Prophet Isaiah and his Second Coming House in Niagara Falls

Prophet Isaiah lives in Niagara Falls and his Second Coming House is probably the second best destination in the city. His multi-colored folk art looking home is said to play a role in the coming Judgement Day.

by Chris Clemens

My free time is spent combing endless amounts of information for new things to experience and learn. It doesn’t take much effort to get interested in a story provided it has something unique or historical about it. I can geek out pretty easily. When I first discovered the story of Prophet Isaiah I was immediately intrigued. I immediately wanted to visit with him and learn his story first hand.

Prophet Isaiah answered right away when I called his number. I told him what it was that I do, and asked if he would be open to sharing his story. In between telling me that his end-time prophecy was about to come true, and exclaiming ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Praise God’ between most sentences, he said to me, “Absolutely! I am always here for you!” 

After spending four hours visiting with Prophet Isaiah and driving around to different places in Niagara Falls while he described the end of the world, I can confirm this is easily one of the most intriguing stories in all of Western New York.

Prophet Isaiah’s Local Reputation

Upon arriving in Niagara Falls with a friend, we stopped for a late breakfast at an old diner.

While at the counter, a woman sat down next to us and struck up a conversation. My friend asked, “Hey, we are here to see the Prophet Isaiah, do you know about him?” Her head tilted back a bit and she replied, “Oh! Everyone here knows about him, he’s crazy!”

We all chuckled, and then I suspect she felt a little guilty and qualified her statement.

She explained that most of the townspeople knew of him. Most people apparently thought of him as the “crazy guy with the Candy-Land House”. She continued that he was incredibly nice and we’d have a good time visiting with him.

We finished up breakfast and said our goodbyes and made our way over to meet the Prophet. Since we were a bit early, we chatted with a neighbor of the Prophet’s. We asked him what he thought of the house.

He agreed with our friend in the diner that the Prophet is thought to be a little crazy. But, he concluded that the Prophet was a good man and neighbors are cool with him being there.

I suspect most neighbors weren’t prepared for the endless number of cars that drive down their street to glare and gawk at the colorful, folk-art gallery of shapes and symbols that make up the entire facade of the property. While we did the same, a truck pulled up that looked as though it would belong to a contractor. It had small, simple signs that said “The Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah”.

The truck door opened and out stepped a man in a dark suit wearing gold chains and sporting a long white beard. He seemed to already know us as he waved across the street smiling. An afternoon with one of the most interesting people we have met was set to begin.

Born A Man

Isaiah Robertson was born on June 21, 1947 in Jamaica and raised as an Adventist. He told us that at the age of 7, his mother told him to give praise to God as much as possible. She believed the “more prayer dat goes up, da more blessings dat come down”.

Dedicating himself to worship at an early age, he asked his mother about what occupation Jesus had while he was on Earth. When he learned that Christ was a carpenter, Robertson wanted to do the same. At the age of 24, Robertson emigrated to Canada and continued his self-taught trade as a carpenter. He did contracting jobs while getting on his feet while buying a home and building a family. Robertson soon found that just over the U.S. border in Niagara Falls, opportunity awaited. There were countless homes that he could purchase very inexpensively, fix up and rent out.

He bought up 7 homes (if you’re not keeping track, that’s the third time the number 7 has occurred in this story). After fixing them up, he started renting them out and earning an income.

Having already established his reputation for fine workmanship, the Mt. Erie Baptist Church contracted Robertson for a job. While I won’t delve into the history of the church here, I do want to make a point of the fact that the church was founded in 194. That’s notable because it’s the same year Robertson was born. I also mention that because the number 7 just showed up again.

The church contracted Robertson for a job in their sanctuary. For $8,000 Robertson would fix the entire front wall and replace it with drywall. Robertson isn’t exact with remembering dates and times, but we figured the contract was accepted around early summer in 2003.

Becoming Prophet Isaiah

While in the church and prepping the project, Robertson heard a voice. The voice claimed that it was God, instructing him that the job shouldn’t be done in drywall. Instead, the wall should be built with oak. Robertson cancelled the $8,000 contract, and told the church that he would be replacing the wall in oak. More importantly, he would be doing the work and supplying the materials at no cost.

When work began, Robertson realized his saws were cutting odd shapes, which were not conscious decisions of his own. The shapes began to take the form of religious symbols, and he attached them to the panels.

Over the course of the next three years, Robertson had bought out five different Home Depot locations of the oak. He continued day in and day out to work as God instructed him. The entire time it occurred to him that none of what he was doing could be anything manmade.

The symbols to him were a divine gift that God created simply by using Robertson as one of His tools.

Mt. Erie Baptist Church In Niagara Falls

Though we had met Robertson at his house, we spent the afternoon visiting different locations. After discussing the plan for the day, Mt. Erie would be the first stop on our tour.

He explained that it was during that three year time period while creating the sanctuary in Mt. Erie Baptist Church, he realized God was using him to share with the world the truth of how the world will end. It was now Robertson’s job to create what God intended to be the relaying of this prophecy.

During this project at the church, he realized his new name was more appropriately to be Prophet Isaiah.

He used a laser pointer to make us aware of some of the subtle symbols in the church. Many of the cutouts formed stories, and Prophet Isaiah read each of the stories around the church with his soft spoken Jamaican accent.

His explanations usually included him pointing out a symbol and explaining what it represented. But every sentence of what he shared was punctuated with a “Praise God!” or a “Hallelujah” or a “Praise da Lord!!” His excitement grew as he spoke about each symbol and how the inspiration to explain the prophecy came to him. Occasionally he seemed preoccupied with thought would break his silence to exclaim, “praise god, Praise God, praise GOD, PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD!!” Then he would quietly rejoin the conversation.

The Prophecy And The End Of Times

After spending time at the church reading the symbols and oak panels to us, Prophet Isaiah wanted to explain the rest of the prophecy.

The end of the world will take place in 2014. He explained that it will take place in a precise location with precise details right in Niagara Falls.

I wanted to know why Jesus Christ would choose Niagara Falls of all places in the world. If He was to return to Earth and rally His chosen people–surely there must be a more Holy Land…right? Prophet Isaiah chuckled, and with a smile, told us this was one of the wonders of the world. There were only two rivers in the entire world that made such a sound like the Niagara; it was special.

Prophet Isaiah And His Second Coming House

He told us that after he completed the church prophecy, which took a few years, God began to use Isaiah’s hands to begin his second prophecy. That included decorating his own home with symbols, but in greater detail than the church had seen.

Isaiah’s wife decided she couldn’t be on board with this concept of the prophecy and filed for a divorce. Doubling down doing the work of the Lord, Isaiah left his 6,000 sq ft home in Canada to his wife. He took his green card and moved in to the small home that is now the location of God’s work on Ontario Avenue.

It started with a couple shapes and symbols and grew from there. Over the last seven years or so (if you’re not paying attention, that 7 just showed up again) it became what you see today.

Prophet Isaiah explained many of the symbols on the second prophecy. They slowly have evolved over time and additions have been made. He went on to share what this colorful, folksy, ‘Candy Land’ looking location really is.

Dis is da last cross da worl’ will eva see!

On the final day of judgment, the entire world will walk along Ontario Ave under the direction of God. This cross that bears the symbols of everything spiritual, will be the last opportunity we will have to follow Christ. It will be here, that we are to accept the fate of either eternal damnation or the everlasting Jerusalem.

The Second Coming House

There literally are thousands of symbols and icons seemingly scattered at random across the entire facade of the house. It looks at first glance to be an amalgamation of something from the 1980’s “Rainbow Brite” cartoon and the painted bus the Merry Pranksters drove to Grateful Dead shows with.

But with the Prophet’s soft spoken, soothing Jamaican accent, broken up with a ‘Praise God!’, it was easy to stand there and feel how authentic it was. Regardless of one’s spiritual beliefs, there’s no denying that it’s a work of art in and of itself.

Think about the last time you dedicated every day of a decade to creating a work of art? That alone seemed a larger concept than I was able to grasp. Sometimes I have a difficult time even writing a few hours of a blog post.

Prophet Isaiah knows the end of the world is coming, and for a few reasons. He solemnly explained that Barack Obama would be the last President the U.S. would have. He wasn’t joking, but he chuckled while he said, “A black mon in da White House?? Come on! Da black people did not put him into office, it was da white people!” and then quoted the scripture from Matthew 20:16 that says, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last”–a forthcoming omen that the first black President of the United States of America can’t possibly be followed by another.

It was here that he also spoke about another recent newsworthy prophecy. He told us about how everyone was worried that Syria and Russia would ultimately attack the U.S., but he assured us that couldn’t be possible because we are a protected land; in essence our divine protection is the result of being the final seat of judgment.

Goat’s Island

After walking past the house on Ontario Ave on Judgment Day, all of the humans of the world will proceed toward downtown Niagara Falls (I suspect down Robert Moses Parkway) and file on to Goat’s Island.

The three of us went to the island and visited a place where the Prophet regularly comes to pray. There is a point at the Northern most tip of the island where the river splits, and a bench at this spot is where he often comes for spiritual inspiration and prayer.

Just South of the parking area at this spot is an open grassy area; we followed the Prophet while he walked us to the center of the grassy area. He explained that Jesus Christ would be exactly in the center of this spot in the park, raised about 30 ft off the ground in his white chariot, and facing North. All of those whom had previously made their decision at the cross on Ontario Ave would now come face to face with their creator, and Christ would either direct us one by one to proceed right in to the new Jerusalem as sheep, or to the left as a goat into the Niagara River.

He explained that the name for ‘Goat’s Island’ is no coincidence and quoted more scripture. Citing from Matthew 25:31 he exclaimed, “He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” We hung out for a bit and walked around talking.

Symbolism In The Shadows

The Prophet continued to find symbolism in nearly everything around us. While discussing the concept of coincidence and how it didn’t exist, he pointed to the ground at our three shadows and said, “Read this to me!”

Realizing that we didn’t really have the divine gift of reading shadows we shrugged quietly, unsure of how to respond. But he said it again and motioned with both of his hands, “Read this to me!” Like a child in a classroom wanting to appease a teacher who clearly was trying to inspire the coaxing of an answer from their quiet classroom, I said, “You mean, our three shadows are like the Holy Trinity?”

His face lit up brighter than it had all day and he raised his hand to give me a high-five while laughing at the enjoyment he found in my answer. “MY BRODDAH!! You did not know dis ansah! How could you possibly know what ansah I wa’seeking when I axed you to read our shadows!? It is God here wit us. I know I don’t have to worry aboud ider one of you. You are both Chosen Ones and you here to go on and share dis story with da worl’!”

The three of us had been together all afternoon visiting sites and talking. While walking through the park, he reveled at an apple tree and insisted my friend reach up (let’s face it, even with divine intervention I’m not tall enough to reach a hanging apple) and get us each one. He climbed down to the river and washed the apples and we sat somewhat quietly, but still talking.

There was still one other location that Prophet Isaiah had to show us.

Whirlpool State Park

When we got to the Whirlpool State Park it occurred to me that living my entire 34 years of life just an hour or so away from the park, I had no memory of ever visiting.

The whole point of this blog was to get to see things that I had never seen before. I had always considered most state parks to be secular in nature, but we already learned that Goat Island was sacred, and now we would learn that divine inspiration would be commandeering another popular tourist attraction.

While we walked, I wondered if the sight of the cavernous gorge and swirling rapids of the river would hold the tourists’ attention over the two white, young, tattooed guys walking with an older black man in a full black suit praising God and shouting “hallelujah” while pointing out things in the park.

It also seemed odd that a popular spot known as “Devil’s Hole” was walking distance to a spot the Prophet felt had similar qualities ascribed to it.

When The Niagara River Becomes The Lake Of Fire

We approached the railing and Prophet Isaiah got kind of quiet and solemn. He explained, “Dis my broddahs is where da Lake of Fire will be. And, da goats who did not choose to follow Jesus will end up here after tumblin’ over da falls, and der bodies churning up in da lava an’ fire.”

It’s safe to say that one of the odder experiences I have had in life standing at a railing looking over to Canada, and trying to imagine any water now being a fiery, swirling pit of spiritual death and eternal damnation, and knowing that it was possible I could be tossed around in that very whirlpool within the year.

We did break the mood a bit though to pose for a photo while a kind tourist snapped a picture of the three of us. We didn’t bother to explain to the man that we were on a quest to see all of the places where Judgment Day would be taking place, and that he’d better make the right choice or he’d be in that whirlpool the following year burning forever. Maybe he’ll read this blog and he’ll have all the information he’ll need to make the right choice while walking down Ontario Ave.

Does Being Crazy Matter With Religion?

Afterword: There are a number of people who have called Prophet Isaiah a false prophet, and I asked him about what he thought of being called “crazy”. He told me it didn’t matter to him. The Bible says that a prophet is proven by his work and not by his word. The followers will believe, and the naysayers won’t. Jesus himself was put to death for being a false prophet, Joseph Smith was called a false prophet (and, actually, also killed by an angry mob) and both of their teachings have gone on to find millions of followers.

And, really, when it comes right down to it, without the faith of the individual believer, all religions sound a little crazy don’t they?

I won’t get into my beliefs are about everything that the Prophet shared with us, cause they don’t belong here. This blog is a spot to share with you the experience of learning and being exposed to new ideas, it’s up to you to decide whether Prophet Isaiah is just a crazy old Jamaican or a true prophet.

There did seem to be quite a few coincidences pointed out to us that afternoon though.

Connecting The Dots

Remember at the beginning of the post where I kept point out the random popping up of the number 7? In Genesis 2:2, the Bible states that “...on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made“. It’s believed by many that this passage indicates that God used the number 7 as a symbol of completion, and it appears numerous times throughout the Bible.

In addition, Prophet Isaiah was born in another part of the world and raised an Adventist. Somehow, he was drawn to settle and create the prophecy in Niagara Falls, which is just under two hours from the precise location where Adventism began almost 200 years ago, right in the heart of the Burned Over District. (You should’ve seen him light up when I told him that!)

Whatever you come up with about this story though, there’s no one who can argue with the fact that his story isn’t intriguing and the fact that his works of art are some of the most unique and interesting in all of Western NY.

Next time you’re in Niagara Falls, make it point to drive down Ontario Ave and scope out the spot that just may be the final cross you ever see.

Prophet Isaiah And The Symbols On The Second Coming House

*This post previously appeared on ExploringTheBurnedOverDistrict.com

Chris Clemens is the Founder/Publisher of Exploring Upstate. From his hometown in Rochester, he spends as much time as possible connecting with the history, culture, and places that make Upstate New York a land of discovery. Follow him on Twitter at @cpclemens