Isaiah 6:1

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim. Each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly. And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. And then I said, Woe is me. (Isaiah 6:1–5)

When the earthly throne stood empty, Isaiah looked up and saw the King of kings still reigning—and was undone by His holiness.

The Rest of the Story Behind "The Year King Uzziah Died"

It is easy to read past a phrase like "in the year that King Uzziah died" and miss the weight of it. As Paul Harvey used to say, there is "the rest of the story." This took place around 739 BC, and Isaiah was likely a young man—perhaps in his late teens or early twenties. Many scholars believe Isaiah was close to, if not part of, the royal family. He clearly had access to the kings of Judah, so it is plausible he knew Uzziah personally and was present in the palace when these things happened.

We are told in 2 Kings 15:3 that Uzziah "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord." Turning to 2 Chronicles 26, we read that all the people made Uzziah king when he was sixteen, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem.

And he sought God in the days of Zechariah... and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. (2 Chronicles 26:5)

Underline that: as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. It echoes what God told Joshua—"observe to do according to all the law... that you may prosper whithersoever thou goest" (Joshua 1:6–7). The same holds for us. But this is not the prosperity preached by televangelists; it is spiritual prosperity, the abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10. Some of the richest people in the world have had their lives stolen by the enemy. Worldly wealth and a stolen life can go together, but Jesus came to give life more abundantly.

Pride and the King's Downfall

Uzziah prospered militarily as well as spiritually. He warred against the Philistines, broke down their walls, built cities, fortified Jerusalem with towers, dug wells, and grew strong. His name spread abroad even to Egypt. But verse 16 turns:

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and he went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. (2 Chronicles 26:16)

Burning incense was not permitted to anyone but the priests, and certainly not to a king. God had made a clear distinction between prophet, priest, and king—only the Messiah, Jesus Christ, holds all three offices together. Azariah the priest, with eighty valiant priests, withstood Uzziah and told him to leave the sanctuary. But Uzziah was angry, censer in hand, and leprosy broke out on his forehead. They thrust him out, and he remained a leper, dwelling alone, cut off from the house of the Lord until the day of his death.

If there had been tabloids in Jerusalem 2,800 years ago, this would have been front-page news at every newsstand. A good king, a great conqueror, a builder of the nation—and the thing he is most remembered for is his transgression and his death. The nation hung its head in shame. The king had been removed from the throne because of his pride, and the people were essentially without a king.

A Throne That Was Not Empty

That is when Isaiah saw the vision. The throne in the palace in Jerusalem was empty, but the throne in heaven was not. "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up."

Who did Isaiah see? John 1:18 says, "No man has seen God at any time." Colossians 1:15 calls Jesus "the image of the invisible God." Hebrews 1:3 says He is "the brightness of God's glory, the express image of his person." Isaiah, 700 years before Bethlehem, saw the Word of God—Jesus the Messiah—seated on a throne.

We know this because the apostle John tells us. After Jesus' many miracles, the people still did not believe, fulfilling Isaiah's words about blinded eyes and hardened hearts. Then John adds:

These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. (John 12:41)

Jesus is eternal, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He was active in creation; He was on the throne the day Uzziah died, and Isaiah saw Him.

The Inhabited Throne

God is on a throne. This is the central fact of heaven—a throne that is occupied, not vacant. It is no lowly chair; anyone might sit on a chair, but He sits upon an exalted throne as King of kings and Lord of lords. We see this throne again and again in Scripture: Micaiah in 1 Kings 22:19, Job 26:9, Ezekiel 1 and 10, Psalm 89:14, Daniel 7:9, and thirty-five times in Revelation. The final chapter of Isaiah declares, "Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool" (Isaiah 66:1).

When Uzziah vacated the throne in Jerusalem, God was still on the throne. The name Israel means governed by God; when the people chose a human king, they rejected His kingship, but He never left the throne. Our world today is trying to dethrone God, yet He will not be moved until He stands to return and sets His foot on the Mount of Olives, which will split in half—and then comes another throne, the great white throne of judgment.

We are told the train of the Lord filled the temple. A train marks someone of supreme importance, power, and dignity. You do not see a man mowing his lawn in a robe with a train; it is worn in a position of honored rest. There is our God, exalted in dignified majesty, upon the throne.

The Burning Ones Crying "Holy"

Above the throne stood seraphim, each with six wings. This is the only place in Scripture where the name seraphim—"burning ones"—is applied to them, but the same beings appear as cherubim and living creatures in Ezekiel 1 and 10, Revelation 4, and Psalm 80. Ezekiel describes them like the burning of coals of fire, torches going back and forth, with lightning—so these are the same attendants of God surrounding His throne.

Wings are for flying, yet with two they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew. Charles Spurgeon said it beautifully:

Thus they have four wings for adoration, and two wings for active energy—four to conceal themselves, and two with which they occupy themselves in service. And we may learn from them that we shall serve God best when we are most deeply reverent and humbled in his presence.

Two-thirds of their wings were given to adoration. And what were they doing? Crying one to another, not addressing God but declaring to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." The constant drone around the throne of God, day after day, millennia after millennia, is a declaration of His holiness.

They cry this as worship, ascribing value to who God is; as a reminder; and as a plain statement of fact. Why three times? In Hebrew, repetition is emphasis—God is three times holy, infinitely above all else, outside the universe. It may also point to the triune God: the Father holy, the Son holy, the Spirit holy. And holiness is not merely God's personality; it is His very nature.

Holiness Demands Holiness

Because God is holy, anyone who comes into His presence must be holy. This is why Leviticus is filled with sacrifice. We are sinful and separated from God; the only way to begin to approach Him is through sacrifice—there must be a covering for sin, a death because of sin. Even after sacrifice, a veil covered the Holy of Holies. Only once a year could one man, the high priest, enter, and only after sacrifice for his own sin and the nation's. He came shrouded in incense to veil himself from the holiness of God. They even tied bells to his garments and a rope to his leg—if the bells stopped, they could pull him out, for no one else dared go in.

For I the Lord your God am holy: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44)

This is repeated in Leviticus 19:2, 20:7, and quoted by Peter: "Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15–16). God is completely separate from sinners and requires that those who come before Him be holy. Under the old covenant, an animal sacrifice was required. Under the new covenant, when Jesus cried Tetelestai—"It is finished"—the veil was torn from top to bottom, exposing the Holy of Holies. Through Christ we can now come boldly before His throne of grace to obtain mercy in our time of need.

The Shaking Door and the Filling Smoke

And the posts of the door were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:4)

The construction standards in heaven are surely higher than ours, yet at the voice of the seraphim the doorposts shook—which suggests Isaiah was standing at the doorway, looking in, not yet having entered. And the house filled with smoke. When Moses set up the tabernacle, smoke revealed the Lord's presence. Again and again Scripture shows God surrounding Himself with thick darkness and cloud: Moses "drew near unto the thick darkness where God was" (Exodus 20:21); Solomon said the Lord would dwell in thick darkness (2 Chronicles 6); David said He made darkness pavilions round about Him (2 Samuel 22). God veils the fullness of His glory. So Isaiah, at the doorposts, sees Jesus on the throne and the place filled with the smoke of the Father's presence.

Conviction, Confession, and Cleansing

What was Isaiah's response? "Woe is me." Last week, in Isaiah 5, he pronounced six woes on his nation—against those who join house to house, who chase strong drink, who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, who call evil good and good evil, who are wise in their own eyes, who are mighty to drink wine. Here comes the seventh woe. Seven is the number of completion, so this is the completeness of woe—Isaiah recognizing that he is just as sinful as the rest.

This is a danger in ministry. When God uses us to speak His word—whether from a pulpit, in a children's classroom, at work, or among family—we can begin pointing the finger at everyone else, forgetting that we are sinners too. Last week we may have said, "Yes, judgment is coming on this wicked nation." And God says, "Wake up." When we come in contact with the holiness of God, we recognize at once that we are not holy. Hearing "holy, holy, holy," we recognize that we are wicked, wicked, wicked.

So came conviction—and then confession: "for 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." Then came cleansing:

Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand... 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. (Isaiah 6:6–7)

Cleansing cannot come without confession—"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us" (1 John 1:9). Confession rarely comes apart from conviction, and conviction is the work of the Spirit, sent to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16). The seraphim touched the coal to Isaiah's lips—the very part he had named unclean. He did not wince; he was more pained by his sin than by the cleansing fire. David said, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Psalm 32:1). So let us confess specifically—"God, I am covetous; God, I am a man of anger; God, I am a man of unclean lips"—that He may purge it away by the blood of Christ.

The Call and the Commission

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. (Isaiah 6:8)

Notice the progression: only after Isaiah was cleansed did he hear the call. God did not begin speaking in verse 8—Isaiah began hearing in verse 8. God is speaking at this very moment; the question is whether we are listening. The one thing that hinders us is sin, which separates us from God. With his sin removed, Isaiah heard and answered, "Here am I; send me."

Then came the commission: "Go." God is constantly telling us to go—the Great Commission, "Go into all the world." But this commission is brutal:

Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see... and convert, and be healed. (Isaiah 6:9–10)

One old preacher said Isaiah's commission was to preach his people to hell, because they would not listen. His ministry was to harden hearts, close ears, and shut eyes—to make the people ready for judgment, without excuse. Regretfully, some preachers have thought they had such a congregation. I have always prayed my message would break hard hearts and open closed ears, but Isaiah's was to do the opposite.

Without Excuse

The nation had received more revelation than any people to their time—the plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, water from the rock, bread from heaven, enemies subdued. They were without excuse. Yet Romans tells us even the most distant pagan is without excuse, for God reveals Himself through creation—"The heavens declare the glory of God"—and through the conscience He plants in every person.

Bertrand Russell, one of the great atheists of the last century, was asked what he would say if he died and found there is a God. He answered, "I will tell God, You did not give me enough evidence." I guarantee you, on the day Bertrand Russell died, he did not say that—I think he said, "Woe is me."

Jesus quoted this very passage in Matthew 13:13–15 to explain why He spoke in parables, and Paul applied it to the Jews at Rome in Acts 28:25–27. So the one who rejects the gospel today is fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy given 2,800 years ago.

"Lord, How Long?"

How would you respond to such a commission—to preach to people who will harden their hearts, most of whom will perish? Praise God? If so, you are more spiritual than Isaiah and more spiritual than me. His response, in verse 11, was, "Lord, how long?" I love the honesty of Scripture. And the answer is even harder than the question:

Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate. (Isaiah 6:11)

Isaiah was a patriot. He loved Jerusalem, Judah, and his people, and did not want to see these things. You may love this nation, its freedom, and all God has granted us—for every good and perfect gift comes from God, and our prosperity has come from Him.

America Under the Same Word

Here is a preview of the prophecy update: our nation will be judged. Billy Graham said years ago that if God does not judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah—and I agree. Judah had an abundance of God's revelation and disregarded it; so do we. Never has any nation had such abundance of God's Word—on television, on radio, Bibles in every color, size, and translation—and disregarded it. No one here could say God never revealed Himself.

So God may bring famine, earthquake, and tribulation upon our nation. We will blame it on global warming or economic collapse, but Scripture shows that God allows such things. It is politically incorrect to say, but it is what the Bible says, and it will not be easy to see—just as it was not easy for Isaiah.

God gives only a glimmer of hope in verse 13:

But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return... so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. (Isaiah 6:13)

God's punishment is for the purpose of purification. A remnant shall return—just a small seed, but a remnant. In Isaiah 7, next week, we will see that Isaiah named his firstborn son Shear-Jashub, meaning "a remnant shall return."

Speak, Though They Mock

Many today disregard God's Word and call us fools—for believing God created the heavens and earth in six days, for believing in a global flood with eight survivors on Noah's ark, for believing all men once spoke one language until Babel, for believing dinosaurs lived among man. Did you see 60 Minutes recently, reporting soft tissue found in fossils said to be 65 million years old? They admitted it does not fit their assumptions—yet they cling to their foolishness rather than look at the evidence. They told me the Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon over millions of years; but a flood draining off that plateau cut it quickly, just as we saw similar rapid formations when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. They harden their hearts, close their ears, and shut their eyes, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy—and one day they will stand before God and say, "You didn't give me enough evidence," and He will say, "You are without excuse."

Isaiah was devastated by the coming judgment; he did not want anyone to face it, and so he cried out, "Repent, turn to the Lord while there is time." May the Lord stir us to speak up, even before those who heckle us. If you are called a fool, you are a fool for Christ—and who is the fool? There is a day approaching when God will judge the earth, and it is nearer now than when we first believed. Take heart, church: your redemption draws nigh. Invite your friends on December 30th, when we will look at the indicators of that day, for we see them all around.

Rise and go, for this is not our rest; this place will be destroyed, and if you cling to this world you will be destroyed with it. If you refuse to speak, may His Word be like a fire shut up in you, as it was in Jeremiah—who received no encouraging promise of a returning remnant, had no one listen, and yet kept preaching. May we do the same. God said to Habakkuk:

Although the fig tree shall not blossom... yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17–18)

You can have that joy only when you recognize this world is not where it is at—there awaits another kingdom, "a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." That is where we are headed.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for the truth of Your Word, and for the candor with which You speak to us. You do not spin it or make it more palatable; You simply tell us clearly what the truth is. Would You give myself and my brothers and sisters boldness to speak that same truth to those who are lost and dying in this world—willing to be accused of being fools, willing to be ridiculed, just as Isaiah was, and Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, and Obadiah. You told Your disciples we are blessed when men revile and persecute us and say all manner of evil against us falsely; You told us to rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is our reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets before us. Cause us to be salt to this earth and light to this world that cannot be hid and cannot be put out in these dark days. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.