

As Moses said,

“Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me; to him you shall listen;”
Deut 18:15 WEB

Moses was clearly intended to be symbolic of the Christ.

That is an unequivocal statement of symbolism, and has been discussed in more detail in previous posts.

And Adam is announced as a type of the Christ. He is the head and the first of new race of men who will all be like Him.

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.”
Rom 5:14 WEB

“Foreshadowing” is here another translation of the Greek word tupos or “type.”

The fulfillment of a symbol/type is in Greek sometimes
called an antitype.

The Greek word is anittupos (anti-tupos), and in Greek the word or prefix anti has the idea of replacement. Thus an anti-type is the fulfillment/replacement for the symbol, the type. Antitupos is used in this sense in 1 Peter 3.

“19 … while the ark was being built. In it, few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you …”
1Pe 3:19-20 WEB

So Peter says that the waters of Noah’s flood, while destroying the wicked, floated Noah and his family to safety, and that is a “symbol” (antitupos) of baptism. The New King James Version gives a very literal translation here: “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism …”

So here is another type which is announced in Scripture, the waters of the flood being symbolic of baptism.

Of course this is NOT saying we are saved
by any work of man.

Baptism is NOT a work of man! You do not DO baptism, rather you ARE baptized. Baptism is something you must SUBMIT to.

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
1Cor 12:13 KJV

The One who works in baptism is the Holy Spirit of God, changing your soul, and washing you in the blood of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, all you did was to have a bath.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: Prophesy is Not Always Sequential.

It has been said that prophecy is generally conversational in nature. A conversation between God and his children. You and I will often have to pay close attention or we may not notice when the conversation suddenly goes in new directions.

In “Prophecy Principles” Psalm 22 was used to
Illustrate these points.

For instance, look at the death of Jesus as prophesied in Psa 22:14-18. You can read what actually happened about a thousand years later in the Gospels, and see that Psalm 22 was very accurate, but it still was not a rigidly chronological discussion. Nor are few prophecies.

Some speak of this trait as being almost
intolerable.

Some say this is something weird and strange and unknown about Scripture and prophecy. Actually much writing and much history is not always sequential.

Take Will Durant’s “The Age of Reason Begins.”

This is Durant’s history of these things from 1558-1648, a mere 90 years. Is it rigidly sequential? It is divided in to three books:

Book I, The English Ecstasy: 1558-1648

Book II, Faith Fights for Power: 1556-1648

Book III, The Tentatives of Reason: 1558-1648

Similarly, even within these “Books” it is not rigidly sequential, nor can it be. In fact in this case it is a series of parallel accounts. This is common especially in books of history. However, Scripture is sometimes unjustly criticized for not being sequential.

Psalm 22 for instance is generally sequential,
but not rigidly so.

The subject, Jesus death, is announced in the first verse,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Psa 22:1 WEB

Such announcing of the subject at first, is also common in historical accounts. Finally the Psalm ends with all men having to bow before Jesus.

“… All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him,
Even he who can’t keep his soul alive.”
Psa 22:29

So it is generally sequential, much as with a good history, but not rigidly so.

Similarly, Matthew chapter 24 is generally sequential,
but not rigidly so.

Matthew 24 clearly talks about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (some 40 years into the future), and also talks about the end of this world (very clearly in Mtt 24:36 and the verses following). Evidently, the destruction of Jerusalem is symbolic of the end of this world. However, look at verse 6. It is in the early section about the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet.”
Mtt 24:6 WEB

Many quote this of the end of this world, and they are right. Wars and rumors of wars are not a sign of the end of the world! However, “wars and rumors of war,” ARE A SIGN OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN 70 AD! You see Jerusalem was destroyed in a Roman invasion of Judea to suppress the Jewish revolt!

So at the start of the discussion of 70 AD is a verse about the end of the world. Generally sequential, but not rigidly so.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Judah in Trouble and Three Prophecies, Part V of VI

So Isaiah gave Ahaz a sign anyway.

“Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isa 7:14 WEB

The World English Bible (WEB) is correct here: “the virgin shall conceive.” The Hebrew word for a virgin is almah, and it describes an unmarried “maiden,” who would in normal circumstances would be a virgin. The word also occurs in Gen 24:43, Ex 2:8, Psa 68:25, Prov 30:19, and Song of Solomon 1:3, 6:8. Jewish translators around 200 BC when translating the Old Testament into Greek, choose to translate the word as the Greek parthenos, which is unequivocally a virgin.

And what will happen with this child born of
a virgin?

It seems to speaking in the immediate context of Ahaz and Judah’s dilemma. It seems to speak of child to born soon. This child will eat curds and honey (KJV) and before the child is old enough to refuse the evil and choose the good (just a small number of years) the land of the two kings who are fighting against Ahaz, will be abandoned,
Isa 1:16!

In other words, Isaiah confirms what he told Ahaz earlier, that Israel and Aram will not be able to overcome Judah … without the interference of any foreign powers.

It is widely debated who the “almah” is.

There is further analysis of Isaiah 7 in Prophecy Principles.

Some say it was a wife of Ahaz. In Prophecy Principles, in the section called “We Sit,” I discussed the prophecy as if it had reference to Isaiah’s wife having a baby, and how that would be analyzed. Other also have done the same or similar things. Clearly Isaiah is telling Ahaz that he should NOT enter treaties with pagan powers, but that he should trust in the Lord, and everything will be alright. This would be the first prophecy.

But as we have already seen, trusting God or believing God, is not in Ahaz vocabulary.

But STILL there is the implicit contradiction of a
virgin (rather “the virgin”) having a baby.

Isaiah has one of his sons with him when he meets Ahaz, Isa 7:3. She is sometimes represented as one of Ahaz’s wives or whoever. But still … how can you call them a “virgin.” That is the implicit tension in the prophecy. These are signs of a type, when something does not really fit.

And of course there is still to be considered
Isaiah’s master subject: the Messiah.

He was to come as a child, and to be “Mighty God, Eternal Father” in Isa 9:6 WEB as discussed in Part III of this series.

So how does “THE virgin” conceive a child?

The answer of the angel is,

“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.”
Lk 1:35 WEB

Of course this would be no big trick with the God who made heaven and earth and everything they contain. This would be second prophecy, and the true anti-type of whoever had a baby in the eighth century BC.

Your answer may depend on whether you decide to a priori rule out God as working in history!

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Judah in Trouble and Three Prophecies, Part III of VI

So in a short time Judah has come to be in very real trouble. It is in the situation described in Parts 1 and 2 in this series that Isaiah the prophet is told to go talk to Ahaz in Isaiah 7.

Isaiah is a special Messianic prophet.

Isaiah deals with Jesus the Christ in all sorts of ways throughout his books. Isaiah is perhaps the largest single book about the Christ in the whole Bible. The most quoted book in the New Testament is the Psalms, and next is Isaiah. For instance, Isaiah clearly tells us this Savior will come as a a child.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
Isa 9:6 WEB

So Isaiah clearly points to Christ both being in the flesh (an Incarnation), but also Him being God Himself.

Isaiah talks about all of these things, and Him coming in Judah, and coming back at the end of this world, and judgement, and heaven and hell. All of it. It is all about Jesus of Nazareth. I think that Isaiah is possibly the greatest book ever written, and for sure one of the most sublime.

This is in the days when Rezin and Pekah made
their assaults Jerusalem itself, Isa 7:1.

It goes on to say, speaking of the outcome of these things that they, “could not prevail against it.” Isa 7:1 WEB.

But the reaction when this was about to happen.

“It was told the house of David, saying, “Syria is allied with Ephraim.” His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.”
Isa 7:2 WEB

This is not to be wondered about when these enemies had already individually defeated Judean armies. And now these armies were united against little Judah.

“Then Yahweh said to Isaiah,

““Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, …””
Isa 7:3 WEB

For sure these were scary times for both Judah and Ahaz, but Isaiah, speaking by the word of the Lord tells Ahaz to be careful, and to be calm and to not be afraid. Isaiah calls King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel as smoking firebrands. Yes, they are smoking, but they are also almost extinguished, and not to be feared. Yes they are planning to conquer (but not destroy Judah), and put a man named “the son of Tabeel” on the throne (Isa 7:6), to replace Ahaz, and to make Judah a reliable ally.

Isaiah says that in sixty-five years they will both be broken into pieces, and Israel itself will cease to be a people. That is to say, in sixty-five years the deportations which would destroy Israel would be completed, Isa 7:4-8.

Then Isaiah adds one more thing to Ahaz.

“’… If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’”
Isa 7:9

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901