In a most amazing passage, Isaiah details his standing in the throne room of God with all its might and majesty. In Isaiah 6:1-10, he sees God’s glory and knows His holiness:
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!’
“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’ And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.’”
God is about to commission Isaiah, but before he can do anything for Him, he must be cleansed. Only after this has been accomplished with the burning ember does God then ask whom He will send. Only after Isaiah’s realization of his uncleanness and the burning out of his sin through Isaiah’s repentance is he actually worthy to be sent out by God to do the tasks He has assigned for him.
It is at that point that God directs Isaiah to the people to preach the Good News, to speak of God’s redemption, but only in the context of turning from worthless idols and the depravity of the sin that ensnares them.
But God already knows in His omniscience that the people are far from Him and will remain so; that they won’t turn from their wicked ways so as to hear, to see, and to be healed.
Isaiah’s commission is in actuality no more than how we likewise are commissioned by God. We must acknowledge our sinfulness and our inability to change that within ourselves. We must repent with the realization that only through the blood that Jesus shed for us are we worthy to go forth as His ambassadors. The free gift we receive in our salvation is to be clothed with the righteousness and holiness of Jesus Christ. Without those garments, we are miserable, wretched, and poor, unable to do anything worthwhile for God’s kingdom.
Why then, would the so-called apostles and prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement think they can commission others to go out in the Name of Jesus, to do His works, and to see a worldwide revival that subjugates all of humanity to Christ; that through their efforts, they will hand a Christianized world to Jesus when He returns?
Why ask this question? Because the evidence points to NAR leaders sending out eager disciples to do just this, but without the necessary cleansing. In a previous article I wrote about The Send that occurred earlier in 2019. Fifty thousand young people gathered in great enthusiasm in order that they might bring healing to the nations, see wondrous works, and usher in the next great kingdom of God.
Here’s the problem. At this event, no doubt many who came were born again. Unfortunately, it’s highly likely that a great many of those who filled the stadium in Orlando weren’t saved. God’s holiness was not preached that day. The trials and tribulations that Jesus assured would come our way as His followers were never mentioned. Through the words of the leaders urging on these young people, none brought the acknowledgment of sin and the necessity of repentance.
They all raised their hands and said, “Send me!” But that’s not something that He can or will do without the precondition that they be consecrated by His blood. As a result, these enthusiastic followers [of what or of whom?] will go out into the world to a people who are unhearing and unseeing. That’s the world we live in today; one that has turned its back on God. Thus, without God’s stamp of approval upon these eager young ones, they cannot be witnesses for Him because they haven’t been sanctified.
They will go out in their own power and soon be swept away by the forces of the world and the delusions foisted upon them by the enemy who knows their true spiritual state. And that’s the sad part of this whole story. Rather than preparing the way for Jesus and His kingdom, they’re doing just the opposite. The next great kingdom of this world, as foretold in Scripture, is the kingdom of the Antichrist. Delusion will be heaped upon delusion and lawlessness will increase, even as we’ve seen it get worse before our very eyes in these last few years.
There may well be a great revival in the very last days, but it’s not going to happen before the Rapture and the soon-after Tribulation. Many will come to Christ during that horrible 7-year period, but the cost will be high, and God’s throne room will be filled with those multitudes who choose physical death over eternal death. Many souls will be saved then, but it won’t be through the efforts of NAR’s disciples.
Deception is rampant today. It is increasing. Oh, that we might be a discerning people!
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Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and serves as Missions Director at his church. He is also a prolific author. His Whirlwind Series is comprised of three books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is A Time. All these books are also contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus. Gary has been given the Christian Redemptive Fiction award for two novels: The Tattooed Cat and Alien Revelation. His intent in all his writings is to bring a strong Christian witness to what people read. You can reach him via his website at www.GaryRitter.com or his Facebook Author page at https://www.facebook.com/gritter3390. You can also see his video Bible teachings on his Gary Ritter YouTube page – look for the fish symbol.