A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 48: The Furnace of Affliction

A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 48: The Furnace of Affliction

Discussing the Visions of Babylon in our last presentation in Isaiah we had made several assertions concerning the interpretation of prophecy. The Bible offers us very little direct instruction in this area, outside of the examples which are found in the interpretations of the prophets in the words of Christ and the writings of His apostles. Therefore, I can only offer my own opinion, and attempt to explain my own methods. But as I have also tried to warn, attempts to determine the course of future events from prophecies of events which may or may not have already been fulfilled in the past is in itself a form of idolatry, especially if they are used to develop concrete expectations, which, in turn, may even become points of doctrine. That is because men having such expectations may plan and build their lives around them, and if the expected events do not come to pass, or at least, if they do not happen as expected, then those men have labored in vain. We should not want to cause any of our brethren to labor in vain, even if vanity is ultimately inevitable, to one degree or another and in one aspect of life or another.

However the truth of the assertion that there are prophecies in scripture which have more than one fulfillment is indeed demonstrable in may ways even if, lacking a full knowledge of history, we may not be able to determine every one of the precise details by which certain prophecies have already been fulfilled. So while there are always some things to which we may remain blind, because our knowledge of the remote past is not perfect or complete, there are also other things that we may see clearly with what knowledge which we do have of the past, and know how certain prophecies had been fulfilled.

In our immediate context here in Isaiah, I say this in regard to Isaiah chapter 47 and his vision of the fall of Babylon, it is certain that Isaiah’s prophecy would have forebode the fall of ancient Babylon for those fortunate enough to have read Isaiah during the time when the Babylonians had actually ruled over the surrounding nations. However the actual fall of the ancient city of Babylon bears very little resemblance to many of the descriptions in the prophecy of its fall in Isaiah chapter 47, and for that reason there must be another far-vision fulfillment which Yahweh God had been illustrating in the words of the prophet, using ancient Babylon as a prophetic type, because we cannot imagine that the Word of Yahweh God is uttered in vain. However in this instance we have concrete assurance that there is a far-vision fulfillment, because in His Revelation, Yahshua Christ Himself had echoed many of Isaiah’s oracles in His prophecy of the fall of Mystery Babylon. Therefore in our commentary on that chapter of Isaiah, we had several significant points of comparison with the prophecy of Revelation chapter 18.

This method whereby it may be determined that unfilled portions of prophecy point to a later, far-vision fulfillment is not without a clear precedent in Isaiah. So for example, in Isaiah chapter 7 it is recorded that the prophet had met with Ahaz, king of Judah, and assured him that his enemies, who had vexed him, would be destroyed, however Ahaz sought a sign for that promise. So Isaiah had responded, and said in part: “14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Then in Isaiah chapter 8, the prophet was told about a son whom he himself would have with a prophetess, a maiden or virgin in the custody of the temple, whom he was told to name Mahershalalhashbaz. So the child which the prophetess conceived from Isaiah was an immediate fulfillment of the sign that “a virgin shall conceive” which Ahaz was told he would receive. Then, after prophecies of the coming conquest of Damascus and Samaria, and an expression of the affliction which had already been suffered by the northern tribes of Israel at the hand of the Assyrians, in Isaiah chapter 9 the maiden prophetess must have given birth, where we read:

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

So in our commentary on that passage we wrote in part that:

… no man had ever fulfilled the words which describe this child, so while Mahershalalhashbaz was a sign for Ahaz and had also served in some aspects as a prophetic type for the Messiah, here we have an announcement of a child who would be the Messiah, and that could not be this child. So here it must be recognized, that while there were immediate fulfillments to many prophecies, even those fulfillments were often only symbols of the fulfillment of the greater promises which they included. Therefore while on the surface this chapter seems to announce the birth of Mahershalalhashbaz, that child did not save Judah, he had never ruled a kingdom, and this announcement must be a promise of a much greater child who would come at some time in the future. As we have also explained, some commentators claim that this chapter announces the birth of Hezekiah, but neither did Hezekiah fulfill any of the prophecies concerning this child, and according to the historical Scriptures, Hezekiah had been born about nine years before his father Ahaz had become king, where here at this point Ahaz has already been king for at least several years.

As for the examples of the apostles, in Matthew chapter 1 we find that the apostle understood a far-vision fulfillment of the words of Isaiah 7:14 where we read: “22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Now there is no record of the life of Mahershalalhashbaz but perhaps Ahaz, when the prophecy of his enemies, Rezin and Pekah, was fulfilled, really did understand that “God is with us”, which is the meaning of Emanuel.

Then, in addition to Matthew chapter 1, in words attributed to an angel who is portrayed as having spoken to the virgin Mary, in Luke chapter 1 we read:

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Therefore in Matthew, the prophecy resulting in the birth of Mahershalalhashbaz was interpreted as also having served as a far-vision prophecy of the birth of Christ, and in Luke, the declarations which had been made at the birth of Mahershalalhashbaz were also interpreted as a far-vision prophecy of Christ. There were near-vision fulfillments of these prophecies in Isaiah chapters 7 and 9, and the portions which were not fulfilled in the immediate life of Mahershalalhashbaz were indeed realized in the far-vision fulfillment with the birth of Christ. This is true in spite of the fact that, because of our incomplete knowledge of history, we know nothing further of the life of Mahershalalhashbaz. Perhaps we were not supposed to know anything of the fate of this child, because while he served as a sign of the immediate and temporal salvation of Ahaz and Judah, that temporal salvation was also just one step in the overall plan of Yahweh for the salvation of all of Israel through that Messiah which the circumstances of his birth had announced. This is something which we may one day even better explain: every step in Isaiah is a revelation in Yahweh’s plan of salvation for all of Israel, and each step is necessary in order to complete that journey, even if it was not given to Isaiah to describe the entire journey.

Surely we could write an article about all of the denominational Christians, as well as jews, who insist that Isaiah 9:6 was a prophecy of Hezekiah. But the sequence of events in Isaiah chapters 7, 8 and 9 clearly indicate its fulfillment in Mahershalalhashbaz. In 2 Kings chapter 16 and in 2 Chronicles chapter 28 we see that Ahaz had ruled for only 16 years, and in 2 Chronicles chapter 29 we read: “1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem.” So Hezekiah must have been born about nine years before his father Ahaz even become king. The same commentators attempt to overcome this because some words in the relevant portion of Isaiah chapter 9 are said to be in the past tense. However a prophetic past tense is employed quite frequently in Isaiah, to describe future events as if they had already occurred, and using that argument those commentators conveniently fail to make that general observation.

With this we hope to have established the reasoning and the scriptural support for this aspect of our method of interpreting prophecy, that portions of a prophecy left unfulfilled in any event which represents a near-vision fulfillment would indeed be fulfilled in a far-vision fulfillment, so that in one way or another, every Word of God shall be fulfilled. However we must be careful, because with an incomplete understanding of ancient history we may not understand all of the details of near-vision fulfillments. Some of the things which had been announced concerning the birth of Mahershalalhashbaz had a dual fulfillment, but others would apparently only be fulfilled in Christ, in a far-vision fulfillment. Although we know nothing of the life of Mahershalalhashbaz, we do know that he did not rule over Judah, because if he had fulfilled any of those or other statements in Isaiah 9:6-7, we should have seen that in history and Scripture.

Therefore, with this prophecy of the fall of Babylon here in these chapters of Isaiah, it is fair to imagine that when Mystery Babylon also falls, it may or may not repeat some of the same patterns by which ancient Babylon had fallen. However while some aspects shall repeat themselves, others may not, but those aspects of Isaiah’s words which were not true in relation to the fall of ancient Babylon certainly shall be true with the fall of Mystery Babylon, and some of those aspects were also repeated by Christ in His Revelation. There is always room for speculation, and a temptation to speculate, but we can never be absolutely certain of what the future shall bring.

Now, as we are about to move on to Isaiah chapter 48, we shall finally see the end of Isaiah’s prophecy of the fall of Babylon, which had actually begun back in chapter 43. So Babylon will be mentioned again later in this chapter, and with that it is evident that the things spoken to the remnant of the house of Jacob here seem to be as relevant to the far-vision fulfillment of the prophecy as they are to the near-vision fulfillment.

1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. 

This is not actually addressing all of the house of Jacob, but only those of the remnant of Judah, those of Israel who “are come forth out of the waters of Judah”. They had been offered comfort in Isaiah chapter 40, in the wake of the failed siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians, and in several ways they had been encouraged to acknowledge Yahweh their God, so they should have repented, seeing how the threat of the Assyrians had been removed in a rather miraculous manner. However there is no indication of their having repented, and the subsequent history of Jerusalem shows that they failed to repent. As Isaiah did not provide any immediate historical references in these last twenty-six chapters, by which we may know when the chapters were written relative to the failed siege, it is apparent here that in the aftermath of the siege the people were worshipping Yahweh, but as we also read here, their worship was “not in truth, nor in righteousness.” From the time of the siege, Hezekiah ruled for another fourteen or fifteen years, as we had read in Isaiah 38:5, and then his wicked son Manasseh ruled Judah for fifty-five years. But Isaiah, having begun his prophecy over forty years earlier, had very likely concluded his prophecy before the death of Hezekiah, as he had indicated in its opening verses. What follows is certainly speaking of the time of the rule of Hezekiah, even if the people were not wholly righteous:

2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name. 

As we have often discussed in this commentary on Isaiah, it has been evident since chapter 6 that the people of Judah would be purposely blinded by God “11 … Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.” That would, of course, include Jerusalem itself, which was also a part of the vineyard of Yahweh which He would destroy, as it is prophesied in Isaiah chapter 5.

Being blinded, it is inevitable that the people would not worship Yahweh in truth or righteousness, and we should see parallels with apostate Christians throughout history. So in Isaiah chapter 29, in reference to the same remnant at Jerusalem, we read: “13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”

Much later, in the ministry of Christ as it is recorded in Matthew chapter 15, Christ Himself had said in reference to the people of Jerusalem: “7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” So the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 29 had a far-vision fulfillment in the time of Christ, and we would also make the assertion that the redemption which is in Christ is the “marvelous work and wonder” which Yahweh had said that He would perform in Isaiah chapter 29. As Paul of Tarsus had also said in reference to Christ, in his first epistle to the Corinthians: “ 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Making that statement, Paul had declared the wisdom of the wise to have perished in Christ, in a far-vision fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 29 which basically agrees that Christ must have been the the “marvelous work and wonder” of that same prophecy.

Now the Test of God which was first described in Isaiah chapter 41 is evoked once again:

3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. 

As we have explained on several occasions earlier in this commentary on Isaiah, there are sufficient near-vision prophecies which had been made by the prophet and which had been fulfilled in due time, as he had indicated that they would be fulfilled. Most notable among these was the prophecy of the birth of Mahershalalhashbaz as a sign that the prophecy to Ahaz concerning the deaths of Rezin king of Damascus and Pekah king of Israel would be fulfilled. In relation to Mahershalalhashbaz, the child who had not yet even been conceived at that point in Isaiah chapter 7, we read: “16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.” This came true within a couple of years, at a time when the child could barely have been weaned.

But in that same chapter, which records events which had occurred while Ahaz was king, and some years before the destruction of Samaria by the Assyrians, Isaiah had also said “8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.” Now about thirty years later, Samaria was gone, most of Ephraim was in Assyrian captivity, and all those of Judah who were able to hear or to read Isaiah should have known that God is true, thereby knowing the truth of the words of the challenge which is issued here. Now it is repeated, along with a reason explaining the need for the repetition:

4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; 5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. 

As the Greek poets often portrayed, the ancients certainly did attribute miracles to their many idols. Then even today, for example, there is a Roman Catholic website called Pray More Novenas that has an article titled Patron Saints of Healing which says “These ten saints will pray for your healing from many common ailments”, as if dead men and women can hear and pray for us any better than idols of wood, plaster or bronze. So in the Christian era, idolatry has changed in appearance, but not at all in substance. The ancient Greeks had attributed the same abilities to their gods. Yet there is not one single instance in Scripture where the dead hear and pray for the living.

There is also a parallel to the Test of God, and the idolatry of those who reject it, which is found in the ministry of Christ. This is found in Luke chapter 7, where we see that John the Baptist had sent his disciples to Christ, to ask Him if He was truly the promised Messiah: “18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

In Isaiah chapter 29, in that very same place where Yahweh had promised to “do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid”, which is a passage that Christ had cited in reference to Himself, and which Paul had later cited in reference to Christ, we also read: “18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” For reason of this and other similar prophecies in Isaiah (i.e. 35:6 and 42:18) the disciples of John had their answer, that Yahshua truly was the Messiah, because He had been doing those things, as they had also been instructed to inform John.

At the time of Christ, this is the “signs of the times” which the Pharisees and scribes also should have been able to comprehend, where we read in Matthew chapter 16: “1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” If they had read and believed Isaiah, when they saw the miracles performed by Christ they should have known to believe Him, as He often also had told them, for example in John chapter 10: “25 … the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.”

Yet even when they perceived the works of Christ, the very works which Isaiah had written that the Savior of Israel would do, the Pharisees had betrayed their own idolatry, where in Matthew chapter 12 we read: “24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” If the Pharisees professed that Christ cast out demons by Beelzebub, then the Pharisees themselves must have believed that such things could have been done in the name of the idol, and therefore simply by believing that, they themselves were the idolaters. For that reason and others, they failed the Test of God, not having acknowledged the works prophesied of the Savior of Israel, but attributing them to idols when they could not deny the miracles, they indirectly admit what we see in this verse of Isaiah, that: “Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.” Therefore in the ministry of Christ we see an explicit fulfillment of the words of this passage.

Continuing to speak of the obstinacy of the people of his own time:

6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. 7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. 

The people of Isaiah’s time did not see the ministry of Christ, but as we have said, they had many other prophecies in Isaiah which had been fulfilled almost immediately, relatively speaking, such as the destruction of Rezin and Pekah, and the miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army as Yahweh had fulfilled His promise to defend Jerusalem “as birds flying”. Although there were prophecies of Israel going into captivity as early as the writings of Moses, for example where Balaam is recorded as having said that “22 Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive”, in Numbers chapter 24, most of these things were new things, which certainly could not have been foreseen by idols, and therefore the people of Jerusalem could not have attributed them to their idols. Now the chastisement continues:

8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb. 

The word for transgressor, פשׁע or pasha (# 6586) is to rebel or transgress. Here it could possibly be an allusion to the name יצחק or Jacob (# 3290), which apparently means supplanter. However the children of Israel are described throughout the books of Moses as having always been rebellious, for example where Moses had told them in Deuteronomy chapter 9: “24 Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.” Then in Deuteronomy chapter 31, just before his death: “27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?”

But the more relevant reference may be found in the opening verses of Isaiah chapter 1: “2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.”

9 For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. 

In 1 Samuel chapter 12 we read: “22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” Then, speaking of that same affliction in the 79th Psalm, but in the more immediate context of the conquest of Judah by the Babylonians: “7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. 8 O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. 9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.”

But speaking of the rebellious nature of the children of Israel, in the 106th Psalm, attributed to David, we read: “7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. 8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.” So shall Yahweh save Israel again, for His Name’s sake, on account of the promises which He had made to the fathers. If Yahweh does not keep the promises which He had made to the fathers, then His name is diminished. But His name shall be glorified all the more in their keeping.

10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. 

In this verse the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible following the scroll designated 1QIsa^a has purified rather than chosen, where the Septuagint has a word which means delivered. Either of these makes better sense theologically than the term for chosen, since Israel was chosen long before they had suffered any actual affliction, which is evident in the promises made to the fathers. But the Septuagint has the first part of the verse to say, in part, “I have sold thee”, which is contrary to other statements in Isaiah, such as at Isaiah 50:1 where we read in part “to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves” or Isaiah 52:3 where it says “ Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.” So we cannot accept the Septuagint reading here, although unfortunately, the surviving fragments of this chapter are wanting any mention of this verse in the Hexapla of Origen.

This “furnace of affliction” is primarily a reference to the captivity of Egypt, for which we read in Deuteronomy chapter 26, where Yahweh instructs Moses to speak to the children of Israel and say: “5 And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: 6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: 7 And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: 8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: 9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.” That affliction was forewarned to Abraham in Genesis chapter 15.

However the affliction never ended, on account of the disobedience of the children of Israel in the land of Canaan, for which reason we read, in 2 Samuel chapter 7 in the words of the prophet Nathan, speaking to David: “10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime …” Here in Isaiah, it should be evident, as we hope to discuss once again in the later chapters of this commentary, that the relocation of the children of Israel to this new place was facilitated from the time of the Assyrian deportations.

So in the words of the prophet Nahum, in a burden against Nineveh, the Word of Yahweh addressed the children of Israel in Nahum chapter 1 and said: “ 12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.” Then, speaking of a much later time, which is the day that Yahweh finally regathers Israel from captivity, we read in Zephaniah chapter 3: “18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. 19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. 20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.”

So with this, we would contend that the children of Israel had remained in the “furnace of affliction”, and that they shall not be saved from affliction until that day when Mystery Babylon falls, and Christ regathers His people. Apparently, it is for that reason we now see further language here which had also been cited by Christ in His Revelation:

11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. 12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. 

In Revelation chapter 1 the apostle John portrayed Yahshua Christ as having declared of Himself that: “8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Then a little further on, John attests that: “ 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.” Christ, being Yahweh God incarnate, is also the first and the last, the words by which Yahweh had described Himself here in Isaiah. In Revelation chapter 21, Yahshua Christ had repeated the assertion, and then once more in Revelation chapter 22 where He said: “12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” As Yahweh had attested here, “I will not give My glory to another”, so He Himself was incarnate in Yahshua Christ.

Now the God of Israel attests to having created the earth:

13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. 

While earth in these passages is not necessarily a reference to the entire planet, as the word ארץ or erets (# 776) simply means land, it should not be necessary to say that Yahweh had created that also. But He is also Yahshua Christ, as He was manifested in the flesh, and therefore Paul of Tarsus had attested that all things were created through Him, for example in Colossians chapter 1 where he had spoken of Christ: “14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” The apostles would never have believed that Christ was a person distinct from Yahweh God, and there is no separating God from Christ. All attempts to do so are merely attempts to give His enemies some form of legitimacy, which they do not deserve. 

Now in a note which concerns verses 12 through 16 of this chapter, in the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible we read: “There are many minor variants between the scrolls and the Masoretic Text in the following passage. Many are probably inadvertent changes or misreadings, but the meaning is sometimes noticeably affected.”

14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. 

As we have explained earlier in this commentary, perhaps in several places, at the time of Sennacherib, which is where we remain in the ministry and life of Isaiah throughout the balance of this book, the Assyrian empire was at the height of its power, and ruled over Babylon. Although Babylon frequently revolted, its revolts would not be successful for about another eighty years, in the rule of Nabopolassar, the father and predecessor of Nebuchadnezzar II. So perhaps at this time Isaiah’s readers may have marvelled as to why the prophet spoke of Babylon in these terms, rather than of Assyria, and once again we may see that the prophet is prophesying the rise of Babylon as an empire, without stating that explicitly. But of course he had done that much earlier, in Isaiah chapters 13 and 14.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible has verse 14 to read: “Let all of them assemble and listen. Who is there among them that should declare these things? The LORD loves me, and he will accomplish my purpose against Babylon, its army the Chaldeans.” This is the only verse in the five verses of the passage that seems to change significantly on account of the differences, whereby it is more clear that Yahweh is calling the heavens to assemble and listen, and in reference to the heavens He asks “Who is there among them that should declare these things?”

In the final clause of this same verse in the Septuagint, it has “to abolish the seed of the Chaldaeans”, as Brenton has it. That certainly did not happen in the days of Cyrus, in the near-vision fulfillment of this prophecy.

Perhaps in the near-vision this may be a further allusion to Cyrus, king of Persia, who did make declarations which enabled the building of the second temple and ultimately, the coming of the Redeemer of Israel, Yahshua Christ. But on the other hand, perhaps this is also more relevant to the far-vision, in which it is symbolic that Yahshua Christ, who was “born from above” and who had declared these things, shall ultimately accomplish His purpose against Babylon and the Chaldeans, who may be a prophetic type here for all of the enemies of God in the end of days.

15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. 

This also may describe Cyrus, where we read in Isaiah chapters 44 and 45 the following: “44:28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”

So even if the fall of Babylon as it is described in Isaiah chapter 47 is more relevant to a far-vision fulfillment, this portion is seemingly just as relevant to a near-vision fulfillment, and that is the only way in which it would have been interpreted in the century following the time when this was written. So men of the time of Daniel, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah and Ezra would have looked back and known that these words were true. Now Yahweh addresses them, as well as their contemporaries, however where the pronouns apparently change from the 3rd person to the 1st person, it seems that there is greater relevance for a far-vision fulfillment, because it is unlikely that Cyrus could have imagined this statement, or claimed that “from the time that it was, there am I”:

16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. 

However Yahshua Christ, who is Yahweh God incarnate, certainly can say that “from the time that it was, there am I” and “the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.”

The fact that many near-vision prophecies had been fulfilled in history shortly after they were given, and the fact that there are sufficient far-vision prophecies which have been fulfilled in the course of history, is for us a sufficient assurance that the balance of prophecies which are not yet fulfilled, certainly shall be fulfilled in due time.

So now Yahweh once again admonishes those reading or hearing this prophecy concerning His ultimate purpose:

17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. 

The opening verses of the 23rd Psalm are appropriate here: “1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [the furnace of affliction] I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Now there is another plea, which Yahshua Christ had also made to His disciples:

18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: 

In the second temple period, the Sinai covenant was already broken, as it was announced in the words of Zechariah, who was a second temple prophet, in chapter 11 of his prophecy: “10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.” So in the meantime, and until the coming of Christ, there was no longer any propitiation for sin in all of Israel. The Israelites in the Assyrian deportations had no propitiation, and the Israelites of Judaea in the second temple had no propitiation, because even if they had kept the sacrifices and the law, there was no ark of the covenant and no mercy seat upon which to pour the blood required by the law for a propitiation for sin under the law.

Therefore from that time, Christ would be the only propitiation for sin for all of Israel, but He nevertheless requires the keeping of His commandments, as we read in John chapter 14: “15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Then in chapter 15: “10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” Then, among other places, in Revelation chapter 22: “14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” This is what it means in Isaiah chapter 45, where the Word of Yahweh had said: “23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

The ancient children of Israel were promised prosperity if they kept the commandments of God, so now we read:

19 Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me. 

In Deuteronomy chapter 4 we read: “40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.” Likewise, in the 103rd Psalm, attributed to David: “17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; 18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.”

Now the children of Israel are given an admonishment, in spite of the fact that they had not kept the commandments of God:

20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob. 

Those who departed from Babylon to return to Jerusalem in the days of Cyrus and Zerubbabel were only about 42,000, plus their servants, and in another prophecy found in Isaiah chapter 6, we had interpreted this to represent the fact that about a tenth of the people of Judah in Babylonian captivity had returned. The histories of Flavius Josephus seem to support that interpretation, where he describes the great number of those who had remained behind in Babylon.

So the people of the Babylonian captivity seem not to have fled from the Chaldaeans, at least in any great numbers, and even in the New Testament it is implied that there are a significant number of Judaeans who had remained there, in both Acts chapter 2 and in Peter’s later presence in Babylon, which is recorded in the closing salutation of his first epistle.

But perhaps this prophecy is more relevant to a far-vision fulfillment, in which the admonishment to “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans” is repeated in the words of Revelation chapter 18 where after the fall of Mystery Babylon there is the cry to “4 … Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” In that case, the Chaldaeans here would be a prophetic type for all of the enemies of God who come to occupy Mystery Babylon, described in that same place in the Revelation where we read that “2 … Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” Ostensibly, the redemption of the children of Israel is not fully complete until that time, and the time of the subsequent Wedding Supper of the Lamb described in Revelation chapter 19.

So now, there is yet another reference to the continued rebellion of the children of Israel, in a reference to the rebellion of their fathers who had been in the Exodus with Moses:

21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out. 

From that time, on account of their disobedience, the children of Israel were destined to remain in the “furnace of affliction” which we have described, and they shall apparently not be released from that affliction until the return of Christ. For that Paul of Tarsus had written in 2 Corinthians chapter 4: “17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”.

The apostle James wrote similarly, in chapter 5 of his epistle: “8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful [has much pity], and of tender mercy.”

But while Paul and James mentioned affliction, Peter had also evoked the analogy of a furnace in chapter 4 of his first epistle where he was addressing contemporary Christians and we read: “12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

Of course, we also may have comfort in Christ, and joy in our afflictions, and find peace in that comfort, but as the chapter concludes, there is a warning to the disobedient:

22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. 

Having spoken of those fiery trials, in chapter 5 of his epistle Peter warned the elders of the churches to whom he had written to feed the flocks of God with constraint and humility, and not for mammon, admonishing them to “ 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” So Peter was indeed speaking of that same furnace of affliction in which all of the children of Israel are being tried throughout this entire age.

With all of our modern comforts and conveniences, we too easily forget that Christians should expect to suffer afflictions in this world. The more we cling to Christ, the more affliction we may suffer. If we do not suffer affliction, perhaps we should praise Yahweh for His mercy upon us, but we should expect affliction even when it does not come, and perhaps that keeps us humble.

This concludes our commentary through Isaiah chapter 48.