Guideline for Beginners
Why Is Isaiah Important?
Just as the prophecies of Isaiah proved to be the most reliable resource to New Testament saints at Jesus’ first coming, so they will again to Latter-day Saints at his second coming. Just as those who “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11), discovered Isaiah’s prophecies to be the key to clarifying God’s dealings with his people, so we will again.
That is because Isaiah outlines in code a complete end-time scenario that immediately precedes Jesus’ second coming. Isaiah depicts that end-time scenario as heralding the coming of Israel’s God Jehovah to reign on the earth. Isaiah further reveals in code a complete plan of salvation God has instituted for humanity, embodying a spiritual ladder to heaven God’s people can climb.
Because Isaiah’s prophecies are God’s purposeful challenge to us to search, special blessings accrue to those who gain an understanding of them: (1) a profound awareness of current world events and where they are leading; (2) an accurate perception of their own part in the world in relation to God; and (3) an immensely increased comprehension of all other sacred scriptures.
Searching the Jewish Way
The complete decoding of Isaiah’s prophecies to make them understandable has waited until the time that they are starting to be fulfilled. Previous attempts to decipher Isaiah’s writings have been eclipsed by Dr. Avraham Gileadi’s analyses of Isaiah’s literary elements using Jewish methods. Literary tools now available bring to light mysteries that have lain hidden for centuries.
These literary tools are simple to use and yield immediate results. They empower people who search of Isaiah’s writings to discover their deeper meanings for themselves. They uncover the complexities of Isaiah’s prophecies without our getting the feeling of losing hope of mastering them. Indeed, they are of a piece with the complexities of life itself, which we do well to master.
Isaiah’s large literary structures, layered one upon the other, as well as mini-structures convey their own unique prophetic message over and above what we read on the surface. A network of keywords, codenames, and word links reveals an expansive prophecy within a prophecy. New versions of ancient events form an end-time sequence as Israel’s ancient history repeats itself.
Any one passage of Isaiah’s writings can be understood only within this holistic context of how it relates to all others. Without that, readers flounder in a sea of disconnected interpretations. Getting to the heart of the matter, as the early saints recognized, was “searching” the words of Isaiah, and that involves analyzing what they say, not reading into them our personal preferences.
A Roadmap of Resources
Whether you are more comfortable searching a written text or listening to audio narrations, the resources listed below will take you all the way to understanding the prophecies of Isaiah. As in mastering a new language, by devoting a portion of each day to learning Isaiah’s “vocabulary and grammar,” you will soon reach the breakthroughs you are seeking. Here are the resources:
(1) Isaiah: Prophet of the End-Time https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/isaiah-prophet-of-the-end-time/
(2) Analytical Commentary of Isaiah. A 30-hour verse-by-verse audio analysis of Isaiah’s prophecies in a modern English translation. It introduces you to Isaiah’s keywords, codenames, and word links. It is available as a free resource on http://www.isaiahexplained.com/
(3) Isaiah Made Simple: Understanding the Essential Isaiah (160 pages). Introduces you to the key features of Isaiah’s prophecies and the basic tools for searching them. Available at https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/isaiah-made-simple/ in softcover, e-book, and audio formats.
(4) Isaiah Decoded: Ascending the Ladder to Heaven (357 pages). The best comprehensive overview of Isaiah’s prophetic message based on the analysis of Hebrew literary patterns. Available at https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/isaiah-decoded-ascending-the-ladder-to-heaven/ in softcover, e-book, and audio formats.
(5) The End from the Beginning: The Apocalyptic Vision of Isaiah with Isaiah Translation (251 pages). A layman’s introduction to Isaiah’s prophetic message with a beautiful modern English translation of the Book of Isaiah. Available at https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/the-end-from-the-beginning-the-apocalypic-vision-of-isaiah/ in softcover, e-book, and audio formats.
(6) Apocalyptic Commentary of the Book of Isaiah (432 pages). A verse-by-verse written analysis of Isaiah’s endtime prophecy that opens up Isaiah’s message for our day. Available at https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/apocalyptic-commentary-of-the-book-of-isaiah/ in softcover and e-book formats.
(7) Windows on the Prophecy of Isaiah: Study Tools for Understanding Isaiah (322 pages). Many examples of analyzing or “searching” Isaiah’s words and the tools needed to do one’s own research and investigation. Available at https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/windows-on-the-prophecy-of-isaiah-study-tools-for-understanding-isaiah/ in softcover, e-book, and audio formats.
(8) The Literary Message of Isaiah (296 pages). A ground-breaking literary approach at the cutting edge of all Isaiah studies that analyzes key literary features of the Book of Isaiah. Available at https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/the-literary-message-of-isaiah/ in softcover and e-book formats.
(9) The Book of Isaiah: Analytical Translation with Comprehensive Concordance (301 pages). A beautiful modern English translation of the Book of Isaiah from the Hebrew Masoretic Text poetically formatted with a comprehensive concordance that facilitates word studies. Available at https://isaiahinstitute.com/product/the-book-of-isaiah-analytical-translation-with-comprehensive-concordance/ in softcover and e-book formats.