The Live Coal on Their Lips: Armstrongism's Self-Appointed Prophets
There is something particularly revealing about the way Armstrongist leaders appropriate Isaiah 6 to support their claims of prophetic authority. The account of Isaiah's encounter with God and the live coal placed upon his lips has become convenient imagery for religious personalities who want their followers to believe they have received some extraordinary divine commissioning. Unfortunately for them, the actual passage teaches something quite different from the self-important message they would like people to accept.
When Isaiah encountered God's holiness, his first reaction was not to boast about being specially chosen or announce that he had been appointed to restore lost biblical truths. Instead, he recognized his own unworthiness, declaring, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Isaiah understood that he was a sinful man standing before a holy God, and he made no attempt to elevate himself above others.
The live coal was brought from the altar by a seraphim, who touched Isaiah's mouth and declared that his iniquity had been taken away and his sin purged. This was an act of divine cleansing, not a religious credential that Isaiah could use to establish authority over other believers. Isaiah did not purify himself, appoint himself, or manufacture an experience to convince others that he deserved their unquestioning loyalty. God was responsible for the cleansing and God was responsible for the commission that followed.
When God asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah responded, "Here am I; send me." His commission was to deliver a difficult message to a spiritually hardened nation, not to establish a religious empire, collect followers, or convince people that salvation depended upon belonging to his organization. Isaiah's calling was about faithfully delivering God's message, not making himself the center of attention.
Armstrongism has repeatedly turned this biblical principle upside down. Herbert Armstrong claimed a unique end-time commission, and various splinter-group leaders have subsequently claimed special authority to restore, correct, or complete what they believe he left unfinished. Each generation seems to produce another self-appointed prophetic personality convinced that God has reserved a special position just for him. Apparently, the coal never stops being passed around in these organizations!
The New Covenant makes such claims even harder to defend. Hebrews 10:19-22 teaches that believers have access to God through Jesus Christ, while 1 Timothy 2:5 identifies Christ as the one mediator between God and humanity. First Peter 2:9 describes believers collectively as a royal priesthood, and 1 John 2:20, 27 speaks of the anointing believers have received. Nowhere does the New Testament establish a modern religious personality who alone possesses the spiritual authority to interpret God's will or demand unquestioning submission.
Jesus warned about false prophets and instructed His followers to recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20). Titles, prophetic claims, elaborate interpretations, and declarations of divine appointment are not proof of legitimacy. Paul even warned in Galatians 1:8 that anyone preaching another gospel should be rejected, regardless of how impressive their credentials might appear. No religious leader is exempt from examination simply because he claims to speak for God.
Isaiah's experience should produce humility in anyone who reads it honestly. His encounter began with an overwhelming recognition of his own inadequacy, followed by cleansing and a commission to serve. That is quite different from modern religious personalities who seem convinced they have been selected to correct every other Christian, restore forgotten truths, expose everyone outside their organization, and announce the final prophetic timetable.
The live coal in Isaiah 6 was an act of divine cleansing connected with a specific prophetic commission. It was never intended to become a transferable religious credential for men seeking to establish their own authority. The New Covenant does not need another self-appointed Elijah, restorationist, prophetic celebrity, or religious personality demanding recognition as God's exclusive spokesman. It needs believers who remain faithful to Jesus Christ rather than surrendering their discernment to men who continually elevate themselves.
Perhaps these supposed prophets should consider Isaiah's first words before boasting about their own spiritual credentials: "Woe is me! for I am undone." If God really has placed a coal upon their lips, why does so much of what comes out of them seem devoted to establishing their own authority rather than exalting Jesus Christ?
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