Isaiah Chapter 6:1-8

This is the first of five biblical scriptural paintings that were given to me through a vision in 2000. At the time I was unaware of the events that were come; all I knew was that I had been called to paint this passage of scripture for a reason unbeknown to me. It was a journey of great joy, worship, and the privilege of being called.

After I had completed this painting of Isaiah Chapter 6, within three days of its completion, the Twin Towers of New York fell. This verse that I had just painted rang out loud and clear, “Who can I send and who will go for us?”

Then I knew in my heart that God was calling a generation of people that would stand as Isaiah did and not compromise the Gospel truth in these last days. I believe the Church will be tested, if not persecuted, in these last days when governments begin to take out God from their nation.

Each painting, in the series of five, is a warning not only to the church but to the rest of the world.

“WHO SHALL I SEND? AND WHO WILL GO FOR US?” vs. 8

Jesus drew a little child beside Him and said to His disciples, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

This childlike faith goes beyond the boundaries of our human comprehension and religion itself. It was in this area that I too needed to step into the childlike faith that Jesus spoke of, or I would never have been able to paint these series of biblical scriptural paintings.

I will quickly share how I came to paint this first painting, from the series of five, Isaiah Chapter 6:1-8.

For most of my career I have been a wildlife artist. I have painted wildlife for many collectors around the world. One of my paintings, ‘Kakapo and Chick’, commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund NZ, hangs in the Royal Collection of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh.

What brought about the change from wildlife to a five year season of painting the bible? Well, all I can say is that I had an encounter with Jesus in 2000.

Isaiah 6:1-8 is possibly one of the most widely known passages of scripture in the church today. The first eight verses reveal one man’s encounter with God that gives us a glimpse into the supernatural realm of the kingdom of heaven.

This beautiful, and yet quite fearful, passage of scripture speaks of six-winged angels, a mighty throne which is high above anything else that exists, and a power that literally shakes all of heaven.

It is a place where one man stood, privileged and yet undeniably terrified, before a Holy God. Isaiah must have thought his life was over; he blurted out, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips.” Then in absolute amazement he heard God say, “Who shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah must have breathed a sigh of relief. Almighty God, it seemed, was unable to find someone who would go and speak on his behalf. At that time God’s people were out of order, unable to hear or see what was ahead of them.

It wasn’t going to be an easy task for the righteous prophet either, because the message God gave him to speak to the people was not what they wanted to hear or believe. In fact it was a warning: that if people continued on in their ways, straying away from the truth and their God, there would be a judgment.

Isaiah must have known he would receive a hostile reception, but the experience of his encounter and his commission was worth more than his life.

Isaiah put up his hand and said, “I’ll go. Send me,” and God said, “Go then and tell My people this, you will hear my words, but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.”

Jesus also used the same parallel as Isaiah did in Matthew: 13:11-16. Jesus spoke in parables throughout these verses; but he was not hiding the truth from sincere seekers, because those who were receptive to spiritual truth understood the illustrations. To others they were only stories without meaning. This allowed Jesus to give spiritual food to those who hungered for it.

It is the same with this prophecy. It is too an illustration. It can be received or it can be rejected.

I believe September the 11 ^th 2001 was a warning to America (not to take the foundation of Truth, set by God, out of the nation). It too is a warning to the sleeping Church itself (the true followers of Christ) and to the rest of world, yet the unsaved.

It is interesting that in the wreckage of the fallen twin towers, a cross had formed out of the melted steel structures that had supported its foundation. It was photographed by a rescuer in amongst the ruins. It stood twisted and battered, just as Jesus did upon the cross. It stood in defiance just as if to say,

“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish.”

These are the scriptures that make up the composition of the Isaiah painting:

Isaiah 6:1-8; Daniel 7:9; Habakkuk 3:4; Exodus 24:10; Ezekiel 10:1-9; Revelation 4:3; Revelation 20:11