Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind - An Ancient Prophet With a Modern Message

An Ancient Prophet With a Modern Message

Who today does not yearn for relief from the problems that face mankind?  Yet, how often our longings go unfulfilled!  We dream of peace, but we are plagued by war. We cherish law, and order, but we cannot stem the rising tide of robbery, rape, and murder.  We want to trust our neighbor, but we have to lock our doors for protection.  We love our children and try to instill wholesome values in them, but all too often we watch helplessly as they succumb to the unwholesome influence of their peers.

We might well agree with Job, who stated that man's short life is "glutted with agitation."  (Job 14:1)  This seems especially so today, for society is deteriorating on a scaled  never before seen.  One U.S. senator observed:  "The Cold War is now over, but in a tragic sense, the world has now been made safer for ethnic, tribal and religious vengeance and savagery. . ..We have watered down our moral standards to the point where many of our youths are confused, discouraged and in deep trouble. We are reaping the harvest of parental neglect, divorce, child abuse, teen pregnancy, school dropouts, illegal drugs, and streets full of violence. It's as if our house, having survived the great earthquake we call the Cold War, is now being eaten away by termites."

However, we are not left without hope.  Some 2,700 years ago, God inspired  a man in the Middle East to utter a series of prophecies that have special meaning for our day.  These messages are recorded in the Bible book bearing that prophet's name -Isaiah.  Who was Isaiah, and why can we say that his prophecy, recorded almost three millenniums ago, provides light for all mankind today? 

Next time: A Righteous Man in Turbulent Times

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind