Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:9-10).
The prophets of ancient Israel declared that Yahweh is the One who fills the earth with the glory of His presence (Isaiah 6:3). The prophets were theologians par excellence and their theological expectations are fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here selected passages are interpreted via a Trinitarian model to demonstrate how the prophetic writings reveal God’s mission to rule all the nations of the earth.
The Universal Dominion of Yahweh
Yahweh is not a parochial deity whose dominion is limited to the geographical borders of national Israel or whose influence is limited to the Temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah’s throne vision of Yahweh (Isaiah 6:1ff) serves as the inauguration of his prophetic ministry and as an introduction to the canonical prophets. In this vision, Yahweh is presented as the Sovereign King of the universe, whose glory fills the earth (Isaiah 6:3; also 40:5). The “glory” of Yahweh speaks of his presence, influence, and power.