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.