Isaiah Explains Part of Why God Will Call All
Salvation Will, in the Future, Be Offered to All Who Ever Lived
Did you know that it is not just the New Testament, but also the Hebrew scriptures (the Old Testament) that shows that God will offer salvation to all that ever lived?
As part of my normal Bible study, this week, I have been reading Isaiah And I noticed that Isaiah has a lot to say about people not able to be called now and that people will be called later.
Isaiah 59:1 shows:
1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.
Thus, God certainly can save!
After a section in Isaiah (30:8-17) that Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition calls “Doom of incorrigible sinners”, notice what God has recorded in Isaiah 30:18:
Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
So, no, this section in Isaiah is NOT about the ultimate doom of sinners, but instead shows that God will have that He may have mercy on them.
Isaiah 46:10, God states:
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
Notice that God had a plan from the very beginning. Also notice that God says that He will do all His pleasure–is not His pleasure to share His love to all?
Isaiah 6:9-11, God teaches,
“Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate”.
In other words, the bulk of the people are not to understand until after a time of utter desolation.
Isaiah 29:9-10, God teaches that He has closed the eyes of many:
Pause and wonder!
Blind yourselves and be blind!
They are drunk, but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
For the LORD has poured out on you
The spirit of deep sleep,
And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
And because of that they cannot understand, even when they try, as the verses that immediately follow (Isaiah 29:11-12) show:
The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.”
Perhaps I should add here that because of the above, Isaiah 29:14 and 24 teach that:
I will again do a marvelous work Among this people…
These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, And those who complained will learn doctrine.
If you are a Protestant, please ask yourself when and how the above prophecy is going to be fulfilled unless God has a plan to offer salvation after the resurrection?
Isaiah 44:17-18 reveals that God has prohibited idolaters to have proper understanding:
And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
Thus, is God going to permanently condemn those who worship idols for what He has not let them understand?
Protestant theology tends to say yes.
Those in the Church of God say no. Unless the idolater has committed the unpardonable sin (which is unlikely) they will be judged as other uncalled people are.
Isaiah 45:20 teaches:
They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.
Notice that the Bible is clearly teaching that idolaters do not have knowledge. They are blind.
Hence, the billions throughout history in Asia and Africa (and elsewhere) are not condemned to suffer forever for following practices they really do not understand.
Isaiah 64:7-9, Isaiah states:
7 For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. 8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. 9 Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look–we all are Your people!
In Isaiah 25:7, Isaiah wrote:
7 And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations.
Notice that even though people have been blinded to those things which were hidden, God is going to remove the veil that is spread over all the nations. The removal of this veil will allow them to see. Can you now see this or do you wish to have the veil remain over you?
Isaiah 48:5-9 has these words of God:
5 Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them,
And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.’ 6 “You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them. 7 They are created now and not from the beginning; And before this day you have not heard them, Lest you should say, ‘Of course I knew them.’ 8 Surely you did not hear, Surely you did not know; Surely from long ago your ear was not opened. For I knew that you would deal very treacherously, And were called a transgressor from the womb. 9 “For My name’s sake I will defer My anger, And for My praise I will restrain it from you, So that I do not cut you off.
Notice that in the above, God is saying that He had many things hidden from those who worship idols or other false gods so that in the future He would not have to cut them off.
That is why God has not made it clear to everyone now. God knew that if He did, many would be unfaithful so that is why God’s plan included allowing most who have thus far lived to not understand the full truth of God.
In Isaiah 52:10 God also teaches that they shall see:
10 The LORD has made bare His holy arm
In the eyes of all the nations;
And all the ends of the earth shall see
The salvation of our God.
Since this is referring to the eyes of all the nations, the same nations that are now blinded, certainly God is teaching that all WILL have an opportunity for salvation.
Isaiah 29:13-14, teaches:
13 Therefore the LORD said:
“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
Among this people,
A marvelous work and a wonder;
For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
Thus, those who have been deceived by human traditions can be saved!
Isaiah 28:10-13 shows that the Bible is only understood by looking here a little and there a little and that the way the God speaks to most people was intended for them to NOT understand:
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little.”
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue
He will speak to this people,
12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which
You may cause the weary to rest,”
And, “This is the refreshing”;
Yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the LORD was to them,
“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little,”
That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught.
How does your church explain the above? Do they understand that people were not supposed to easily be able to understand the plan of God now?
Furthermore, notice this passage in Isaiah 49:13-15:
13 Sing, O heavens!
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the LORD has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
And my Lord has forgotten me.”15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you…”
God will not forget, though many act like He does.
Isaiah 55:1-5 teaches:
1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you–
The sure mercies of David.
4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,
A leader and commander for the people.
5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the LORD your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
The above is not simply a reference to Gentiles becoming Christians as most Protestant commentators think. It is David that is the witness to the people. This is the same David that is prophecied to rule over the nations of Israel in the future (Ezekiel 37:24; Jeremiah 30:9). Thus, this is a prophecy for a later time. The simple truth is that even after Jesus came, the statement “nations who do not know you shall run to you” has simply not been fulfilled. I know of not one nation, let alone nations, that have run to become true Christians. What has happened is that after Greco-Roman “Christianity” became the religion of the empire, many were forced to become “Christians” and those that have followed them have almost never followed the Christianity of the Bible.
If some of that confuses you, recall that in Isaiah 55:8-11 God teaches that even though we think different than God that His word will not return void:
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Furthermore, notice what Isaiah 56:1-2 teaches:
1. Thus says the LORD:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
If the salvation to come is simply the first coming of Jesus, then should not all Christians keep the Sabbath as both salvation and the Sabbath are part of the same quote? Does your church teach that one is “blessed” who does not defile the Sabbath? (You may also wish to read the verses that follow it, like Isaiah 56:3-8 as it makes it clear that foreigners-Gentiles-also are to keep the Sabbath.)
Notice that in Isaiah 57:16-18 that God will not always be angry and that He will heal the souls He has made:
16 For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him
And to his mourners.
Thus, even those who sinned that God punished (struck) and hid from, God will lead them back! Does your minister proclaim this?
Isaiah 62:1-5 shows:
1 For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name.
3 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.
4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, And your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.
Notice that salvation is being discussed and that includes Gentiles and lands that were desolate and that God will delight in them. This is not simply a reference to Gentiles who accept Christ in this age, as they were not referred to in the Hebrew scriptures as “Forsaken”. Versions of the Hebrew term “azuwbah” translated as “Forsaken” are used many times in the Old Testament to refer to Israelites (NOT Gentiles)–God is apparently using that term because most seem to feel that the Gentiles prior to Jesus’ first coming were forsaken–which, however, they were not. Most also seem to feel that most people dwelling in lands that basically do not accept any version of Christ today are in that forsaken category. But again, recall that God states that they are not forsaken. Which means, according to Isaiah 62, that God has a plan of salvation for them.
Also notice that in Isaiah 65:1-5, God declares that even those who eat unclean meat and did not seek God will be called:
1″I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ To a nation that was not called by My name.
2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts;
3 A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on altars of brick; 4 Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs; Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5 Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.
Notice that these people were not originally called. They even provoked God to anger by eating swine (a biblically unclean animal), but notice that they will find God even though they did not seek Him!
Isaiah 66:17-19 teaches:
17 “Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves,
To go to the gardens
After an idol in the midst,
Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse,
Shall be consumed together,” says the LORD.
18 “For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.
19 I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
Even though He will punish those who eat unclean meat, notice that they will be gathered and declared God’s glory among the Gentiles. God’s glory among the Gentiles is when He calls them all and offers them salvation. Those who believe in the elitist approach that God is only going to save “good” Roman Catholics and/or Protestants and condemn the vast majority of eaters of unclean meats to fry in torment forever are in clear error.
Isaiah 25:9 teaches:
9 And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Notice that these people are not yet saved. This is a time in the future. When is the time? Actually it is the time the veil over then nations will be destroyed (Isaiah 25:7) and God will give 100 years (Isaiah 65).
Isaiah 65:17-20, teaches when the hundred year period will occur:
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
Notice that the above shows that there will be some who after everything is restored will be accursed. Thus while most will accept the offer of salvation, some few sadly will wish to remain in their sins (“sin is the transgression of the law”, 1 John 3:4, KJV).
Perhaps it should be pointed out here, that it has been documented as far back as the second and fourteenth centuries, that some who professed Christ did understand that there was a one hundred year time period where those that had not been called would have an opportunity for salvation (please see article Hope of Salvation: How the Church of God Differs from Protestantism).
Isaiah 45:25 shows:
25 In the LORD all the descendants of Israel
Shall be justified, and shall glory.
Does your church teach that all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified? Most churches teach that the descendants of Israel are Jews and that only a few of them will be saved. But is that what the Bible, not traditions of men, teaches?
Perhaps this would be a good time to quote the Apostle Paul who also quoted Isaiah. Notice what Paul wrote in Romans:
25 As He says also in Hosea:
“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
The remnant will be saved.
28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,
Because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.” (Romans 9:25-28).10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved (Romans 10:1).
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:
“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”21 But to Israel he says:
“All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.”11:1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! (Romans 10:20-11:1.)
7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written:
“God has given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.” (Romans 11:7-8).26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26-27.)
This is a frequent problem with Protestant scholars–many take verses/chapters out-of-context and fail to understand what they really mean. Many simply do not understand about mercy or salvation
Isaiah 25:6-8 teaches:
6 And in this mountain
The LORD of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees,
Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees.
7 And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.
Notice that this feast is for all people, that the veil over people will be destroyed, and death will no longer occur.
I realize that this is a fairly lengthy post. But it is mainly made up of quote from the Bible.
The fact is that the idea that God will in the future offer salvation to all who really did not have a chance in this age is a biblical doctrine. Did you know that There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis?
Several articles of related interest may include:
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account?
Hope of Salvation: How the Living Church of God differ from most Protestants How the Living Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
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