Isaiah - I wish I had a magic tool for you to use in order to make sense of the prophesies of Isaiah, unfortunately, I do not! Therefore, I will leave you with one quote from President Packer talking about the interspersed Isaiah chapters:
"just as you settle in to move comfortably along (reading the Book of Mormon), you will meet a barrier. The style of the language changes to Old Testament prophecy style. For, interspersed in the narrative, are chapters reciting the prophecies of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. They loom as a barrier, like a roadblock or a checkpoint beyond which the casual reader, one with idle curiosity, generally will not go.
"You, too, may be tempted to stop there, but do not do it! Do not stop reading! Move forward through those difficult-to-understand chapters of Old Testament prophecy, even if you understand very little of it. Move on, if all you do is skim and merely glean an impression here and there. Move on, if all you do is look at the words...
"Perhaps only after you read the Book of Mormon and return to the Bible will you notice that the Lord quotes Isaiah seven times in the New Testament; in addition, the Apostles quote Isaiah forty more times. One day you may revere these prophetic words of Isaiah in both books. The Lord had a purpose in preserving the prophecies of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, notwithstanding they become a barrier to the casual reader.
"Those who never move beyond the Isaiah chapters miss the personal treasures to be gathered along the way. They miss the knowledge of:
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• The purpose of mortal life and death,
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• The certainty of life after death,
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• What happens when the spirit leaves the body,
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• The description of the Resurrection,
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• How to receive and retain a remission of your sins,
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• What hold justice or mercy may have on you,
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• What to pray for,
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• Covenants and ordinances,
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• And many other jewels that make up the gospel of Jesus Christ.
("The Things of My Soul", Ensign May 1986)
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