Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
The first five chapters of the Book of Isaiah are oriented primarily toward those chosen people of God who have strayed from the will of God, resulting in judgment. Isaiah Chapter 6 departs from that scenario and is primarily for those, like Isaiah, who have not strayed, but who really believe the Lord. In the first five Chapters, Isaiah prophesied the pure word of the Lord. In Isaiah, Chapter 6, Isaiah will understand that type of ministry is not enough. The same is true for every Christian today. Jesus spoke that same truth in Matthew 7:21-23. "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." The Lord can make a jackass to speak, if necessary. Jesus also said, in Luke 19:40, "And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Some pastors today seem to believe that all they need to do is to teach the word of God and the people will somehow automatically mature. That is not what Scripture indicates. The life of Paul is a prime example that the very best teaching is not sufficient in itself. That is necessary but not at all sufficient. Further, how many pastors and teachers today even speak the pure word of God as Isaiah did?
Now let us turn to Isaiah, Chapter 6.
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.
The phrase, "I saw," means to gaze upon or to see clearly. Scripture does not tell us specifically how Isaiah "saw" the Lord, but most likely it was a vision. We also need to be a little careful. When Isaiah said that he saw the Lord, he meant that he was allowed to see the Lord. Why? because he was a chosen vessel. It is always God's choice to reveal Himself to us, not our choice. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul said that he was caught up to the third heaven, caught up to paradise. He was caught up. The same thing happened with Philip, in Acts 8:39 ... he was caught up by the Spirit of the Lord. Anyone who says they can visit heaven anytime is deceived. His train, from Verse 1, speaks of the entourage around the Lord ... the obedient angels, the seraphim and cherubim, and all of the overcomers that preceded Isaiah. The "temple" speaks of the heavenly temple, not an earthly temple.
Many years ago when I read Verse 1 of Isaiah 6, I found myself reading it this way: "In the year that king self died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. "Uzziah" does not mean "self" but that interpretation is certainly true. Before we can see ourselves as the Lord sees us, king self has to die. John 8:28, "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." The phrase "lifted up" means to "exalt." The name, "Uzziah" means "strength of the Lord." Uzziah started out well and brought prosperity to all of Judah. It is written of Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:5, that "as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper." However, God finds it difficult to entrust prosperity to many of His people because it turns their heads and leads to pride, as with Uzziah. Uzziah exchanged the "strength of the Lord for the "strength of man." 2 Chronicles 26:16, "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense." In other words, he usurped the role of the priests; he said, "I am king, therefore I can do anything I want to do." As a result, he was smitten with leprosy for the rest of his life. Therefore, Uzziah is a clear warning against the spiritual pride that brings presumption. Such a warning is also needed today for all of us. Two of the major snares of Satan for the servants of God are spiritual pride and fleshly lust.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
The word "seraphim" means "fiery, burning ones," perhaps to indicate their purity as God's ministers. This is the only place in the Bible that specifically mentions the seraphim, who seem to be spirit beings who guard the throne.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.
Now in Verse 3 Isaiah hears the voice of a seraphim. Apparently, the seraphim could not gaze directly at the glory of God because they had to cover their faces. Later, in Verse 8, he will hear the voice of the Lord. Vision always precedes hearing. Without a vision the people perish. We see a lightning bolt before hearing the crack of thunder. In many occurrences in scripture a name or phrase is repeated twice; for example, Abraham, Abraham; Moses, Moses; Samuel, Samuel; Saul, Saul; My God, My God. The phrase "verily, verily" occurs 25 times in the Gospel of John. When we see such repetition, we need to pay close attention.
When a word or phrase is repeated three times, that declares the strongest possible emphasis and intensity. To the best of my knowledge that event occurs only 5 times in the Bible: In Jeremiah 7:4 (the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord); Jeremiah 22:29 (O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord); Ezekiel 21:27 (I will overturn, overturn, overturn it); and (holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts) here in Isaiah 6:3 and in Revelation 4:8.
The holiness of the Lord is emphasized beyond measure; the highest degree of holiness is ascribed to the Lord. The 3 Persons in one God are indicated. The Lord is Holy! there is none like unto Him! It is NOT by chance that the third Person of the Godhead is called the Holy Spirit!
The word "holy" or "holiness" means set apart, separated from the world unto the Lord. It means conformity to the nature, will, and service of God.
1 Samuel 2:2, "There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God."
Revelation 15:4, "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest."
Isaiah 57:15, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."Leveticus 19:1-2, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.Hebrews12:14, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"
Finally, from Verse 3 we see the phrase, "the whole earth is full of His glory." Sadly, we just cannot see it. In Verse 1, Isaiah saw the Lord ... that speaks of vision. The glory of God is a topic that deserves at least one full message by itself. As with all scriptural topics, the glory of God must be experienced, not just talked about.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Apparently the seraphims had been granted much power because their very voice moved the posts of the door.
Haggai 2:6-7, "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts."
Hebrews 12:18-29.
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.25 See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).God's judgment is a consuming fire (Isaiah1:25; 4:4).
Verses 2, 3, and 4 indicate that heaven, or the dwelling place of the Lord, is a place of continuous activity. Psalm 121:4 says that "He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." I believe that will be true for all those in the New Jerusalem ... no eight hours of sleep per day because time will be no more. In the meantime, the kingdom of God is still moving forward, from glory to glory. This is in contrast to our way of thinking. Although Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), we mortals tend to focus on yesterday and today. We focus on the past, not the future. We substitute memories of the past. Too many times I have heard Christian ministers speak about the good old glory days of the past. But we cannot live in the past. Paul said, in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." We cannot become content in our walk with the Lord.
At the end of our last message, we shared a vision or dream that a true prophet of the Lord had about 60 or 70 years ago. The prophet said that he found himself in an enclosed room with four walls, like a sealed box, that had no windows and no doors. How did he get into that room? Not by his own efforts. The room was full of lovely furniture, so he spent a lot of time examining and enjoying the furniture. Then he looked up at the ceiling (a new vision) and saw a small opening, just big enough for him to squeeze through, but he could not take any of the furniture with him. Then he found himself in another enclosed room with four walls, like a sealed box, that had no windows and no doors, but it did have some even lovelier furniture than on the first floor. Just as before, he spent a lot of time examining and enjoying that different furniture. Then he looked up at the ceiling (an increased vision) and he saw a small opening just large enough for him to squeeze through, but he could not take any furniture with him. That process repeated through six floors. Each room had no windows, no doors, and four walls but different and more lovely furniture. When he squeezed through the small opening in the ceiling of the sixth floor, he found himself in a vast expanse which had no windows, no doors, no furniture, and no walls ... just an unlimited, bright space. That expanse represents the glorious liberty of the sons of God in the glorious kingdom of God. In that expanse, no furniture was needed. Revelation 21:23, "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." His vision describes several important principles for us Christians. First, far too many Christians become enamored with the furniture on the first floor, which might be gifts of the Spirit. As a result, we never look up to see if there could be more. Our vision is too small. Only the remnant or overcomers ever make it to the seventh floor. Another scriptural principle is that God typically uses those on the floor just above us to draw us to the next level. Most importantly, we can never exhaust the Word of God or the presence of the Lord.
Back to Isaiah, Chapter 6 and Verse 5.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
In the first 5 chapters of Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah had already been prophesying the word of the Lord. When Isaiah saw the Lord Himself, Isaiah recognized his sin. In Isaiah, Chapters 1 through 5, there is NO mention of any sin on the part of Isaiah. What was Isaiah's sin? First of all, Isaiah had settled for a lesser vision! He had only moved in the equivalent of the gifts of the Spirit. But when he saw the Lord, he saw the highest spiritual level, the Lord Himself. Everything began with the vision of the Lord Himself and of His holiness and of His great glory. I believe Isaiah also received and walked in a renewed fear of the Lord.
In the natural realm we may think that we know some person quite well, but it is almost impossible to really know someone unless you live with them on a daily basis. We all tend to put on our "church hats" for our church services and meetings. Back in our old house church days in the 1970's, when we had a notable guest speaker, I could easily sense a more enthusiastic atmosphere, like we were trying to impress the visiting speaker. Within the sanctity of holy marriage, a wife and her husband get to know each other very well. That relationship is the most intimate of all human relationships. Likewise, the relationship between Jesus and His bride should be the most intimate of all spiritual relationships. We Christians need to develop that intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ in order that we may please Him, understand His ways, and know His will. We need to TALK with Him and then listen as He talks with us. Have we settled for a lesser vision?
Second, when Isaiah saw the Lord, he said, "For I am undone." The word translated as "undone" can be translated as "cut off" or "lost." When most Christians hear the word "lost" we tend to think in terms of not being saved or not being born again. Have you ever traveled through a city where you have never been before, perhaps with no map, and become "lost?" In that sense, "lost" means without direction. When we see the Lord, we have a new sense of purpose ... a new direction for our life. But after Isaiah had seen the Lord and His holiness and the mighty power even of the seraphims, he repented because he saw that all men are unclean. Isaiah saw that he was undone, NOT because of what he had said or not said (he had spoken the truth), and NOT because of what he had done or not done. Isaiah saw that he was undone because of who he WAS. The nature of true conviction is that we see who we ARE in comparison to who He IS! This is the level of repentance that the Lord expects of each of us. We see His holiness! Then we groan in our spirit (Romans 8:23), looking for His nature to be formed fully within us ... Christ in you the hope of glory!
The same thing happened to Job in Job 42:5-6.
Once we see the filthiness of our flesh and spirit, in contrast to the holiness and purity of the Lord, we too must repent.
2 Corinthians 7:1, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Now let us consider HOW Isaiah was cleansed of his iniquity and his sin. One of the seraphims laid a live coal from off the altar upon the mouth of Isaiah. That live coal had been burning on the altar. When God commissioned Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:9), His hand touched the prophet's mouth. Coals of fire were taken into the holy of holies on the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:12). In the natural realm, if a live, hot coal touches our lips, it would be extremely painful, to say the least. However, in the book of Daniel we read about the three Hebrew young men who were thrown into a burning fiery furnace which was heated one seven times hotter than normal. We all know that the Lord not only protected them but He even joined them. The fire on the altar was not any ordinary fire ... it was eternal fire ... fire which came from God Himself!
Leviticus 9:24, "And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces."
Leviticus 10:1-2, "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."
Furthermore, the fire on the altar was to be burning FOREVER! (Leviticus 6:13) NOTHING has changed since that time 3500 years ago. The nature of the natural man or the flesh has NOT changed! The Word of God has NOT changed; His Word is timeless! The fire on the altar is STILL burning.
The ONLY fire that is acceptable to God is His fire from off the altar. It was the fire of God, in the form of the live coal from off the altar, that cleansed the iniquity of Isaiah and purged his sin. It was a purging of SELF. Coals of fire were taken inside the most holy place on the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:12), when sacrifice was made to atone for sin.
Matthew 3:11, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Note that it was only AFTER Isaiah had seen the Lord that his real ministry began, and he was sent forth by the Lord Himself. Any true ministry is sent forth by or from the Lord, NOT by or from man or any group of men. Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord never changes. There will never be another voice like the voice of the Lord.
9 And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
"This people" are the chosen people of God. The Bible was not written for non-Christians. What did that Voice say to Isaiah? The same thing that the Lord's voice says over all of time ... "Go and tell." After the resurrection of Jesus but before His first ascension, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. What did Jesus say to Mary? Go and tell. John 20:17, "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." What does the Voice say in what men call the "great commission?" go and tell. I believe that Scripture indicates that God's prophets go and tell the chosen people of God and in turn, God's chosen people go and tell those who do not yet know the Lord. That is called evangelism. In Verse 9 the Lord commissions Isaiah to "go and tell," but He knows that the people will not hear Isaiah (or Jeremiah) because they will not hear the Lord Himself.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Verses 9 and 10 seem to be a rather harsh judgment. But the chosen people of God had strayed far from the Lord. The Lord told Isaiah to "make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes." No man can do that. Only the Lord Himself can do that. But the Lord told Jeremiah to do essentially the same thing. Jeremiah 1:10, "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." Isaiah and Jeremiah were commissioned to speak or declare or foretell the word of the Lord, but the Lord actually fulfilled those commandments.
Hebrews 4:12-13, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."
11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
I believe the answer to Isaiah's question of "how long" is recorded in Romans 11:25, "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in?" In this context, Israel clearly refers to Jews. Of course, some Jews have accepted Christ as their Messiah. I believe that the fulness of the Gentiles has not yet come in.
12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
The teil tree is seldom seen in clumps or groves, never in forests, but stands isolated in some bare ravine or on a hillside where nothing else towers above the low brushwood. An oak tree produces about 10 million acorns during its lifetime; it is known for its strength and may live up to 1000 years. Oaks are one of the oldest and most widely spread trees on earth. Early humans built their homes, created tools, and constructed strong ships from oak wood. Of course, Verse 13 is not talking about natural trees. Trees in scripture speak of human beings. Verse 13 says that the remnant constitutes one-tenth of the church.
Now, considering Isaiah, Chapter 6, we see that Verses 5 and 6 are about confession or repentance, Verses 9 and 10 are about a cleansing, and Verses 10 through 12 are about a commissioning. Unfortunately, too many of us like to "go and tell" before confession, cleansing, and receiving our commission. Any true minister must minister out from personal experience.
1 John 1:1-4, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."
What a gracious, merciful God we serve! Amen.
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