The book of Isaiah contains
numerous prophecies that seem to have multiple fulfillments. One seems to
involve the people of Isaiah’s day or the circumstances of the next generation.
Another meaning, often symbolic, seems to refer to events in the meridian of
time, when Jerusalem was destroyed and her people scattered after the
crucifixion of the Son of God. Still another meaning or fulfillment of the same
prophecy seems to relate to the events attending the Second Coming of the
Savior. The fact that many of these prophecies can have multiple meanings
underscores the importance of our seeking revelation from the Holy Ghost to
help us interpret them. As Nephi says, the words of Isaiah “are plain unto all
those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2 Ne. 25:4). (Dallin H.
Oaks, "Scripture
Reading and Revelation," Ensign, January 1995)
It is, of course, important to
remember that many of Isaiah's prophecies can be or have been or will be
fulfilled in more than one way and in more than one dispensation.
Obviously, we have material in
Isaiah's writings that applies to a whole range of experiences, including that
of the premortal Christ, of his first mortal advent in the meridian of time,
and of his Second Coming in the latter days.
New Testament contemporaries struggled
with the duality of Isaiah's prophecies a bit, perhaps too eagerly taking a
passage clearly applying to Christ's Second Coming and forcing it to represent
his appearance in the meridian of time. Of course, when Christ refused to
proclaim himself the messiah of the last days in his first advent, some were disappointed.
But everyone should learn a little patience in all of this: many of those
prophecies have since then been fulfilled, and they will all be fulfilled in
time. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “’More Fully Persuaded’: Isaiah’s Witness of Christ’s
Ministry,” in Isaiah
in the Book of Mormon, Donald W. Parry, John W. Welch, eds. [Provo,
Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1998], 4-5)