Isaiah enters the presence of King Yahweh, who is surrounded by burning ones.
One burning one takes a coal and touches Isaiah’s lips. Toby Sumpter points out that this lights Isaiah on fire. He becomes a burning one.
He becomes a fire-breather, whose words destroy and purge Judah.
He is the fire from the King of heaven poured out on a Jerusalem that has become Sodom and a Judah that has become a Gomorrah. Even the tithe that’s left, the 10% righteous in this Sodom, will escape only so as through fire (Isaiah 6:13).
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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