The Strand Study Bible

ISAIAH ISAIAH speaking of the Great Pyramid of Giza (Giza being the Arabic word for “edge” and/or “border”). Some think that during the 1,000-year Millennial Reign of Christ, God will use the Great Pyramid of Giza for a sign and a witness unto Himself (vs 20). 1 A geographical marvel, the Great Pyramid resides at the intersection of the longest line of latitude and the longest line of longitude; the exact center of all the landmass in the world. Coincidental? Some don’t think so. Some believe that God was the great Architect of the greatest and last “Wonder” still standing in the ancient world. 1073

Part of their reasoning for this belief comes from their analysis of the numerical value of the Hebrew text of Isaiah 19:19-20. In Hebrew the letters of the alphabet were employed as arithmetical figures. The value of every letter of every word in Isaiah 19:19-20, which is made up of thirty words, comes to a sum total of 5,449. Not only is this numerical value of the Hebrew text equal to the actual height of the Great Pyramid (which happens to be 5,449 inches), but it is also the exact distance from the Great Pyramid’s entrance right through to the farthest extremity of the interior passages and chambers (5,449 inches). Also coincidental? They don’t think so. Question is: Who are “they” ( Jere 32:20 )? 20:1 a “ Tartan ” is not the name of a person but the name of a title. It is equivalent to that of “ commander-in-chief .” 20:1 b This is the only time Sargon (II), who assumed the name of the first historical king (Sargon I – c. 2300 BC), is mentioned by name in the Scriptures. He ruled Assyria from 722-705 BC Sargon II captured Samaria (721 BC), Hamath (720 BC), Carchemish (717 BC), Ashdod (711 BC), and Babylonia (710 BC) and is considered one of the greatest rulers in Assyrian history. However, before the excavations in the 1800s, by the French archaeologist Paul Emil Botta (1842) and the British adventurer Sir Austen Henry Layard (1849), historical knowledge of the great Assyrian empire and its magnificent capital was almost wholly a blank. Other cities that had perished, such as Thebes and Persepolis (both had been destroyed by Alexander the Great in 335 and 330 BC respectively), had left ruins to mark their sites and tell of their former greatness; but of this city, imperial Nineveh, not a single vestige seemed to remain. For almost two and a half millenniums (from 612 BC – AD 1842) historical scholars had argued successfully that the person of Sargon didn’t exist and that Isaiah’s mentioning of him proved that the Bible was full of discrepancies. For over 2,400 years the world mocked God’s Word and said it wasn’t true because they couldn’t verify Isaiah’s Sargon. Then in 1842 Botta discovered a wall relief of Sargon II in Khorsabad. The Sargon Inscription read: In my first year I captured Samaria. I took captive 27,290 people. People of other lands who never paid tribute, I settled in Samaria. After 2,454 years the world had finally found Isaiah’s Sargon. God’s Word was vindicated, as archaeology proved the existence of a king in Assyria by the name of Sargon II. The problem with the world has always been the same –they don’t care for God’s Word nor do they care to be questioned by Him ( Job 38:4 ). 20:2 Isaiah was commanded by God to dress (or, undress) like a prisoner of war for the next three years (Mic 1:8). The fact that the Egyptian and Ethiopian prisoner’s buttocks would be uncovered (vs 4) would seem to indicate that Isaiah’s nakedness was real. And why not? God is very serious when it comes to transferring truth to people ( Ezk 24:18 ), and has no problem using “whoever” in order to do it ( Jms 1:17 a - point #3 and Rom 8:32). 21:1 Three nations were warned ( burden ) they would fall: 1. Babylon , which fell to Medo-Persia in 539 BC (vs 1-10) 2. Edom , which fell to Assyria that year in 711 BC (vs 11-12) 3. Arabia , which also fell to Assyria that year in 711 BC (vs 13-17) Question: What would you do if you were warned of God about a coming judgment? Sadly, most people fail to heed God’s warnings, even though God gives them more than enough time to repent (Gen 6:1-3 and Rev 20:11-15).

1 E. Raymond Capt. The Great Pyramid Decoded , Artisan Sales. 1978. Print.