Isaiah was commissioned to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ even though the people were “hard of hearing” and failed to “see” the truth of the gospel. He was advised that his preaching to a wayward people would generally not be received. Their hearts would “fatten” against the truth and their ears would be “heavy,” not willing to accept the gospel as preached in clarity. Isaiah was not commissioned to make the people resistant to the truth; rather, he was advised of the difficulty of his mission. Even so, in answer to Isaiah’s query of “how long?” (2 Nephi 16:11), the Lord answered that the people should have the opportunity to accept the gospel until “the land be utterly desolate.” The Lord will graciously continue His mission of salvation through His servants “so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved” (Moroni 7:36).