Isaiah, Prophet of Salvation, Book 6, part 4

The last half of Isaiah is a New Covenant promise and must be read in that light. Therefore, when the prophet speaks of the restoration of Jerusalem, we must understand that he was speaking of the New Jerusalem, not the old. That was also John’s understanding when he described the New Jerusalem while quoting Isaiah in Revelation 21 and 22.

Isaiah saw the downfall of Samaria and the exile of Israel, and though Judah was delivered in his day, he also foretold Judah’s exile to Babylon (Isaiah 39:7). But in chapter 40 and onward the prophet shifts his focus to the “return” and the restoration of Israel as a whole. It is as if he knew that the breach between Israel and Judah would be repaired in the prophetic “wilderness.”

To see this repair of the breach purely in physical terms, however, is to view this through Old Covenant eyes. Likewise, to see this restoration purely in terms of the regathering of those whose fathers were of Israel or Judah is to view this through Old Covenant eyes. As we will see, Isaiah included foreigners as well in this regathering, and hence, he is known as a “universalist” prophet. In other words, though Isaiah recognized the existence of races and nations, he did not consider God’s prophecies to Israel to be exclusive to them.

The Apostle Paul got much of his revelation from Isaiah, quoting him more than any other. Isaiah’s writings thus formed the biblical basis of his entire ministry “to the gentiles.” He saw that the Law of God, though given to the nation of Israel (along with the foreigners among them) made the entire world “accountable to God” (Romans 3:19). Salvation was “for all who believe, for there is no distinction” (Romans 3:22). Why? Because “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), not just those who were of Israel and Judah.

Paul says again in Romans 10:11-13,

¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed” [Isaiah 28:16]. ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, ¹³ for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Joel 2:32].

In all of this, we see Isaiah’s influence upon Paul’s thinking and upon his ministry. It is the New Covenant mindset that was first established in God’s universal covenant with Noah in Genesis 9, and again with Abraham, who was to be the father of many nations, and yet again with Moses when the New Covenant promise of God was applied equally to “those who are not with us here today” (Deuteronomy 29:15).

Defining “My People”

With this perspective in mind, we can see how Isaiah defines “My people” who are receiving “comfort” in Isaiah 40:1. We should note that the Old Covenant was to make Israel “My people” (Leviticus 26:12; Exodus 19:5). When they failed to fulfill their own promises, God made a second covenant with them (Deuteronomy 29:1), based upon His own promise to change their hearts so that they could be “His people” (Deuteronomy 29:13). The first covenant had failed to make them "His people," so the second covenant was needed.

The point is that no one is truly “His people” apart from genuine faith in God which ultimately leads to being like Him. To be “His people” means to become “sons of God,” which is not by blood line or by the will of man but through God’s promise to send the Comforter to change the hearts of all men. “My people” never had a racial meaning, as far as God was concerned. It was always about those who were coming into the image of God.

The Glory of God

The preparatory ministry of John the Baptist was designed to prepare the hearts of the people through the baptism of repentance, so that they would recognize and accept the Messiah. Isaiah 40:5 says,

⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

This is a clear New Covenant promise. Hence, if the glory of God is NOT seen by “all flesh,” then we cannot blame “all flesh” but we would have to conclude that the promises of God have failed. But this is not possible, because the will of God is stronger than man’s will. God has the ability (and the right as the Creator) to change the hearts of all men and thus make them all “His people.”

This did not happen through the ministry of John, even though he was the voice crying in the wilderness. John was “Elijah,” which was a great prophetic ministry, but the success of this ministry required the double portion of “Elisha.” Hence, there is an Elisha ministry being raised up in our time that precedes the second coming of Christ. Whereas John was the last of the Old Covenant prophets representing Elijah, God is now raising up New Covenant prophets who represent Elisha.

Unfortunately, most of the prophets today lack the necessary understanding of the New Covenant to be fully a part of that Elisha company. They are still bogged down by a racial definition of Israel, Judah, and “My people.” They do not often comprehend the sovereignty of God that is the basis of the New Covenant. They think that salvation is based upon the will of man. The result is that they lack a clear vision of the end of the story, for they usually conclude that history will end in cosmic dualism, where a few are in heaven and the vast majority are lost in eternal hell.

Such people lack true faith in the ability of God to save all mankind. In other words, they do not truly have the faith of Abraham, believing “that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:21). More specifically, they think that the promise of God is to provide all men with an opportunity to be saved and to help men fulfill their Old Covenant vows by their own “free will.” But God has promised to turn every heart so that they can be saved. That is the nature of His promise. Abraham believed He could indeed do this. Most people do not, because they see man’s will as an insurmountable impediment.

But in spite of men’s lack of faith, the power of the Comforter will win, all hearts will be turned to Him, if not in this lifetime then certainly at the great Judgment. Every knee will bow, every tongue will “swear allegiance” to Christ (Isaiah 45:23), and the glory of God will cover the earth. The purpose of creation will be fulfilled, and the divine plan will be a smashing success.

All Flesh is Grass

Isaiah 40:6 says,

⁶ A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.”

The prophetic voice agrees and seems to muse upon this great truth in Isaiah 50:7, 8,

⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord flows upon it; surely the people are grass. ⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

The Old Covenant offers a plan of salvation by the power of the flesh—that is, by man’s will and man’s word or vow. Hence, the best intentions of men wither and fade as soon as “the breath of the Lord flows upon it.” As soon as man’s word is tested, it fails. The prophet is pessimistic when it comes to the ability of the flesh to keep its vows to God.

However, “the word of our God stands forever.” The New Covenant, which is God’s vow to all mankind, is always successful, even if it takes thousands of years to accomplish. Though it may seem to fail, as recorded in the pages of history, it will always win in the end. No flesh can stop it, because success does not depend upon the will of man but of God.

So John 1:13, 14 tells us,

¹³ who were born, not of blood[line] nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory…

The “grass” in Isaiah is “the will of the flesh” in the Gospel of John. But when “the Word became flesh,” Christ came as a new type of “grass,” for though He died, He rose again in power and immortality. This was the first step toward the new creation, for it established the foundation and the pattern for all of the sons of God. As we reckon ourselves dead to the flesh, we too are raised in newness of life. The first fruits learn this great truth in their lifetime; the rest will receive this revelation at the Great White Throne judgment, causing every tongue to swear allegiance to Christ.

1 Peter 1:23, 24, 25 quotes Isaiah, telling us,

²³ for you have been born again [gennao, “begotten from above”] not of seed which is perishable but imperishable [immortal], that is, through the living and enduring word of God, ²⁴ for, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.

Mortal seed from our fathers begat mortal children, fleshly children with a temporary glory that “withers” and “falls off” in the end. But the immortal seed of the word begets immortal sons of God, the “new creatures” in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Our “old man” (KJV) or “old self” (NASB) is that which our earthly fathers begat. Our “new man” or “new self” is what God has begotten through the enduring word of the Lord.

This is what Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 40:6-8. It is the foundational truth of the New Covenant, showing the path of salvation. God does not intend to save the old man but to crucify it with Christ. God intends to save all mankind by begetting in them a new creation man that is immortal and incorruptible.

By Abrahamic faith we are begotten by the seed of the word, and we are then admonished to transfer our conscious identity from the old man that our fathers begot to the new man that God has begotten. This is the basis of the Sonship message presented to us throughout Scripture but more clearly in the New Testament.

Hence, when we read Isaiah’s prophecies, we must interpret the word in light of the New Covenant, even as John, Paul, and Peter did. That word of salvation is not limited to Israel or Judah but traces back to the beginning of the problem in the time of Adam—and perhaps earlier. Hence, Paul says that the problem is universal, and so also is the solution, even though God typically trains the few to bless the many afterward.