He saw four living creatures that appeared to have a human form. But they each had four faces and four wings. They had straight legs, feet like a calf and human hands under their four wings.Each of them had a human face but on the right side, each had a face of a lion, and on the right side each had a face of an ox. Not only that, but each also had the face of an eagle.Each had two wings spreading out and upwards that also touched the creature on either side of it. And each had two wings that covered their bodies. Their appearance was like burning fires of coal. When they moved, they walked straight ahead, not turning at all. Fire and lightening flashed back and forth among them. They would go wherever the spirit would go.
Then he saw a wheel on ground beside each of the four creatures. The wheels sparkled like topaz and all looked alike. They appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As the creatures moved the wheels would go in any one of four directions that the creatures faced. But the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. Their rims were full of eyes all around them.
When the creatures moved, the wheels moved and when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still. Like wise, when the creatures rose off the ground, so did the wheels rise off the ground. Where ever the spirit went, the wheels went as well because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like a vault. Under the vault, their wings were stretched out with the other two wings covering their body. When they moved Ezekiel could hear the sound of them, like "the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army." When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
As they stood with their lowered wings, a voice from above the vault came. And above the vault, what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli and above the throne was the figure like that of a man. From his waste up, he looked like glowing metal as fire and from there down looked like fire. A brilliant light surrounded him like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. That was how radiant he was.
This was the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When he saw it, he fell down and heard it speaking.
What is this? Something out of a Steven Spielberg movie?
No, what you have just read is the vision that Ezekiel the Old Testament priest had in his day. (see Ezekiel 1:1-28) I for one, think that when God created these beings, that he has sure got anything George Lucas, Steven Spielberg or anyone else in the movie industry, beat. While these creatures may seem over the top, or far-fetched to some people that don't believe the bible or think it is just fairy tales...well that vision does seem like that.
However, we have said before that God can do anything, present himself in an form, at any time he chooses. It doesn't matter what you and I think. It is what he says he is. And he is THE I AM. (Exodus 3:13-15) And who are we to say different?
But who or what are these four living creatures? Are they really angels that some websites say they are? They don't sound like anything we know about angels. At least to me, they don't.
What did God say to Ezekiel when he fell to the ground because of the glory of the Lord that he had seen?
Moreover, what does this vision mean? Was it meant for back in bible times? Is it a prophesy for today that was told back then?
Come back next time when we can hopefully learn more about this vision and the questions that would explain what it all means.
October 3, 2019 Promise: But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength. 2 Timothy 4:17
Thanks for coming by today Friends. May God bless your day!
No comments:
Post a Comment