Is Isaiah telling about the antichrist?

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Context is everything. As you rightly point out, Isaiah 9:6-7 is a Messianic prophecy, speaking of the birth of the son who “will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom”. Note the prophecy about Jesus says his kingdom has a starting point in time and will last for ever - an eternal kingdom.

Then the subject changes and now Isaiah prophesies about the forthcoming anger of the Lord against Israel because His people have refused to repent and have not “sought the Lord Almighty.” There was a very real fulfilment of this prophecy when the Assyrians attacked and eventually, Israel was taken off by its enemies into captivity.

You ask if this passage is about the antichrist, and if Isaiah 9:14-16 means the promised Messiah will cut off “the head and tail”. A closer examination of these verses reveals that the elders and prominent men of Israel (the head) and the prophets of Israel who teach lies (the tail) will be judged prior to the coming of the Messiah.

There is no suggestion here that Isaiah is prophesying about end-times. Verse 21 makes specific reference to the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, two prominent tribes in the northern kingdom who were descended from the two sons of Joseph. Centuries earlier (Judges 12:4) they had fought each other. Apparently, neither they nor the other tribes had either learned from the past, or repented and turned back to the Lord. This is a recurring theme throughout the Old Testament.

Neither does this section in Isaiah’s prophecy relate to Genesis when God declared that the serpent would crush the seed of the woman in the heel (the crucifixion of Christ) but He would crush the serpent in the head.

Be aware that false prophets existed in Israel during Old Testament times, and also during the first century in New Testament times. Indeed, false prophets are nothing new! They continue to pervert the gospel – but they are not The Antichrist. The Antichrist, who will be identified prior to the second coming of Christ, sets himself up as God, performing miracles and deceiving the world.

No, in order to identify who The Antichrist is (as opposed to the many antichrists that have already emerged since the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus), and the false prophet, we must turn to the Revelation of Christ Jesus as given to the Apostle John when he received visions of future, end-time events. Note that these visions are symbolic, not literal.

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