The End from the Beginning: The Apocalyptic Vision of Isaiah

Publication: Avraham Gileadi, The End from the Beginning: The Apocalyptic Vision of Isaiah with Isaiah Translation. A layman’s introduction to Isaiah’s prophetic message for Judeo-Christian readers with a beautiful modern English translation of the Book of Isaiah: 251 pages. (First edition, Hebraeus Press, 1997; second edition, 2012). Softcover, $22.95, ISBN 978-0-9626643-3-2. E-Book, $7.95, ISBN 978-0-910511-23-3. MP3 download, $9.95.

Back Cover: The prophecy of Isaiah, encoded by literary devices, reveals a vision of the end of the world and brings to light parts of Hebrew religion that were lost. Newly uncovered internal evidence in the Book of Isaiah by renowned Hebrew scholar and literary analyst Avraham Gileadi shows that the end is foretold by events that occurred in the beginning, the future mirroring the past.

From Avraham Gileadi: Clearly, a first requirement in analyzing the Book of Isaiah is to become as familiar as possible with its original Hebrew text. Finding that nearly all modern translations fell short, I took a year to attempt to improve upon them in a way that retains Isaiah’s intended meaning in the light of his literary features and that reflects his Hebrew poetic style. Only then did I seriously throw myself into the work of literary analysis that became abundantly fruitful over the next many years. Wanting others to benefit from the new knowledge I thus gained of Isaiah’s prophecy, I added an overview of his endtime message and method of prophesying to my English translation to create this book.

Contents:
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION

1. VISIONS OF THE END OF THE WORLD
2. MESSAGES ENCODED IN STRUCTURE
3. A CYCLICAL REPETITION OF HISTORY
4. GOD’S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL
5. ZION AND BABYLON IDEOLOGIES
6. THE TYRANT AND THE SERVANT
7. ISAIAH’S LADDER TO HEAVEN
8. THE SAVIOR-GOD OF ISRAEL
9. THE END-TIME “DAY OF JEHOVAH”

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
SELECTED REFERENCE WORKS

Excerpt: Names of particular nations may not help much in understanding a prophet’s vision, especially a vision of the end of the world. The prophets can’t tell us the literal names of end-time world powers—America, Russia, China, and so forth. That would be too easy, leaving no room for people to exercise faith. In fact, in our day the world powers the prophets mention no longer exist. While there may be a modern Persia, Greece, or Egypt, such nations resemble the old only in name, location, and possibly some ethnic identity. Today, they are relatively insignificant political powers on the world stage compared to the ones the prophets saw. The prophets’ visions of the future reflect those nations’ ancient roles as major world powers, not the roles, if any, of their modern namesakes. So if we try to identify modern Egypt with ancient Egypt or modern Iraq with ancient Babylon, for example, we are bound to get confused. We need to find another way to interpret these names of nations

Excerpt: Like all good literature, Hebrew prophecy isn’t one-dimensional. It uses multiple means to communicate the word of God, and it consists of more than just predictions about the future. The writings of many Hebrew prophets are carefully structured. In no instance is this more apparent than in the Book of Isaiah. In his writings, Isaiah has captured the past and the future, the earthly and the heavenly, prophecy and theology all in one.

Excerpt: Isaiah 53:3–6:

3 He was despised and disdained by men,
a man of grief, accustomed to suffering.
As one from whom men hide their faces
he was shunned, deemed by us of no merit.

4 Yet he bore our sufferings, endured our griefs,
though we thought him stricken,
smitten of God, and humbled.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities;
the price of our peace he incurred,
and with his wounds we are healed.

6 We all like sheep had gone astray,
each of us headed his own way;
Jehovah brought together upon him the iniquity of us all.