Isaiah: The Fifth Gospel

Isaiah is one of the most familiar books in the Bible—and perhaps one of the least understood.

We know its words:

“For unto us a child is born…”

“They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…”

“He was pierced for our transgressions…”

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me…”

But what did these words mean when Isaiah first spoke them?

Who were Ahaz and Hezekiah? What was happening between Israel and Judah? Why was Assyria so important? What had happened between God and His covenant people?

And why, centuries later, do Jesus and the Gospel writers return to Isaiah again and again?

A New Bible Study from The Way of Light

In Isaiah: The Fifth Gospel, we are going to slow down and enter Isaiah's world.

We will follow the history within the Tanakh, learn the people and events surrounding Isaiah's ministry, and read his prophecies within the covenant story in which they were originally given.

Then, as we make our way through the book, we will turn to the Gospels and discover why Isaiah became so important for understanding Jesus Christ.

Throughout the study, we will follow five great themes:

The Holy One and His People
The Promised King
The Servant Who Saves
YHWH Returns to Zion
Salvation to the Ends of the Earth

And we will keep returning to one central question:

What did Isaiah say God was going to do—and why did the Gospel writers believe God was doing it in Jesus?

Each lesson will be approximately 45 minutes, allowing us to move slowly through the text and follow important connections throughout the Tanakh and into the Gospels.

We won't begin by searching Isaiah for Christian proof-texts.

We will begin where Isaiah begins—with Israel, covenant, history, and the God who has revealed Himself—and allow the story to unfold.

My hope is that by the end of our journey, we will not only understand Isaiah differently.

We will read the Gospels differently, too.

Come study Isaiah with us.