I well remember my reaction several years ago to a liberal scholar’s view that perhaps 11 people wrote the book of Isaiah.

Yes, I’m aware that what you just read seems bizarre. That’s the point.

We live in a time in which the Bible’s book of Isaiah, clearly written by an ancient Hebrew prophet named Isaiah, is called into question. The “11 Isaiahs” lunacy is the product of, among other things, the so-called Documentary Hypothesis, in which liberal scholars allege that the Bible was compiled by an unknown (but large) number of unknown editors, or redactors.

Why do they allege this?

The short answer is this: if biblical prophecy is in fact history written after the events took place, then it is no longer prophecy and the product of a supernatural being. It is merely history. And this has been taught, and is being taught, to Christians.

The answer is key to understanding where we are today as a people.

The official reason is that these scholars are certain that biblical accounts were in fact oral tradition for a very long time, before being set to writing. The traditional view has always been that Moses was the compiler/writer/editor of the first five books of the Bible. In fact, the Lord told him to write certain things down.

This won’t do for liberal scholars, many of whom question whether Moses was a real figure at all!

However, I maintain that the real reason these scholars allege such things is because they loathe the God of the Bible, who tasked His men and the prophets with setting down history and prophecy through written communication, thus ensuring that men and women and children in all times and places could read it for themselves.

But again, this won’t do for liberal scholars who have never liked the God of the Bible. They’d prefer to re-shape Him into a figure they can control.

You see, the idea that God knows the beginning from the end and predicts events is a great comfort to believers, but hateful to liberal scholars and other pagans. A God who is in complete charge doesn’t sit well with unbelievers.

Prophecy teaching today is under attack as never before, from Emergents like Brian McLaren, to liberal pastors like Tony Campolo. Here’s my own prediction:

It will get worse. There is a popular rise today among evangelicals in which anything that smacks of pro Israel or pro Bible prophecy is openly scorned. I discuss much of this in my 2009 book, It’s the End of the World As We Know It, and at Prophecy Matters, we make it our mission to educate the laity about the majestic nature of God revealed in predictive prophecy.

The coming of the Savior is our great hope, and has been the great hope not only since the first century church, but since ancient times (Job 19:25). We who endure to the end will be saved. In the meantime, we can take great comfort in knowing that the Lord used men like Isaiah to allow us to know generally how the future unfolds.

He is a most merciful God, and now is the time for men and women who love Him to stand for Him and His word.

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