The Ascension of Isaiah was most likely written from the late 1st century AD to the second half of the 2nd century AD. It is believed almost universally to be a compilation of several texts completed by an unknown Christian scribe. Most of the text is about Isaiah traveling through seven heavens and then watching Christ descend through all seven heavens, disguising himself as he goes as an angel so that the other angels don't recognize him. He is then born as the baby Jesus. You can read the whole text here if you'd like and I've made some notes below:
Beliar (apparently the same as Belial?) is mentioned as the ruler of this world:
2:4 -This of course sounds similar to John 12:31:
And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Beliar; for the angel of lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Beliar, whose name is Mantanbuchus. and he delighted in Jerusalem because of Manasseh, and he made him strong in apostatizing (Israel) and in the lawlessness which were spread abroad in Jerusalem.
4:2 -
After it is consummated, Beliar the great ruler, the king of this world, will descend, who hath ruled it since it came into being; yea, he will descent from his firmament in the likeness of a man, a lawless king, the slayer of his mother: who himself (even) this king.
Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.The Ascension of Isaiah also mentions Jesus' descent in to Hades (Sheol in the Hebrew):
4:21 -"Haguel" is the bad part of Sheol.
And the descent of the Beloved into Sheol, behold, it is written in the section, where the Lord says: "Behold my Son will understand." And all these things, behold they are written [in the Psalms] in the parables of David, the son of Jesse, and in the Proverbs of Solomon his son, and in the words of Korah, and Ethan the Israelite, and in the words of Asaph, and in the rest of the Psalms also which the angel of the Spirit inspired.
4:21 -
And the descent of the Beloved into Sheol, behold, it is written in the section, where the Lord says: "Behold my Son will understand." And all these things, behold they are written [in the Psalms] in the parables of David, the son of Jesse, and in the Proverbs of Solomon his son, and in the words of Korah, and Ethan the Israelite, and in the words of Asaph, and in the rest of the Psalms also which the angel of the Spirit inspired.
10:7-8 -
And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my Lord, saying to my Lord Christ who will be called Jesus: "Go forth and descent through all the heavens, and thou wilt descent to the firmament and that world: to the angel in Sheol thou wilt descend, but to Haguel thou wilt not go.
11:19 -Those passages are along the same lines as some New Testament passages:
And after this the adversary envied Him and roused the children of Israel against Him, not knowing who He was, and they delivered Him to the king, and crucified Him, and He descended to the angel (of Sheol).
1 Peter 3:18-20 -The Ascension of Isaiah also talks about the third heaven:
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
Acts 2:27 -
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.
7:24-27 -I mention this because Paul mentions the third heaven but I'm not sure how or if it's relevant to the quote above:
And he raise me to the third heaven, and in like manner I saw those upon the right and upon the left, and there was a throne there in the midst; but the memorial of this world is there unheard of.
And I said to the angel who was with me; for the glory of my appearance was undergoing transformation as I ascended to each heaven in turn: "Nothing of the vanity of that world is here named."
And he answered me, and said unto me: "Nothing is named on account of its weakness, and nothing is hidden there of what is done."
And I wished to learn how it is know, and he answered me saying: "When I have raised thee to the seventh heaven whence I was sent, to that which is above these, then thou shalt know that there is nothing hidden from the thrones and from those who dwell in the heavens and from the angels. And the praise wherewith they praised and glory of him who sat on the throne was great, and the glory of the angels on the right hand and on the left was beyond that of the heaven which was below them.
2 Corinthians 12:2 -Some of the passages in The Ascension of Isaiah could be taken as anti-Samaritan, which would be at odds with much of the message of the New Testament:
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows.
3:1 -Beliar/Belial, and Sammuel/Satan are two separate individuals:
And Belchira recognized and saw the place of Isaiah and the prophets who were with him; for he dwelt in the region of Bethlehem, and was an adherent of Manasseh. And he prophesied falsely in Jerusalem, and many belonging to Jerusalem were confederate with him, and he was a Samaritan.
1:8 -Sammel is "a" Satan:
And Sammael Malchira will serve Manasseh, and execute all his desire, and he will become a follower of Beliar rather than of me
3:13 -
For Beliar was in great wrath against Isaiah by reason of the vision, and because of the exposure wherewith he had exposed Sammael, and because through him the going forth of the Beloved from the seventh heaven had been made known, and His transformation and His descent and the likeness into which He should be transformed (that is) the likeness of man, and the persecution wherewith he should be persecuted, and the torturers wherewith the children of Israel should torture Him, and the coming of His twelve disciples, and the teaching, and that He should before the sabbath be crucified upon the tree, and should be crucified together with wicked men, and that He should be buried in the sepulchre,
5:15 -
This, Beliar did to Isaiah through Belchira and Manasseh; for Sammael was very wrathful against Isaiah from the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, on account of the things which he had seen regarding the Beloved.
7:9 -The terms "Satans"(plural) is used, implying there are multiple Satans:
And we ascended to the firmament, I and he, and there I saw Sammael and his hosts, and there was great fighting therein and the angels of Satan were envying one another.
11:41 -
On account of these visions and prophecies Sammael Satan sawed in sunder Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, by the hand of Manasseh.
11:23 -
And I saw Him, and He was in the firmament, but He had not changed Himself into their form, and all the angels of the firmament and the Satans saw Him and they worshipped.
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