ISAAC NEWTON THE CREATIONIST -
"This most beautiful system [The Universe] could only
proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being."
- Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton, the brilliant mathematician who redefined
physics for the world in the 17th century, was also a bit of a
theologian. While he's most famous for his ideas about gravity
and the laws of motion, Newton also wrote commentaries on Daniel
and Revelation. The man who invented Calculus also argued that
the Jews would return to the Holy Land before the end of the
world, and wrote that the Apocalypse would not occur until after
A.D. 2060. Now, a number of Newton's original papers and letters
have been put on display in Jerusalem, offering the world a
broader glimpse of this great scientist's deeply religious
nature.
For 250 years, many of Newton's papers remained locked away in a
trunk at the estate of the Earl of Portsmouth. In 1936, they
were auctioned off and most were acquired by two very different
sorts of men; the very secular economist John Maynard Keynes,
and the Jewish Oriental Studies scholar Abraham Shalom Yahuda,
who was devoted to proving the Pentateuch's authenticity. While
Keynes' collection went to Cambridge University, Yahuda
bequeathed his collection to the new State of Israel in 1951. In
1969 the manuscripts were locked away at Israel's National
Library, to be read only by select scholars. They have now been
brought out of hiding and are on display at the Jewish National
and University Library at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
from June 18 - July 17, 2007.
These manuscripts offer to the world a greater understanding of
Newton's mystical side. While today's secular scientists work to
separate "religion" from "science," Newton believed that the
physical world revealed and glorified God. According to Israel's
National Library web site:
"There are at least three reasons why these papers are
important, even though they do not always speak directly to
the canonical Newton. First, the manuscripts help illuminate
Newton's science. Newton's piety served as one of his
inspirations to study nature and what we today call science.
But Newton's theological papers also tell us much about his
inductive methods and his views on the unity of God's
Creation.
"Second, the manuscripts illuminate the person of Newton.
The figure once viewed almost uniformly as an icon of cold
rationality, now appears as an alchemist, a biblical scholar
and a religious devotee who pored over the symbols of the
Books of Daniel and Revelation for decades in an attempt to
decode the meaning of the future foreordained by God. Newton
can now be studied as an alchemist and a theologian in his
own right."
In one of the letters in the collection, Newton's words have
been taken as a prediction that the Apocalypse would occur in
2060, 1260 years (3.5 years x 360 years) after the Holy Roman
Empire was formed in A.D. 800. His precise words are, "The time
times and half a time do not end before 2060 nor after ___," and
he leaves the second date blank, as though he forgot to go back
and fill it in. Newton was only a human being, after all.
Ultimately, however, this brilliant mind appreciated the
foolishness of date setting. He wrote, "This I mention not to
assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to
the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently
predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred
prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."
Many researchers love to point out Newton's interest in alchemy,
his disagreements with the Church of England, and his tendency
to question the Anglican description of the Trinity. Newton's
passion for the Scriptures, however, is obvious throughout his
writings, matched by his passion for studying the universe that
God created. Newton would fully reject the idea that science and
religion cannot mix. He admired God's excellence in designing
the universe, and in inspiring the Bible.
"The system of revealed truth which this Book contains is
like that of the universe, concealed from common observation
yet...the centuries have established its Divine origin." -
Isaac Newton
Related Links:
The
Newton Collection at JNUL - Jewish National and University
Library
Papers
Reveal Newton's Religious Side - AP
The
World Will End In 2060, According To Newton - This Is London
The
Newton Project - Imperial College London.
A DEN OF DESPOTS -
According to a recent Gallup poll, approximately 66 percent of
Americans think the UN is doing a poor job. This most recent
assessment of the United Nations' shoddy job performance is the
lowest ever since Gallop first began keeping track in 1953. This
news is not surprising. What is astonishing is that, despite the
United Nations' terrible track record, most Americans think the
inept organization should still play a major role in
international affairs.
What most people don't realize is that the United Nations has
become a safe haven for thugs, war-mongers, and tyrannical
dictators. The truth of the matter is that only 89 of the 192 UN
member nations have truly free governments. In other words, the
majority of the UN is made up of 103 nations that do not give
their citizens the same political rights and civil liberties
that you and I take for granted. That is according to Freedom
House, which has published a report on what it calls "the
world's most repressive societies." With the sole exception of
North Korea, all of the 17 nations that made the list are
current members of the United Nations. Perhaps most alarming is
that some of the "worst of the worst" human rights violators
have actually been appointed to the UN Human Rights Council.
The United Nations was created to maintain international peace
and help solve the world's economic and humanitarian troubles,
but the UN has failed time and time again to achieve its main
objectives. The UN is plagued by scandal, widespread corruption,
favoritism, and financial mismanagement. Furthermore, through
its misconduct, negligence, and complacency the UN has aided
terrorism worldwide.
In April of 2006 Iran was elected to a vice-chair position on
the UN Disarmament Commission, which is tasked with preventing
the spread of nuclear weapons. The following day Iran announced
that it had successfully enriched uranium. Appointing Iran to a
position where it can establish disarmament rules to protect its
own clandestine nuclear program is either a colossal lapse in
judgment or a deliberate attempt by the non-democratic majority
to protect one of their own from scrutiny. It doesn't make any
sense, unless of course you think like one of 103 nations that
control the vote in the UN General Assembly.
One must only examine the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan
to understand why the UN has failed to fulfill the primary
purpose for which it was created - to promote peace and protect
humanity. Hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur have been
slaughtered and millions have been forced to flee their homes.
The Islamic government that controls Sudan is guilty of
genocide, but the United Nations has yet to take decisive action
to stop the bloodshed. For the past four years they have done
nothing but deliberate, procrastinate, and make empty threats.
Why? The UN has failed to act because the status quo serves its
interests, because powerful nations like China benefit from
Sudan's oil wealth, and because the very leaders who control the
vote are profiting from the sale of bullets and bombs.
Related Links:
United
Nations Ratings Remain at Lowest Ebb - The Gallup Poll
Report
on the World's Most Repressive Societies - Freedom House
Targeting
Sudan's Weapons Suppliers - IHT
China
Invests Heavily In Sudan's Oil Industry - Washington Post
Strategic
Trends: Global Government - Koinonia House
Darfur
Crisis Worsens - eNews Archive
HOW MANY ISAIAHS? -
My early zeal for studying the Scripture was dampened many years
ago as I encountered what is often called "textual criticism." I
was surprised to learn that it was naive and unlearned to regard
the Book of Isaiah as actually written by the prophet Isaiah, as
was commonly thought.
With its 66 chapters, Isaiah is the longest prophetic book of
the Old Testament. Most scholars agree that the book falls
naturally into two major sections, Chapters 1-39 and Chapters
40-66.
The first section has a distinctive style which changes
noticeably in the final section. It is easy to remember since it
parallels the Bible itself, with 39 books in the Old Testament
and 27 in the New Testament. (But don't make too much of this;
the chapter divisions, as we know them, were added in the 13th
century.)
The Deutero-Isaiah Theory
The "textual critics" have insisted that the Book of Isaiah
is a compilation of two different writers, each calling himself
Isaiah but writing at different times. This "Deutero-Isaiah"
theory is surprisingly prevalent in many modern ("liberal")
commentaries. (There are some that even advocate a three-Isaiah
theory.)
The first section of the book deals with God's approaching
judgment on the nation of Judah. In some of the most striking
passages in all the Bible, the prophet announces that God will
punish His people because of their sin, rebellion, and worship
of false gods. While this section includes many references to
the coming Messiah, including His virgin birth and his rule on
the throne of David, the style of this section is distinctive
and certainly fits the subject matter.
The last section, in contrast to the first, is noticeably
different. It emphasizes the Messianic expectation and an
ultimate comfort for God's people. (Most of Handel's Messiah was
drawn from this section of the Book of Isaiah.) The heart of his
stunning prophecy occurs in Chapter 53, as Isaiah presents the
role of the coming Messiah in its highest point. Some call this
passage the "Holy of Holies" of the Old Testament. The Servant's
suffering and death and the redemptive nature of His mission are
clearly foretold. Although mankind deserved God's judgment
because "we have turned, every one, to his own way," God sent
His Servant to take away our sins. According to Isaiah, it is
through His suffering that we are reconciled with God, since
"the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
It is principally on the basis of the stylistic changes
between the two sections that critics have developed the Deutero-Isaiah
theory. Those who assign Chapters 40-66 to a "Second Isaiah"
point out that the two major sections of the book seem to be set
in different times. Chapters 1-39 clearly belong to the eighth
century b.c., a turbulent period in the history of Judah.
But Isaiah 40-66, according to these scholars, seems to be
addressed to the citizens of Judah who were being held as
captives in Babylon about two centuries after Isaiah lived and
prophesied. These scholars also point to the differences in
tone, language, and style between the two major sections as
proof that the book was written by two different authors.
The Traditional View
There are, however, conservative scholars who insist the
entire book was written by the famous prophet Isaiah who
ministered in the southern kingdom of Judah for 40 years, from
about 740-700 b.c. They point out that the two sections of the
book have many similarities, although they are dramatically
different in tone and theme. Many phrases and ideas that are
peculiar to Isaiah appear in both sections of the book.
A good example of this is Isaiah's unique reference to God as
"the Holy One of Israel." The appearance of these words and
phrases can be used to argue just as convincingly that the book
was written by a single author.
In the second section of his book, Isaiah looked into the
future and predicted the years of the Captivity and the return
of the Covenant People to their homeland after the Captivity
ended. If the prophet could predict the coming of the Messiah
over 700 years before that happened, he could certainly foresee
this major event in the future of the nation of Judah.
The style of each section deliberately matches its subject
matter.
The Valley of Doubt
Doubts about the authorship and authenticity of any book in
the Bible can have tragic consequences for those who are
attempting to take the Bible seriously. As I look back on my own
spiritual journey, I recall the many years that these views
introduced a subtle doubt in my mind and hampered my real growth
in the Word.
Is there a way to resolve this without getting drawn into the
distressing debates and arrogant displays among erudite scholars
and "textual critics"? Indeed, there is. I only wish I had
discovered it earlier in my own travels through God's wondrous
Word.
The Discovery in John 12
What a precious chapter! It has many marvelous insights, but
among the dearest to me personally are verses 37-41:
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?
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.
In this passage we first encounter a quote, in verse 38,
familiar to many of you, that begins the famous chapter of
Isaiah 53. This would be in the section attributed to the
"Second Isaiah."
In verse 40 we have a quote from Isaiah Chapter 6 (v. 10), as
verse 41 also highlights what occurs when Isaiah beholds the
throne of God. This is, of course, in the first section of
Isaiah.
Oh, how I am grateful for verse 39! Notice that John tells us
that "that Isaiah said again" when he links the two passages
and, thus, the two sections and attributes them both to "that"
(same) Isaiah! If you take John seriously, and recognize the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then you need not doubt the
authorship of Isaiah - both "sections."
It is fascinating to me to notice that there is no heresy -
or controversy - that hasn't been anticipated by the Holy Spirit
within the Scripture itself. If we recognize the reality that we
have 66 books penned by 40 authors over thousands of years that
are an integrated whole, and that every detail has been the
result of careful and skillful engineering, then there is no
need to stumble over the erudite skepticism and arrogance by
scholarship falsely so called.
Isn't God wonderful? If we would just learn to take Him at
His Word.
Related Links:
Isaiah
- CD Rom -K-House Africa
John
- CD Rom -K House Africa
How
to Study the Bible - DVD K-House Africa
