It is absolutely clear that ‘ALL IS NOT WELL IN ZION” (2 Nephi 28:21), as it is very bad, BUT there is something good that is going to come up from all this.
Also Isaiah is an end-time event (Isaiah 30:8), and the time of the Gentiles refers to the “last days” (2 Nephi 27:1), which are going to be the events of the end-times (Revelation 10:6), which hasn’t happened yet. We need to be very careful WHEN we start attributing the words of Isaiah and to whom, because with the judgment we make on others will come back to judges us (Mathew 7:2).
Now, WHEN we start seeing the words of Isaiah fulfilled, we need to understand what is happening completely before we try and interpret. Let’s jump about discuss what Isaiah says about the “seers” and “WHY”, after we enter into Isaiah prophecy time.
Isaiah links to a type of the past to predict the future in everything he speaks (3 Nephi 23:1-3), when it comes to the prophets, priest and seers, Isaiah used the fact the prophets and seer of the past “stumble” or “reel” (Isaiah 28:7), to predict the fact that end-time seers “err” and “blunder”, because they won’t be able to see.
The question is why? Why the “seers” won’t be able to see?
Here is where many who point the finger of criticism need to slow down and understand what is going on.
Paul mentioned that the whole “church” is for the edifying of the body of Christ:
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12)
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular”. (1 Cor 12:17)
The seers are an extension of the “eyes of the people”
Nephi understood this perfectly, and differently than Isaiah he gave us a plain prophecy based on Isaiah (2 Nephi 25-27).
Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I SHALL PROPHECY ACCORDING TO THE PLAINNESS which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn. (2 Nephi 25:4)
Nephi understood that because of THE PLAINNESS of his prophecy we can’t err:
“But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass”. (2 Nephi 25:7)
There is also a clear indication that “WHEN” the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled then we will know for “surety”, which we cannot say that today.
The difference between Isaiah and Nephi’s prophecy is that Nephi didn’t use types of the past to predict the future, he was not tied to that, then he spoke in plainness.
This is what Nephi said about what seers won’t see:
“For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered BECAUSE OF YOUR INIQUITY”. (2 Nephi 27:5).
When this is fulfilled, when the seers are going to be “covered”, is because of our iniquity.
Is this familiar? Absolutely, see another type in what interestingly is called “Liahona” which was also an extension of the faith and diligence of the people:
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.
And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence WHICH WE GAVE UNTO IT”. (1 Nephi 16:28-29)
And we see that it was because of the iniquity of the “people” that the Liahona or “compass”, didn’t work (1 Nephi 18:12)
Going back to Nephi’s prophecy and 2 Nephi 27:5, the Lord covered the seers and part of this also is by design. Of course it is because the inequities of the people, but as well is part of the recreation motif in the end-time, which Isaiah also predicts.
This is linked to the fact that the Lord is going to pour out upon his people, the tabernacle of God, the spirit of “deep sleep”, as he poured upon Adam:
“And the Lord God caused A DEEP SLEEP to fall upon Adam, and he slept” (Genesis 2:21)
This is necessary for recreation, and then as most of us know, God tells Adam to “Awake and Arise”, that also that happens in the end-time:
“AWAKE, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion” (Isaiah 52:1)
“Shake thyself from the dust; ARISE, and sit down, O Jerusalem”: (Isaiah 52:2).
Also, Jehovah asked directly to Isaiah that he hath covered the eyes of the people in Isaiah 29 which is what Nephi is building upon.
“For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered”. (Isaiah 29:10)
Nephi is the one who adds “BECAUSE OF YOUR INIQUITIES” (2 Nephi 27:5).
Also, we learned that the prophets, rulers and seers, all of them are a reflection of the people. Even “political rulers” are a reflection of the people.
Isaiah begins with the fact that in the end-time the whole body is sick:
“Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment”. (Isaiah 1:5-6).
That is why the motif of healing is prominent in the book of Isaiah:
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and SHUT THEIR EYES; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and BE HEALED. (Isaiah 6:10)
That is why we see the “blind” also a type of people in the end-time, which he will see when God’s end-time servant comes into the scene:
“Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped”. (Isaiah 35:5).
Receiving personal revelation
In Isaiah 28 is one of the most quoted chapters among critics to point against “the prophets”, however we need to read Isaiah 28 in the context of what is happening, which are an extension of the spiritual condition of the people.
If anything, Isaiah 28 reinforces the plea of President Nelson of receiving personal revelation. For example, in Isaiah 28 we see all of this coming together:
* Iniquity of God’s end-time people (Isaiah 28:1-5)
* They are going to be deliverer to the King of Assyria (Isaiah 28:2)
* Prophet, Priest and Seer blunder because they can’t see (Isaiah 28:7)
* Political leaders making a covenant with death (Isaiah 28:14-15)
And in the midst of all that, and before Isaiah introduces the covenant with death, what is the question Isaiah asked?:
Whom shall he give instruction?
Whom shall he enlighten with revelation?
Weanlings weaned from milk,
those just taken from the breast?
For it is but line upon line, line upon line,
precept upon precept, precept upon precept;
a trifle here, a trifle there.
“Therefore, by incomprehensible speech and a strange tongue must he speak to these people, to whom he said, This is rest; let the weary rest! This is a respite! But they would not listen. So to them the word of the Lord remained: Line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept; a trifle here, a trifle there, that, persisting, they might lapse into stumbling and break themselves, become ensnared and be taken captive.” (Isaiah 28:9-13)
Captivity comes to those who will not learn how to receive revelation. This is essential to divide the wheat from the tares, and to discern the wicked from the righteous (Malachi 3:18).
The heart of the matter is, instead of worrying about why others are doing wrong, and blaming others that are not seeing what they, according to our opinion, should see, we should worry about our own iniquities and our own capacity to receive revelation.
When Isaiah asked for how long the eyes of the people will be shut, this is the answer of the Lord:
“Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate” (Isaiah 6:11).
We will have to go for a time when we will need to learn to walk on our own, and as Heber C. Kimball said, “The time will come when no man or woman will be able to endure on borrowed light” (Conference Report, October 1930, pp. 59-60). This light includes the light from the brethren that most are the primary source of light and instruction they received, and according Isaiah that light will be “shut”.
Then there has nothing been more prophetic than this invitation:
But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. (President Nelson, Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, Conference April 2018).
Isaiah and Nephi make it very clear why we won’t see a General warning because it is part of revelation. It is going to be everybody’s responsibility to get the Holy Ghost as a guide, and learn how to receive personal revelation, to open our eyes and awake and arise.
To me people who criticize don’t have just the spirit of darkness among them (D&C 50:23), but lack understanding of the scriptures, especially the ones who quote Isaiah 28 to point fingers at others instead of ourselves. And as far as being worried about other things and not our own iniquities, the advice from Alma comes very timely. “And now, my son, I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance”. (Alma 42:29)
