There is no scripture, flowing forth from the Old Testament, which tells us more of the sacred mission of Jesus Christ, than that which we have from the great prophet Isaiah. Of his profound message, Nephi stated “Yea and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah” (2nd Nephi 25:5). Further, in reference to the perceived difficulty in understanding Isaiah, Nephi says that Isaiah’s words “are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2nd Nephi 25:4), which spirit of prophesy is available to all those who have a true testimony of Jesus as spoken in Revelation 19:10.
It is not strange that one is required to have a testimony of Jesus in order to understand the writings about Him. As Jesus said to His chief apostle, regarding Peter’s answer the question of who he thought Jesus was, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my father which is in heaven” (Matt 16:15-17). Therefore, as we move forward in studying Isaiah, the spirit of the Lord is not just recommended, but vital.
Lesson #37 has the primary goal of helping us to come unto Christ through recognizing some of the wonderful things he has done. The chapters that are to be studied in achieving that goal are Isaiah 22 – 30.
The Savior opens the door to Heavenly Father’s presence
In chapter 22 Isaiah shows the future captivity and scourging of Jerusalem and “Her people.” And why does Isaiah say that this captivity and scouring will take place? It is because the people had turned from the Lord, even after, as mentioned in verse 12, He had called them to repentance. They were living by the dangerous adage of “let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die” (Isaiah 22:13). This willful procrastination from repentance by Jerusalem resulted in the proclamation of the Lord, saying, “Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die” (Isaiah 22:14).
Although the first 20 verses in this 25 verse chapter speak of disobedience, destruction, and captivity, it is not until the last 5 verses of the chapter that we see the messianic prophesy, and what Christ does for all human kind as soon as we are willing to accept His salvation.
Isaiah 22:22 “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”
As stated in the Gospel Doctrine Manual, the above scripture in Isaiah is “a symbolic way of saying the Savior has the power to admit or exclude any person from Heavenly Father’s presence.” Similarly, Nephi teaches that “the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name” 2nd Nephi 9:41.
As Christ is the “Keeper of the Gate”, we must satisfy His demands if we are to enter in by that one and only way. What are the demands of He who holds the “Keys of the house of David?”
“behold, I command all men everywhere to repent… For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.” D&C 18:9-12
Tomorrow, we will look at the next item from Chapter 37, “The Savior shows mercy for those in spirit prison”.
