Scripture Reading: Isa. 6:1-10; 5:16; John 12:39-41
Isaiah, a book which was quoted greatly by the Lord Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament, reveals many wonderful aspects concerning Christ. In message one we saw Christ as the Shoot of Jehovah and the Fruit of the earth (Isa. 4:2). Isaiah 7:14 says that the virgin will conceive, bear a son, and call His name Immanuel. This is Christ as the Shoot of Jehovah for the branching out of Jehovah God, in His divinity, into humanity. This is a new development of Jehovah God for His increase and spreading through His incarnation. The Shoot of Jehovah implies the spreading of Jehovah to branch Himself out for His increase. Christ as the Fruit of the earth is for reproduction. Christ, as the one grain who fell into the earth to die, produced many grains, many believers, in resurrection (John 12:24). Divinity cannot spread or increase without humanity. The divine life is reproduced in the human life. One day the divine God came to put on human blood and flesh (Heb. 2:14). This was Christ as the Fruit of the earth, a man born of human blood and flesh from the earth.
In message one we also saw that Christ is a covering canopy of glory and an overshadowing tabernacle of grace (Isa. 4:5-6). Christ as the Shoot of Jehovah and the Fruit of the earth will eventually become a canopy to cover all the interests of God on this earth. When we are in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth, we will fully realize this. Christ is the universal canopy to cover all of God's interests. He is also the tabernacle overshadowing us, God's elect, protecting us from all kinds of troubles signified by heat, storm, and rain. I hope that we can get into these aspects of Christ and fellowship about them until they become our experience.
In this message we want to see the vision of Christ in Isaiah 6. In this chapter Christ is seen in His divine glory with His human virtues held in His holiness. His glory is divine, His virtues are human, and His holiness is standing fast. The Bible says that no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18a). Our God is invisible, yet Isaiah saw Him. Isaiah declared that he saw the Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts (Isa. 6:1).
A clear picture is presented in Isaiah 6, showing us Christ in glory. This chapter, however, does not give us a detailed description of what Christ looks like. Isaiah only says, "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the temple" (v. 1). The Lord seen by Isaiah must have been in the image of a man because verse 1 tells us that the train of His robe filled the temple. His robe is the first main item in this scene because it fills the temple.
The second main item in Isaiah's vision is the temple being filled with smoke (v. 4). The third main item is the seraphim (v. 2). Verse two says, "Seraphim hovered over Him, each having six wings." The word "hovered" literally means "stood." The seraphim stood over Him. We know that they were standing for His holiness because they declare, "Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts" (v. 3). Verse 4 says, "The foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called." The divine glory is another major item in Isaiah's vision. Verse 3 says, "The whole earth is filled with His glory." John 12 says that Isaiah saw the Lord's glory and spoke concerning Him (v. 41). The smoke that filled the house, the temple, in Isaiah 6:4 is the glory. Isaiah 4:5 also refers to glory as a cloud of smoke over the convocations of Israel.
The divine glory is signified by the smoke, holiness is signified by the seraphim, and the Lord's human virtues are signified by the train of His robe. Human virtues mainly are based upon righteousness. An unrighteous person does not have human virtues. He is bankrupt in human virtues because he is unrighteous. Human virtues depend upon righteousness. When Christ accomplished His redemption on the cross, He fulfilled the requirements of God's glory, God's holiness, and God's righteousness. As fallen sinners, we cannot fulfill the requirements of God's glory, holiness, and righteousness, but Christ satisfied them. We need to see the vision of Christ in Isaiah 6 in His glory, His holiness, and His righteousness with His human virtues.
The vision of Christ in glory was seen by Isaiah in his depression (Isa. 6:1, 5). Isaiah loved God and loved Israel, God's elect. He realized by looking at Israel's situation, that there was not the expression of God's glory. Israel had also violated God's holiness and had become corrupt in human virtues. Furthermore, King Uzziah had died. Among the kings of Israel, he was a very good king, yet he died. In that kind of environment, Isaiah was surely very depressed. The Lord appeared to him in his depression.
The Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts, appeared to Isaiah. He saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne (Isa. 6:1a). Isaiah saw the glory of God and the train of the Lord's robe filling the entire temple. He also saw the seraphim, and each seraphim had six wings. Two of the wings were for covering his face, two covered his feet, and with two he flew. These seraphim called to each other, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory" (v. 3). That was their fellowship with each other, indicating that they signify or represent the holiness of Christ. They were standing there for His holiness. Such a vision should have encouraged the depressed prophet, but he did not tell us he was encouraged. Instead, he said, "Woe is me, for I am finished! For I am a man of unclean lips, and in the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell" (v. 5). Then one of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with an ember from the altar to touch his mouth for his cleansing (vv. 6-7). This is the picture presented in Isaiah 6.
In Isaiah 6 Christ, the God-man, is seen in His divine glory. This God-man is unveiled in chapter four as the Shoot of Jehovah, the Fruit of the earth, a canopy covering God's interests in the entire universe, and the tabernacle overshadowing God's elect to protect them from all kinds of troubles. Isaiah 6 shows us the same One in another aspect. In Isaiah 6 He is the God in glory sitting on the throne. Because He is wearing a long robe, He is also a man. This One is the God-man with divine glory and human virtues.
His human virtues are signified by the long train of His robe. This indicates that the vision here pays more attention to Christ's human virtues. The four Gospels show us Christ as God and as man, but they show us more concerning Christ as a man. In the Gospels we see more of Christ in His manhood and in His humanity than in His divinity. Christ is expressed in His human virtues much more than in His divine glory. However, His human virtues need the divine glory as a source. Christ is a person with the divine glory expressed in His human virtues.
We all have to see the full vision of Christ in Isaiah 6. Christ is sitting on a high and lofty throne as the Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts. He is the very God on the throne. John the apostle told us in John 12 that Isaiah saw Christ's glory. This means that Jehovah of hosts, the King, the Lord, was Christ. Christ was wearing a long robe in this vision. This means that Christ's humanity is "long." The train of Christ's robe fills the temple. The Lord who appeared to Isaiah was on a high and lofty throne in His divine glory (John 12:39-41), signified by the smoke, and with His human virtues, signified by the train of His robe. His holiness is held by the seraphim (Isa. 6:2-3).
Christ is seen in Isaiah 6 as God in His divinity, signified by the smoke, and as a man in His humanity, signified by the train of His robe.
Christ's divine glory is filling the earth (Isa. 6:3b), whereas His human virtues are filling the temple (v. 1b). The glory filling the earth is universal, and the robe filling the temple is local.
Isaiah 6:8-10 shows us Isaiah being sent. He was sent by the Christ who is full of the divine glory and the human virtues in His holiness (vv. 1-4). Christ's holiness is based upon His righteousness. Isaiah 5:16 says, "Jehovah of hosts is exalted in judgment, and the holy God shows Himself holy in righteousness." God is sanctified in His righteousness. Someone who is righteous is separated from the common people. A righteous person is a sanctified person. He is not common but holy, separated unto God. Righteousness is the foundation of God's throne (Psa. 97:2), and we are expecting new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13). Since God is righteous, He is holy, sanctified, separated from the common people. In the four Gospels, Jesus surely was a separated, unique, and particular person because He was righteous all the time. Therefore, He is holy, sanctified.
Isaiah was sent by Christ to a people who were short of the divine glory, were violating the divine holiness, and were corrupt in the human virtues (Isaiah 6:5). He was sent by the Lord to lead Israel to express Christ's divine glory in His human virtues held in His holiness (Isa. 5:16b). In other words, God wanted Israel to be a holy people, fully separated from the nations. Their holiness is based upon their righteousness. Then they could express God's glory. Today to live Christ is to express God's glory. To live Christ is to be righteous. Righteousness is the base, the foundation, of God's salvation. God's salvation firstly justifies us, making us righteous. Then we will be holy, sanctified, separated. Spontaneously, we will be brought into the expression of the divine glory of Christ, which is to live Christ.
Every sent one is sent by the Lord to do the same thing. First, God sent the prophets. Second, God sent His Son. Third, God sent the New Testament apostles. He sent them all to bring God's chosen people into a state of living Christ. He desired that they would live righteousness, showing that they are a holy people, different and distinct from the nations. Then they would express Christ's divine glory. To live Christ is to express Christ's divine glory in His holiness with His righteousness. We must be righteous people, holy people, and people full of the divine glory. Then we will be those who live Christ.
