Bible Questions Answered:
How could burning coals purify the lips of the prophet Isaiah?
Darren/ Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
Bible Answer:
Bible Text:
Isaiah 6:1-7 KJV
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.
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.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
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.
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.
Isaiah 6:1-7 NLT
1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple.
2 Attending Him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
3 They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!”
4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Isaiah had a revelation from the Lord.
In his revelation of the Lord, he made a discovery.
Isaiah 6:5 KJV
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.
Sadly this is why the evil one has eradicated altars, from our churches!
The place where men and women have thee opportunity to see and hear from God!
At the altar, the Lord reveals Himself to those who humbly seek Him!
Job 42:5 KJV
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.
When we truly take the time to see, and hear from the Lord, for ourselves, and see the King of Glory, we then, and only then will see ourselves for who we really are. For only in His light is all seen and known!
John 3:19-21 KJV
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Matthew 17:1-6 KJV
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
We can never be a people blessed of the Lord, until we rightly know who we are.
And we can never become the people God longs us to be, until we have seen what Isaiah saw.
Hardly be it any wander why the evil one is so busy in our day, steering souls away from the house of God, and its altar.
After revelation, comes abhorrence, think there be exceptions, think not, for there are none!
Romans 3:10,23 KJV
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I John 1:8-10 KJV
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Isaiah 6:6,7 KJV
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.
Where did the burning coal come from?
It came from the Brazen Altar, where sacrifice was made for sin.
Exodus 25:40 KJV
And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.
Hebrews 8:5 KJV
Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Moses built the tabernacle and its altars, after the pattern of what he had seen in heaven.
On Moses' Brazen Altar, the blood of the sacrificial animal flowed onto the burning coals beneath.
This sacrifice covered the sins of God's people.
But on heavens altar is the blood of God's precious Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.
Hebrews 9:22;24-26 NLT
22...For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.
25 And He did not enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal.
26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, He has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by His own death as a sacrifice.
I Peter 1:18-20 KJV
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
I John 1:7 KVJ
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
It was the blood on the altar, that took away Isaiah's sins. On heavens altar is the precious blood of our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, God's dear eternal (Isaiah 9:6), sinless (I Peter 2:22) Son.
Isaiah 55:6,7 KJV
6 Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
Ephesian 1:7 KJV
In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;
