Isaiah
Author: Isaiah
Date of Writing: 8th century BC
Type of Book: Prophetic
Theme: The Messiah
The book of Isaiah begins the section of the Old Testament called the prophetic books. Isaiah through Malachi make up the prophetic books and they are further divided into the major prophets (Isaiah through Daniel) and the minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi). The "major" and "minor" designations are not because of greater or lesser importance of the books, but because of their lengths.
Isaiah, the son of Amoz, wrote this book. According to rabbinic tradition, Amoz was Amaziah the king of Judah, the father of King Uzziah. This would make Isaiah a member of the royal family. Some Bible scholars have criticized the notion that Isaiah wrote this book, and have divided the book into two or three smaller books, suggesting that each division was written by a different author. There are many reasons to reject this theory, not the least of which is the fact that Jesus Himself, in addition to the authors of the New Testament, quoted from all three of these so-called parts of Isaiah, stating that Isaiah wrote it (see Matt. 13:14, 15:7-9, Luke 4:17-21).
Isaiah prophesied and wrote from the southern kingdom of Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This was during the time that the northern kingdom had been taken captive by the Assyrians, and before the southern kingdom was taken captive by the Babylonians. Isaiah warned of the destruction and devastation to come because of israel's rejection of God, but he also foretold of the restoration that would follow.
Isaiah is mostly known for his amazing prophecies concerning both the first and second comings of the Messiah. He wrote such detailed information concerning Jesus Christ that many have called this book "the fifth gospel". He prophesied of the virgin birth of Jesus (His first coming), including Jesus' life, suffering, death, resurrection; and second coming. In many ways Isaiah presents a clearer picture of what Jesus accomplished on the cross than all the four Gospels put together.
Another interesting feature of this book seems to depict the completeion of the canon of Scripture. The Bible contains sixty-six books, while the book of Isaiah contains sixty-six chapters. The first major section of Isaiah consisting of various judgments and historical information is contained in the first thirty-nine chapters. The Old Testament has thirty-nine books. The second major section in Isaiah, which is about God's provision of salvation, is the last twenty-seven chapters. This section corresponds with the twenty-seven books of the New Testament - and, like the New Testament, it's all about Jesus.
-from Pastor Chuck Smith: The Word for Today Bible