The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek, and Aramaic. The Old Testament was translated into Greek in 250 B.C. It was called the Septuagint. In 1947 at Ain Fashkha about seven miles south of Jericho, one mile west of the Dead Sea, some Bedouins looking for a lost goat found a cave containing a number of clay jars with scrolls in them, they turned them over to Saint Mark’s Syrian Orthodox Convent in Jerusalem, who turned them over to the American Schools of Oriental research. Today they are located in a Museum in Israel. They are known today as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Probably the most amazing archaeological find in history so far. The Book of Isaiah was also found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was a 24 foot scroll written in Hebrew. It is the same as the Book of Isaiah super naturally identical as the King James Bible today, with out the thee’s and the thou’s of course. The Parchment that it was written on was scientifically dated to the second century B.C. It is a voice from the past, over 2000 years ago preserved by the Hand of God, and it proves the Bible has not been changed. Here are some of my favorite verses, great for memorizing, found in the Book of Isaiah. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. “( Isaiah 1:18). “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is is because there is no light in them.” ( Isaiah 8:20).” And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.” ( Isaiah 11:11-14). This specific prophecy was fulfilled in 1967 during the “Six Day War” between Israel and the Arabs when the Israeli jets flew over the Gaza Strip (“the Philistines toward the west”) and destroyed the Egyptian air force and their armies  in the desert. Remember this was written over 2000 years before the first airplane was built. Also The Jews came back from all over the world the second time and became a nation again in May 14,1948. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”( Isaiah 26:3).

Say this prayer to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. I believe you died on the cross for my sins ,and rose from the dead. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me peace. Amen.

Dead Sea Scrolls: What are They?
The Dead Sea Scrolls have been called the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times. They were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves along the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. This is an arid region 13 miles east of Jerusalem and 1,300 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea Scrolls are comprised of the remains of approximately 825 to 870 separate scrolls, represented by tens of thousands of fragments. The texts are most commonly made of animal skins, but also papyrus and one of copper. They are written with a carbon-based ink, from right to left, using no punctuation except for an occasional paragraph indentation.

Dead Sea Scrolls: Why are they Important?
The Dead Sea Scrolls can be divided into two categories—biblical and non-biblical. Fragments of every book of the Old Testament (Hebrew canon) have been discovered, except for the book of Esther. Now identified among the scrolls are 19 fragments of Isaiah, 25 fragments of Deuteronomy and 30 fragments of the Psalms. The virtually intact Isaiah Scroll, which contains some of the most dramatic Messianic prophecy, is 1,000 years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah.

In addition to the biblical manuscripts, there are commentaries on the Hebrew canon, paraphrases that expand on the Torah, community standards and regulations, rules of war, non-canonical psalms, hymnals and sermons. Most of the texts are written in Hebrew and Aramaic, with a few in Greek.

The Dead Sea Scrolls appear to be the library of a Jewish sect, considered most likely the Essenes. Near the caves are the ancient ruins of Qumran, a village excavated in the early 1950’s that shows connections to both the Essenes and the scrolls. The Essenes were strictly observant Jewish scribes, who appear Messianic and apocalyptic in thinking. The library appears to have been hidden away in caves around the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt (66-70 A.D.) as the Roman army advanced against the Jews.

Based on various dating methods, including carbon 14, paleographic and scribal, the Dead Sea Scrolls were written during the period from about 200 B.C. to 68 A.D. Many crucial biblical manuscripts (such as Psalm 22; Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 61) date to at least 100 B.C. As such, the Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionized textual criticism of the Old Testament. Phenomenally, we find the biblical texts in substantial agreement with the Masoretic text, as well as variant translations of the Old Testament used today.

Dead Sea Scrolls: Dramatic Evidence for the Reliability of Messianic Prophecy
The Dead Sea Scrolls comprise the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found, dating back to 100–200 B.C. This is dramatic, because we now have absolute evidence that Messianic prophecies contained in today’s Old Testament (both Jewish and Christian) are the same Messianic prophecies that existed prior to the time Jesus walked on this earth. It goes without saying, manuscript reliability and textual criticism have taken cosmic steps forward! Check it out – There is no question that Jesus Christ was the Messiah that the Jews (and all of mankind) were waiting for!

Dead Sea Scrolls – The Book of Isaiah
Over 200 fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed at the Shrine of the Book Museum in Jerusalem. Remarkably, the only fully intact scroll displayed at the Shrine of the Book is the “Great Isaiah Scroll” (1Qls-a), which contains the entire book of Isaiah that we read today — all 66 chapters! A number of scholars, from a number of religions and professional disciplines, have analyzed this major find.

The Great Isaiah Scroll was discovered in Cave 1 in 1947. It was identified as the Biblical Book of Isaiah in 1948, and purchased by the Syrian Orthodox Church at that time. Israel reacquired the Great Isaiah Scroll in 1954 to study it and preserve it as a national treasure. It has been displayed as the centerpiece exhibit at the Shrine of the Book museum since 1965. A second partial Isaiah scroll (1Qls-b) was also discovered in Cave 1 in 1947. Since that time, approximately 17 other fragments of Isaiah scripture have been discovered in other caves at Qumran.

As far as dating, it appears that pieces of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1Qls-a) have been carbon-14 dated at least four times, including a study at the University of Arizona in 1995 and a study at ETH-zurich in 1990-91. The four studies produced calibrated date ranges between 335-324 BC and 202-107 BC. There have also been numerous paleographic and scribal dating studies conducted that place 1Qls-a at a date range of approximately 150-100 BC. (See Price, Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1996; Eisenman & Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, 1994; Golb, Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?, 1995; Wise, Abegg & Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, 1999.)

Dead Sea Scrolls – Isaiah 53
The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided phenomenal evidence for the credibility of biblical scripture. Specifically, the nearly intact Great Isaiah Scroll is almost identical to the most recent manuscript version of the Masoretic text from the 900’s AD. (Scholars have discovered a handful of spelling and tense-oriented scribal errors, but nothing of significance.) In light of Isaiah’s rich Messianic prophecy, we thought it would be rewarding to reproduce a portion of the English translation of the actual Hebrew text found in the Great Isaiah Scroll. Specifically, the following corresponds to Isaiah 53 in today’s Old Testament. Remember, this text was dated 100 to 335 years before the birth of Jesus Christ!

Translation of the actual Great Isaiah Scroll (Isaiah 53), beginning with line 5 of Column 44:

5. Who has believed our report and the arm of YHWH to whom has it been revealed And he shall come up like a suckling before him
6. and as a root from dry ground there is no form to him and no beauty [+to him+] and in his being seen and there is no appearance
7. that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and knowing grief
8. and as though hiding faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he
9. is bearing and our sorrows he carried them and we esteemed him beaten and struck by God
10. and afflicted. and he is wounded for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities, the correction
11. of our peace was upon him and by his wounds he has healed us. All of us like sheep have wandered each man to his own way
12. we have turned and YHWH has caused to light on him the iniquity of all of us He was oppressed and he was afflicted and he did not
13. open his mouth, as a lamb to the slaughter he is brought and as a ewe before her shearers is made dumb he did not open
14. his mouth. From prison and from judgment he was taken and his generation who shall discuss it because he was cut off from the land of
15. the living. Because from the transgressions of his people a wound was to him
16. And they gave wicked ones to be his grave and [a scribbled word probably accusative sign “eth”] rich ones in his death
17. although he worked no violence neither deceit in his mouth And YHWH was pleased to crush him and He has caused him grief.
18. If you will appoint his soul a sin offering he will see his seed and he will lengthen his days and the pleasure of YHWH
19. in his hand will advance. Of the toil of his soul he shall see {+light+} and he shall be satisfied and by his knowledge shall he make righteous
20. even my righteous servant for many and their iniquities he will bear. Therefore I will apportion to him among the great ones
21. and with the mighty ones he shall divide the spoil because he laid bare to death his soul and with the transgressors
22. he was numbered, and he, the sins of many, he bore, and for their transgressions he entreated.

Dead Sea Scrolls – The Comparison to Today’s Biblical Text
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a powerful tool for answering textual critics of biblical scripture. Even though the first scrolls were discovered in 1947, it was only recently that much of the research and many of the translations were released to the public. Here’s Isaiah 53 from the King James Version of the Bible, which was translated from the Masoretic text of the Hebrew scripture. Compare it to the portion of the Great Isaiah Scroll reproduced on the prior page – it’s dramatic!

Isaiah 53 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible:

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Dead Sea Scrolls – A Remarkable Time in History
The Dead Sea Scrolls sat untouched in a perfect, arid environment for approximately 2,000 years. In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd stumbles upon arguably the most important archaeological find in history, and then, one year later, the Jewish people return to their homeland as a formal nation for the first time since 70 AD. As prophetic events in the Middle East appear to be accelerating, it’s remarkable to read prior Messianic prophecy with absolute assurance like no other time in history. We now have utmost confidence that the Old Testament (Jewish Tanakh) that we read today is the same as existed in 100 to 200 BC. This means that the over 300 Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah preexisted the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s up to each of us to determine what to do with this reality!

– See more at: http://www.allaboutarchaeology.org/dead-sea-scrolls-3.htm#sthash.uLrOAWHF.dpuf

Say this prayer to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. I believe you died on the cross for my sins ,and rose from the dead. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me peace. Amen.

“He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.” ( Isaiah 27:6).Since Israel became a nation for the second time on May 14, 1948, Israel has come from a barren desert to become one of the largest exporters of fruit in the world ! “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.“ ( Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel means God with us. This amazing prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ our Saviour, born of the virgin Mary, begotten by God Almighty himself. ” Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” ( Matthew 1:23). “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”( Isaiah 44:8).”That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.”( Isaiah 44:28).“THUS SAITH the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;” ( Isaiah 45:1). This prophecy was written by Isaiah the prophet who was sawed in half by his enemies. Isaiah prophesied from 745-695 B.C., Isaiah died 150 years before the days of King Cyrus of the Persian Empire. Cyrus reigned from 538-529 B.C. The leaved gates are referring to the Babylon Empire, which he conquered with the Medes. Isaiah spoke of Cyrus before he was even born, even naming him by his name, Cyrus. King Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem, and issued a decree authorizing and allowing the rebuilding of the Temple. The commandment to restore and build Jerusalem was later given by King Artaxerxes of Persia in 457 B.C. Fulfilling the beginning of the great prophecy of Daniel Chapter 9.( see our class on Daniel Chapter 9 for an in depth study of this amazing and important prophecy concerning Jesus.) “Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia,that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”( II Chronicles 36:22,23a). This proclamation from Cyrus was concerning the second Temple after the first one was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon in 586 B.C. The Jewish Temple has always been an important part of Bible Prophecy, especially in the end times. The second Temple which was finished during the time of King Herod of Jerusalem, was destroyed in 70 A.D. By the Romans, lead by General Titus of the Roman Empire. The third and final Temple is soon to be rebuilt, and the devil possessed anti-Christ will rule from there, proclaiming himself God. The Jews want to rebuild the Temple, where the Mosque of Omar now stands. Called the Dome of the Rock, which is built over the rock said to be the place where Abraham was going to offer Isaac upon, and where the Muslims believe that Mohammad ascended to heaven upon a horse. However recently some new information has been revealed which is being debated, that the Temple destroyed by the Romans was actually just South of the Dome of the Rock, in The City of David, near The Gihon Springs, and that where the Dome of The Rock now stands was part of The Fort Antonio that housed Roman soldiers. This means that the Temple could be rebuilt at any time with out removing the Dome of the Rock. The Orthodox Jews are strongly against this debate, we will see what happens. This area has been in the news a lot lately. Every serious, would be, Bible Scholar, and teacher needs to get all this information and dates down pat in their understanding to correctly instruct others. “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many:” (Daniel 11:33 a). “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.“ (Isaiah 45:11). This is the kind of faith that pleases God.

Say this prayer to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. I believe you died on the cross for my sins ,and rose from the dead. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me peace. Amen.

Jesus said “But of that day and hour knoweth no man,no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”( Matthew 24: 36 ), but he did give us certain signs like earthquakes which are certainly on the rise. It’s like the earth itself is giving out a warning with all these earthquakes happening all over.(Matthew 24: 3-7).When we see that the covenant is confirmed by the anti christ, which will have something to do with allowing the Jews to rebuild their Temple and begin their daily sacrifices, and probably some type of major world peace agreement. Then we know that there are only 7 years left (Daniel 9:27), and when we see the abomination of desolation standing in the rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem, then we know that there are only 3 and one half years left, or 42 months, or 1,260 days until Jesus comes and raptures his saved.(Matthew 24:15, see our classes on Daniel & Revelation, and Matthew 24). It seems like Israel is in the news every day. God is certainly working out these events to fulfill his end time prophecy’s.“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”( ll Thessalonians 2:3,4.) This verse is referring to the anti- christ. Beloved it is an exciting time to be alive, and see all these things unfolding and coming to pass. Let us live every day to the fullest for Jesus. After all what is your life? It is but a vapor in eternity. (James 4:14). We don’t know how much time each of us has here. So do what you can where you are for Jesus with what you have. Jesus said.“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.”(Luke 9:23,24 ). I’ll see you here or there or in the air. Before I go give me one more soul, or better still a lot more souls!

Say this prayer if you want to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me peace. Amen.

http://youtu.be/AaFbRyXHuBk

Jesus said “No man knows the day or hour of his coming. No not the angels of Heaven but my Father only. “( Matthew 24: 36 ), but he did give us certain signs like earthquakes which are certainly on the rise. It’s like the earth itself is giving out a warning with all these earthquakes happening all over.(Matthew 24: 3-7).When we see that the covenant is confirmed by the anti christ, then we know that there are only 7 years left ( Daniel 9:27), and when we see the abomination of desolation standing in the rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem, then we know that there are only 3 and one half years left, or 42 months, or 1,260 days until Jesus comes and raptures his saved.(Matthew 24:15, see our classes on Daniel & Revelation, and Matthew 24). It seems like Israel is in the news every day. God is certainly working out these events to fulfill his end time prophecy’s. Beloved it is an exciting time to be alive, and see all these things unfolding and coming to pass. Let us live every day to the fullest for Jesus. After all what is your life? It is but a vapor in eternity. (James 4: 14). We don’t know how much time each of us has here. So do what you can where you are for Jesus with what you have. Jesus said.”If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.(Luke 9:23,24 ). I’ll see you here or there or in the air.

Say this prayer if you want to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me peace. Amen.