And then the prophet Isaiah says: "How the faithful capital, full of justice, has become a harlot!" (Isaiah 1:21). Here again we encounter those manifestations of marital mysticism of which we have already had the opportunity to speak. The relationship between man and God is described not so much in legal terms as in terms of the relationship between husband and wife, and such expressions are constantly found in the text of the book of the prophet Isaiah. And the prophet Isaiah constantly alternates accusatory and comforting prophecies, but the first part – the first 40 chapters – are still devoted mainly to punishing and proclaiming the wrath of God. At first, this perspective is posed: a faithful capital, full of justice, has become a harlot. Why did she become a harlot? Because she does not keep faithfulness to God, Who called her and loved her, and Whom she herself promised to love: "Your silver has become dross, now murderers dwell in it, your wine is spoiled by water, your princes are transgressors and accomplices of thieves; they all love gifts and chase after bribes; and the fatherless do not defend, and the widow's work does not reach them" (Isaiah 1:22-23). And this is the reason for the judgment that is proclaimed over Israel and Judah. But along with the judgment it is also promised that the judgment will not be the final destruction of the people, but the judgment will be something like an oven, in which all the dross, all the lead that spoils silver, all impurities will be separated and purified.

3.4. Prophecy about the Church

Together with the judgment there are constantly presented pictures of what will come after it, pictures of the triumph of righteousness that will come after the judgment and after the punishment, and here the prophet Isaiah speaks of the exaltation of the mountain of the Lord: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be set at the head of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. And many nations will go and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob' (Isaiah 2:2-3). Here, the mountain of the house of the Lord should be understood as the Church of Christ, which will be exalted and into which all nations will be drawn. The theme that all nations will be called by God, and from all nations godly people will come and worship in the temple of God, permeates the book of the prophet Isaiah from the first to the last page. It is no accident that the very beginning of this book immediately turns to heaven and earth, thus showing that God is not only the God of Israel, or, what is even less, the God of individual faithful Israelites, but God is the God of heaven and earth. This means that God is the God of all nations, that His providential actions extend to absolutely all people. And therefore, when some nations, such as the Assyrians or the Babylonians, come and crush the Israelites, it does not mean that they suddenly appeared from the realm of the universe, to which God's providence does not extend, and invaded the land that belongs to God. All these actions also take place by the allowance or direct command of God. In accordance with this, it is also shown that all nations, not only the future servants of the Israelites, but all these nations are God's, although at that moment they are still far from Him, that the Lord also cares for them, in order to work salvation for them, which is done in the midst of Jerusalem and on Mount Zion: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem. And he shall judge the nations, and rebuke many nations" (Isaiah 2:3-4).

3.5. The Parable of the Vineyard

Further, the prophet introduces Israel in the parable of the vineyard: "My Beloved had a vineyard on the top of a fattened mountain, and He surrounded it with a fence, and cleansed it of stones, and planted in it choice vines, and built a tower in the midst of it, and dug a winepress in it, and expected it to bring forth good grapes – what familiar words! "And he brought wild berries. And now, ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge me with my vineyard. What else should I do for My vineyard that I have not done for it? Why, when I expected him to bring forth good grapes, did he bring forth wild berries? Therefore I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its fence, and it will be laid waste; I will tear down its walls, and it will be trampled underfoot, and I will leave it desolate" (Isaiah 5:1-5).

Through the prophet, the Lord Himself explains this parable: "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His favorite planting. And He waited for justice, but behold, there was bloodshed; he waited for righteousness, and behold, there was a cry" (Isaiah 5:7). The image of the vineyard is an image used in the Old Testament by a number of prophets. When Christ tells the parable of the wicked husbandmen, He introduces it, repeating the text of the prophet Isaiah word for word, thereby preventing His listeners from understanding Him in any other way.

And, finally, the words of the farewell discourse: "I am the true vine" (John 15:1) unite Christ and the Church as one, revealing to us the mystery of the Church as the Body of Christ.

3.6. The Calling of the Prophet Isaiah