In 46:1,2 the prophet saw the idols of Babylon loaded upon the beasts of burden. These so-called gods, instead of aiding and assisting their devotees, were actual burdens to the dumb beasts. In these two verses we see them loaded on the animals and being carried off into captivity by the conquerors of Babylon, the Medes, and the Persians. Thus this oracle, chapters 46-48, which pertains largely to the Babylon of the end time and of the deliverance of Israel by her Messiah in the future, begins with this prediction which foretold the conquest of Babylon by the Medes and Persians.

In contrast with the idols of Babylon Isaiah held up the Almighty, the God of Israel, and showed what He does for His people. Hear him. "Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been borne by me from their birth, that have been carried from the womb; 4 and even to old age I am he, and even to hoar hairs I will carry you: I have made, and I will bear; yea, I will carry, and will deliver" (Isa. 46:3,4).

The God of Jacob is the one who has borne His people from of old. In these verses the prophet addressed "the remnant of the house of Israel." Isaiah was the prophet who emphasized the doctrine of the remnant, the minority of the nation that seeks God and His truth and that will obey Him, accepting Messiah with enthusiasm in the end time.

In these verses the prophet thought of the nation as an individual that was born at the time of the Exodus from Egyptian bondage. Thus Isaiah said through the prophet that the Lord has borne the nation from its birth to the time here foreseen, will continue to carry it to old age, and will deliver it. The period of old age of the nation is undoubtedly the time of the end of this age. He promised to bear her, even to the hoar hairs, and to deliver her, which salvation we shall see in chapter 48.

Again, in verses 5-7, the prophet spoke of idols and showed the folly of making them. They are made by the hand of men and are impotent. One may cry unto an idol but it can never answer him. Neither can it save him out of his trouble. I realize that idolatry is backed by the demon world, as is set forth in Psalm 106:37,38. In Psalm 115:4-8 we have an excellent poetical description of idols and of their inability to speak, hear, or act. What is said in these passages concerning idols in general is true. There will be, however, one idol that will yet be made, that will speak, and that will be able to accomplish marvelous feats. This idol will be the image of the Antichrist, of which we read in Revelation 13:11-18. This image will be made of some material substance and will be set up in Jerusalem by the Antichrist and his aides in the middle of the Tribulation. Then by the power of the devil the second beast, the false prophet, will give life and power to it so that it will be able to talk and to back up its threats by actual deeds. Moses converted his rod into a living serpent by the power of God; the magicians of Egypt turned their rods into serpents by the might of the devil. By this same latter power will the false prophet convert the image of the Antichrist into a living, active person.

In contrast with the helpless idols of Babylon, Isaiah called upon the transgressors to remember and to call to mind the things of the past and to consider the fact that he had outlined the course of human events throughout the centuries to the end of time (vss. 8-11). In his appeal to these sinners the prophet, speaking for God, declared that the Almighty alone is God and that there is none like Him, "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure; calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country; yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it." Eternity, figuratively speaking, may be divided, in our thinking, into three sections: the part which antedated the creation of the material universe; time, that portion which runs its course during the period the material universe, which now exists, continues; and the ages of ages of the future, after the passing away of the material heavens and earth at the conclusion of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11).

Isaiah told us that God declares the end from the beginning. When I realize that eternity had no beginning nor any ending, I know that the prophet was speaking of that part of it which we call time. Thus from the very beginning of the creation, God declared the course of the events of the ages during time. (For a clearer understanding of this subject, see The World's Greatest Library Graphically Illustrated by David L. Cooper.) Time had a beginning and it will have an ending. We may know therefore that this is what Isaiah was talking about. There can be little doubt that God announced to the angelic hosts his purposes in the creation of the universe. This inference may be drawn from the statement, "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7). Throughout the centuries God has revealed ahead of time to His servants the prophets what they might expect (Amos 3:7). In God's outlining the future course of events, He had spoken of Cyrus as the one from the east whom He would raise up and who would bring to pass His plans and carry out His purposes (vss. 10,11).

Isaiah, in the two closing verses of chapter 46, declared, "Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry; and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory" (vss. 12,13).

Again addressing the transgressors, or the stouthearted, who were far from righteousness, the prophet announced that God would bring near His salvation, that it would not tarry, and that "... I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory." The marginal rendering of this passage in the Revised Version is give salvation in Zion, and my glory unto Israel. Both translations are grammatically correct and both convey the thought that was intended by the prophet. When this passage is viewed in the light of related ones, one immediately sees that the salvation of which the Lord was speaking and the glory which He foretold are those which will be brought to Israel at the second coming of our Lord. When the time arrives for Him to take the situation of Israel in hand, He will not tarry. He will speed the tempo of events and accomplish His purposes in short order. Malachi was speaking of the same event--the second coming of the Messiah--in 3:1-6 of his prophecy. When the Lord thus comes, all Israel living at the time will be saved and glory will be placed in Zion for Israel His glory. Then the Chosen People will no longer be the tail of the nations as they are now; but, on the contrary, they will be the head.
 

The Future Overthrow of Babylon

In chapter 47 the prophet looked forward from the conquest of Babylon by the Medes and Persians in the days of Cyrus, as we have seen in chapter 46 to the end of this age when Babylon will arise from the dust of the past and will be the metropolis of all nations. In the first eleven verses of this chapter the prophet thought of Babylon as a young lady. He therefore addressed her saying, "Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon ..." Cities and nations are represented by women, as we see in different places in the Scriptures. For instance, in Psalm 45 the nations during the Millennial Age are thought of as "ladies in waiting" at an earthly court. Thus Miss Tyre--converted and in fellowship with God--will be one of these. So will all the nations be. But in the passage which we are now studying, Babylon is thought of as a virgin daughter, in the prime of her life, looking out into the future with great expectation and hope. She is delicately arrayed, has everything for which the heart could wish. She has never known want nor care. She is "the mistress of kingdoms." To her the prophet gives a message, telling her to come down from her throne, to lay aside her costly elegant garments, and to begin to work like any servant, doing the menial things of life. "Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and will spare no man" (vs. 3). She is told, "Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called The mistress of kingdoms" (vs. 5).

Between these two verses which I have just quoted, the prophet injected this august declaration: "Our Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel" (vs. 4). The prophet, seeing this future situation and realizing what Babylon has done to Israel in the past and what she will yet in the future do to the Chosen People, looked, in the middle of his oracle, toward the heavens and expressed the thought that the Holy One of Israel, who cannot tolerate sin and wickedness, is Jehovah of armies and that He is Israel's Redeemer. He therefore will deliver them from the worst tyranny and oppression of all the ages.

In verses 6 and 7 the prophet showed that God was indignant against His people and gave them into the hands of Babylon because of their sins. Babylon should have showed mercy upon the aged and should have been tolerant. Instead of her taking this attitude, she became tyrannical and oppressive. She, in the future being absorbed with her own riches, her prestige, and power, will be intolerant and will not remember the latter end--that which will come upon her in the end time when God arises, shakes mightily the earth, and delivers His people Israel. "8 Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that sittest securely, that sayest in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: 9 but these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: in their full measure shall they come upon thee, in the multitude of thy sorceries, and the great abundance of thine enchantments" (vss. 8,9).

The complacency and sense of security of Babylon when she becomes mistress of the kingdoms of the world are set forth in these verses. She will feel that everything is in her own hands and that no calamity will ever overtake her. In other words, she will be embued with the idea that she is living in the era when there is a permanent peace, and that she is powerful enough to dominate the entire world. She will have no idea that any reverses or fortune can overtake her. Thus she will say, "I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children." Nevertheless, the very thing which she says will never overtake her will come upon her suddenly--in a moment, in one day's time. That Babylon never did suffer such a fate as this is evident from her history. Though she was great and powerful in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, she had a gradual decline over a number of centuries and was in existence at the time when Peter wrote his epistles (I Pet. 5:13). Since no catastrophic judgment has ever overthrown her in the past and since the Word of God is infallibly inspired, we may be certain that she will rise again to the highest pinnacle of human power and authority and that suddenly, in a moment, on a given day this calamity here foretold will overtake her. When we read this prediction in the light of Revelation, chapter 18, we can understand our passage better. (One must not confound Revelation, chapter 17, with chapter 18. The former deals with the overthrow of Babylon the harlot--the ecclesiasticism of the end time--which occurs in the middle of the Tribulation, whereas chapter 18 foretells literal Babylon which will rise from the dust and be the dominating city of the world in the end time.)

Verse 10 is quite illuminating. "For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness; thou hast said, None seeth me; thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me." Babylon will trust in wickedness. She will discredit the idea that there is an omniscient God who looks upon the world and its inhabitants and who knows everything. Moreover, her wisdom and knowledge will make her conceited. Knowledge--human learning--puffs up, whereas love edifies or builds up. Pride goeth before a fall. Babylon and her conceited rulers will feel that they are the only ones and that the rest of humanity are nothing but chattel or slaves.

That the overthrow of Babylon will be unexpected and catastrophic is clear from the following verse: "Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know the dawning thereof: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou knowest not" (vs. 11).
 

The Occult World

In verses 12-15 we see a very clear picture of the various methods of attempting to learn the future. The Babylonians, from the beginning of the ancient kingdom, believed in enchantments, sorceries, star-gazing, astrology, fortune-telling, and the like. This is clear from the tablets which have been unearthed in old Chaldea. These ancient methods of the occult world will be brought into full vogue and operation in the end time. The prophets, foretelling the complete and sudden overthrow of the Babylonians, challenged her to invite all her fortune-tellers, star-gazers, and prognosticators to reveal the future concerning her fate as he had done. The inference of the challenge is that they will not be able to give her any light as to the future. There is such a thing as fortune-telling, which is accomplished by the power of demons and Satan himself, but those who thus are in contact with the demon world are limited by the Lord Almighty and cannot reveal things as the Lord does. They are limited by the power of the Almighty. God has always hated every effort to unravel the future by fortune-tellers, astrologers, and the like. No Christian can afford to have any part or lot with anything that borders on the occult. If one wishes to know anything authoritatively, let him go to the sacred, holy, infallible Word of God and there see what the Lord has said. He has revealed the things which He wants us to know. If He has not spoken upon any subject, then we should not attempt to get information from any other source. "To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them" (Isa. 8:20).
 

The Appearance of King Messiah, Israel's Redeemer and Deliverer

Having foretold in chapter 47 the sudden and complete overthrow of Babylon, which, as we have seen, will occur in the end time, Isaiah then, in chapter 48:1-16, gave us a picture of Messiah when He appears the first time in fulfillment of the predictions of Moses and the Prophets. In these verses the prophet impersonated Messiah at the time of His first coming. Having made the revelation found in these verses, the prophet ceased His impersonation and then, in verses 17-19, spoke as an ambassador from God, introducing his oracle with the usual formula, "Thus saith Jehovah ..." In making the revelation of these three verses, he represented himself as an ambassador sent by the rejected Messiah to Israel and told her what a fatal mistake she made in rejecting Him. Finally, in the last three verses of this oracle, the rejected Messiah looked forward to the end of the age, saw many Jewish people residing in Babylon. He therefore called upon them to go forth from the city--before its destruction--and to declare to the ends of the earth this message, "Jehovah, has redeemed his servant Jacob." In verse 21 he promised that God will provide streams in the desert for His fleeing people who become flaming evangels of the redemption of Israel. The oracle closes with this terrific warning, "There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked."

As has been noted from time to time in this series of expositions, the prophets frequently impersonated either Jehovah the Father or Jehovah the Son. In the first sixteen verses of this chapter Isaiah impersonated the Son at His first coming. The reason for this interpretation is that, though the prophet used the personal pronouns, I, me, my, and mine, he, nor any other man, could do what is affirmed. A further examination of this passage shows that what is declared in this oracle is that which is accomplished by Messiah at His first coming. These facts may be seen by a careful study of the passage.

In verse 1 Messiah addresses the people of Israel who are come forth out of the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of Jehovah and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth. The lives of people must be correct and correspond with their profession. Israel's claiming to be of the holy city and at the same time not living in accordance with truth and righteousness does not make the people indeed and in truth children of God (vs. 2).

According to verse 3 the Messiah is the one who has spoken through the prophets of old and who has, when the time for the fulfillment of any specific prediction arrives, performed it suddenly. That the spirit of Christ was speaking through the Old Testament prophets is seen from I Peter 1:10-12.

Messiah has known all along the condition of Israel's heart--that she has been rebellious and stiff-necked (Isa. 48:4,5), even as Moses declared (Deut. 29:2-4). Knowing that the people would make false claims in regard to idols and their ability to foretell events, the Messiah, through the prophets, foretold the principal events of history so that there would be no excuse for any Israelite's saying that his idol had made these truths known.

In verse 6 we have this language: "Thou hast heard it; behold all this; and ye, will ye not declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, which thou hast not known." Israel has heard the messages of the prophets. Messiah calls her attention to this fact and asks her will she not declare it or confess it, that is, admit that it is He who has spoken truthfully and correctly through the prophets. The last statement of verse 6 reads as follows: "I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, which thou hast not known." The marginal reading of "I have showed" is "I show thee ..." The trend of thought demands our acceptance of the footnote rather than the text rendering. This fact is evident when one sees that Messiah, looking backward and having told what He has said in the past, now proposes to make new disclosures. He volunteers to tell them things that have never been known--things that have been hidden from the foundation of the world. The church and the Christian Dispensation were clearly revealed by the Old Testament prophets, but the details of the present spiritual and political setup of the age were indeed withheld from them. In other words, the new setup under the spiritual reign of King Messiah was not revealed to the Old Testament prophets; but when Messiah comes in fulfillment of this prophecy, He makes new disclosures of truth. In this connection one should study the article on the exposition of Matthew, chapter 13, for a fuller discussion on this point.

When Messiah appears in fulfillment of this prediction, He creates something new in the world. This is set forth in the following verse: "They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them." When one reads this verse in the light of its fulfillment in the New Testament, one immediately comes to the conclusion that this new thing which is created when Messiah comes is none other than the spiritual kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the church of God.

In verse 8 Messiah reverts to the theme which He mentions in verses 4 and 5, namely, that Israel has not had a heart receptive to the truth from the very beginning. "Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from of old thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou didst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb." Men can close their eyes, stop their ears, and harden their hearts against the truth. On the other hand, they can take an attitude that is favorable toward truth and can desire to know the will of God. "If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself" (John 7:17). "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6).

When Israel, according to this prediction, refuses to hear the Messiah upon His appearance in her midst, He has just cause to be angry and to blot her out of existence. But He refuses to do this and declares, "For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off (vs. 9).

Though Messiah does not cut off His beloved people because of their rejection of Him and His message, He holds on to them and will make them pass through the furnace of affliction and will refine them as silver is refined: "Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (vs. 10). In the past God has refined the nation, purging out the sinners and the wicked ones from her, but He has never subjected her to the purging process similar to that of refining silver. He does declare, however, that He will yet do this in the future. The furnace of affliction, where she will be refined, is none other than the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7), the time of Israel's affliction and trouble--the great Tribulation Period.

The speaker, King Messiah, declares, "I am he; I am the first, I also am the last" (vs. 12). Thus this one claims to be divine, God himself. He had no beginning; neither will He have any ending. In fact, He speaks of Himself, declaring, "I am he." He is the absolute, unchangeable One. (See Deut. 32:39.) Moreover, according to verse 13, Messiah is the one who laid the foundation of the earth and whose right hand has spread abroad the heavens. When He finished creation, He did not turn His back upon it, but has complete control and authority over the entire universe. Hence He declares, "When I call unto them they stand up together." In this sentence the various constellations and planets are thought of as soldiers. Messiah assumes the attitude of a general toward them. Thus when He issues His orders, everything in the universe stands at attention, listening to His commands.

Messiah then, in verse 14, calls for an ideal assembly of the peoples of earth and asks, "Who among them hath declared these things?" There is no one who can answer or take up the challenge thrown out by this question. Continuing the Messiah declares, "He whom Jehovah loveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans." He is the one whom Jehovah in heaven loves. Thus He states that He will perform His pleasure on Babylon.

Verse 15 is somewhat difficult of interpretation: "I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous." Who is the speaker in this verse? Is it Messiah? If so, who is referred to by the pronouns he and him? The most probable interpretation of this difficult verse is the following: In the midst of Messiah's declaration regarding His performing the pleasure of the Almighty against the Chaldeans, God the Father speaks from heaven, showing His sanction and approval of all that Messiah does and says. Such a sudden and dramatic interruption in the speech may be illustrated by the baptismal scene of the Lord Jesus Christ. After Jesus was baptized and was coming up out of the water, the heavens were opened and a voice from God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (See Matt. 3:13-17.) Anyone can understand this dramatic interruption on the part of the Father. For one to understand that Isaiah 48:15 is a similar situation is to unlock the door to the prophecy. When Messiah speaks in the latter part of verse 14, stating that He has appeared to perform the Almighty's pleasure against the Babylonians, then the voice from heaven chimes in saying, "I, even I, have spoken ..." The I in this passage therefore is none other than God the Father, who assures the world that He has brought the Messiah forth and that He, Messiah, shall make His own way prosperous--under the blessing and guidance of God the Father.

The prophet closes his impersonation of King Messiah with these words: "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit." (Isa. 48:16).

Thus Messiah invites the people of Israel to come near to Him and to listen to His message, which is that He has not spoken in secret at any time, when He was inspiring the prophets. He has been present in the minds and hearts of the prophets from of old and has been speaking through them. He then concludes by stating that "... and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit." Messiah therefore, when He comes in fulfillment of this prediction, tells the people that God the Father has sent Him, the Son--the Messiah--and also the Holy Spirit. Here is the clear, plain teaching concerning the Holy Trinity. There is but one Divine Being or essence, which is God, but there are three personalities subsisting in this one divine essence.
 

A Message to Israel from Her Rejected Messiah

With verse 16 the prophet ceased his impersonation. His doing this might be interpreted as a prophecy that when Messiah comes in fulfillment of this prediction, He will disappear from the scene of action. When one studies the whole case in the light of the actual fulfillment, one sees that, when Messiah did come in fulfillment of this prediction and did accomplish His life's work, He disappeared from earthly scenes, ascending to the right hand of God the Father on high.

Following the impersonation, the prophet changed his form of address and presented himself to his audience as an ambassador of the rejected Messiah, who has disappeared. Then speaking for Him, Israel's Redeemer and Holy One, he declared, "I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me." As the representative of the rejected and departed Messiah, the prophet quoting Him said, "Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! ..." This is an expression of regret that Israel had not accepted Him when He came. If she had done so, her peace would have flowed like a river and her righteousness would have been like the waves of the sea. In short, the history of the Jewish nation would have been entirely different from what it has been if she had accepted her Messiah when He appeared nineteen hundred years ago.


 

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