In which temple did Isaiah see the Lord “sitting upon a throne” in Isaiah 6.1?
There are two possibilities: the temple in Jerusalem, and what might be called the ‘heavenly temple’. The latter cannot be ruled out, as there are Scriptures referring to it, for example, “The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven” (Ps 11.4). However, I believe that Isaiah saw the Lord in the Jerusalem temple, for several reasons.
Firstly, the great majority of Scripture references to “temple” are to the temple in Jerusalem (which, in Isaiah’s day, was the temple built by Solomon) and, in the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, it is simplest to deduce that it is this temple that is in view. Isaiah writes of “the temple” two other times (Isa 44.28; 66.6) and, in each case, the reference is to a temple in Jerusalem; not Heaven. Also, when God’s temple in Heaven is mentioned, it is called “his temple”, which is not done in this passage. The straightforward way for Isaiah’s readers to understand “the temple” was that it was the Jerusalem temple then in existence.
The reference to the death of King Uzziah in the same verse is also suggestive of the Jerusalem temple: he had entered into the temple to burn incense without the right to do so (2 Chr 26.16-21), and was forever banished from it. Soon after, Isaiah beheld in the temple a King who has the full right to be there, and whose train fills it.
Against this, it has been argued that the throne and the seraphim belong to a heavenly scene, rather than an earthly one. That is true, but we must remember that this is a vision, and so we are not looking at ‘normal’ circumstances. If, however, we do take into account what pertains to a particular sphere, then phenomena such as the posts of the door moving and the house being filled with smoke (v 4) would be more likely to occur in an earthly house than in a heavenly one. Moreover, the altar and tongs (v 6) are items that we know to have been in Solomon’s temple (1 Kgs 7.48,49).
Thus, I take it that Isaiah is describing a time when he was in the temple, worshipping, and the Lord revealed Himself to him in a vision there. We do not need to envisage Isaiah being transported into Heaven and viewing a heavenly scene.
What exactly is implied by the phrase in Revelation 22.2, “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations”? I thought that in Heaven and the eternal state there would be no need of healing because there will be no sickness. What healing can there be with everything new and perfect?
Although there are admittedly a number of different views concerning the passage in question, I believe that the period indicated in the context of the verse quoted above is not the eternal state, nor are the new heavens and earth in view. Rather, it is a millennial scene. Revelation 21 opens with the introduction of the new heaven and the new earth. This is the eternal state. However, at verse 9 of chapter 21, there is a going back in time to millennial conditions. In the new earth, God, as God, dwells with men as such. Had it said in the section relating to the eternal state that there is healing we would certainly have a problem but, once we see that the mention of healing is found in a millennial setting, the seeming problem vanishes.
In verses 24 and 26 of chapter 21 there are nations and kings, and the idea is that their glory is brought to the city, rather than “into” it. This again is going back to time, and the millennial period. Chapter 22.1-5 carries on the description, though now the throne is prominent. From it the pure river proceeds, emanating from God’s heavenly centre of government. In this heavenly sphere the tree of life flourishes, “and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” As concerning the earthly sphere, the Millennium will not be a perfect state, and the dependence of the nations upon the heavenly sphere for healing is symbolically stated. There will be no sickness in Heaven but, even in the wonderful period of the Millennium, there will be sickness, suffering and sin. We learn from Isaiah 35.5-6 that the Lord Himself will grant healing where and when needed.
