Introduction
Some people sincerely believe that there is a relationship between the three persons of the Trinity in the vision of Isaiah 6, with the account of Jesus in John 12, and with the Holy Spirit mentioned in Acts 24. This study aims to analyze this interpretation and verify whether it is the only possible one, as well as whether it is in harmony with the rest of the Scriptures. After all, Who Was Seen in Isaiah 6, John 12 and Acts 28?
Initial Considerations on the Trinity
The first observation we should note is that the defenders of the Trinity present a thought that ends up contradicting itself, since they distinguish the three persons, but affirm that none of them is the other, although they are linked by the same divine essence. The figure below illustrates the Trinitarian thought:
As we can see in the illustration above, the doctrine of the trinity brings the following concept:
- The FATHER is not the SON nor the HOLY SPIRIT.
- The SON is not the FATHER nor the HOLY SPIRIT.
- The HOLY SPIRIT is not the FATHER nor the SON.
Therefore, how can Trinitarians claim that Isaiah saw the Father and that John refers to this vision as if the prophet had seen Jesus, or even a third person called the Holy Spirit? Wouldn’t this be a contradiction of the teachings of the doctrine itself? Who was Seen in Isaiah 6?6?
Isaiah 6
To begin our study of Who was Seen in Isaiah 6, I suggest we read Isaiah’s vision reported in chapter 6 of his book:
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood seraphim, each having six wings; with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And they cried out to one another, saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory.’ And the posts of the door shook at the voice of him who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me! For I am undone! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with the coal and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin atoned for. After this I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I; send me.’ Then he said, ‘Go and tell this people, ‘Hearing you do, but do not understand; seeing you do, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn and be healed.’” – Isaiah 6:1-10
The prophet begins his account by describing that he had a vision about God, saying: “I also saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up“, which was located in the Heavenly Sanctuary “and the train of his robe filled the temple“. He also introduces the Seraphim who stood around the throne, proclaiming glories to Him. In verse 5, the prophet claims to have seen “the King, the Lord of hosts“, that is, God Himself. But he not only sees the Lord, but hears His voice, which says to him the following words:
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” – Isaiah 6:8
The “We” Argument
Trinitarians use the above passage as one of four from the Old Testament to try to prove the plurality of God. As we can read, the Lord used the first person plural pronoun “us“This argument, however, is weak and proves nothing, since the verse says nothing about the nature of the Divinity. There are two possible interpretations for this case, which we will present below:
1. Refers to angels
This line of thought understands that God asked a question to the angelic beings who were with Him at that very moment. Since the prophet describes the presence of the Seraphim in his vision, we can conclude that the Lord was speaking to these beings when he said: “Who will go for us?“. This is a possible interpretation which does not violate any biblical principle, since the context presents the existence of several beings around the Lord.
2. Refers to Jesus
Another possible interpretation is that the person God was referring to in His words was His own Son Jesus. This view is based on the fact that the New Testament presents Jesus as seated at the right hand of God. This can be confirmed by the following passages:
“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” – Hebrews 10:12
“Who is gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.” – 1 Pedro 3:22
“Now after the Lord had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” – Marcos 16:19
“But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” – Acts 7:55
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” – Revelation 22:1.
There are other biblical passages in the New Testament that present Jesus seated at the right hand of God. However, it is not necessary to show them all, but only to verify that Jesus is in a physical position close to God in heaven. Some people understand that Jesus began to sit next to God only after the event of His death here on earth, but others understand that Jesus was always at God’s side, even before His incarnation. This is a question that perhaps the analysis of John’s text can clarify for us.
John 12
As we saw in the vision of the prophet Isaiah, in His speech, God communicates with another being, which could be His Son or the other angels in His presence. At no time does the context of the vision that the prophet received refer to the nature of the Divinity. This is a conclusion of Trinitarian thought. Therefore, it is up to us to check what the texts of John and Luke tend to say on the subject, verifying whether both allow for the Trinitarian interpretation or whether other interpretations are possible. To do this, let us read the text of John 12:35-41:
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Yet a little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness does not overtake you; for he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be children of light. These things Jesus said, and departed, and hid himself from them. And though he had done so many signs before them, yet they believed not in him: This was to fulfill the word of the prophet Isaiah: ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, so Isaiah said again: He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, So that they might not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, And be converted, And I would heal them. Isaiah said this when he saw his glory and spoke of him.” – John 12:35-41
Verse 40 is a reference to the vision of the prophet Isaiah chapter 6. According to John, “Isaiah said this when he saw his glory and spoke of him“. But what was John referring to when he said these words? Who was Seen in Isaiah 6?
3 Interpretations
I know three possibilities for the answer to this question:
1. Isaiah saw Jesus sitting on the throne
This is what some religious groups believe. This is how Unicists and even some Trinitarians understand it, who confuse the person of the Father and the Son. For these people, John was stating that the prophet saw Jesus sitting on the throne and the seraphim around him proclaiming “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts“.
I do not believe this is the correct interpretation. It contradicts the Bible itself by making a clear distinction between the person of the Father and the Son. Furthermore, the Lord in the Old Testament is always a reference to Almighty God, a title that Jesus never received in the Scriptures. Another important point is that chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Revelation make it very clear that the heavenly beings proclaim “Holy, Holy, Holy” to Him who sits on the throne, the Almighty God. This Being differs from the person of the Lamb, that is, Jesus.
2. Isaiah saw Jesus together with the Father
This is a possible interpretation, since, as we have seen, the Son is seated at the right hand of God. The Son also shares the Father’s throne. If so, God, who was on the throne, must have referred to His Son when He uttered the words, “Who will go for us?” since He was at His side. In his vision, the prophet Isaiah contemplates the glory of the Father and also that of the Son. That is why John states that “Isaiah said this when he saw his glory and spoke of him“.
3. Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus’ ministry and suffering
This is another possible interpretation. John was not saying that the prophet Isaiah had seen the person of Jesus in his vision, but that he had seen the glory of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. John’s words were as follows: “Isaiah said this when he saw his glory and spoke of him“. But why relate this glory to the ministry and suffering of Christ here on earth?
I believe there are two reasons for this. The first is because John cited two biblical texts referring to the Messiah. The first of these was the following:
“This was to fulfill the word of the prophet Isaiah: ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” – John 12:38.
This text is a reference to chapter 53 of Isaiah. The entire chapter refers to the ministry and suffering of Jesus here on earth. It shows that His preaching would not be accepted and also presents how the Messiah would have to suffer in His mission here on earth. If we take into consideration the entire thought of this chapter and combine it with the context of John 12, we will confirm that Jesus was dealing with His ministry and the suffering He would have in His crucifixion. Jesus said the following words:
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” – John 12:23-24.
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. And this he said, signifying what death he should die.” – John 12:32-33.
Jesus made it clear that He was talking about His mission and suffering here on earth, and that He would be glorified for it. However, as we can read in verse 34 of the same chapter, the Jews were not believing these words of Jesus, because they believed that “Christ remains forever“For this reason the Lord warned them saying: “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be children of light.“. Yet John reported that, “even though he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him” (John 12:37).
For this reason, John quotes the text of Isaiah 53:1, showing that no one would believe Jesus’ words. Then, John mentions the text of Isaiah 6:10 to show that the hearts of those people were hardened. Even so, Jesus never lost heart or gave up on his mission, but remained steadfast until the end, until the moment when he was to be “lifted up from the earth” to save all who believed in him. This was the glory that John mentions when he says that Isaiah saw it in his visions. This third interpretation is also valid and is fully in harmony with the Bible and its context.
Regarding the text of John 12:37-41, one thing is certain: the apostle never said that Jesus was the One who sat on the throne in Isaiah’s vision. Nor did he say that Jesus was part of a trinity. To understand it this way is to go beyond what the biblical texts are affirming.
Acts 28
Now, it is up to us to analyze the next text used in defense of the trinity, which is Acts 28:25-28.
“And when they were at variance among themselves, they departed, and Paul spake one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by the prophet Isaiah unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Therefore be it known unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it.” – Acts 28:25-28
Verses 26 and 27 are references to the text of Isaiah 6:9-10. It is the same text cited by John in chapter 12. This time it is Luke who writes, since he is the author of the book of Acts of the Apostles. According to the text of Isaiah 6:8-9, the prophet says that it was the Lord who spoke to him in a vision. In other words, the great King who was seated on the throne, as we can see below:
“After this I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I; send me.’ Then he said, ‘Go and tell this people, ‘Hearing you do, but do not understand; and seeing you do, but do not perceive.’” – Isaiah 6:8-9
However, in the account given by Luke, the apostle Paul refers to the “Holy Spirit” as the one who spoke to Isaiah. Read the verse from Acts again:
“And when they were at variance among themselves, they departed, and Paul said this word, Well spake the Holy Ghost unto our fathers by the prophet Isaiah.” – Acts 28:25
Who Was Seen in Isaiah 6?
But in the end, who was it that spoke to the prophet Isaiah? Who was seen in his vision, in the chapter of Isaiah 6? The first or the third person of the trinity, as the doctrine teaches?!
If the doctrine of the Trinity were true, this would be a contradiction, since it is understood that each person of the Godhead is different from one another and that there is a clear distinction between each of them. Now, if the prophet Isaiah claims that the Lord spoke to him in a vision, then no one else could have spoken, even if this “supposed person” was part of the same being.
In the Jewish mentality, as expressed in the biblical accounts, the “Holy Spirit” is nothing more than the person of God himself acting in a spiritual way. The same occurs in the account of Acts 5:3-4, where the text alternates the terms “Holy Spirit” and “God,” since the former refers to God himself.
“Then Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land? If you kept it, wouldn’t it be for you? And, having been sold, was it not in your power? Why have you formed this design in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” – Acts 5:3-4
Peter states that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, and then says again that he lied to God. Therefore, the term “Holy Spirit” in the Bible can often refer to the person of the Father himself, and not to a third person of the trinity. In the case of the account in Acts 28, Paul was referring to God Himself who spoke to the prophet Isaiah in a vision through His Spirit. This is why Paul claims that it was the Holy Spirit who spoke to Isaiah.
Conclusion
Who was seen in Isaiah 6? We conclude that the accounts of Isaiah 6, John 12, and Acts 28 do not prove the Trinitarian doctrine. When analyzing them, we realize that they often do not present people who are learning the Bible with other interpretations that are contrary to the teaching of the Trinity. The Trinitarian concept itself ends up losing its credibility when trying to prove a trinity based on these passages. In distinguishing the 3 persons, they end up confusing each one of them in their own passages, contradicting that each one is a distinct person from the other.
May God bless us.
