Those Who Dwelt in a Land of Deep Darkness, On Them Has Light Shone

ISAIAH’S PROPHECY of a coming, Messiah included for seeing where Jesus would declare war on the fallen realm. Chapter 9 of the book of Isaiah picks up where the prophet left off, condemning the people of Israel, for consulting the dead on behalf of the living. His prophecy that a light would shine on those dwelling in a land of deep darkness was cited by Matthew as fulfilled when Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum. We connect this to Psalm 23 in the valley of the shadow of death, which in our view is the Jordan River Valley between Mount Hermon and the Sea of Galilee. Isaiah 9 also includes the prophecy of a coming Savior who is called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). We discussed the interesting rendering of this verse in the Lexham English Septuagint, in which “Wonderful Counselor” is translated “Messenger of the Great Council.” The second half of this chapter is devoted to God's judgment on the northern Kingdom of Israel, which was fulfilled when the Assyrians overran and conquered Samaria in 722 BC.Here is a link to a PDF copy of the R. H. Charles translation of The Ascension of Isaiah (link opens PDF document).