In order to take a picture that is clear and well defined, one must focus his camera properly. Otherwise the picture, photographically speaking, will be "fuzzy." The same principle obtains with reference to our obtaining a clear conception of many passages of scripture. Changing the figure from one of photography to that of portrait painting, I would say that we must view the portraits of the Scriptures from the proper perspectives, otherwise we lose materially in our evaluation of many passages of the Word. This principle is especially true with reference to the chapters which we are now to study, for there are four basic assumptions made by the prophet when he delivered this discourse. It is therefore necessary to call attention, in a brief manner, to these four lines of thought assumed by the prophet.

In the first place, the prophet kept the people of Israel upon the tiptoes of expectation, looking for Messiah's sudden appearance. This principle is clearly seen in the following quotation:

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living. Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah" (Ps. 27:13,14).

The goodness of Jehovah mentioned in this passage is His goodness embodied in His personal appearance. (Examine Exodus 32:12-34:9.) David therefore was buoyed up by the hope that Jehovah would appear during his own lifetime. In Psalm 37:7,9,34 David exhorted the people to "wait for Jehovah." The waiting here is, as we see from a study of the entire psalm, waiting for His personal appearance upon earth to establish His kingdom of glory. When the Lord announced to Hezekiah that he was to get his affairs in order because of his having to die, the king complained, "I shall not see Jehovah, even Jehovah in the land of the living." From this language we see that Hezekiah likewise was expecting Jehovah to appear in his lifetime.

The Lord thus kept Israel upon the alert looking forward to Messiah's appearance. He continued to act upon this principle until He gave the revelation found in Daniel, chapter 9. In this oracle it was disclosed that the Messiah would be cut off--executed for the sins of the world--sixty-nine weeks of years, 483 years, after the issuing of the decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after Babylonian captivity (for full discussion of this question see my volume, Messiah: His First Coming Scheduled). Since, however, the prophet did not reveal Messiah's age at the time of His execution, the people who lived after Daniel gave this revelation would not know at what time Messiah would be born. His appearance upon earth therefore was still unrevealed. Thus from that time on the people of Israel were still waiting anxiously the birth and appearance of King Messiah.

A second proposition assumed by Isaiah in the sermon which we are studying was the existence of the Church Age. An examination of a number of Old Testament passages shows that the prophets clearly revealed, during Old Testament times, the entire redemptive career of King Messiah consisting of His first coming, His being rejected, His ascension to the right hand of the throne of God, His session there during the present age, His return to this earth at the conclusion of this age, and His reign upon the earth during the Kingdom Age. This entire redemptive career was set forth by King David in Psalm 110:1,2:

"Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."

Speaking dramatically, I would say that when the curtain rises in Psalm 110, the scene is laid in Jerusalem. Messiah is present and the leaders, backed up by the populace, are hostile to Him. When they take this attitude, God in heaven invites Him to leave earth, to sit, at His right hand, and to remain there until the Almighty puts Messiah's enemies under His feet. When this time arrives, the Jewish people who are hostile to Him at His first coming enthusiastically welcome Him. At His second coming He mounts the throne of David and reigns in Jerusalem during the Kingdom Age. The period between the two comings here foretold, during which Messiah is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, is unquestionably the present Christian Dispensation.

Again we see that the present age was clearly foretold by Isaiah in 61:1-3: "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to build up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified."

In verse 1 the prophet foretold the personal ministry of the Messiah at His first coming. When He appears in fulfillment of this prediction, He proclaims "the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God." The day of vengeance is unquestionably the great Tribulation, a period of seven years. Since the prophet compared the Tribulation to a day, and since he spoke of the present age of Jehovah's favor as a year, we are logical in assuming that an approximate ratio exists between the period of Jehovah's favor and that of His vengeance which obtains between a year and a day. This position is unassailable. At the conclusion of the day of vengeance, Messiah appoints those that mourn in Zion--the converted remnant of Israel--to positions of authority in His kingdom. Thus from these two passages, and from many others that could be mentioned, one sees that the Christian Dispensation was clearly outlined in the Old Testament.

The third assumption of the Prophet Isaiah was that the people constituting his audience understood, at least in a limited way, that there would be a group of people, largely of Gentile origin, who would be servants of God during this Christian Era. In fact, Moses foretold the church:

"They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God;
They have provoked me to anger with their vanities:
And I will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation" (Deut. 32:21).

Isaiah likewise spoke of the church in 65:1: "I am enquired of by them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name." That I am correct in thus interpreting these passages as referring to the body of believers of the present time is seen by the further fact that Paul, in Romans 10:19,20, quoted these two passages and applied them to the body of believers today. These facts show that the prophets of the Old Testament did foresee and did speak of the believers, of the present age.

Further confirmation of this position is seen in the statement made by the Apostle Peter in Acts 3:24: "Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days." From this quotation we see that the Old Testament prophets, from Samuel onward, spoke of "these days," the Christian Dispensation. They spoke therefore of these days and the present spiritual setup. Peter was careful to say that they spoke of these things, but refrained from saying that all of them wrote or recorded all of their messages pertaining to this subject. Doubtless there were many discourses delivered by the prophets, in the power of the Holy Spirit, which they did not record. Such is the necessary inference to be drawn from Acts 3:24.

Again, the Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 3:1-6, informs us that the church was made known to former generations but not with the same degree of clarity and fullness of details as it has been revealed in the present dispensation to the Apostles and prophets. Moreover, the Apostle Peter, in I Peter 1:10-12, declared that the prophets foretold the grace that should come unto us during this present Christian Age. It was revealed to them that they were ministering unto us and not unto themselves in their foretelling the grace that is offered to and extended to all peoples now. The facts that were withheld from them were "what time or what manner of time"--the spiritual setup--of the present era. These references and others that could be given show clearly that the prophets foresaw the body of believers of the present era.

Moreover, the prophets saw the rapture of the church of the present day. This fact is seen in Paul's quoting Isaiah 25:8 in I Corinthians 15:54 and in his declaring that Isaiah's prediction was fulfilled in the rapture. Furthermore, Hosea (chap. 13. vss. 13,14) likewise foretold the rapture, as we see in I Corinthians 15:55.

Another basic assumption of Isaiah in the chapters, which we are now studying, is the teaching and promises concerning the establishment of the kingdom of glory upon this earth under King Messiah. A good view of millennial Jerusalem and of Messiah's reign over a warless world are found in Isaiah 2:1-4 and in many, many other passages throughout the Prophets. In fact, they seemed to specialize upon predictions regarding the glorious reign of King Messiah.

If all the scriptures to which I have referred in this brief survey are studied carefully in the light of their contexts, one will see clearly that the Church Age, the church, and the rapture were revealed to the Old Testament prophets--but not with the same clarity and fullness of details as they are given in the New Testament. An examination of our present passage (Isa., chaps. 55,56,57) will show that there are echoes of these various teachings, just mentioned, throughout the prophet's discourse.

With the understanding that Isaiah assumed on the part of his audience a knowledge of the predictions regarding the matters discussed above, let us now look particularly at the time element of this discourse. In 56:1 we have this language: "Thus saith Jehovah, Keep ye justice, and do righteousness for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed." This verse must be studied in the light of other statements by our prophet. In this connection one should study carefully Isaiah 40:1-11. In 40:5 we see a prediction concerning the revealing of the glory of Jehovah and all flesh seeing it together. According to verses 9 and 10 of chapter 40 announcement is to be made to Israel that her God is coming and that His arm will rule for Him. In the light of all the facts of this context it becomes apparent that the prediction of the revealing of the glory of Jehovah pertains to the personal appearance of Jehovah who comes to rule and to reign and to bring salvation to His flock, those who trust Him. In Isaiah 46:12-13 is a prediction that God will bring His righteousness and His salvation near for Israel and that this salvation will be placed in Zion for Israel His glory. This passage becomes especially luminous in the light of Isaiah 59:20,21 which foretells the coming of the Redeemer to Zion and His delivering those who turn from ungodliness in Jacob. The righteousness and the salvation to be revealed according to Isaiah 56:1 appears in the person of Israel's righteous Messiah and Deliverer.

The exhortation of 56:1 that Israel should seek justice and do righteousness in view of the revelation of God's salvation and righteousness is an appeal for Israel to live up to all the light that she has in expectation of the sudden coming of her righteous Messiah, who reappears for her deliverance. This verse therefore is a prediction of the second appearance of King Messiah.

Another note of time is seen in 57:1,2: "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He entereth into peace; they rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness." According to this prediction the righteous are perishing from the earth, but no one is taking the situation seriously. Doubtless these righteous ones are dying off from natural causes and also from being persecuted. At the same time none are arising to take their places. Parallel with this thought and supplemental to it is the further prediction: "And merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." Let us remember that this portion of Isaiah is put in poetical form, the fundamental principle of which is "Hebrew parallelism." Merciful, good men are taken away from the earth. What is the significance of this expression? It seems to be a reference to the rapture of the righteous, merciful people of God. Since Isaiah foretold the rapture, as we have already seen, and since he declared that these merciful men are taken away from the evil (the judgments of God in the Tribulation) to come, we must understand this as a reference to the rapture of the saints, the church of God. This conviction is confirmed by New Testament teachings. For instance, after Paul foretold the rapture of the church (I Thess. 4:13-18), he told the Christians that they were not in darkness that the day of the Lord (the Tribulation) should come upon them. Moreover, he urged them to live as children of light, because God has not appointed us "unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." The "wrath" mentioned here can be nothing other than the wrath of God to be poured out in the form of judgments during the Tribulation. Christians then are delivered from the wrath to come.

From the facts thus far presented we can see that Isaiah was transported across the centuries by the Spirit of God and spoke to his brethren according to the flesh in the end of this dispensation and called them to repentance in view of the removal of the church from all earthly scenes and the impending judgments of the wrath to come.

The Gospel of the Grace of God