"Salvation We Owe to Our God'

Jehovah's mercy moves him to extend an invitation:  "Turn to me and be saved, all you at the ends of the earth;  for I am God, and there is no one else.  By my own self I have sworn-out of my own mouth in righteousness the word has gone forth, so that it will not return-that to me every knee will bend down, every tongue will swear, saying, 'Surely in Jehovah there are full righteousness and strength. All those getting heated up against him will come straight to him and be ashamed.  In Jehovah all the seed of Israel will prove to be right and will boast  about themselves.' "-Isaiah 45:22-25.

Jehovah promises Israel that he will save those in Babylon who turn to him.  Failure of his prophecy is an impossibility because Jehovah has both the desire and the ability  to rescue people.  (Isaiah 55:11)  God's words are reliable in themselves, but they are all the more so when Jehovah  adds his oath  to confirm them.  (Hebrews 6:13) f He rightfully requires submission ("every knew will bend down")  and commitment ("every tongue will swear") on the part of those  desiring his favor.  The Israelites who persevere in worshiping Jehovah will be saved.  They will be able to boast of what Jehovah does for them. -2 Corinthians 10:17.

 God's invitation to turn to him, however, is not limited to the exiles in Babylon.  (Acts   14:14, 15; 15:19; 1 Timothy 2:3, 4) This invitation is still going out, and "a great crowd . . .out of all nations" respond and proclaim:  "Salvation we owe to our God . . .and to the Lamb [ Jesus]." (Revelation 7:9, 10; 15:4) Every year, hundreds of thousands of new ones swell the great crowd by turning to God, fully recognizing him sovereignty and publicly declaring their allegiance to him.  In addition, they  loyally support  spiritual Israel, the 'seed of Abraham.'  (Galatians 3:29)  They express their love for Jehovah's righteous  rule by proclaiming worldwide:  "Surely in Jehovah there are full righteousness and strength."  In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul quoted the Septuagint rendering of Isaiah 45:23 to show that eventually everyone alive will acknowledge God's sovereignty and will praise his name continually. -Romans 144:11; Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 21:22-27.

Why can member of the great crowd trust that turning to God means salvation?  Because Jehovah's promises are reliable, as the prophetic word s found in Isaiah chapter 45 so clearly show.  Just as Jehovah had the power and wisdom to create the heavens and the earth, so he has the power to and wisdom to cause his prophecies  to come true.  And just as he saw to it that the prophecy concerning Cyrus came true, so he will fulfill any other Bible prophecy that still awaits fulfillment.  Worshipers of Jehovah therefore, can be confident  that soon Jehovah will again prove to be "a righteous God and a Savior."

Next time: Return to the Worship of Jehovah, Chapter Seven

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, Volume II, 2001