Names - Jacob, Joshua, Hanna and Elijah for James, Jesus,
Mary, Anna- New Testament names are the Greek equivalent for the same names in
Hebrew. This change from Hebrew to Greek explains a major difference between
the Old and New Testaments. Hellinization sought to repackage the world as
Greek.
Ancient Sources for
the Intertestamental Period
Dead Sea Scrolls-1st found in
1947-written 100 BC-100 AD- All books but Esther-181 scrolls. 29 copies of Dt. 36 of the Psalms and 21 copies of Isaiah. The
temple scroll is nearly 29' long, some fragments as small as a postage stamp.
The scrolls differ in types some are: Sectarian, Biblical, Apocryphal and
Pseudepigraphal, Halakhic (Jewish Laws).
Apocrypha- Secret
or hidden. Sacred books of the Jewish people not
included in the Hebrew Bible. They are valuable as forming a link connecting
the Old and New Testaments, and are regarded as useful reading, although not
all the books are of equal value. D&C 91
states that the contents are mostly correct, but with many interpolations by
man. Among these books the following are of special value;
The First Book of Esdras. Josiah’s religious
reforms & subsequent history down to destruction of the Temple 588 B.C. It
then describes the return under Zerubbabel & events that followed, of which
we have another account in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Esdras is another
form of the name Ezra.
The Second Book of Esdras. Contains 7
revelations to Ezra, who is represented as grieving over the afflictions of his
people and perplexed at the triumph of gentile sinners.
The First Book of the Maccabees.
Importance for knowledge of Jewish history in 2nd century B.C. It recounts the
whole narrative of the Maccabean movement from the accession of Antiochus
Epiphanes (175) to the death of Simon (135). 1st Maccabees was written
by an anonymous author in Hebrew or Aramaic from a pro-Hasmonean point of view. 2nd
Maccabees was written by another anonymous author in Greek. It doesn’t support
the Hasmonean dynastic claims and makes a pitch for Hanukkah, the festival that
grew out of the rededication of the temple in December 164 BC.
Old Testament 929 Chapters 23,214
Verses 592,439 Words 39 Books
New Testament 260 Chapters 7,959
Verses 191,252 Words 27 Books
Apocrypha 183 Chapters 6,081 Verses 152,185
Words 14 Books + or -
Pseudepigrapha - works written as authoritative of dubious origins
written from about 250 BC-200 AD.
Josephus - A 1st century
AD Jewish historian who fought with the Jews vs. the Romans and then defected
to the Romans, gained citizenship and spent the later part of his life in Rome
writing the history of his people. He had 2 major works; 1) The War of the Jews covering the revolt of
the Jews up to and including the final stand at Masada. and The Antiquities of the Jews, covering
the entire sweep of Jewish history through the end of the first century.
Josephus is the sole surviving source for our knowledge of some of the events
of the Intertestamental period.
721 BC - Assyria destroyed Israel after a 3 year siege and took captives into
Assyria, who disappeared from history.
609 BC - Josiah killed at Megiddo by the Egyptians. Judea
quickly returned to their pre-Josiah wickedness. His successors to the throne-Jehoiakim,
Jehoiachin, Zedekiah
606 BC - The
fall of Nineveh, capital of
Assyria. Babylon becomes the
major power. Daniel and others are
taken to Babylon from Israel by Nebuchadnezzar (King 605-562).
It would not,
however, be quite the same. Judah would not be lost to history. Eventually,
after the time of Christ, they would endure another exile that would last for
centuries. Even in their best years, they would be a captive nation subject to
foreigners. In the eyes of their persecutors they would become a hiss and a
byword. Yet every effort to stamp them out would fail. Throughout the centuries
of dispersion they would make many important contributions in art, literature,
music, politics, philosophy, and history. But such gifts came out of their
sorrow and persecution.
597 BC - Judah’s king, Jehoiachin, and the prophet Ezekiel (with thousands of others)
are carried captive into Babylon. Lehi
leaves Jerusalem.
587 BC - (July)Fall of Jerusalem; The siege lasted for eighteen months, during which time the
people of Jerusalem were starved to the point of cannibalism
King Zedekiah-(captured and blinded) & other leaders of Judah were taken
captive into Babylon. Some, including Jeremiah (as a hostage) escaped to Egypt.
Mulek, son of Zedekiah, escaped
and came to America. The city was burned, Solomon’s temple was destroyed, and the
kingdom of Judah came to an end.
562 BC - The death of Nebuchadnezzar marked the beginning of the decline of
Babylon.
538 BC - Life
in Babylonian captivity was not that bad. Babylon
(modern-day Iraq) fell to
Cyrus (550-530 BC), king of Persia
(modern-day Iran). Cyrus allows Jews to return. Returners were greatly
influenced. Aramaic replaced Hebrew as common Jewish language. Jews adopted the
Babylonian alphabet & calendar. Most of the Jewish people stayed in
Babylon, another group moved to Asia Minor. Minus a temple, changes included:
increased emphasis on Sabbath observance, circumcision, & synagogue
worship. From earliest times the sin of idolatry had existed in Israel,
and the prophets of every age had combated it. After the fall, idolatry ceased
to be a problem for the Jews. The nation as a whole accepted the verdict that
God’s wrath had been poured down upon them for the sin of image worship. They
reached the conclusion that only the God of Israel should be worshiped.
Henceforth, Israel became a very zealous nation for its God. This zeal took the
form of devotion to Jehovah’s law, which led over the years to the creation of
numerous rules of conduct that went beyond the law itself. (Jacob 4:14)
Some of the lasting
effects of the Babylonian captivity: 1. The Jews abandoned the worship of
graven images and began to lay great emphasis on tradition and the law. 2. Through
the efforts of Ezra the scribe and others, much of the Old Testament was
preserved. 3. Volumes of commentary were compiled during this period and later.
4. The principal religious groups in Israel—the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees,
and others—originated during this time. 5.The Hebrew writing was preserved,
even though the language of the people changed. This change created the need
for experts in the law. 6. The Jewish
synagogue took on new importance. 7. The refusal to integrate is evidenced by
the Jewish quarter, or the ghetto, and other efforts of the people to band
together for mutual support.
535 BC - Zerubbabel and Jeshua lead approximately 50,000 Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild
the temple.
530
BC - Cyrus
died leaving the empire to his son Cambyses (530-522 BC), who had no heir. A
relative, Darius (522-486 BC) assumed the throne and was helpful in stopping
the Samaritan opposition to the building of the temple.
522 BC - The
Samaritans were opposed to the temple construction because they had not been
allowed to help rebuild it. Jews were indifferent to its reconstruction. As a
result, work on it stopped. Haggai
and Zechariah encouraged the
Jews to finish the temple; King Darius
of Persia commanded the Samaritan opposition to cease.
515 BC - Zerubbabel’s temple is completed.
478 BC - Esther, wife of the King of
Persia
Who came 1st Nehemiah or Ezra? Brown
says Nehemiah. I say? ok
445 BC - Nehemiah
(Artaxerxes’[465-424 BC] cupbearer) arrived in Jerusalem w/ the job to make it
safe. It was a tough job w/ a small population (the Jews scattered from &
stayed in Babylon)w/out unity and Samaria from the North and Edom in the South
encroaching on their borders.
432 BC - Prophecy
of Malachi
431 BC - Nehemiah’s
second mission to Jerusalem.
428 BC - Ezra
led a 2nd group of 1,496 back to Jerusalem w/ the job to bring religion. His reforms changed the Jewish religion for
hundreds of years. Priests not being taxed & opposition to paying taxes to
foreign nations was alive in the days of the publicans
of Jesus' time. All that Ezra did in this manner was to get together as many
copies of the sacred writings as he could, and out of them all to set forth a
correct edition. … He collected together all the books of which the Holy
Scriptures did then consist, and disposed them in their proper order; and
settled the canon of Scripture for his time.
331
BC - Alexander the Great - Born 356. Studied
under Aristotle from age 13-17. Became regent to his father Phillip age 17.
Conquered the known world. India to Greece and south to Egypt. After his death
in 323 BC (age 33) the kingdom broke up. But he had
"Hellenized" the world. Within a few years Alexander died, but the Hellenic, or Greek,
influence was felt for centuries. With his conquest of the little Judean state,
the Jewish world pivoted westward and came under the influence of the
civilizations of Europe. In the past the Jews had been carried and scattered to
the northeast and to the south; now it would be to the north and to the west.
In the past their masters had been from the Oriental East, like themselves. Now
the Occidental, or Western, peoples took over. One of his general’s
Ptolemy (ancestor of Cleopatra) took
over Egypt, Israel & Southern Syria,
another Seleucus, ruled Babylonia. Jews in the middle between the two.
A large
population of Jews lived in Egypt at this time, principally on an island in the
middle of the Nile River called Elephantine. They had built a temple. They
later moved into the city named after Alexander (Alexandria) and by the 1st
century AD over a million Jews lived there. They had lost their Hebrew
language. This all led, in part, to the Septuagint.
200 BC
- Ptolemaic domination of Palestine ended with the defeat of the Ptolemies by
the Seleucids at Caesarea Philippi. It was not until 200 B.C. that the Seleucids were able to capture and hold Judea.
Though
the Jews at Jerusalem made concessions right and left, the seemingly wholesale
abandonment of the ways of the fathers by the Samaritans caused dismay that eventually hardened into hatred. This enmity
destroyed forever any possible union between Jerusalem and Samaria. By the time
of Christ, the bitterness had become so entrenched that some Jews would take a
lengthy detour around Samaria when traveling from Galilee to Judea rather than
risk contamination by their so-called evil influence.
The
change of administration from one Hellenic dynasty to the other caused more
trouble for the Jews than the change from the Persians to Greeks. Under the
Ptolemies, the Hellenizing pressures were subtle and were felt primarily by the
wealthy. As long as the lower classes paid their taxes, there was little
problem. During this period the Jewish population greatly increased, especially
outside the Holy Land. The city of Alexandria in Egypt, for example, had the
largest Jewish community in the world. There were also large colonies in
Babylon and other cities. The Jews of the Diaspora outnumbered the Jews of
Judea.
175
BC - Joshua (Jason
in Greek) purchased the office of high priest from the Hellenizer-Antiochus
Epiphanies (175-163 BC). Prior to
this time, those chosen, devout or not, were at least biologically descended
from the family of Zadok, the priest at the time of David who anointed Solomon
to be king. The ruling classes adopted Greek as their language &adopted
Greek education, including a gymnasium. This was a major controversy in Israel
as young men exercised in the nude. The possession or reading of the Torah was
made punishable by death. Observance of Sabbath and feast days was forbidden.
Circumcision & sacrifice forbidden. Some athletes had the painful reverse
circumcision operation so they would look like Greek youths. Jerusalem's
walls destroyed. Thousands of Jews killed. Thousands more sold as slaves. The
temple was plundered and turned into an Olympian shrine with an image of Zeus
placed on the altar & a pig was sacrificed in honor of the false God.
Sacred Prostitution was practiced within the temple walls. Three years
later Antiochus sold the office to a higher bidder, Menelaus, who had no ties
to the Priestly line. Menelaus took items from the temple to pay his bribe
money to the king. Antiochus needed the money to pay his tribute to the Romans.
The
efforts of Antiochus to stamp out Judaism became more and more brutal. His
soldiers would surround a village and conduct a house-to-house search. If a
male child was found that had been circumcised, the infant was killed and tied
around the neck of the mother as a warning to others. Then the mothers were
hurled off a high wall. (See 2 Maccabees 6:10.) In another case, a woman
with seven sons was forced to watch each killed in a horrible way when they
refused to eat the flesh of pigs. Exhorting each to keep the faith, she did not
weaken and finally was herself put to death. (See 2 Maccabees 7.)
167
BC - Maccabean
revolt - In Modein (NW of Jerusalem), a local priest named Mattathias killed
the Jew who offered a pagan sacrifice & the Greek officer overseeing the
pagan worship. With his 5 sons he went to the hills & waged a guerilla war
vs. the Greeks. Mattathias challenged Judea, saying, "let everyone who is
zealous of the law & supports the covenant come out with me!" Their
decision to use guerilla tactics and to be willing to defend themselves if
attacked on the Sabbath were keys to their success. Mattahias died soon after
the rebellion began and left his son Judas in charge of the army. The family
name was Hasmon, but because of Judah's prowess and success against the Greeks,
he was also called the Maccabee, or God's hammer. According
to Humphrey Prideaux, Judah raised a banner or standard to which those loyal to
his cause gathered. On that standard he abbreviated a sentence taken from
scripture (Exodus 15:11): “Mi Camo-ka Baelim Jehovah, i.e. who
is like unto thee among the Gods O Jehovah … the initial letters of
these Words put together, which made the artificial word Maccabi,
hence all that fought under that Standard were called Maccabees
or Maccabeans. ” vol. 3, pp. 260–61.) The family is often called the
Maccabees as well as the Hasmoneans and the revolt of 167 is called the
Maccabean revolt. Time and again, Judah and his followers defeated the Greek
generals & their armies though outnumbered. In Dec. 164 Judah retook
Jerusalem, tore down the desecrated altar of the temple and had it rebuilt.
They rededicated the temple to the worship of Jehovah on the 25th of the Jewish
month of Kislev (Dec) amid great rejoicing, an event that is still commemorated
every year in the festival of Hanukah. The olive oil for the menorah in the
Holy Place, with the seal of the High Priest burned 8 days on a 1 day supply.
Since no Zadokite priest was available to assume the office of High Priest, the
Hasmonean family took the office. About his same time Antiochus IV was
killed in battle in Iran. The new government of the empire adopted a more
tolerant religious attitude and the Jewish revolt was successful but not
complete in the mind of Judas. Judas was killed in battle in 160 BC. His
brother Jonathan replaced him, retook Jerusalem and was named as the new High
Priest by the Seleucid empire in 152 BC, beginning a 115 year role for his
family. When Jonathon was killed in battle, the last of the Maccabean brothers
became the leader. Simon (143-135 BC) completed the war of independence. The
first year under Simon, 142 BC, is listed as the
year that the yoke of the gentiles was lifted from Israel, and the people began
to write as the dating formula in bills and contracts. John Hyrcanus (135-104
BC)succeeded his father when his brother-in-law Ptolemy murdered Simon and all
of his family except for John. John’s 31 year administration was high-lighted
by buying peace with the Seleucid Empire by raiding the tomb of King David, the
conversion of thousands of gentiles (many by force of arms) to Judaism,
destroying the Samaritan temple on Mt. Geriziam, capturing Shechem (the
Samaritan stronghold) and other cities. John was the first of the Hasmoneans to
die a natural death.
Aristobulus I (104-103 BC) reigned for only one year. He was the first of
the Hasmonean rulers to adopt the title “king.” He continued his father’s
expansion both territorially and forcing inhabitants to convert to Judaism. Alexander
Janneus (103-76 BC), the 2nd son of John Hyrcanus expanded the kingdom to
approximate the size of King Solomon’s. He died in 76 BC at the age of 49
having ruled for 27 years. His administration was marked by expansion, concubines,brutality
and internal problems. He ruled as king and high priest and did a Greek thing
by seeing that he was succeeded by his wife Salome Alexandra (76-67 BC). During
her reign, the Pharisees enjoyed tremendous influence.
67-63
BC -
2 brothers, Hyrcannus II and
Aristobulus II, fought over the succession to the throne and high priesthood.
Hyrcanus was the rightful heir but was weak and incompetent. His chief
supporter and advisor was the Idumean (Edom) leader Antipater. (Antipater knew
Hyrcanus was weak, but realized his own fortunes would be better under a weak
king.
Rome, led by Pompey, intervened. The result was Hyrcanus being restored
to the office of high priest and given the title of "ethnarch" (political
leadership over a common ethnic group or homogeneous kingdom) and
not king. Antipater (Herod the Great’s father) was an influential advisor to
Hyrcanus. The Jews, in 63 BC, after 80 years of independence were again subject
to a foreign power. Although 63 BC marked a watershed year for Jewish and Roman
relations, contact had begun 100 years earlier during the Maccabean War.
In 48 BC Pompey died. Hyrcanus appealed to Julius Caesar, who 1) returned to Judah lost land which had been
seized by Rome under Pompey, 2) made
Antipater (Herod’s father and Hyrcanus’ advisor) governor of Judea and 3) reconfirmed
Hyrcanus as high priest. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated. The brother
of Hyrcanus, Aristobulus, used this period of instability, to invade Jerusalem,
kill Antipater and imprisoned his brother. He proclaimed himself king.
Herod (33 yrs. old), the son of Antipater, went to Rome and was
proclaimed king of Judea in 40 BC. He reigned until 4 BC and was successful in
many ways.
Priests,
Levites -
When Cyrus
issued his order in 538 BC the person with the right to the office of high
priest was Jeshua. He had the job to organize the priests and Levites in their
duties and 24 orders. Beginning with Antiochus IV (175-163 BC), the office of high
priest went up for bid. The Maccabees turned that around, but they were not of
the Zadokites, and did not have the genealogy to rightly preside, but might
made right for a period of time and the head of their family served as high
priest and head of state. When the Parthians invaded in 40 BC, they placed
Antigonus on the throne of Judea and made him high priest, but when Herod was
declared king after defeating the Parthians he established a pattern of
choosing who he wanted to preside as High Priest. After a non priest family, he
went to rewarding a prominent priest family. This pattern continued throughout
our New Testament, with the Roman appointed ruler appointing the Jewish high
priest.
Scribes-
Ezra carried
the title of priest & scribe to Jerusalem. This title became important as
scribes came to replace, prophets, priests & Levites in teaching the fellow
Israelites & translating from Hebrew to Aramaic By the time of Christ, the
learning of the Scribes had gained precedence over continuing revelation &
oral tradition over law.
Pharisees: The party
from which the Pharisees evolved was probably the Hasidim,
meaning “the holy ones.” They promoted the observance of Jewish rituals &
study of the Torah. They took a more figurative interpretation of the law. This
interpretation became known as the oral law, since for the most part it was
memorized and passed on by word of mouth. The Hasidim believed in a combination
of free will and predestination, in the resurrection of the dead, and in a judgment resulting in reward or
punishment in the life to come. More and more of the population began to look
with favor upon the Hasidim to counteract the Greek influences they turned to a
strict, almost rigid, obedience to the law. Because of their attempts to keep
themselves separate from the worldly taint of false ideas, this group began to
be called the powrashim, “to be separated.” Thus
evolved the name Pharisees, which is the Greek
transliteration of powrashim. They appealled to the
majority of the population, and constituted a much larger group than the
Sadducees, a fact that held true even until the time of the Savior. The
Pharisees were primarily the common people. Fundamentalist;
anti-Greek; believed that the temple had become corrupt and without a high
priest with authority; their worship focused on reading and interpreting the
Torah (the Law)
and on careful obedience to it—that is more important than temple worship and
sacrifice. The Pharisees strove so desperately to keep
Judaism free of heathen influence, elevated reason to an equivalent degree.
Reason was the basis of the oral law. In an important sense, the Hellenic axiom
that public education was the key to transforming people was taken over by the
Pharisees in the synagogue. There the people were given rules regarding exactly
what they must do. In the house, on the street, in the shop and market, every
movement of the pious was regulated. Since these rules and regulations affected
every area of life, though there were many righteous among the Jews, it was
possible to have a strong sense of religiosity without having the law enter
into one’s heart or mind at all. Even more ironic than the role of reason was
the fact that the scribes and Pharisees, the defenders of the law, presented
the most organized opposition to Jesus Christ, to whom the law pointed. Christ criticized them severely and
repeatedly for false piety.
Sadducees: “Zadokites,” the rulers of the
temple; worship was primarily understood to be temple worship; Hellenist
(cooperated with the Seleucids and then the Romans, both Greek-speaking; were
willing to become Greeks culturally); supposedly ruling until they could be
replaced by a descendant of Zadok; though they came to power through a revolt
against the Seleucids over the corruption of the
temple and the corruption of the
priesthood, by Jesus’ time, they too were often involved in corruption.
Sadducees rejected
the oral law as binding except for that part that was based strictly on the
Torah. Further, they denied the afterlife and, therefore, the Resurrection. The
purpose of keeping the law was for divine assistance in mortality. His law was
to be strictly interpreted. No symbolic or allegorical interpretation, a
favorite of the Pharisees, was allowed.
In the power struggle
between these two sects can be traced the inception of formal synagogue
worship. The Pharisees sought to undermine the religious authority of the
Sadducees, which was based on their exclusive priestly domination of the
temple. To weaken this control, the Pharisees advocated taking certain
ceremonies, previously associated exclusively with the temple, and practicing
them in the home. In addition, formal places of worship, the synagogue, were
set up that promulgated and perpetuated their doctrine. Men of other than
priestly descent began to play a role in religious affairs.
Essenes - (The
pious ones) Jews, not mentioned in the New Testament, dwelt in secluded
settlements near the Dead Sea practicing an ascetic form of life, abstaining
from marriage, wine, & animal food. Took no part in the temple worship,
having priests and ministers of their own. Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls may be
their records. Essenes= “the pious ones.” Interest in this group was acutely
aroused in the late 1940s because of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, at
Qumran. This sect varied only in degree from the Pharisees, the main
differences resulting from the extremes to which they went to practice their
beliefs. The Essenes believed the Pharisees did not go far enough in their
attempts to separate themselves from the world. Life
in these communes was strict and highly structured. Members did not usually
marry, because of the pollutions to which women were subject, according to the
Mosaic law, and because of the idea that marriage was a hindrance to a
devotional state of mind. They abstained from temple worship and those
sacrifices associated therewith. They arose before sunrise and met together in
common prayer, then carried out their respective duties until approximately
11:00 A.M. At that time they were all baptized, put on white robes, and
ate a common meal. After the meal they would remove their sacred garments, don
their work clothes, and labor until evening, when they would again partake of a
common meal. They raised crops and tended flocks and were self-sufficient.
Two other groups mentioned in the New Testament grew up during
the period between the testaments. A group of Jews favored the reign of Herod
Antipas and urged the people to support his sovereignty. For that reason they
were called Herodians. The
Herodians saw Herod Antipas’s rise to power as the fulfillment of certain
messianic ideas then current. They preached these ideas and opposed any whom
they felt might upset the status quo. This political party joined forces with
the religious sect of the Pharisees to oppose Jesus (see Matthew
22:16) since they saw the Master as a threat to
their political aims.
In opposition to the Herodians stood the Zealots. This party was formed in A.D. 6
under the head of Judah of Galilee in opposition to Roman taxation. These
rebels had some of the spirit of the Maccabees in their opposition to gentile
rule and influence and desired to keep Judea free. It was not just to the
Maccabees that they looked as a prototype, however, but to Aaron’s grandson
Phinehas (see Numbers
25:7–13). During the Exodus from Egypt, Phinehas
killed a man and a woman who had blatantly violated the laws of God in the
wilderness and threatened the safety of the whole house of Israel. The Lord
commended Phinehas for his “zeal” in defending the law of God. The Zealots thus
reasoned that violence was justified in seeking to overthrow Rome. The Romans
called them the Sicarri, from the Latin word for
dagger, since they would sometimes mingle in a crowd with daggers under their
cloaks. They would then assassinate those known to favor Rome or sometimes
Roman officials themselves. Though violent, the Zealots were strictly
religious, justifying themselves on the grounds that only through the overthrow
of Rome could God’s kingdom come about. Their very name suggested great zeal
for the law of Moses. Their initial rebellion in A.D.
6 was successfully suppressed by the Romans, after which the survivors
went to the deserts where they continued to put pressure on the Romans through
guerrilla tactics during the time of the Savior. After the death of Jesus, it
was the Zealots primarily who led the revolt against Rome that resulted in the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
During
the four hundred years that followed Malachi, we know of no prophet in Israel.
Though services had been interrupted, the temple rites had continued during
most of that time. Priests had made the proper sacrifice on the great altar,
and the people had continued to pray daily while a priest had offered incense
upon the altar in the holy place. All had gone like clockwork until one day a
priest named Zacharias did not reappear as quickly as he should have from the
holy place after his service. The people began to marvel and conjecture. And
well they should have, for once again the veil had been lifted, and God’s word
was proclaimed. The humble and aged Zacharias, of the priestly order of Abia,
stood in the presence of an angel. “Thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth
shall bear thee a son. … And he shall … make ready a people prepared for the
Lord.” (Luke 1:13, 17.) This
long-desired child was to be a messenger who would go forth in the spirit and
power of Elias to declare that the kingdom of God was at hand. Once more Israel
would be extended the covenant and the promise. Once more the keys and power
were to be proffered to them. He who came to prepare the way was called John,
or in Hebrew, Johanan, “gift of God.” Israel had a
prophet once again, a forerunner, the prophet that would prepare the way for
Jehovah’s coming to earth as the Son of God and the Messiah that Judah had
awaited for so long. And thus the Old Testament, or old covenant, was brought
to a close and the New Testament, or new covenant, begun.
Isaiah 24-27
"ISAIAH'S
APOCALYPSE"
A clear and dramatic shift in emphasis
takes place in Is. 24. There, Isaiah's seership becomes profoundly evident as
he looks forward in time to the final dispensation.(OTSM p. 161) Nyman says
that these four chapters appear to be one revelation divided into current
chapters some time after Isaiah's time. Chapters 13-23 have presented messages
of doom for individual nations on the earth. The next section of chapters (24-27)
take us to the Latter days and give predictions attendant to the 2nd coming.
"He records aa cycle of prophecies that has no parallel in the writings of
earlier Old Testament prophets, although it is echoed in the later writings of
Daniel (ch. 7-12), Zechariah (ch. 9-14), and John (Rev. 7-22). He sees the
judgment, Christ's second coming, the establishment of Zion, the resurrection,
and the glory of the millennial and celestial periods." (Ludlow p. 240)
24 1-3-Chiasm-
A) Lord-B) Bare Earth And Disaster-C) People Affected-B) Bare Earth And
Disaster-C) Lord
Vs. 1- See D&C 5:19
vs. 2 - Class won't matter. SWKimball said that
this "priest" referred to religious leaders of any faith who
encourage the defilement of men and wink at the eroding trends and who deny the
omniscience of God. (Apr. 71) The verse seems to include all the ungodly.
vs. 3 - M.G. Romney in 68 said that this verse
referred to our day and that Is. foresaw the burning of the earth described in
verse 6. Note the 3 bares in 2 verses=bare, barer and barest.
vs. 4 - Joseph Fielding Smith said that our
generation is heading for the destruction spoken of in verses 4 and 6.
vs. 5 - Each ordinance was designed by God to teach
spiritual truths and move men toward godliness. When the ordinances are changed,
their power to save is lost. (OTSM p. 162)
VS. 6-12
Describes the mourning accompanying the destruction before 2nd coming.
Vs. 7- Crop failure. Even the usually happy are
sad.
Vs. 10- With anarchy and chaos people will go home
and lock the doors.
Vs. 11- People will try to escape their
circumstances.
Vs. 13-16- In the midst of calamity, the saints of
God will sing praises, but will be sad for the results of the fall of Babylon.
Vs. 16b-23 - The reaction of the earth to the
wickedness. (D&C 88:86-94)
vs. 22 - those in the spirit prison would be
visited after many days (D&C138:29-33)
CHAPTER 25-Promises new life and gladness. Fine Hebrew Poetry
Vs. 1-5 - A Hymn of praise sung at the 2nd Coming.
Vs. 1- I believe the "counsels of old"
includes the Pre-earth life.
Vs. 3- The NIV translates the 2nd half of this
verse, "city of ruthless nations will revere you." Might this refer
to people who will be converted during the millennium?
Vs. 4 - See Hymn #102- "Jesus Lover of My
Soul"
Vs. 5- At Christ's coming he will do away with the
revelry of the world as easily as he cools the desert by sending clouds. The
wicked will be humbled.
Vs. 6-12- The marriage supper of the Lamb. A joyful
refrain.
Vs. 6- This mountain (24:23) is the New Jerusalem.
By teaching the gospel, our missionaries invite people to this feast (D&C
58:3-12; Rev. 19:9). Everyone is invited, but only those who accept &
receive the ordinances will be able to attend this feast at or close to the 2nd
Coming.
Vs. 8 - A great testimony of the resurrection!
Vs. 9 - What we will say. I can hardly wait.
Vs. 10-12- Sober words of warning.
"Reviewing chapters 24-25, one sees a pattern
that is very common in Isaiah's writing; Isaiah often delivers a pronouncement
of serious warnings mingled with a note of optimist (as in ch. 24) and then
follows it with a prophecy of joyful promises, concluding with a somber tone of
caution (as in ch. 25)." (Ludlow p. 248)
CHAPTER 26 -Isaiah's response to God delivering Judah and
Israel from their scattered condition.
Vs. 1-2 "In that day"=latter days. No
need for city walls. (Is. 60:18)
Vs. 3-4- Look at Hymns #103 (Precious Savior Dear
Redeemer)and #108 (The Lord is My Shepherd).
Vs. 5-6- I have seen this as the fall of Babylon,
but note the take of Jeanne M. Horne p. 94; "Isaiah 26:5-6 says that the
'lofty city' shall again be brought to the earth where the feet of the poor and
the needy shall walk and have fellowship with the people of Enoch and be taught
the word and the ways of God. They will be filled with the knowledge of God and
be of a humble and a contrite spirit. Enoch's city is called Zion. The New
Jerusalem will also be called Zion. (D&C 45:67)
Vs. 7- Christ is the "most upright."
Vs. 8-9- A reminder of what the desire of our souls
should be.
Vs. 10-11- The wicked continue to choose
wickedness. Note the footnote for vs. 11.
Vs. 12- Note footnote and D&C 59:21
Vs. 13-14 A nice reminder for us to leave behind,
the False Gods We Worship. (SWK-Ensign-1976)
Vs. 15- See Isaiah 54:1-3 (enlarge thy tent)
Vs. 16- "In the day of their peace they have
esteemed lightly my counsel; but in the day of their trouble, of necessity they
feel after me." (D&C 101:8)
Vs. 17-18- Our best efforts, without the Savior,
produce no child nor fruit.
Vs. 19- One of the best Old Testament statements on
the resurrection of the dead. The dew in Judah keeps crops alive during the dry
months. Dew=Savior
Vs. 20-21- Stay home of in the temple while the
wicked are destroyed.
CHAPTER 27 - "This entire chapter deals directly with us
as members of the Church; it shows the great love & care that the Lord has
for us & outlines the many blessings that can be ours. With his great
sword, the Lord punishes Satan (vs. 1); He provides us (the vineyard) with
water every moment (vs. 3); He watches over us (the vineyard) night and day
(vs. 3); He protects us from our enemies (briers & thorns) (vs. 4); He
provides us with peace (vs. 5); Because of him, we will fill the face of the
world with fruit (vs. 6) and He will thresh the nations and gather us from the
world one by one (vs. 12). The words in this chapter imply a covenantal
relationship. In return for the many blessings bestowed on us by the Lord, we
will share the gospel in all the world (vs. 6 & 12) and worship him at his
holy temple (vs. 13)" (Parry p. 239).
Zenos' allegory in Jacob 5 contains similar imagery
and may be studied profitably in connection with this chapter (OTSM p. 162)
A chiastic chapter (see Ludlow p. 257)
a-v. 1 vs.
13
b.v. 2 vs.
12
c.v. 3 vs.
11
d.v. 4 vs.
10-11
e.v. 5 vs.
9
f.v. 6 vs.
9
g.v.7-8
Vs. 1- Leviathan, the piercing serpent
or dragon, is Satan and his dominions. What Isaiah saw is the necessary
destruction of Babylon, or the world, before Zion can be fully established.
