Who
was Isaiah the prophet? Was his message only historical, or is it a message for
today? Does God reveal through Isaiah what will occur in this
end-time age?
Isaiah is widely regarded as one of
the greatest prophets of the Bible. His
name means “YHWH (the LORD) is salvation.” He lived in Jerusalem and the
prophecies God gave him were directed toward Israel, Judah and other nations.
Jewish tradition says he was of royal descent, and he may have been a cousin to
King Uzziah. This may have given him access to the kings of Judah in Jerusalem.
The
biblical account inchapter 1, verse 1 of
the book he authored says he received visions from God during the reigns of
four kings of Judah—Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The time covered is from
the end of King Uzziah’s reign (Isaiah 6:1) to the Assyrian KingSennacherib’s siege of
Jerusalem. It was at least a 40-year ministry during the last half of the
eighth century B.C.
Isaiah
was married to a prophetess (Isaiah 8:3). They had two sons whose names had
prophetic meanings. They were Shear-Jashub (Isaiah 7:3, meaning “a remnant
shall return”) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Isaiah 8:1-4, meaning “speed the
spoil, hasten the booty”). Isaiah and his family would be for “signs and
wonders in Israel” (Isaiah 8:18). His prophecies are still “signs and wonders” for us
today.
Jewish
tradition says he was killed by being sawn in two by King Manasseh, the son of
King Hezekiah. This seems to be alluded to in Hebrews
11:37.
While
we have very little information about Isaiah’s life, his inspired writings and
prophecies have been preserved for generations in the Bible and are most
important for us today.
Isaiah as a writer
Isaiah’s
style of writing reveals a well-educated background. The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia states,
“For versatility of expression and brilliance of imagery Isaiah had no
superior, not even a rival. His style marks the climax of Hebrew literary art”
(“Isaiah,” vol. II, p. 885). The style of writing of epigrams, metaphors,
interrogation, dialogue, hyperbole and parables “characterize[s] Isaiah’s book
as the great masterpiece of Hebrew literature” (ibid.).
Many
of the prophecies in Isaiah begin with the historical conditions and prophecies
for his day and then move forward to a far greater fulfillment prior to the
return of Jesus Christ. This is the dualism seen in many of the prophecies of
the Bible. The first (historical) fulfillment is lesser in scope and is
followed by the greater future fulfillment at the end of this present age. The
dualism in Isaiah usually pertains to the prophecies about Jesus Christ, Israel,
Judah or other nations.
Two
exceptions would be the prophecies of the coming Day of the Lord and the
Kingdom of God. These prophecies are singular and point to only one
fulfillment.
There
are four major themes of prophecy found in the book of Isaiah, and we will
consider them in the remainder of this article.
Jesus Christ, the most important theme
Almost
one-third of the chapters of the book of Isaiah contain prophecies about Jesus
Christ, addressing both His first and second comings. Isaiah provides more
prophecy of the second coming of Christ than any other Old Testament prophet. The following are some
prophecies about Christ in both His first and second comings:
- “He shall
judge between the nations” (Isaiah 2:4).
- He was to
be the “Branch of the Lord” (Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah
11:1).
- He would
be born of a virgin and be called “Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 8:8, 10).
- He would
be a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (Isaiah 8:14).
- An
eternal “government will be upon His shoulder” and He would be called the
“Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
- The Holy Spirit would “rest upon Him” (Isaiah
11:2).
- He would
be “a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation” (Isaiah
28:16).
Christ
is directly spoken of in more than half of the chapters between Isaiah 40 and
Isaiah 61. Undoubtedly, the most important chapter pertaining to mankind’s
salvation is Isaiah 53. This prophecy explains how much He would suffer during
His sacrifice for man’s sins.
Within
this section, a description of His first coming begins in Isaiah 52:14, which says, “His visage
[appearance] was marred more than any man.” Isaiah
53:2-5 explains that His earthly
physical appearance would not stand out, He was “despised and rejected,” and
“by His stripes [wounds] we are healed” of our sicknesses.
This
pivotal chapter tells us that He would come to give His life as a sacrifice for
our sins. ThePassover lamb symbolized this merciful act (Isaiah
53:7; Exodus 12:5; 1 Corinthians 5:7). Statements of His
death are then repeated: “For He was cut off from the land of the living” (Isaiah
53:8). “And they made His grave with the wicked” (verse 9). He was an “offering
for sin” (verse 10) and He “poured out His soul unto death” (verse 12).
Through
the book of Isaiah, God revealed that Jesus would come to earth first as a
human to deal with sin and then again in His glorified state after being
resurrected from the grave to establish the Kingdom of God (see also Hebrews 9:28). Not understanding the
dualism of Christ’s coming, many Jews rejected Him during His first coming as a
human because He did not fulfill the prophecies of ruling over the earth and
establishing an eternal government that are to occur during His second coming (Isaiah
9:6-7; Isaiah 40:10).
Interestingly,
God also revealed through Isaiah how Christ would be able to come back to life
after being crucified. The prophet wrote, “Your dead shall live; together with
my dead body they shall arise” (Isaiah 26:19). Also, prior to Isaiah’s time,
King David had prophesied of Christ’s death and resurrection (Psalm 16:10).
Warnings and assurances to Israel and Judah
In
terms of content, the largest single subject in the book of Isaiah is warnings
to Israel and Judah both for Isaiah’s age and for us today. The first 11
chapters describe many social, moral and religious sins that are similar to the
sins that the modern descendants of Israel and Judah are presently committing.
For an explanation of who these people are today, see the “12 Tribes of Israel”
section of this website.
The
dualism of the historical setting as a prophecy for the end of the age is
apparent in chapter 11, which says, “The LORD shall set His hand again the
second time” to bring them back from captivity (verse 11). The timing of this
restoration is during and after Christ’s second coming (verses 4-10).
The
warnings to Israel and Judah of their national sins continue throughout
chapters 41 to 49. The difference is that in these chapters God gives them
encouragement that He will eventually redeem them. Here are some examples:
- “You are
My servant, I have chosen you” (Isaiah 41:8-9; Isaiah 49:3).
- “I will
not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25).
- “Even I
will carry, and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4).
- The Lord
is “the Redeemer of Israel” (Isaiah 49:7; Isaiah 44:22).
In
chapters 56 to 59 God continues to give correction and warning to Israel and
Judah for their sins. In these chapters Israel and Judah are chastised for
their hypocrisy in how they worship God. There are two chapters in particular
that touch on this religious hypocrisy. They are Isaiah 56, which focuses on
keeping the Sabbath, and Isaiah 58, which deals with fasting for the wrong
reasons and, again, keeping God’s Sabbath.
The
prophecies to Israel and Judah in the book of Isaiah end on a future
encouraging note with God’s eventual deliverance and mercy in the coming
Kingdom of God (Isaiah 61:3-9; Isaiah
63:7-9, 14).
The Day of the Lord
Prophecies
about the coming Day of the Lord can be found in the writings of many
of the Old Testament prophets, and Isaiah is no exception. This subject is
covered from chapters 2 to 66. Unlike the dualism of the prophecies to Israel
and Judah, most prophecies about the Day of the Lord are for an event yet to
come. These foretell a time of awesome and frightening events leading to the
return of Christ. Many people think of it as “the end of the world,” although
it is really just the end of this present evil age.
Isaiah
explains that the Day of the Lord will last for one year (Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 61:2; Isaiah 63:4). The principle of a day
for a year in prophecy also applies to the Day of the Lord (Numbers 14:34;Ezekiel
4:6). It is the year of the “Lord’s vengeance” or God’s wrath (Revelation
6:17).
In
the earlier chapters on this subject (2, 13 and 24), Isaiah describes the
effects of God’s wrath on this world. Men will hide in caves in terror (Isaiah
2:19-21), the earth will be shaken and possibly moved from its orbit (Isaiah
13:13), and the earth will become almost empty and a total waste (Isaiah 24:1,
3, 6). Isaiah also speaks of the Day of the Lord as a time of war (Isaiah
31:8-9). These events are also described in the seven trumpets of Revelation
8-9.
God
further reveals through Isaiah that the “daughter of Babylon” will be destroyed
in the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 47:1, 5, 7, 9). These verses are almost
identical to those of Revelation 18:7-8, 17-19, 21. This Babylon is the final end-time government and
its religious system that will be destroyed at Christ’s return.
The
Day of the Lord will come to an end when “the great trumpet will be blown”
(Isaiah 27:13) and Jesus Christ will return to the earth (Revelation 11:15).
The Kingdom of God
The
last major theme addressed in Isaiah is the Kingdom of God that Jesus Christ will usher in with
His return. The term “kingdom” is not used in Isaiah, but this future age is
described in many of the chapters from the beginning to the end of Isaiah.
The
following are some of the prophecies about this coming Kingdom:
- The Lord
will set up His kingdom over all nations, teach man His ways and judge between
the nations (Isaiah 2:2-4).
- The
“Branch” will establish Jerusalem and those who dwell there as holy
(Isaiah 4:2-6).
- “The
government will be upon His shoulder.” He will be called “Prince of Peace”
and “of the increase of His government there will be no end” (Isaiah
9:6-7).
- All
animals will live at peace with man and one another, and “the earth shall
be full of the knowledge of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:6-9).
- The Lord
will resettle Israel in their land (Isaiah 14:1-2).
- The deaf
shall hear, the blind shall see, and Jacob’s descendants will “hallow” the
Lord’s name (Isaiah 29:18, 22-24).
- A king
and princes will rule in quiet and peaceful habitations (Isaiah 32:1,
15-18).
- “The
desert shall … blossom as the rose,” the infirmed will be restored, and
“waters shall burst forth in the wilderness” (Isaiah 35:1-10).
There
are numerous prophecies about the Kingdom of God throughout chapters 44 to 66.
It is a very important theme in this book. Everything written is leading up to
the peaceful eternal government of God and, finally, to “new heavens and a new
earth” (Isaiah 65:17).
Other subjects in Isaiah
Aside
from the four major themes, there are a few other important subjects covered in
the book of Isaiah. These include:
- Prophecies
of judgment coming against numerous nations (Isaiah 13-24).
- Lucifer’s
attempt to overthrow God (Isaiah 14:12-14).
- Sennacherib’s
invasion of Judah, his defeat and death, and the extension of Hezekiah’s
life (Isaiah 36-39).
- Chapters
that speak of those who serve and obey God (Isaiah 25-26, 54, 61-62).
Isaiah’s relevance
The
prophecies of Isaiah are relevant in all generations, but they primarily point
to the end of the age when Jesus Christ will return and set up the Kingdom of
God. The warnings of the Day of the Lord and warnings to Israel and Judah are
relevant for us today.
If
we will heed these warnings from God, then we can be assured of the promises of
mercy andsalvation through Jesus Christ that are
explained in the book of Isaiah.
