Isaiah Acts
Isaiah 44:1-22 and the book of Acts.
FE 1Now listen to me, Jacob, my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2Thus says the Master who made you and formed you from the womb and helped you, Do not fear, Jacob, my servant, and you, Israel, whom I have chosen.
3For I will give water in a parched ground and streams on the dry land; I will pour my spirit on your seed and my blessings on your offspring;
4and they will spring up as among the grass, as willows by the running streams.
5One will say, I am the Master's, and another will call himself by the name of, Jacob, and another will subscribe with his hand, To the Master, and surname himself by the name of, Israel.
Isaiah 44:1-56Thus says the Master the king of Israel and his savior, the Master of hosts is his name, I am the 1st and I am the last; and besides me there is no god.
7Who is like me? Let him announce it and set it in order and declare it, since I placed the people on the land forever. Let them show the wonders that are coming.
8Do not fear, nor be alarmed; have I not announced to you from former time, and have declared it; you are my witnesses; there is no god besides me, nor any rock I know.
Isaiah 44:6-89The makers of images, all of them are vanity, and there is no profit in the works which they desire to make; they are witnesses, for they do not see, nor hear, nor know.
10Therefore let them be ashamed, those who make gods or graven and molten images that are profitable for nothing.
11All their craftsmen are mute children of men; let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; they will be ashamed and confounded as 1.
Isaiah 44:9-1112The craftsman sharpens an iron instrument, he shapes the image with a plane and fashions it with a chisel and works it with the strength of his arm; yes, he becomes hungry and also thirsty, he drinks no water and is faint.
13The craftsman of tree stretches out his rule; he marks it out with a line; he fashions it with planes and makes it into the likeness of a man, according to the beauty of the children of men he sets it up in the house;
14then he makes it to stand in the house, a piece of a tree which was cut down out of the forest, something which the rain has nourished,
15a thing for a man to use as fuel; they take some of it and heat the oven and bake bread; yes, they also make a god of it and bow to it; yes, they make it a graven image and bow to it.
16Half of it they burn in the fire; and on its coals they roast meat, and they eat and are satisfied; they also warm themselves and say, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire;
17and of the rest they make a god, even a graven image; and they worship it and pray to it and say, Deliver us for you are our god.
18They have not known nor understood; for the vision of their eyes is shut that they cannot see, and the understanding of their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
19They did not consider in their heart, nor did they know, nor did they reason saying, Half of it we burned in the fire; yes, we have also baked bread on its coals; we have roasted meat and eaten it; and from the rest of it we have made for ourselves an idol of tree and bowed to it.
20Their imagination is dull; they are surely gone astray, and cannot deliver themselves, nor say, Our right hand has worked falsehood.
Isaiah 44:12-2021Remember these things, Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant; I have formed you; you are my servant; Israel, from now on do not forget me.
22I have blotted out your iniquities as a thick mist, and your sins as a cloud; return to me, for I have saved you. Isaiah 44:21-22 (Isaiah 44:1-22 BRB)
Isaiah says Yahvah will pour out his spirit. This matches the baptisms in Ephesus.
1It came to pass while Apollos was at Corinth Paul traveled through the northern countries and came to Ephesus. He inquired of the disciples whom he found there.
FA 2Have you received the spirit of the holy since you believed? Acts 19:1-2They answered saying to him, We have not even heard if there is a spirit of the holy.
Acts 19:23He said to them, By what baptism FA , then, were you baptized? Acts 19:3aThey said, By the baptism of John.
Acts 19:3b4Paul said, John assuredly baptized the people with the baptism of repentance, saying to them that they should believe on him who should come after him, that is Joshua FA the anointed.
5When they heard these things they were baptized in the name of FA our master Joshua FA the anointed.
6Paul laid his hands on them and the spirit of the holy came on them and they spoke in a different tongue and prophesied.
7There were 12 persons in all.
Acts 19:4-78Paul entered into the synagogue and spoke openly for a period of 3 months persuading the people concerning the kingdom of god.
9Some of them were stubborn and they disputed and cursed the way of god in the presence of the assembly. Then Paul withdrew and separated the disciples from them. He spoke with them every day in the school of a man named Tyrannus.
10This continued for 2 years until all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Master, FA Jews and Arameans. Acts 19:8-10 (Acts 19:1-10 BRB)
Isaiah says there is no god besides Yahvah. This matches the miracles performed through Paul and the spirit that only answers to Jesus.
11God did great miracles by the hands of Paul.
12Thus also when from the clothes on his body pieces of garments were brought and laid on the sick, diseases left them and even the insane were restored.
Acts 19:11-12FA 13Certain men of the Jews who went about exorcising evil spirits invoked the name of our master Joshua over those who were possessed saying, We adjure you in the name of Joshua, whom Paul preaches.
14There were 7 children of 1 man, a Jew and the high priest, whose name was Sceva, who did this.
15The insane man answered, saying to them, Joshua I recognize and Paul I know, but who are you?
16The insane man jumped on them and overpowered them and prevailed against them, so they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Acts 19:13-1617This became known to all FA the Jews and Arameans who lived at Ephesus and fear fell on them all and the name of FA our master Joshua FA the anointed was magnified.
18Many of those who believed came and told their faults and confessed what they had done.
19Many magicians also gathered together their writings and brought them and burned them before the presence of the people. They counted the price of them and it amounted to 50,000 pieces of silver.
20Thus mightily grew the belief of god and greatly increased. Acts 19:17-20 (Acts 19:11-20 BRB)
Isaiah talks at length about the craftsmen who make idols. This matches Demetrius and the Craftsman's Convention.
23At that time there was a great uprising against those who followed in the way of god.
24There was a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines for Artemis, thus enriching the children of his trade with great profit.
25He called together all the children of his trade and those who worked with them and said to them, Men you know that all of our earnings are derived from this craft.
26You also hear and see that not only the Ephesians, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people simply by saying that, Gods made by the hands of men are not gods,
27so that not only is this craft doomed, but the temple of the great goddess Artemis will also be disregarded. The goddess of all Asia, even she whom all peoples bow, will be despised.
Acts 19:23-2728When they heard these things they were filled with wrath and cried out saying, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.
29The whole city was in tumult and they rushed together to the theater and there seized and carried along with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, sons to companions of Paul.
30Paul wanted to go into the theater, but the disciples stopped him.
31Likewise some of the chiefs of Asia, because they were his friends, sent to him begging him not to risk his life by entering the theater.
Acts 19:28-3132The multitude in the theater was greatly confused, and some cried 1 thing and some another, for many of them did not know why they had assembled together,
33but the people of the Jews who were there appointed a Jew named Alexander. When he rose up he gestured with his hand and would have addressed the people,
34and when they knew he was a Jew all of them cried out with 1 voice for about 2 hours, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.
Acts 19:32-3435The mayor of the city finally quieted them saying, Men of Ephesus who among men does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the seat of great Artemis and her image that fell from the skies?
36Therefore since no man can contradict this you should keep quiet and do nothing hastily.
37For you have brought these men here who have neither robbed temples nor have they reviled our goddess.
38If Demetrius and the children of his trade have a case against any man there is a proconsul in the city. Let them come forward and settle with one another in the court.
39If you want something else it must be determined in a lawful assembly.
40For even now we are in danger of being acccused as seditious. For we cannot give an answer concerning this day's meeting, because we have assembled for no reason and have been tumultuous without a cause.
41When he had said these things he dismissed the assembly. Acts 19:35-41 (Acts 19:23-41 BRB)