MARK 1:1-8
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, `MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.' " 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

vs the real ISAIAH 40:3

ISAIAH 40:1-11
1 "Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. 2 "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and that her sins are pardoned. Yes, the LORD has punished her in full for all her sins."

3 Listen! I hear the voice of someone shouting, "Make a highway for the LORD through the wilderness. Make a straight, smooth road through the desert for our God. 4 Fill the valleys and level the hills. Straighten out the curves and smooth off the rough spots. 5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" 6 A voice said, "Shout!"I asked, "What should I shout?""Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field. 7 The grass withers, and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. 8 The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."

9 Messenger of good news, shout to Zion from the mountaintops! Shout louder to Jerusalem – do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, "Your God is coming!" 10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in all his glorious power. He will rule with awesome strength. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

I want you to note first of all that like virtually every 'fulfilled prophecy'; the quote in the New Testament is NOTHING like the original language of the Old Testament. This ISAIAH passage is just another feel-good prophecy explaining that God's done kicking Israel around for awhile and then announcing a new utopia. The voice is obviously a disembodied shout of glory - not a hippy PR agent and this cannot possibly refer to Jesus since Jesus never 'ruled with awesome strength' or came 'in all his glorious power'. A REAL prophecy would be something like. 'A messenger carrying a staff and dousing his faithful in water announces the birth of God made flesh. God has been made flesh and is come as a beggar. He will not come in great power or rule the land but instead will arise as a poor man and die as a lamb before God.' This prophecy is incredibly vague and not much different then Jeremiah 31:10-14 which prophesies another Israeli utopia. If we say that 'ruling with awesome strength' or 'coming in glorious power' is not necessary to fullfil the prophecy than EVERY charlatan with a robe can claim this prophecy.