John the Baptist was the voice of one calling in the wilderness, urging people to prepare for the Lord's coming. In the book of Isaiah, this prophecy speaks of the coming of the Lord, the God of Israel. Here, it refers to the Lord Jesus (see 12:35–37). The early church called itself "the Way," likely referring to this promise (see Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; compare Acts 2:28; 18:25–26; Romans 2:20; 2 Peter 2:2, 21).