When anyone studies the messages of the prophets, he must ask himself this question relative to any given passage if the personal pronouns, first person, are used: "Speaketh the prophet this of himself, or of another?" In the first three verses of this prophecy the speaker uses the personal pronoun me. Was Isaiah speaking of something that he had done or would do? Or was he impersonating another? When this passage is read carefully and each word is allowed to give forth its primary, ordinary, usual meaning, one sees that Isaiah could not perform the things foretold in the passage. In view of this fact we therefore conclude that he was not speaking of himself but of another.

Of whom then was he speaking? The answer is that he was impersonating the one who redeems mankind from the curse, and who establishes a reign of righteousness upon the earth. In other words, he was speaking for the Messiah. This truth we learn when we compare this passage with related ones.

When we recognize that the prophet was speaking for King Messiah, who is none other than God who enters the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth, we here see clearly the Trinity. The expression, "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah," is a reference to the Holy Spirit. The Jehovah mentioned in the clause, "... because Jehovah hath anointed me ...," refers to God the Father. Since the prophet was impersonating King Messiah, we see that the three persons of the Godhead appear in this passage--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Moses and the prophets were all Trinitarians. So were the Jews, until the first part of the second century of the Christian era. At that time the prophetic word which set forth the doctrine of the Holy Trinity was pressed upon the Jewish people with such telling effect by the ministers of the gospel that they turned from the normal, natural meaning of the words and accepted an interpretation of the same foreign to the plain sense and forced upon the Scriptures a teaching that Moses and the prophets never intended. From the second century and onward Israel has held to the unitarian belief. Not until the Hebrew people can be shown from their own Scriptures the true teaching of the Trinity, can they be given the gospel in its fullness as we see it set forth in the New Testament. For instance, Moses called Israel's attention to the fact that Jehovah was a Trinity. In her Great Confession we read, "Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our Gods is Jehovah a unity" (lit. trans., Deut. 6:4). This passage echoes the doctrine of the Trinity and at the same time asserts the unity of the divine personalities constituting the one true God. "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound" (Isa. 61:1).

According to this prediction Messiah, when He appears, will engage in a spiritual work of proclaiming the truth of God to the meek and lowly of earth. It is clear that He does not consume His time with those who are of themselves sufficient. On the contrary He devotes His entire ministry to those who realize their need.

After preaching the truth to the meek, He binds up "the broken-hearted." Who are the broken-hearted? Here the prophet thinks of unregenerated, lost sinners in terms of broken pottery, which is mended and made whole again. The Messiah, according to this prediction, will proclaim the gospel when He appears upon earth for the first time and those who accept Him, He will regenerate and save.

Those whom He saves, He liberates from bad habits and practices, for He proclaims "liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." Since the prophet is speaking of a spiritual ministry, it is clear that the liberating of these captives is a spiritual work.

Not only, according to this prediction, will the Messiah proclaim the truth of God to the meek, regenerate those who accept Him, and bring them out into the liberty wherewith He makes them free, but He announces ahead of time, "the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God." The question arises, What is meant by "the year of Jehovah's favor"? What is indicated by "the day of vengeance of our God?" When we compare this latter expression with related passages, we see that the day of vengeance of our God is none other than the Tribulation Period, which follows the present Christian Dispensation, and which is seven years in duration. During this future time, God will pour out His judgments upon the world, will purge all sinners out of it, and punish the world for its wickedness and sin. The prophet in his statement compared this period of seven years to one day. That which precedes it he thinks of as a year--a year of Jehovah's favor. If the period of seven years is thought of as a day, that which is represented by a year is approximately as much greater than the seven years as a year is greater than a day. We are logical in concluding that a like proportion exists between these periods which obtains between a year and a day. What period then is here represented by the year of Jehovah's favor? The answer comes immediately to the mind of everyone who knows the Scriptures that it can be nothing but the Christian Dispensation, which was introduced by our Lord at His first coming. As we have just seen from the first verse of this prophecy, Isaiah was impersonating Messiah when He would appear upon the earth the first time to begin His redemptive work.

The Christian Dispensation is undoubtedly the time during which God is extending His mercy, not only to Israel, but also to all the world. He is extending grace as He never has before and never will after this dispensation closes. Since this age is characterized by grace, it is spoken of in such terms.

From this passage we see that the Christian Dispensation was clearly foretold in the Old Testament. A glance at Isaiah 65:1 shows the same truth; for Paul, in Romans 10:19,20, quoted this passage and applied it to the believers of the present time.

As stated above, the day of vengeance of our God is the Tribulation Period, during which God pours out His judgments upon the world. Moses and the prophets unanimously speak of this Day of Wrath. It is usually called "the day of Jehovah." Isaiah speaks of it in 2:12ff. Zephaniah gives us a graphic account of it in chapter 1, verses 14-18, of his prophecy. Joel likewise speaks of it. A detailed statement of it is found in Revelation, chapters 6-19. At that time the Lord will purge out all the wicked from the earth and prepare for the coming Kingdom Age.

Messiah is anointed, not only to engage in His personal ministry and to foretell the day of Jehovah's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, but also to comfort those that mourn. The distress during the Tribulation will be on such a world-wide, global scale that suffering and misery will be seen in every nook and corner of the entire earth. But Messiah is anointed in order to bring the comfort and the relief that will be necessary.

Especially does Messiah say that He is appointed to comfort those that mourn in Zion and to give them a garland for ashes. The Jews in ancient times expressed their grief and sorrow, together with their deep contrition of heart and repentance of soul, by putting on sackcloth and ashes. In the Tribulation the power of the holy people will be broken (Dan. 12:7), and Israel will be trodden, figuratively speaking, down into the dust of the earth. She will, under those circumstances, be in need of all the comfort and consolation that can be given to mortal men. Messiah will do this for His beloved ancient people. That there will be a genuine turning to God on the part of the nation that is alive at the end of the Tribulation is confirmed by various passages of Scripture. For instance, in Zechariah 12:10ff, we see a graphic description of the universal repentance and mourning that will grip the nation at this future date. The people of Israel must be given the truth of the gospel that they may see and understand what is the cause of all their distress, namely, their rejection of King Messiah. Hosea, in a most vivid manner, enacted the role of Messiah and declared that on account of her sin He would rend the nation as a lion and as a young lion. He would go away, returning to His place, and remain there until the nation confesses its offense and seeks Him earnestly. (See Hosea 5:14-6:3.) This acknowledgment of guilt is given in full in Isaiah 53:1-9. In order for us to understand the message and to comprehend the spirit of the passage, we must recognize that this is the confession that the nation will make in the year 1946-plus. My reason for stating the proposition this way is that I do not know how many more years there will be until Israel will see her error, will confess her sin, and will accept her long-rejected Messiah.

When convicted Israel makes this confession and pleads for Messiah to return, He will do so and will give her "the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Then all her troubles will be a thing of the past.

God is working in history in order to bring His Chosen People to the point that they "may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah." A tree must first be made good in order that it might bear good fruit. The heart of man is corrupt above all things and is desperately wicked. Man must be regenerated by the power of the Spirit of God in order that he might bear the fruit of the Spirit and thus please God. The Lord is pleading with all to come to Him, to accept His salvation, and to allow the Holy Spirit to regenerate the heart so that they can bear fruits of righteousness.

When Israel thus accepts her Lord and is genuinely saved, God will, for the first time in all the history of the human race, be glorified. It is true that He has been glorified in the case of individuals here and there. But the vision of this passage looks forward to the time when all peoples, nations, tribes, and languages will glorify and honor God. Israel of course will give them the truth and will lead them to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus, the Hebrew Messiah.
 

Israel's Place in the Millennium