Isaiah 40:5—Will the wicked behold God’s glory?

Problem: Isaiah declares in this passage that “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” However, earlier Isaiah contended that the wicked “will not behold the majesty of the Lord” (Isa. 26:10). How can both be true?

Solution: First, the answer lies in the fact that the wicked do not voluntarily recognize God’s glory, as the godly do. Further, the wicked do not presently recognize God’s majesty, but one day every knee will bow to Him—both the godly and the wicked (Isa. 45:23; cf. Phil. 2:10). Understood in this way there is no disharmony between the texts.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.