ISAIAH 6


[Yeshayah 6 Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)]

1 In the year that king Uzziah [Melech Uziyah] died I saw also Yahweh sitting upon a throne [kisse], high and lifted up, and his train filled [robe] the temple [Heikhal].


2 Above it [Him] stood [ministering the flaming] seraphim: each one had 6 wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

The covering wings

The symbols of Isaiah [Ch6], related as they undoubtedly are to those of Ezekiel and John, not only serve to explain them, but also exhibit additional significant features in connection with the preparation of the saints for their great mission in the world.

For instance, although the wings are not intended for flight in the ordinary sense of the term, they must indicate movement of some kind, for the figure is frequently used in the sense of extending, spreading, or covering.

Thus we read of Tyre in her overlordship of other people " as a covering cherub." (Ezek. xxviii. 14, 15,16.) Also in Isaiah we read of the Assyrian invasion of Palestine under this figure, viz., that " the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, Ο Immanuel." (Isa. viii. 8.)

The wings, therefore, may be taken to represent the overshadowing, or extension of that which the cherub symbolises.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.6.



The Face Covering Wings

These may well refer to the period when through the Mosaic system the glory of the Father was revealed. The Apostle Paul, when writing of this manifestation, describes the Mosaic system as a veil behind which the glory of the Father was hidden, illustrating his point by referring to the fact that Moses covered his face with a veil when he came out from conversing with the angel of God in the tabernacle (2 Cor. iii. 13 ; Exod. xxxiv. 33-35), saying :

Even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. (2 Cor. iii. 15.) They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (Rom. x. 2.) They sought it not by faith, but by the works of the law. (Rom. ix. 32.)

The glorious means of deliverance from sin was there, but "their minds were blinded" or " veiled" a condition foreshadowed by Moses wearing a veil after coming from the presence of the Angel in whom was "the name of the Father" (Exod. xxxiv. 29-35.)

Now, just as the wings of the cherub before which Moses appeared spread over the mercy seat (Exod. xxv.17-22) so also according to the figure in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John, the faithful saints of that period, represented by wings full of eyes were a covering, through which the Father's light shone upon others, overspreading the land of Israel, and beyond its borders to the surrounding nations. (1 Kings x. 1, 24, etc.). Those who, because of their faith, could see beyond the veil, will in due time receive their reward, but the rest " were blinded".

Further, this cherubic manifestation represented by the two " cherubim of glory" "whose wings overshadowed the mercy seat, was a figure for the time then present." Heb. ix. 5, 9.

Now the mercy seat upon which the blood of bulls and goats was offered represented Christ. He was the altar, mercy seat, and offering in one, upon which, as it were, he offered his own blood. (Psa. 118: 26-27 ; Heb. 9: 14 ; 13: 10 ; 1 John 2: 2 ; Eph. 2:14-16.)

...Just as the two cherubim were made of gold of one piece with the mercy seat, so one cherub represents the redeemed from Israel; and the other the redeemed Gentile —Israel after the Spirit. The two cherubim may also be said to be typical of the Father speaking in the Son between the Old Testament and New Testament dispensations.For the tabernacle in all its arrangements was typical of good things to come.

As Moses heard the directing voice of God from " between the cherubim " (Numb 7: 89 ; Exod. 25: 22) so also the voice of God spoke through Jesus between the Mosaic and the Messianic periods represented by the two cherubim and the fourfold symbols of Ezekiel and John.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.6.



WITH TWAIN HE DID FLY

Ezekiel not only saw the vision of the glory of Yahweh by the river Chebar and at the door of the inner gate of Jerusalem (Chap. 8: 3), but he also saw that the cherubim had departed from the house after the sins of Israel had been portrayed before him upon the " wall " (Chapters 8, 9.). Thus we read :

And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. (Chap. 9: 3.)

These verses indicate that when Israel did not adequately respond to the glorious manifestation of the Father in the form and substance of the Law, He rejected them as the medium of revealing His glory, and turned to the Gentiles. (Acts 13: 46-48.)

Thus the transference of a manifestation of glory from one people to another, and from one place to another, appears to find expression in symbolical wings with which the cherub is said to fly (Isa. vi. 2), and also by the likeness of one of the living creatures seen by John to " a flying eagle" (Apoc. 4: 7.) See Isa. 49: 6 ; Luke 2: 32.

The period of flight appears to extend from the time when the Father ceased to manifest Himself through Israel to the time when He will again, as it were, sit upon or dwell in, the cherubim. Referring to the time during which the Father withheld Himself from Israel, David plaintively and prophetically appeals for the favour of the Father, thus :

Give ear, Ο Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock ; thou that sitteth upon the cherubim, shine forth, (Psalm 80: 1 - R.V.)

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.6.



With Twain He Covered His Feet

In this we are reminded of the place of Yahweh's throne, which is also described as

" the place of the soles of his feet" (Ezek. XLIII. 7).

Since we have seen that the redeemed constituent elements of the wings full of eyes are to assemble in this place, the inference is that here this pair of wings will cover his feet, i.e., they represent the " feet " phase of the manifestation of Yahweh.

Referring to this period, David prophetically describes the Father as dwelling in the cherubim when the Lord reigneth over the earth. Thus we read :

The Lord reigneth ; let the people tremble : He sitteth upon the cherubim ; let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion ; and He is high above all the people. (Psalm xcix. 1, 2. R.V.)

Sitting upon the cherubim must mean dwelling in those who comprise the cherubim, for the cherubim do not carry the Father, but the Father carries them. They are the medium through whom the power and glory of the Father is manifested. He " dwells in " the

cherubim after the resurrection and glorification of the Saints in Christ Jesus, as indicated in the Apocalypse, thus :

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out : and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God ; and I will write upon him my new name (Chap. 3. 12.)

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Chap. xxi. 3.)

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.6.



3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy [Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh], is Yahweh Tz'vaoth: the whole earth [kol ha'aret] is full of His glory [kavod].

Holy ! Holy ! HoIy !

There are three epoch-marking events in which the Father has laid the foundation for the manifestation of His Holiness, and in which from period to period the saints have voiced their relationship to this holiness.

The words Holy, Holy, Holy, may be taken to signify Separate ! Separate ! Separate !

(1) When the flood came upon the earth the Father divided the wicked from the just. The effect of this judgment caused the people of God to voice and to maintain that separation between the sons of God and the children of men which had been violated, and which led to such lamentable results, when only eight souls were saved by water. (Gen. vi. 2, 11, 12, 13 ; xxiv. 3-6 ; xxvi. 34, 35 ; XXVIII. 1, 2.)

(2) Again, when the iniquity of the Amorites had developed to its fulness, the children of Israel were commanded to destroy the inhabitants of the land, not to make marriages with them, worship their idols, nor bow down to their images, but to be, and remain a separate people. (Deut. vii. 2-6; Exod. xxiii. 24 ; Numb, xxxiii. 52.) The effect of this judgment caused the cry for " Holiness " again to go forth.

(3) And yet again, when Israel who " had received the law by the disposition of angels and had not kept it " (Acts VII. 53) filled up their iniquity by crucifying Him through whom the Father was manifesting himself, the Mosaic economy was overthrown, their city burned with fire, and the people scattered over the face of the earth.

The lesson was not lost—at least for a time—by those who bore the divine testimony to the Gentiles. From this third epoch the voice of the saints, represented by the four living creatures in the Apocalypse, cried without ceasing,

" Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God Almighty" (Apoc. iv. 8.)

The expression " Lord God Almighty " in the Apocalypse may be taken as the equivalent of the " Lord of Hosts " in Isaiah because in the one case obvious reference is made to The Lamb sitting on the throne in the midst'of a community exercising rulership. In the other case the central figure is the Lord (Adonai) whose train filled the Temple. The train representing a multitude of rulers, or the ruling hosts. (Isa. vi. 1-3.)

These invocations to " Holiness " were accompanied by scathing, fiery judgments in harmony with the term seraphim used in the symbol of Isaiah. The judgments upon Jerusalem are likened to a fire in the book of Jeremiah thus :

If ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day ; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. (Chap. xvii. 27.)

The fire which destroyed Jerusalem was kindled soon after the disciples commenced the mission committed to them by Jesus. Those who listened to his warning, Matthew xxiv. 15, escaped, others were consumed in the destruction of the city.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.6.




Seraphim Identical with Cherubim


There is no obscurity about the etymology of seraph. It signifies burning, fiery, deadly. The fiery serpents sent among the people (Num. xxi. 6) are styled by Moses seraphim. By the saints, the seraphim and cherubim of Messiah's throne, the whole earth is to be filled with his glory.

Being incarnations of Spirit, they will be more than a match for all the powers of the world. They will cast down their thrones, overthrow Babylon, waste the land of Assyria, reap the harvest of the earth, tread the winepress of wrath, and as a stream of devouring fire destroy the body of Daniel's fourth polity with their burning flame.

Eureka 4.4.1.

4 cherubim with 6 wings each = 24 [elders] about the throne. This vision is taken up in Rev 4: 4-8

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These strange, symbolic figures appear throughout the Word of God, from the Garden of Eden to the Revelation, particularly at times of great change and significance. They are a pictorial representation of the Memorial Yahweh Name, the eternal divine purpose, the manifestation of the glory of God in a host of redeemed ones.

Basically, their likeness is the "likeness of a MAN," because it is the gracious purpose of our God to manifest Himself in a multitude taken from among men.

Their fundamental characteristic is LIFE. They are collectively "the Living One;" the "One of Life." Not life just in the sense of passive existence; but ceaseless, intense, joyful activity. Even in their standing still (as we see from the visions of Ezekiel) there is an appearance of endless, tireless, vigorously exuberant motion. Their whole symbolic appearance speaks of life without any end; energy without any limit, joy without any surfeit or surcease. Of them, the apostle John records (Rev. 4:8) that they-

"REST NOT DAY AND NIGHT, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty."

Divine praise and worship is the deepest, purest and most intense form of rejoicing.

Beside life, joy, activity, the principal conceptions associated with the figure of the Cherubim are power, authority, knowledge, unity, holiness, unchangeableness, limitless rapidity of motion, and, above all, the manifestation of the Glory of God.

Bro Growcott - The Cherubim of Glory



Two important features are indicated by the association of the terms cherubim and seraphim in the symbolic figures of Ezekiel and Isaiah.

First,—The saints are related to fiery judgments, not only affecting them personally (Heb. X. 26, 27 ; xii. 29) but also in relation to their position as the administrators of judgments coming upon the world, when the Saints are organised as the Militant Hosts for establishing the kingdom of God upon the earth, when in the calf foot phase of their mission they tread down the enemies of the Father with the soles of their feet.

Secondly,—The brightness associated with all these symbols indicates the attribute of light which will be bestowed upon the saints. The brightness of the serpent fixed upon a pole in the wilderness prefigured burning destruction to the flesh of sin ; but at Eden's gate the light flashing out from the cherubim and returning upon itself indicates the presence there of Elohim, shedding forth instruction for those there assembled to offer sacrifice in return for divine guidance.

Just as the Elohim of that age dispensed the light of life, so the saints in the age to come will perform a like mission.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.6.



6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand [the living fiery spirit of instruction under the law], which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

The way in which Jesus was " cleansed from His iniquity," is indicated in the prophecy, " One cf the seraphim " having a live coal in his hand taken from off the altar, laid it upon his mouth, and said :

Lo, this hath touched thy lips ; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged - Isa 6: 7

We have seen that Seraphim are not single individuals, but communities through whom the Father has manifested, or is manifesting Himself by His word. Moreover, we are told that the law was a " schoolmaster." (Gal. 3. 24). Now, Jesus appeared during the Mosaic epoch, " made under the law " (Gal. iv. 4). He was ever ready to quote and observe its words. In the sixteenth chapter of Proverbs (verses 27-28) " words " are described as a scorching fire.

The prophet Jeremiah also said that the word of God in his heart was as it were a burning fire " shut up in his bones " (Chap. xx. 9, R.V.). This effect is produced in those who receive the word of God in the love of it. The conscience is stirred until the heart becomes hot within them.

" While musing the fire is kindled " (Psalm xxxix. 3).

This fire consumes impulses contrary to the word of God, and causes obedience to the law. This was the result of the operation of the word in Christ Jesus. "He fulfilled the law " (which no other man did) the whole of which was comprehended in two precepts, first,

" Thou shalt love Yahweh thy Elohim with all thy heart, all thy mind, and all thy strength"

and, secondly,

" thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself"

To carry out these precepts involved a voluntary offering of self; in fact, if those two precepts are observed, to die for others is a necessary corollary. This hot, burning stone—the living fiery spirit of instruction under the law—touched His lips. He magnified the law, and made it honourable. The observance of the law, with its essential attribute of the exercise of faith, led to complete purgation from sin physically as well as mentally, for of Him it is written :

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on, or to, the tree (1 Pet. 2. 24).

Seeing that Jesus could not have borne our personal sins in his own body ; seeing that he did not commit sin in the sense of personal transgression, the only admissible inference is that sin was crucified in the person of Jesus. This conclusion is supported by the illustration which Jesus himself furnished of his own relationship to sin, saying :

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up (John in. 14).

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.7.




7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity [defiled human nature yet perfect character...he did not err even in thought] is taken away, and thy sin purged.

THE PARABLE OF THE SIN BEARER


The beautiful figure contained in the sixth chapter of the book of Isaiah described one whose sin is purged by a live coal taken from the altar (v. 7).

Without question the one referred to must be Jesus Anointed, because he quoted this prophecy in explanation of the use of parables in order that men who were not worthy of receiving the precious gift of divine knowledge should " hear" without understanding, and " see" without perceiving (Matt. xm. 10-16).

[ Compare also Jeremiah, chap. v. 21-25; Prov. i, 22 33.]

Further, the Apostle John quotes this prophecy, Chap. xii. 40 and specifically applies it to Jesus, saying :

These things said Isaiah, when he saw His glory and spake of Him (ibid verse 41).

" He saw his glory," i.e., Isaiah saw the earth full of the glory of him whose sin was figuratively purged by the live coal taken from off the altar, and who also said,

" Behold me : send me " (Isa. vi. 8).

 In this prophecy we have a parabolic representation of the behests of the Father and the response of the Son...

" Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, Ο God " (Chap.

x. 7).

The words following in this Psalm also indicate that he who thus speaks was encompassed with iniquities which had taken hold upon him, and therefore he needed purgation therefrom. Thus we read :

"I have preached righteousness in the great congregation ; lo, I have not refrained my lips, Ο Lord, thou knowest . . .withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, Ο Lord ; let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about : mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up ; they are more than the hairs of my head : therefore my heart faileth me" (Psalm XL. 9-12).

Nor is this the only Psalm which represents the Son of Mary in his relation to sin, of which more anon, and consequently sharing the necessity of passing through a cleansing or " purging" process as indicated in the prophecy of Isaiah. For instance, in the eighteenth

Psalm we read of an " upright one " thus :

I was also upright before him, and kept myself from mine iniquity (verse 23).

This could not refer to David, because he was not altogether upright before God, and because the upright one is also represented as saying :

" Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people ; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen" (verse 43).

A prophecy not fulfilled in David, but will be in Christ. Now since the Son of Mary " partook of the same flesh as the children," since "he was tempted in all points as they " (Heb. 11. 14 ; iv. 15) there should be no difficulty in understanding in what way he kept himself from " his iniquity."

He knew what was in man (John 11. 24, 25) therefore he must at all times have possessed perfect knowledge of any impulse arising from the flesh contrary to the purpose of His Father, thus leading him to view his temptations as " iniquities " more numerous than the hairs of his head (Psalm XL. 12).

While the " iniquity " that took hold of him was in his flesh, in which dwelleth no good thing (Rom. vii. 18 ; Matt. xix. 17) the character which he manifested was perfect and pleasing to his Father, hence we read in Psalm xviii.,

" He delivered me, because he delighted in me" (verse 19), and could say, " I do always the things that please him".

Nothing can be more truthfully said than as stated in this Psalm :

" He kept himself from his iniquity " (v. 23).

Again, the sixty-ninth Psalm must refer to Jesus Christ because the following statements are in the New Testament said to be fulfilled in Him : " For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up " (verse 9). " They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (verse 21.) Now, the One whose burden is foreshadowed in this Psalm speaks to the Father thus :

"Ο God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins are not hid from thee" (ibid, verse 5).

The possibility of such an expression and such an aspiration ascending from the Son of God seems unthinkable unless we look at him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and consider him in that agony of mind when he shrank from crucifixion and death. The impulse to escape from that terrible ordeal, and the mental conflict arising therefrom, was in his flesh (Ep. 11. 15), yet in the midst of it all he said :

"Ο my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt".

Here was consciousness of " will " in himself contrary to that of his Father : of a desire to escape the ordeal, but his mind was in absolute submission to his Father, willing to offer himself upon the tree. How often he may have meditated upon this possibility we know not but who can doubt that in the intensity of his trial he felt that perfect hatred for those impulses which he could not prevent arising, and to which he did not yield.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.7.


9 And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

What is the meaning of this? Does it not show that the Jews lack understanding? For as Mr. Stern says, they can discern jewels and diamonds, but higher things are hid from them in our time.

"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 hearts, and be converted and be healed".

According to Mr. Stern's interpretation, the great light of his nation was sent to bring darkness! What a desperate strait Mr. Stern must be in when he finds himself compelled to sustain his theory by such injustice to his own Scriptures. I referred to the 53rd chapter of Isaiah as showing that the Messiah was to be a personage at first rejected.

I now refer to Psa. 118:22 for the same purpose, "The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner". The builders of Israel were to reject their chief corner stone; will they deny that the chief corner stone of their political edifice is the Messiah? Then he was to be rejected by the builders. Is the Messiah of Mr. Stern's expectation to be rejected? Jesus of Nazareth was rejected by the head men of Israel, and therefore he answers to this prophetic intimation of David. I next refer to Isaiah 8:14.

"He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and shall be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him".

Who has been the stone of stumbling to Israel? Jesus of Nazareth. And God has hidden His face from them; for are they not now broken and snared and taken? Have they not been for 1,800 years wandering in darkness? Jesus of Nazareth has ascended into Heaven, and by the testimony of the Apostles, is sitting at the right hand of God; and the binding of the law and the sealing of the testimony among his disciples is now going on. How complete is the correspondence between Jesus and the Messiah foretold by the prophets. (Time called.)

Bro Roberts - Was Jesus of Nazareth The Messiah?



Partial restoration of the nation before Messiah's advent


13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and in it [the land (which has been waste - enjoying her sabbaths in the absence of the diaspora)] shall return [to fruitfulness when there is a partial restoration of the Jews Ezk 38], and shall be eaten: [the preadventual colonization of the "tenth," whose people are to return, and browse it (the land) with their cattle] as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed [zera kodesh] shall be the substance thereof.

A tenth of Israel occupied by Jacob's seed prior to Messiah's return. Greater Israel in the Aion of Aions is 10 times larger in land mass. Current estimates in 2017 suggest Israel is about 22 100 sq kms. This is less than a tenth of the Greater Israel envisioned by Bro Thomas' so we may yet see further territory gains for Israel before the Lord returns. The proposed annexation of Judea and Samaria is a tantalising prospect. The US administration under President Trump has invoked territorial gains for Israel though this is strongly resisted by Palestinian leadership and its sympathisers. The expanding settlements into so-called 'occupied land' may also account for the difference. Bro Thomas suggested that in the Kingdom age Israeli territory will cover and area aprox 360 000 sq miles.


"the land brought back from the sword" is not the land according to the original Abrahamic grant; but only that "tenth part" of it which Isaiah was informed in ch. 6:13, "shall return and be grazed". This tenth in the midst of the land is the locality of Armageddon;...The return of security and prosperity to this tenth of the land, must... precede the development of the "One Yahweh" man.

Eureka 16.11.4.0.




This immigration and settlement is therefore not spread over the whole land; but principally confined to the midst or navel of the land; to that part, in other words, styled by Isaiah "a tenth." His words are, "a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it a tenth, and it shall return and be eaten."

By reference to this passage the reader will see that it is part of a prophecy concerning the desolation and subsequent restoration of the people and land of Israel. It predicts that in the midst of the widespread ruin a tenth part should escape utter desolation; and that the people should return and occupy it, and browse it with their cattle, which is implied by the phrase, "and shall return, and shall be eaten."

This is restoration in a limited degree-a restoration of a tenth part of the land, in the midst of it. What proportion of the nation will occupy this tenth part is not revealed; but of this we are informed, namely, that be it large or small only "one third part" will survive the calamities inflicted upon them by God's invasion of the country, and siege and capture of Jerusalem: for, "thus saith Yahweh, it shall come to pass in all the land, that two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, Yahweh is my God"-that is, Jesus, "whom Yahweh that made both Lord and Christ."

...He [Gog] captures the Holy City; but fails to subdue the country. The post-millennial Gog aims at both, but succeeds in effecting neither.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Feb 1854