This is to address yet another false Mormon claim repeated on this sub-forum of two authors of the Book of Isaiah or the thoroughly debunked Deutero-Isaiah theory. Christians, please bookmark this for future reference when Mormons attempt to bring this up again at some time during future discussions. One of the main narratives in question centers around Isaiah 43:10.
Quote:
Isaiah 43:8-13
King James Version (KJV)
8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.
12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.
13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
Or as in another version:
Isaiah 43:8-13
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Israel Is God’s Witness
8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
And the deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them (the idolaters) can [a]predict this [that Judah would return from captivity]
And proclaim to us the former events?
Let them provide their witnesses so that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say [in acknowledgement], “It is the truth.”
10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 “I, [only] I, am the Lord,
And there is no Savior besides Me.
12 “I have declared [the future] and saved [the nation] and proclaimed [that I am God],
And there was no strange (alien) god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses [among the pagans],” declares the Lord,
“That I am God.
13 “Even from eternity I am He,
And there is no one who can rescue from My hand;
I act, and who can revoke or reverse it?”
Or in another version:
Isaiah 43:10-13
The Message (MSG)
8-13 Get the blind and deaf out here and ready—
the blind (though there’s nothing wrong with their eyes)
and the deaf (though there’s nothing wrong with their ears).
Then get the other nations out here and ready.
Let’s see what they have to say about this,
how they account for what’s happened.
Let them present their expert witnesses
and make their case;
let them try to convince us what they say is true.
“But you are my witnesses.” God’s Decree.
“You’re my handpicked servant
So that you’ll come to know and trust me,
understand both that I am and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
I’m the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you’re my witnesses,
you’re the evidence.” God’s Decree.
“Yes, I am God.
I’ve always been God
and I always will be God.
No one can take anything from me.
I make; who can unmake it?”
However, when one examines the BoM, one finds that Joseph Smith Jr. also added various chapters from Isaiah, including some from beyond Isaiah 40 in an effort to give the BoM a modicum of religious gravitas.
Quote:
I Nephi 20: see Isaiah 48
I Nephi 21: see Isaiah 49
II Nephi 7: see Isaiah 50
II Nephi 8: see Isaiah Isaiah 51 and 52:1–2
II Nephi 12: see Isaiah 2
II Nephi 13: see Isaiah 3
II Nephi 14: see Isaiah 4
II Nephi 15: see Isaiah 5
II Nephi 16: see Isaiah 6
II Nephi 17: see Isaiah 7
II Nephi 18: see Isaiah 8
II Nephi 19: see Isaiah 9
II Nephi 20: see Isaiah 10
II Nephi 21: see Isaiah 11
II Nephi 22: see Isaiah 12
II Nephi 23: see Isaiah 13
II Nephi 24: see Isaiah 14
II Nephi 27: see Isaiah 29
Mosiah 14: see Isaiah 53
III Nephi 22: see Isaiah 54
So, it is obvious that Joseph Smith Jr. was not acquainted with Deutero-Isaiah theory either, because he plagiarized chapters from both the alleged Isaiah I and Isaiah II sections.
The final nail in this Mormon conjecture is presented from the PDF supplemental notes to the Gospel of John; compiled by Chuck Missler, Koinonia House Inc., 2012, Pp 157-161.
Quote:
Two Isaiahs?
This perspective arose, most notably in the deistic climate of 18th cen*tury Europe. J. C. Doederlein, one of the earliest to argue for a second author, said explicitly that “since Isaiah could not have foreseen the fall of Jerusalem, the 70 year captivity, the return or Cyrus, Isaiah could not have written those chapters making such claims.” (Isa 40-66). Since this time, others have advanced arguments in support of dual or even multiple authorship.
The Stumbling of Pseudo-Scholarship
Two ISAIAHS? (Some say three…) Tradition tells us Isaiah was “sawn asunder.” The same thing has happened to his book! How was Isaiah’s prophecy treated? We are indebted to the Apostle John for short-cutting hours of library research!
37] But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38] That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
A quote from Isaiah 53.
39] Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again,
40] He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41] These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
A quote from Isaiah 6.
A single verse verifies “...that Isaiah said again...” John 12:39 is one of my most favorite verses! Why? You can’t imagine the comfort this gave my doubting heart! From our Lord Himself…
Sixty-one separated passages are quoted or referred to 85 times in NT:
- 23 passages from “Isaiah I”; (32 times)
- 28 passages from “Isaiah II”; (53 times)
“Isaiah I”?
• The reign of Christ in the kingdom Isa 2:3-5
• The virgin birth of Christ Isa 7:14
• The reign of Christ Isa 9:2, 7
• Jesus’ rule over the world Isa 9:4
• Christ as a descendant of David Isa 11:1, 10
• Christ to be filled with the Spirit Isa 11:2; 42:1
• Christ to judge with righteousness Isa 11:3-5; 42:1, 4
• Christ to rule over the nations Isa 11:10
“Isaiah II”?
• Christ to be gentle to the weak Isa 42:3
• Christ to make possible the New Covenant Isa 42:6; 49:8
• Christ to be a light to the Gentiles
and to be worshiped by them Isa 42:6; 49:6-7; 52:15
• Christ to be rejected by Israel Isa 49:7; 53:1-3
• Christ to be obedient to God & subject
to suffering Isa 50:6; 53:7-8
• Christ to be exalted Isa 52:13; 53:12
• Christ to restore Israel and judge the wicked Isa 61:1-3
Manuscript Evidence
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a complete scroll of Isaiah dated from the second century b.c. The book is one unit with the end of chapter 39 and the beginning of chapter 40 in one continuous column of text. This demonstrates that the scribes who copied this scroll never doubted the singular unity of the book. Neither did the New Testament authors, nor the early church, as quotations from both sections are attributed only to Isaiah.
Messianic prophecy is strong and important evidence for Jesus’ claims to be God. Isaiah’s writings were completed many centuries before Jesus Christ was born and yet are completely accurate. The Dead Sea Scrolls contained more than one complete scroll of this book composed well before the birth of Christ. The book of Isaiah was included in the Septuagint LXX, the earliest version of the Old Testament scriptures, translated at least 300 years earlier.
Jesus’ Quotes
But by far the strongest evidence that proves the unity of the book of Isaiah is that Jesus Himself quoted from both the beginning and the end of the book, attributing all of it to Isaiah.
1. Jesus quoting from Isaiah 29:13 in Mark 7:6-7:
“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men’”
2. Jesus also referenced Isaiah 42:1-4 in Matthew 12:17:
“This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.”
3. Isaiah is also referenced in Matthew 8:16-17 by quoting Isaiah 53:4:
“This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.’”
• Also, several other New Testament verses refer to the prophet Isaiah
• Also, several other New Testament verses refer to the prophet Isaiah
as being the sole author:
– Matthew 3:3 and Luke 3:4 Isaiah 40:3
– Romans 10:16, 20 Isaiah 53:1; 65:1
– John 12:38-41 Isaiah 53:1; 6:10
• Isaiah is mentioned 21 times by 6 books in the NT as the author:
• 10 times for “Isaiah I”: Isaiah
1) Matt 4:14 9:1,2
2) Matt 13:14 6:9
3) Matt 15:7 29:13
4) Mark 7:6 29:13
5) John 12:39 6:9
6) John 12:41 6:9
7) Acts 28:25 6:9
8) Rom 9:27 10:22,23
9) Rom 9:29 1:9
10) Rom 15:12 11:10
• 11 times for “Isaiah II”: Isaiah:
1) Matt 3:3 40:3
2) Matt 8:17 53:4
3) Mart 12:17 42:1-3
4) Luke 3:4 40:3-5
5) Luke 4:17 61:1,2
6) John 1:23 40:3
7) John 12:38 53:1
8) Acts 8:28 53:7,8
9) Acts 8:30 53:7,8
10) Rom 10:16 53:1
11) Rom 10:20 65:1,2
• Six different speakers quote Isaiah (“1 & 2”):
- Christ 4x: (3, 1)
- Matthew 2x: (1, 1)
- Luke 4x: (0, 4)
- John 3x: (2, 1)
- John the Baptist 2x: (0, 2)
- Paul 6x: (4, 2)
• 300 words and expressions are common to “Isaiah I” & “Isaiah II,”
and not found in Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Isaiah, the “royal prophet” had a vocabulary substantially larger than all the others (comparable to John Milton and William Shakespeare in English literature).
A Key Lesson
• Learn to be a critical thinker!
• Be skeptical of unsupported academic traditions
• Don’t mistake sophistication for true scholarship
• Make Acts 17:11 your “litmus test”
1) “Receive the Word with all readiness of mind and
2) Search the Scriptures daily to prove whether those things are so.”
• Make your refuge the “whole counsel of God”
Another Key Lesson
1) They would not believe (v. 37) though they had seen the evidence for His divine Sonship.
2) They could not believe (v. 39) because their hearts became hard and their eyes blind.
3) Therefore, God said, “They should not believe” (v. 39) because they had spurned His grace!
Isaiah 53:1 had foretold their unbelief, and Isaiah 6:10 their hardness of heart. Note that John 12:40, which quotes Isaiah 6:10, states that God blinds the eyes and hardens the hearts of those who persist in rejecting Christ! Cf. 2 Thess 2:11,12.
• Isaiah 6:10 quoted 7X in the NT (Mt 13:14; Mk 4:12; Lk 8:10; Jn 12:40; Acts 28:26; Rom 11:8).
• It is a repeated warning that reminds the unsaved not to take their spiritual opportunities lightly.
– “While you have light, believe in the light!” (v. 36)
“Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isa 55:6)
This should be the final nail in the coffin of the Deutero-Isaiah theory used by Mormons on this sub-forum.