Jesus: Isaiah's Omniscient YHWH
One of the proofs that the book of Isaiah gives for YHWH being the only true God is his ability to declare the end from the beginning, and then making sure it comes to pass:
“‘Bring near your case,’ Yahweh says. ‘Bring forward your mighty arguments,’ The King of Jacob says. ‘Let them bring it forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may establish our heart on them and know their outcome. Or cause us to hear of what is coming; Declare the things that are to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are nothing, And your work is non-existent; He who chooses you is an abomination. I have awakened one from the north, and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come upon officials as upon mortar, Even as the potter treads clay. Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”? Surely there was no one who declared; Surely there was no one who caused those words to be heard; Surely there was no one who heard your words.’” Isaiah 41:21-26
“I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass; Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I cause you to hear them.” Isaiah 42:8-9
“All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And make us hear the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, ‘It is true.’ ‘You are My witnesses,’ declares Yahweh, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no god formed, And there will be none after Me. I, even I, am Yahweh, And there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and caused it to be heard, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,’ declares Yahweh, ;And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?’” Isaiah 43:9-13
“Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: ‘I am the first, and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. Who is like Me? Let him call out and declare it; And let him tell it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient people. And let them declare to them the things that are to come And the events that are going to take place. Do not be in dread and do not be afraid; Have I not long since caused it to be heard to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’” Isaiah 44:6-8
“Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone, Causing the omens of boasters to be annulled, And making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to turn back, And making foolishness out of their knowledge, Confirming the word of His servant— And the counsel of His messengers He will complete— And being the One who says of Jerusalem, “She shall be inhabited!” And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise up her waste places again. It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’ And I will make your rivers dry. It is I who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd! And all My good pleasure he will complete.” And saying of Jerusalem, “She will be built,” And of the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.”’” Isaiah 44:24-28
“For thus says Yahweh, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it a formless place, but formed it to be inhabited), ‘I am Yahweh, and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, “Seek Me in a formless place”; I, Yahweh, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright. Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations; They do not know, Who carry about their graven image of wood And pray to a god who cannot save.
“Declare and draw near with your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has made this heard from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.’” Isaiah 45:18-23
“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My counsel will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’, Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My counsel from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have formed it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:9-11
“For they call themselves after the holy city And are supported by the God of Israel; Yahweh of hosts is His name. I declared the former things long ago, And they went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to be heard. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. Because I know that you are stiff, And your neck is an iron sinew And your forehead bronze, 5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before they happened I caused them to be heard by you, Lest you say, ‘My idol has done them, And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’ 6 You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I caused you to hear new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known. They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, Lest you say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ Indeed, you have not heard; indeed, you have not known. Indeed, even from long ago your ear has not been open Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a transgressor from the womb.” Isaiah 48:2-8
“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another. Hear Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. Also, My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together. Assemble, all of you, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? Yahweh loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful. Draw near to Me, hear this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. So now Lord Yahweh has sent Me, and His Spirit.” Isaiah 48:11-16
According to the NT, Jesus is that very YHWH whom Isaiah announced was coming to his people Israel.
For instance, all four Gospels present John the Baptist as the envoy that Isaiah prophesied would be sent to herald the appearance of YHWH God himself:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.”’ John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the region of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and was eating locusts and wild honey. And he was preaching, saying, ‘After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:1-8
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
“There was a man having been sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me has been ahead of me, for He existed before me.”’” John 1:1-10, 14-15
“And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.’ Therefore, they said to him, ‘Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as Isaiah the prophet said.’ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.
“And they asked him, and said to him, ‘Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. This One is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.’ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
“On the next day, he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a man who has been ahead of me, for He existed before me.” I did not know Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing with water.’ And John bore witness saying, ‘I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abided on Him. And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “The One upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.’” John 1:19-34
Keep in mind that Jesus is the One whom John came to prepare for.
Now here’s the prophecy that the Baptist fulfilled:
“‘Comfort, O comfort My people,’ says your God. ‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has been fulfilled, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received from the hand of Yahweh Double for all her sins.’ A voice is calling, ‘Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.’” Isaiah 40:1-5
The prophecy states that John came to herald the manifestation of YHWH God, and yet the One that the Baptist came to prepare for was Jesus Christ. This shows that Jesus is the human incarnation and visible appearance of YHWH God Almighty, and those who saw him in the flesh were actually gazing upon YHWH’s own glory!
This helps us understand why Jesus could take the following words of YHWH,
“Be ye my witnesses, and I [too am] a witness, saith the Lord God, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe (hina gnote kai pisteusete), and understand that I am [he] (hoti ego eimi): before me there was no other God, and after me there shall be none.” Isaiah 43:10 LXX
And apply them to himself:
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He (pisteusete hoti ego eimi), you will die in your sins.” John 8:24
“So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He (gnosesthe hoti ego eimi), and I do nothing from Myself, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” John 8:28
“I do not speak about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ From now on I am telling you before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He (hina pisteusete... hoti egō eimi).” John 13:18-19
I.e., Christ is that very omniscient YHWH whom Isaiah announced was coming to dwell with his people.
Unless indicated otherwise, scriptural references taken from the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB).
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