Isaiah 48:1-22
“Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.”
King James Version
God as the eternal First and Last speaking to his people, the title Christ claimed for himself in Revelation.
Fulfillment References
Revelation 1:17 Revelation 22:13 John 8:58
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalTwo pillars here. First, 'I am he; I am the first, I also am the last' (v. 12) — the LORD's self-title, claimed by the Lord Jesus, 'the first and the last' (Rev. 1:17; 22:13). Second, the mysterious v. 16: 'the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me' — the LORD, His Spirit, and the Sent One named together, yet the one God acting; the apostolic reading hears the Father, the Spirit, and the Son who would come in flesh — not three Gods, but the one God in self-revelation.
JewishGod's rebuke of stubborn Israel and His pledge to act 'for my name's sake'; the emphatic monotheism ('first and last') and His sole foreknowledge.
CatholicThe sole eternal God ('first and last') and, in v. 16, a text the Fathers read of the triune sending; redemption for God's name's sake.
ProtestantThe LORD as first and last (applied to Christ in Revelation); v. 16's 'the Lord GOD and his Spirit hath sent me' read trinitarianly by many.
AcademicDeutero-Isaiah's argument-from-prophecy and exclusive monotheism; v. 16's speaker and its triadic naming are much discussed.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.