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Isa 6: 4-7  What Is the function of these Seraphims?

Isa 6:4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5  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.
Isa 6:6  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:
Isa 6:7  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.

Our study today concerns the function of the seraphims, but to be comprehensive concerning their function, we must consider why the seraphims cover their faces and feet with their wings. As we we read in last week’s study:

Isa 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.
Isa 6:2  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. 
Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

We are about to see that the covering of their faces and their feet reveal to us a very important part of the function they perform in the Lord’s service.

We will begin by seeking to understand the spiritual significance of covering one’s face.

The first case of attempting to hide one’s face was the case of Adam and Eve who had just become aware of the fact that they were created in a naked and sinful condition. But in that case they were ashamed to be seen at all by God, even with their fig leaves attempting to cover their nakedness. Adam and Eve wanted to hide their entire body from God. That story reveals to us how we are just naturally opposed to our Creator, whereas covering one’s face reveals that we want to come closer to our Creator, even as we are being brought to realize just how offensive to our Creator is the “corruption” which is this first “marred… vessel of clay”. (Jer 18:4 and 1Co 15:50).

We find two places in scripture where a man of God “covered his face”. These will help us understand why the seraphims cover their faces and their feet.

The first example is Moses at the burning bush:

Exo 3:6  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 

Moses did not take the opportunity to “look upon God” as a light thing. He knew that “no man [could] see God and live”. Christ put His own hand over Moses to hide Moses from His glory.

Exo 33:22  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
Exo 33:23  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Christ’s “back parts” typify the law which Moses was permitted to see. Moses was not permitted to see Christ’s glory face to face, and this is the contrast between Christ’s back parts and His glorifed face, which He later revealed to His disciples:

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter [Christ’s “back parts”], but of the spirit [His glorifed face]: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Co 3:8  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

Moses hid his face when He was told he was talking with God. The other man of God who “covered his face” when talking with God was Elijah while hiding from Jezebel in the cave and hearing the voice of God:

1Ki 19:13  And it was so, when Elijah heard it [“a still small voice”], that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 

When Elijah knew he was in the presence of God “He wrapped his face in his mantle”, showing the fear and respect he had for his God and for his own life in the presence of God. Hiding our faces is a simple acknowledgment of our realization of our unworthiness of ourselves to even be in our Lord’s presence.

What the act of these seraphims hiding their faces tells us is that to this very day our old man must be dying daily, and we must be in the process of being “crucified with Christ” before we will be granted to see Christ and His Father:

Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Joh 6:46  Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. 

Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

If we are “of God”, then we “have seen the Father”, and if we “have seen [Christ we] have seen the Father”, and this is how we see God and His Son:

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

Spirit is invisible, and this is how we ‘see’ the invisible things of the spirit:

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

Christ’s inheritance is “in [His] saints… in the heavens”. Our understanding of the greatness of His power toward us is through our spiritual eyes when are given to understand that the resurrection of Christ and the placing of Christ at the right hand of His Father’s throne, is also the placing of Christ’s anointed there with Him. In His anointed He is symbolized by these seraphims, also called fiery cherubims. Understanding that “His inheritance” is in us, “His saints”, is “the greatness of [the revelation of] His power toward us who believe”. It is “the eyes of our understanding” which makes us to know who we are and what our function is. That function in His service is revealed to us through all these varied symbols of those who are with Christ “in the midst of” and upon His Father’s throne .

Rev 4:6  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 

These four beasts, as we have seen, are the same as the seraphims here in Isaiah 6, and now we must consider why they cover their feet with their wings.

Isa 6:2  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. 

Why are we told the seraphims cover their feet? The answer is here in the book of Isaiah where we are told in:

Isa 52:7  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Based upon that verse no one had more beautiful feet than Christ, who was the first to bring us His “good tidings”, His gospel:

Mat 9:35  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel [“good tidings”] of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

So why would anyone want to cover the preaching of the gospel? Our answer is given us by Christ Himself, who spiritually “covered His [own] feet” when He said this concerning himself even while He was “preaching the gospel [and] publishing salvation” in this vessel of clay:

Mar 10:18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

The lesson for us is that we, too, must have that same humble spirit of Christ of knowing “there is none good but one, that is, God”, that we are “unprofitable servants” after doing all that is commanded of us, and see ourselves as nothing less than “chief… of… sinners”.

Here are two more verses which demonstrate why we are told the seraphims cover their feet:

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

That is the spiritual significance of the seraphim covering their feet with their wings.

The last question we need to ask is what is the significance of these seraphims flying? “…With twain they did fly”. What function do we perform while flying through the heavens?

When we know these seraphims are just another form of the four living creatures, the four cherubims and the four beasts and the four and twenty elders, and when we know that all these various symbols symbolize Christ’s Christ, His “nation of kings and priests”, His elect who are to live and reign with Him a thousand years, then we can come to know why we are told “they did fly” in their service to their God.

This is why they are flying and this is what they are doing while they are flying in the Lord’s service:

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

And this is part of that “everlasting gospel”:

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

This happens to be the very same gift given to the four beasts and four and twenty elders:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 

When Christ delivers us from our sins and makes us kings and priests, He does so on “eagles’ wings”:

Exo 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

When we are granted to know that Christ entered into “the heavens themselves” to cleanse “the heavens” with His own blood, then we will see clearly where this throne, these seraphims and this entire heavenly scene is taking place:

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with the blood of [“bulls and goats” – vs 13]; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

We are “the heavenly things themselves” of which the first temple was merely a pattern and a figure. We are “the holy places… not… made with hands. We are also these seraphims and the cherubims whose likeness is “the likeness of a man, [and] the likeness of fire”:

Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

There is a reason why this symbol of God’s elect has ‘the likness of a man’, and that reason is the same reason Christ took on ‘the likeness of a man’ and became flesh and dwelt among us:

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

So what does that have to do with these seraphim who symbolize us as Christ’s elect? Christ twice tells us that those who persecute His disciples are actually persecuting Him:

Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

Then we are also once again told in:

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

The reason Christ “was made flesh and dwelt among us” is:

Mat 8:17  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Christ became flesh and dwelt among us for the purpose of “be[ing] touched with the feeling of our infirmities, [and being] “in all points tempted like as we are”. If it is true that “as He is so are we in this world”, then we, too, must “daily… fill up in [our] flesh that which is behind of His afflictions, [be] crucifed with [Him], ” and “present [our] own bodies as a living sacrifice, to make an atonement with Him, [and to be] that living sacrifice… to be the scapegoat… for a trespass offering… for His body’s sake which is the church”.

Lev 5:6  And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.

Lev 7:7  As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.

Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living [trespass] sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ [the living trespass offering] in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Being a living trespass sacrifice, dying daily, suffering and filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ, are all being done “in [our] flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church”, just as much as the fiery baptism of Christ upon the cross was done for that same purpose. This is “that which is written” for us, and that is what must be fulfilled in us if we want to enter into Christ, our temple and our sabbath. That is the very meaning of being baptized with fire:

Mar 9:49  For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Luk 3:16  John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 

Ezekiel also tells us of the cherubims, who are the same as the seraphims, “Their appearance… had the likeness of a man”, and they also had the appearance of the fiery ministers of God:

Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

Eze 1:13  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

‘Fire’ is also the word the holy spirit uses to describe the ministers of Christ:

Psa 104:4  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Heb 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 

These verses are contrasting Christ with His “angels”:

Heb 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

But who are we told these ‘angels’, these messengers, are? This is who we are told they are in the very next verse:

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

And who did Christ send forth to minister to them who are to be the heirs of salvation? These are His own words:

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

With all of this in mind let’s continue to inquire into the function of these seraphims.

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

Whose is “the voice of him that cried”? This is our answer:

Isa 6:3  And one [seraphim] cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

It is “at the voice of [the seraphims that] the posts of the door moved… and [causes] the house [to be] filled with smoke”. What are the seraphims saying which would move the posts of the door of the house of God and fill it with smoke?

We need not guess because we are told in what they are saying in:

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

It is the fulfilling of the seven plagues of the seven angels in the lives of His elect which moves the posts of the house and fills it with smoke. Revelation 16 gives us the fiery words of His seven-plagues judgment upon the kingdom of our old man and upon the great harlot who has ruled over that kingdom for so long. It is a fiery judgment which burns up and destroys the life and kingdom of our old man and his harlot ruler. The posts of the doors are moved, because those seven plagues are not only a consuming fire, but they are also a great earthquake such as has never before been experienced.

Isa 10:16  Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. 
Isa 10:17  And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;
Isa 10:18  And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

If we, as God’s elect, are His temple, then it is we who are also “the posts of the door [which are] moved at the voice of [these seraphims]”.  When the “coals of fire” burn up all the thorns and briers in one day, our new man becomes the very flames and the live coals which devour and burn up those thorns and briers, purging us of our iniquities and sins.

Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 

This day of judgment comes to all who must pass through the fiery sword in the hands of the cherubims which guard the way of the tree of life:

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

It is not “some strange thing” to be judged by the fiery words of Christ. Rather we are admonished to rejoice as being “partakers of Christ’s suffering… for His body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24). It is not “some strange thing” inasmuch as it is common “to every man”:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day [of judgment] shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire…” is taken from these words which conclude our study on the function of the seraphims. This is what the seraphims and the seven angels with the seven last plagues do. This is their function:

Isa 6:4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5  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.
Isa 6:6  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:
Isa 6:7  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’s iniquity is taken away, and his sin is purged by a live coal which the seraphim takes from off the altar. In other words, Isaiah is “saved; yet so as by fire”. He has fulfilled the seven plagues of the seven angels”. Just as the posts of the door being moved at the voice of the seraphims causes the house to be filled with smoke, so also do the words of “the seven angels with the seven last plagues” being poured out upon great Babylon and the kingdom of the beast, cause the temple in heaven to be filled with smoke:

Rev 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. 
Rev 15:5  And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
Rev 15:6  And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

“…Thy judgments are made manifest. And after that… the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled [in the life of] “every man [whose] works shall be burned… but he himself… saved; yet so as by fire.”

What we have seen is that 1Co 3:13-15, Isa 6:4-7 and Rev 15:4-8 are one and all telling us the same message. It is the same message Isaiah gives us in these two verses, which are the scriptural interpretation of how our iniquity is taken away and our sins are purged by fire:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Here is the “live coal… from off the altar” which in type took away the iniquity and purged Isaiah’s sin:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

That is the function of the seraphims, the four living creatures, the four cherubims, and the four beasts, and the four and twenty elders and the seven angels.

Their function is to judge this world and then to judge angels at the great white throne judgment, which we are told is accomplished in the lake of fire. Their appearance is “like burning coals of fire” because they are also that “live coal of fire” taken from the altar which purged Isaiah’s iniquity and cleansed him of His sins. They are the Christ of Christ, and they are the fire of “the lake of fire” by which every man’s works are to be tried.

We are told so in these verses:

Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? [No, it is not Satan, though he will certainly spend time there – Mat 25:41]
Isa 33:15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

Eze 1:13  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?