It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. [Hebrews 9:23,24]
Evidence from Isaiah
Mysterious patterns in the Bible are a form of observable evidence that suggest the Bible is uniquely inspired by God. In the last chapter, we looked at the universe from the perspective that it might be God's handiwork. In this chapter, we are going to explore the possibility that the Bible itself might be part of God's plan.
The first clues that Scripture might be inspired by God appear when one recognizes that mysteries appear in Scripture like designs in a hologram. In fact, they seem to crowd every scale from the very small to the most colossal. Of course, skeptics think such a conclusion is overstated, but this chapter will demonstrate that it may not be.
Two well-known forms of mysterious patterns in the Bible are prophecy and symbolism. Both prophecy and symbolism provide strong evidence that the Bible is inspired, but they are beyond the scope of this chapter. Instead, this chapter is going to delve into another, lesser known pattern in the Bible that emerges from the outline of the Bible's 23rd book - Isaiah.
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Amazing Evidence: Grounds for Belief
A Familiar Outline
Most types of Bible codes are difficult to study if you don't speak Hebrew or Greek. However, I have spent time investigating a pattern in English that I first noticed in the late 1970s. It is a pattern that revolves around the entire book of Isaiah.
Incredibly, Isaiah resembles a snapshot of the entire Bible. This is true, even though the books of the Bible were not assembled into a single manuscript until more than a century after the last word was penned. The simple pattern presented here can be examined by anyone. It suggests that God executed a plan across many centuries. Most of the parallels are not obvious until they are pointed out, but a few are quite apparent. For example, many commentaries point out some surface similarities between the two:
The Bible has 66 books, Isaiah has 66 chapters
The division between the Old and New Testaments occurs between the 39th and 40th books and Isaiah has a primary division occurring between the 39th and 40th chapters
The writing styles of the respective divisions resemble each other
One commentary states that crossing from Isaiah's 39th to 40th chapter is like stepping "out of the darkness of judgment into the light of salvation" (Hindson, 1984). The same can be said when crossing from the Old Testament to the New.
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Amazing Evidence: Grounds for Belief
This fragment of the book of Isaiah from the Dead Sea Scrolls is believed to have been copied by scribes around the time of Christ. (Wikipedia Commons).
Few, however, are aware of other similarities that lie just beneath the surface. For example, the first chapter of Isaiah resembles the first book in the Bible, even though the topics are totally different. Genesis opens with the story of Creation, and then tells the history of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At the same time, Isaiah Chapter One is a condemnation of hypocrisy. And yet, here are topics that the first book in the Bible has in common with the first chapter in Isaiah:
God speaks to Creation. Compare Isaiah 1:2 with Genesis chapter 1
Man's dominion over animals. Compare Isaiah 1:3 with Genesis 1:26-28.
God nourishes and raises up children. Compare Isaiah 1:2
with Genesis 1:27-29.
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Amazing Evidence: Grounds for Belief
Mankind's rebellion. Compare Isaiah 1:4 with Genesis 5:6
and 7.
Sodom and Gomorrah. Compare Isaiah 1:9,10 with Genesis 13-19.
Sodom and Gomorrah's leaders. Compare Isaiah 1:10 with Genesis 14:2.
An unacceptable offering. Compare Isaiah 1:11-13 with Genesis 4:3-5.
God hides his face because of blood on man's hands.
Compare Isaiah 1:15 with Genesis 4:11-14.
A plentiful garden of food is the reward for obedience, those who disobey will die. Compare Isaiah 1:8, 19-20, 28-30 with Genesis 2:8 & 3:17-23.
Forbidden trees were desired. Compare Isaiah 1:29 with Genesis 3:6 & Is. 1:29.
Judgment by fire. Compare Isaiah 1:24-28 with Genesis 19:24-29.
Other parallels surface when comparing the last chapter with Revelation, the last book.
The heavens and earth as the main theme. Compare Isaiah 66:1,8,22 with Revelation 5:3,13; 6:13; 8:13; 9:1; 10:5-8; 11:6; 12:4; 12:12; 13:13; 14:6-7; 18:1; 20:9-11; 21:1.
God's dwelling place. Compare Isaiah 66:1 with Revelation 7:15 and 21:3.
God's work as creator. Compare Isaiah 66:2 and 22 with Revelation 4:11 and 10:6.
A promise that God will appear to humanity. Compare Isaiah 66:5 with Revelation 1:7.
God's judgment for those who practice abominations.
Compare Isaiah 66:17 with Isaiah 21:8.
A river of peace and healing for those who obey.
Compare Isaiah 66:10-12 with Revelation 7:17 & 22:1-2.
A picture of God comforting his people. Compare Isaiah 104
Amazing Evidence: Grounds for Belief 66:12-13 with Revelation 7:17 and 21:4.
The gathering of all nations together. Compare Isaiah 66:18 with Revelation 20:8 and 9.
The new heavens and the new earth. Compare Isaiah 66:22 with Revelation 21:1.
A picture of a fiery fate for those who rebel against God.
Compare Isaiah 66:15,16,24 with Revelation 14:9-11 & 20:15.
There are many more similarities that link Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, all four Gospels, Acts and Romans, with corresponding chapters from Isaiah. Of special interest, though are the four chapters that align with the Gospels. When Isaiah wrote chapters 40 to 43, he prophesied that a Messiah would come, but when Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote the four Gospels they told us of Jesus Christ, the Messiah who already came.
These four chapters are uniquely different from any other chapters in Isaiah. The first of these four chapters opens with an amazing prophecy:
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3).
The prophecy is amazing because it foretold that a messenger would precede a personal visit from God, a promise that was fulfilled by John the Baptist, who announced the arrival of Jesus Christ. Immediately following this prophetic verse are other prophetic verses fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Although there are many more, a few are listed here:
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Amazing Evidence: Grounds for Belief The skull-like face at Gordon's Calvary, as it appeared around the year 1900.
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Amazing Evidence: Grounds for Belief 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
40:9 O Zion, that brings good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that brings good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
40:11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
41:2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.
41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
41:14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will help you, says the LORD, and your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
41:27 The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that brings good tidings.
42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
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Amazing Evidence: Grounds for Belief 42:6 I the LORD have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and give you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 43:3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you.
43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
The fact that these four chapters synchronize perfectly with the four Gospels begs the conclusion that Jesus Christ was the messenger that would come, the promised Jewish Messiah, and God in the flesh.
Of the remaining books in the Bible, most have switched places in the past, but every major writing style in the Bible makes an appearance somewhere within Isaiah. For example, we see the romantic imagery of Solomon's Song in Isaiah 5, the glory and electricity of Ezekiel's vision in Isaiah 6, and the lyrical praise of the Psalms in Isaiah 12. But the mysterious outline of Isaiah isn't the only pattern in the Bible.
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