Dr. D.L. Cooper Commentary On Isaiah
Biblical Research Monthly-February 1946

A CALL TO ISRAEL TO REPENT
Chapters 55, 56 and 57

ISAIAH, chapters 55, 56, and 57 constitute a single discourse of the prophet. This being a fact, the material constituting these chapters should never have been divided into chapters as they are but should have remained a single literary division of the Book of Isaiah. One must therefore study these three chapters as a unit in order to see the force of each statement.

Focusing the Camera

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

In 55:1-3a we hear Isaiah preaching the gospel of the grace of God in vision to the Jews during the closing scenes of this age and the Tribulation. He sees the people running hither and thither expending their efforts and using their money for material things rather than the spiritual realities. He questions them and asks why they do this. That this is an offer of free grace is clear from the statement found in 55:3a: "Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live ..." The people are urged to incline their ear, open their hearts, give heed to the message in order that their souls might live. God has but one plan of redemption regardless of the age during which He is dealing with men. This scheme is salvation by grace through faith. It is not of works in order that no one should glory. Everyone who has ever been saved--in pre-Christian times--has been saved by the grace of God through faith. No law could be given whereby men might be made alive and justified. During the Millennial Age men will be saved in the same manner. Thus all of the redeemed, when all earthly affairs are wound up, will be able to sing of the matchless, wonderful grace of God.

The Sure Mercies of David

In Isaiah 55:3b-5 God promises to make with Israel an everlasting covenant. Following this promise He specifies what it is, namely, the mercies guaranteed to David (vs. 3). In order to understand this passage, one must study carefully II Samuel 7:1-17 and I Chronicles 17:1-15. One should also study II Samuel 23:1-7. These passages tell what was involved in the mercies guaranteed, or assured, to David. Upon a careful study of these passages we see that all promises connected with these passages center in the personal Messiah of Israel, who appeared historically as the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the plan of God, according to Isaiah 55:4, Israel's Messiah is to be the leader and the commander of the nations of the world. This thought is enlarged upon in various passages of the Psalms and the Prophets. According to the covenant into which God entered with Abraham, his descendants--the Jews--are to become the missionary nation of the world, calling all others and bringing them to a saving knowledge of the Messiah. This promise is reiterated in 55:5 in the following words: "Behold, thou shall call a nation that thou knowest not and a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel for he hath glorified thee." This promise is enlarged upon in numbers of scriptures. When Israel sees the truth, accepts the Lord Jesus Christ, confesses her national sin, and pleads for Him to return, He will do so. Then converted Israel will call all other peoples to the Lord Jesus Christ. The converted Gentiles here are spoken of in terms of a nation that knew not God.

A Call to Israel to Repent

In verses 6-9 the prophet, speaking for God, passionately appeals to the people of Israel to seek God while He may be found. The time when He may be found is the present. Of course, since the prophet was projected into the closing scenes of this age, the time when He can be found is the time of the preaching. God gives men and women ample opportunity to accept the truth. They can reject the message and refuse to see the light until the Lord causes darkness. (Cf. Jer. 13:15-17.) Men's ideas are not those of God. Men by their philosophy cannot find God. They are therefore by the prophet urged to lay aside their ideas and accept God's ways and His ideas for the latter are as high above their ideas as heavens are above the earth.

The Certainty and Fruitfulness of the Word of God

The Word of God is sure. It is pure--as silver refined seven times (Ps. 12). The Word of God is backed up by all the power of Omnipotence. The prophet, therefore, in 55:10-13 assured his auditors that the Word shall accomplish that whereunto God has sent it. He therefore sees the fulfillment of the various predictions concerning Israel's final deliverance, the lifting of the curse, and the establishment of a reign of righteousness upon the earth. These thoughts are especially apparent in verses 12-13. In connection with these promises see Isaiah 65:17-25.

Israel Exhorted to Ready for the Lord's Return

The prophet urges his auditors, according to 56:1,2, to live up to the light that they have and to practice the revelation which God gave to them through Moses. A person must be true to the light which He has in order to be prepared for further light that God is eager to give him. One must be true to his convictions. Cornelius was living up to all the light that he had, but was praying for more. The Lord therefore told him where he could receive further light, namely, by sending for the Apostle Peter who spoke to him words whereby he and his household were saved. Israel therefore is urged to be faithful and true to the light that she has. Since God deals with all people upon the same principle, we may be certain that God will give them further light when they walk in that which they have. God gives light to people by the preaching of the Word. It is our privilege and responsibility to give to the nation of Israel the message now in order that she may turn to Him who is the light of the world. In our doing this, we shall simply be taking up the work which Isaiah here presupposes will be done.

The Hope of the Foreigner and the Eunuch

In 56:3-8 God holds out special promises to both eunuchs and foreigners who join themselves unto the Lord. A man who is a eunuch, viewed from the natural standpoint, has an occasion to be discouraged and to lose all hope. On the contrary, the Lord urges them to take heart and to look forward to the great blessings, which He has for them in the future. In conveying to them some idea of the blessedness in store for them, He declared that he would give them a name that is far better than sons and daughters, "an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off." Moreover, He made special promises to the foreigners that join themselves unto Jehovah. These were known in New Testament days as proselytes. Solomon, at the dedication of the Temple, being led by the Spirit, showed that any Gentile who had a longing for Jehovah and who desired to do His will might become a proselyte to the Jewish faith and thus receive the blessings that come to true worshipers of God. Thus all foreigners who have joined themselves to the Jewish people with an idea of worshiping the true God are urged in these verses to observe the word, which they have, to live up to the light which they have received, and are assured that they will be acceptable to the Almighty.

In this connection the Lord promised that the Gentiles who thus join themselves to Israel shall worship in the great millennial Temple, which shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. In verse 8 the prophet makes the prediction that God will gather to Israel people other than
the Jews, who will worship and serve God acceptably.

We read of the black Jews of Abyssinia and of Chinese Jews. These people do not have Jewish features and it is evident that they are not Hebrews. Nevertheless, they adhere to the Jewish faith. Of course there are among them many perversions of the Mosaic ritual. Notwithstanding this fact, it is quite evident that they have the Mosaic Law in a corrupted form. Yet they are holding on faithfully to that which they have. It is to such people as these that Isaiah is here talking.

Israel's Pitiful Plight

In the paragraph consisting of 56:9-12 Israel is represented as a flock of sheep. The leaders are thought of as the watchmen, who are declared to be blind and to be without knowledge. Then, in the same breath, the prophet compares them to dumb dogs, that cannot bark and that lie around, dreaming and loving to slumber. There is therefore no one to take care of and to protect the flock. The prophet, seeing this situation, spoke to the beasts of the field and called them to come and to devour the nation. Beasts when used symbolically always signify civil governments. This position is seen in Daniel 7:1-14. The nations are therefore invited by the prophet to come and to destroy the flock of Israel. According to parallel passages the nations will, in the time of the end, come to devour Israel. At the conclusion of the Tribulation, all of the armies of the nations will be gathered together against Jerusalem to battle. But in the final crisis Jehovah, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, will come and bring the necessary deliverance.

In verses 11 and 12 of this passage the prophet further described the leaders of Israel, declaring that they are greedy dogs and can never get enough. He compared them to shepherds that could not understand and that turn aside always to their own interests. They constantly are seeking to engage in the gratification of their fleshly lusts. These are terrible indictments brought against the leaders of Israel. While this description does represent the leaders as a whole, we have reason to believe from other passages that there are or will be some notable exceptions to this rule.

If Isaiah were present today and were speaking to the professing church and the ministers of the Word, there is no doubt concerning his bringing even graver charges against them than he does against the Jewish leaders. Unfortunately, many ministers do not seem to realize the grave responsibilities which are resting upon them because of their position. Men who are called into the ministry should give themselves to their ministry, acting honestly and conscientiously before God all the time and working in the interest and behalf of the people to whom they minister.

The Disappearance of the Righteous from the Earth

As noted before, the disappearance of the righteous from the earth by natural as well as by foul methods, together with the removal of the church by the rapture, is set forth in 57:1,2. God has not ordained that His people who believe in Him should remain here and pass through the horrors of the great tribulation Period. In fact, He has appointed us not unto wrath but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. This vision therefore of the removal of the godly from the earth is set forth in this marvelous passage.

Idolatry of the End Time World-Wide

The prophet addressed those who are left in the world, after the removal of the church by means of the rapture, in verses 3-10. An examination of this paragraph reveals the fact that there will be worldwide idolatry in the period of the Tribulation. Man is incurably religious. If he cannot worship the true and living God, he will make a god for himself to worship, as the pagan world has done and continues to do. Thus when the true church is removed from the earth, men will not lay the situation to heart, but will create for themselves gods of their own imagination. This is the message set forth in verses 3-8. Confirmation of this position is likewise found in Isaiah 2:20-22. We see it again in Isaiah 17:7,8. That the prophet actually foretells the universality of idolatrous worship in the end time, as set forth by these passages, may be seen by an examination of Revelation 9:20,21: "And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk: and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." The passage in Revelation is descriptive of the world situation in the first half of the Tribulation. Men are bowing down to stocks and stones, worshiping gods of their own creation.

From other predictions, however, we learn that after the church is removed by the rapture, there will be an army of 144,000 Jewish evangelists--those to whom we are now giving the truth--who will arise, who will accept Christ after the Tribulation begins, and who will conduct the world-wide revival, by means of which multiplied hosts will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. They accept Him and come out of the great Tribulation. These facts are clearly seen in Revelation, chapter 7. When this chapter of the Apocalypse is viewed in the light of all the teaching of Revelation, it is seen that this company mentioned in Revelation, chapter 7, consists of those who accept the Lord Jesus during the first half of the Tribulation.

But in the, middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist, becoming jealous of the divine honors offered to the Deity, will demand that men and women shall no longer worship any god or goddess--not even the God of heaven. Moreover, he will issue an edict that all men must worship him. Thus idolatry--that, of worshiping the Antichrist, a man, will be brought into existence. This type of pagan worship will be the last and final attempt of man to worship others than the true God.

Idolatry is represented throughout the Old Testament under the imagery of adultery on the part of the unfaithful wife. Israel is represented likewise in the Old Testament as the wife of Jehovah. She has at various times played the harlot, going off after other gods. It is true that she was cured of gross idolatry at the time of the Babylonian captivity. Since then she has never engaged in idolatry, but she will, in the time of the Tribulation, along with other nations worship various gods, of their own manufacture. In the middle of the Tribulation, however, when the Antichrist demands that men worship him, Israel likewise will do so. This is set forth in Isaiah 57:9,10. The prophet thinks of Israel as a woman who prepares herself with all varieties of perfumes and oils and goes in to the king to commit adultery. When she engages in this worship of the king, the Antichrist, she feels a thrill of the quickening of her strength. This of course will come from satanic powers. But it will only be temporary. Sin always leaves a sting. Those of Israel who thus worship this false messiah will do it to their own hurt.



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