Prayer – Lord, there is so much symbolism in Revelation,
but like a good puzzle, I enjoy the hunt for clues to understanding the mystery
of each portion. Please give me insight, wisdom and understanding. Thank you.
Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been
slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living
beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes,
which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of
the earth. Revelation 5:6 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Who were these four living beings? What did they look like? Ezekiel gives us a clue to these four living being in his vision from God as recorded in the Book of Ezekiel
From the center of
the cloud came four living beings that looked human, except that each
had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight, and their feet had
hooves like those of a calf and shone like burnished bronze. Under each of
their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four
faces and four wings. The wings of each living being touched the wings of the
beings beside it. Each one moved straight forward in any direction without
turning around. Each had a human face in the front, the face of a lion on the
right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle at the
back. Each had two pairs of outstretched wings--one pair stretched out to touch
the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered
its body. They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved
straight forward in any direction without turning around.
The living beings
looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and lightning seemed to
flash back and forth among them. And the living beings darted to and fro like
flashes of lightning. As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels touching
the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each. The wheels sparkled as if
made of beryl. All four wheels looked alike and were made the same; each wheel
had a second wheel turning crosswise within it. The beings could move in any of
the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved. Ezekiel
1:5-17 (Underlines for emphasis.)
The living beings looked like bright coals of fire.
Cherubim.
Ezekiel was probably as mystified by the vision as we are
just by reading the description. We just don’t see things like these beings—but
there are some pretty weird characters created by Hollywood portrayed on the
screen of theaters and homes today. Four faces and four wings—flying creatures—and
all those eyes and wheels! God is creative and wants us to know about things
like this—or He wouldn’t have put it in the Bible…and in at least three books
of the Bible. The beings described in Revelation are very similar to those in
Ezekiel.
In front of the
throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and
around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front
and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like
an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.
Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all
over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep
on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who
always was, who is, and who is still to come." Revelation 4:6-8
(Underlined for emphasis.)
These living beings created by God appear to be special
angels, cherubim, whose function is to guard the holiness of God. Note that
they guard the way to the tree of life when Adam and Eve were cast out of the
Garden in Genesis 3:24. We also see a depiction of cherubim on the Mercy Seat of
the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 25:18-22. Worship our God, not the Ark. God
commands us to not worship graven images…and of course, not to have any other
gods. Don’t worship the angels—worship God—our creator and redeemer.
Verse of Salvation ~ And God never said to any of the
angels, "Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your
enemies, making them a footstool under your feet." Therefore, angels are
only servants--spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. Hebrews
1:13-14
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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