#5 - The Vision of All Things
Part I: Themes within Isaiah
Isaiah Unplugged Series
A journey into the study of Isaiah and understanding his prophesy, particularly as they relate to you and to me.
THEMES WITHIN ISAIAH
There are multiple themes in the prophesies of the last days, both in Isaiah’s writings as well as others. Isaiah presents several different patterns that will occur in our day based upon historical events in his day or before his time. He also uses various actors in his story to create archetypes of things to come.
There are many themes we could cover, and which you will discover as you study his writings, but we’ll focus only on three of those themes in the next three blog posts. These three themes focus on Isaiah’s words for us in our time and regarding our people and our nation. The first being what Isaiah predicts our spiritual state of being will be at the last days.
The Vision through Different Eyes
Though the wickedness of the world will help tip the scales toward the end-time calamities, the catalyst of the Lord’s anger will not be the wickedness of the world at large, but instead the wickedness of the covenant children of God. The world has always been wicked, and though it is becoming more grossly wicked every day, just like in the days of Noah before the flood, it is when the covenant people of God follow suit that the Lord’s ire is fully displayed. This is also what happened in the time of Noah. Except for Noah and the 8 members of his family saved, and those in the city of Zion, the entire population of the earth was drown. That included all those covenant individuals who rebelled against the Lord in his day.
God is looking for righteousness in our day, but he will not be able to find it. “When I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear; but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not” (Isaiah 66:4). Yes, there are scattered remnants if righteous people here and there, but the covenant body of self-proclaimed saints have stayed from him.
Upon My House
His anger will flow upon the entire world because those who should be closest to him forsake him. “Upon my house it shall begin,” the Lord forewarned the early saints of this dispensation. These were our ancestors. “First among those among you…who have professed to know my name and have not known me” (D&C 112:25-26). This is the same type of language Isaiah and Peter use in their revelations. Isaiah predicts that the covenant children of God will apostatize from him in our time just as they did in ancient times.
During the time of the ancient saints as Peter tried to guide these new Christian believers he and the other apostles saw the danger that was creeping into the churches. John wrote in the book of Revelation a dire warning to seven of the church of Christ. Peter also saw the iniquity rising in the church and gave forewarning to those early saints.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1 Peter 4:17-18
How much was Peter’s declaration to the early church also a forewarning to the end-days church? Isaiah surely saw this approaching division where the covenant people of God would turn away from their God. It is visible throughout his writings. He gave a parable regarding the house of Israel in the end-days, or the covenant people. Note the symbolism used in that parable and how it may represent aspects of our own church and covenant people today.
And then will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard.
My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill; and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes.
And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard; I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down; and I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant; and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
Isaiah 5:1-7
Isaiah linked the vineyard to the house of Israel and the “pleasant plants” to the people of Judah. This is a link we can use in the future throughout his writings, but it gives us specific detail of what the Lord is telling us. This is a parable specifically about the house of Israel and people of Judah. In our day today, that is a symbolism of the covenant people of our time—or us. What, then does he say about us?
Other symbols help up decipher what he may be meaning. Here are some ideas below.
- Fence/Hedge/Wall: The fencing or hedge of the vineyard is a spiritual protection, or God’s own hand protecting it. Notice how the Lord later removes the hedge or fence after he discovers the wild grapes.
- Stones: Rocks and stones represent people of various types. Precious stones or valuable metals represent more spiritual people. Plain stones represent more base people. Isaiah reference river stones as very base individuals (see Isaiah 57:6). He also shows how at the end days, even the basest people will be elevated to a higher spiritual plane as symbolized in the transforming of stone to iron (see Isaiah 60:17). Here, the Lord is saying that he will remove the base people out of the vineyard.
- Tower: The tower provides an elevated view for a watchman to see what may be coming to protect the vineyard. The tower would be high enough for the watchman to see over the fence or hedge. In Isaiah 21:6, the Lord says, “Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” The Watchman represents the spiritual leaders, or prophets, who will provide spiritual forewarning for the vineyard, or house of Israel. However, the Lord decries that the watchmen are all blind and ignorant (see Isaiah 56:10).
- Winepress: The winepress is a device used to squeeze out the essence of the grapes for the enjoyment of drinking the wine that will come. The wine often represents our doctrines or beliefs. It represents what we do with the fruit of our labors. It may also be that which revives us when we are weary. The Lord offers wine at no cost for those who seek refreshing (see Isaiah 55:1), but the leaders have often abused the wine and are drunken (see Isaiah 28:1, 7, and 56:12). The winepress could represent that which should help refine us the most, such as the temples.
- Grapes: If the pleasant plant is the men of Judah or the covenant people of God (men and women), then the grapes would be their fruits, either their actions or beliefs.
- Rain: When the Lord sends down revelation from heaven it is seen as droplets of rain. He makes such an analogy in Isaiah 55:9-11. When the Lord says that he will no longer allow rain to fall upon the vineyard, he could be suggesting that he will no longer pour down revelation upon the heads of the rebellious covenant people.
As you gain greater insight into the symbolic imagery that Isaiah is painting, you see in essence that Isaiah is saying the same thing that Peter said, and that the Lord forewarned in D&C 112.
All Sheep Have Gone Astray
To continue this theme, Isaiah repeatedly states the degenerate condition of the house of Israel, pointing his words to our people. He starts his introductory chapter declared the wicked and rebellious state of the sons of God. “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. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 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” (Isaiah 1:2-4).
As we further study Isaiah, we will see he shows how the once trusted covenant sons and daughters of the children of Israel have over time strayed from God’s graces until they become outright rebellious. Here are a few references to the rebellious state of the house of Israel in our day.
Turning Backward
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, everyone to his wicked ways.
Isaiah 2:5
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores; they have not been closed; neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Isaiah 1:6
The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretchedforth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet.
Isaiah 3:16
They also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
Isaiah 28:7
Nevertheless, they call themselves of the holy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the Lord of Hosts is his name
1 Nephi 20:2 (See also Isaiah 48:2)