Category: Angels

Windstorm from the North (Part 2)

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It has been my observation that Ezekiel was given a profound glimpse of the one true living God as he describes in chapter 1 of his opus.  In a nutshell, we see God on the move, leaving the Temple in Jerusalem, drifting in a mobile throne room, displaying all his glory and splendor.  The first four verses set the stage for the main event.  Then we read about the windstorm and the center mass of the storm…

Ezekiel 1:4-11 says — I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings.  …  Under their wings, on their four sides, they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings. … Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces [NIV].

We have here an account of four angels.  Oh my, what amazing view we have of them.  They are alive, with multiple faces and immensely strong wings. They receive life from the fountain of life, in the same manner that we see the sun, the clouds, the moon and the stars as part of the creation, we see these four angels as part of the throne. They are integral to how Ezekiel describes the Glory of God as they amplify the visual we see through Ezekiel’s eye. This is a vibrant scene!

The four faces of each angel suggest to me that they are set to view the four winds of heaven (see Matthew 24:31). The four faces emerge again in Revelations 4:7 as four creatures around the throne.  If I only saw one side of the angel, I would say one had the face of a eagle, another one had the face of an ox, not realizing they each had four faces. I recall that Zechariah described the four angels as four chariots heading North, South, East, and West (Zechariah 6:1). God sends his messengers all directions, his kingdom reaches as far as we can imagine and then a bit farther (beyond our imagination).

Ezekiel tells us that each angel had the face of a man. This suggests they may have understood things, seen their surroundings, and experienced feelings similar to the way we function, but given their situation, they far exceed our abilities. With the face of a lion, I might expect them to be strong and bold.  With the face of an eagle, I might expect them to have a strong, strategic vision of God’s plan.

In the account from Ezekiel we notice each angel had four wings. John saw them with 6 wings (Revelations 4:8), Isaiah saw them with 6 wings (Isaiah 6:2), we are wise to notice that when Isaiah say the angels and the throne, they were above the throne and they covered their face with two of the wings (respect for the Glory of God). when I consider the meaning of all this, I get the feeling that faith and hope rest on their wings which soar upward.  They carry godly devotion and affection to us with cheerful readiness. When Ezekiel observes their joined wings, I see a simile of unity, unanimity, and community among them.  This is truly a profound window into the throne room of God.

The deeper truth – this community of angels is somewhat shielded from our eyes, they work in the smoke, not of darkness, they work within the smoke of God’s Glory. When they enter our realm, they hide their true body with a shield so they appear in a manner that we can assimilate.  We see what God wants us to see for the moment, just a moment. 

I choose Jesus.

Windstorm from the North (Part 1)

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It was my observation while considering the impact of Ezekiel chapter 1 on my perceptions of God that the vision presented is very humbling.  In the vision there is a complex structure presented, in its simplest form (from bottom to top) we have four wheels (four angels), each wheel supporting a column (four angels), the four columns support a flat roof with a throne on top of the roof.  Seated on the Throne is God.  The entire structure is wrapped in a massive fireball.  That is the sum of chapter one.  But, as you might guess, there is more to the story – the details matter!

Ezekiel 1:4-8 says — I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another [NIV].

Why do we start this book with this vision?  I suspect there are definable reasons.  First, this firms up Ezekiel’s calling – he knows he is working directly for the boss. Second, it refines the view of God for Ezekiel’s audience – God is getting into their face — they know God means business. Their days of defiance are numbered.  They quickly learn their God is a consuming fire whom they cannot stand before. Finally, they know his mercy will not be withheld forever. They have reassurance, the column of fire that led Moses to the promised land – is the ball of Fire that Ezekiel is seeing. Symbolically, God is on the move from Jerusalem to where they are at in Babylon. They have not been abandoned. All of this assurance unfolds in the vision of chapter 1. The message is clear – let them know captivity is not the end, God is with them. Even though God is not in his sanctuary, he is near.

God clears the sky with a windstorm preparing the space for his holy presence. This clearing produces a serenity of the mind that opens our heart to heavens message. The great cloud that appears wraps the holiness of God to protect us from the intensity. The whirlwind comes to us in much the same way that is presented in 1 Kings 19:11 for Elijah. The whirlwind prepares the way for God, it demands our attention, in a sense it issues the command if you have eyes, then look, if you have ears then listen.

The cloud brings fire to the vision, as we see in Mount Sinai, where God presents in a thick cloud that rings his consuming fire (see Exodus 24:16-17). But this time we see a fire that seems to have no fuel, it is sustained by God himself forever. We also see that the fire is surrounded with visible glory, we are not able to see into the fire, yet we do see a glow or brightness that is produced by the fire, it is perhaps a reflection of the fire in the clouds. Similar to Moses seeing the back of God, just of glimpse of him. We have the same in this vision. Finally, we are told of an amber hue (glowing metal). Some think it is the color that is reflected in our eye when we look at fire and others see the fire in our eye.  

Then Ezekiel speaks of the four angels (the columns). They are presented with a sense of greatness, the goodness of God in their work, the important role they play in his glory. Their image emerges from the fire, a ray of hope for us that he loves his creations. We find later, in chapter 10, Ezekiel tells us they are cherubim. What are they doing in this vision? Their wings are interlocked, these four angels working together as a community to support the glory of God, sustain a platform for his throne. Is that not what our prayer and service provide?  Is this not a shadow of what the church does? Do we not fill the temple with the incense of our prayers and our service offerings? I think so.  This compels me to say…

I choose Jesus.

The Rim was High and Awesome

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It was my observation as I worked my way through the first chapter of Ezekiel that the vision seen has a most interesting description of what appears to be a Gyro. The wheels have perpendicular intersecting wheels (think about how ball of yarn looks). They moved in any direction but allowed the angel standing on top to remain facing in the same direction. Rolling Spheres? Kinda. But the description seems to describe intersecting rings, more like a gyro than a sphere. I am wise to be vague on this matter.

Ezekiel 1:15-18 says — As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures [four angels] faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures [four angels] went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around [NIV].

When we take in this message, we cannot escape the glory of God. We see him in full splendor, we see the steadiness of his heavenly environment, all thing in order and in place. No renovation going on in this house. It is all done. We might be wondering, is there anything useful for us to do in Heaven? But clearly the angels have a mission and a function. We also will have a mission and a function. We see his plan with an eye of faith, we see it through a filter, but soon we will discern the full beauty of his glory, wisdom, goodness, and power that shine over the universe, over his throne. We will see God as he is.

The wheels sparkle like topaz, the soft glow of bronze fills the air, much like a reflection of fire on glass. We are not told much about the topaz, but we do know that wheels intersect and we can see the intersecting wheels full of eyes.

We know from the description the wheels moved with the angels; the angels moved with the wheels. Many sources I have reviewed feel that when the living creatures moved in a direction, any direction, they were engaged in God’s work. As the wheels moved, things happened in the kingdom. Movement causes the ministry and ministry causes the movement. Imbedded through all the movement is God’s plan and his glory.

And then we have the rims with eyes. Goodness. We are really moving in the inner court of God’s reality. This idea of wheels with eyes is difficult to accept with our delicate earthly eyes. We are instinctively protective of our eyes. They are hard to protect and even more difficult to repair. Yet, God takes our weakness and makes it his strength.

The rims were of a vast circumference, we note at the bottom of the first chapter as the vision is revealed, Ezekiel drops his head down, shrinking away from the image. He was looking at something extremely large from a distance or he was looking up at some massively large wheels with the rest of the image seeming to be a long way up. The size is astonishing with the height and depth of God’s glory.

The deeper truth — The all-seeing eyes of God’s angels are on the move. This rim is a sign of God’s infinite wisdom and the notion of the ‘eyes of the Lord running to and fro’ throughout the entire earth beholding good and evil, revealing himself full of power to the church (strongly implied in 1 Chronicles 16:9). His interaction is not blind fortune, rather it is carefully orchestrated by the Spirit of God and the angels who move with us every day of our life holding back the hordes of hell. His grace and mercy are forever amazing. I choose Jesus.

Operating Outside the Box

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It has been my observation while reading Ezekiel that the initial vision in chapter 1 has many implications for how God interacts with us during ‘real life’. Even something as obscure as the wheels that the angels ride provides us with a subtle backstory on how God gets things done.

Ezekiel 1:19-21 says — When the living creatures [the four angels] moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures [four angels] rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit [Spirit of God] would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures [Spirit of God] was in the wheels. When the creatures [four angels] moved, they also moved; when the creatures [four angels] stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures [four angels] rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures [Spirit of God] was in the wheels [NIV].

In general, the wheels appear to move in a steady stable motion, consistent with the nature of God. However, there may be times when the wheel appears to be out of synch with God’s power (recall the time when Jesus wondered who touched him in Luke 8:45). During these times of ‘out of sync’ power, I suspect the angels were engaged in service that was outside the normal course of nature’s laws and of human interaction. What appears to be a disconnect, an ‘out of sync’ event, is simple normal operations from God’s perspective. One might think the occasions where the gifts of the Spirit as supported by angelic operations could fall into this model of thought.

One could say that when the angels are lifted up by the rims, they have been elevated to service outside the normal course of natural law and human interaction. This type of lifting was mentioned twice, see Ezekiel 1:19 and Ezekiel 1:21. I think it is safe to say that we humans move and act as we are directed or influenced by God. I recall God telling us he uses all people, their faith status is not the deciding factor, his decision to use somebody is the deciding factor (see Ezra 1 concerning Cyrus).

Furthermore, the things we see and hear are governed by things we cannot see or hear. The Spirit of the living God is the Spirit driving the living creatures in Ezekiel’s vision. They are tapping directly into the wisdom, power, and holiness of God. They are getting the plan direct from the source, ungarbled truth so they know exactly how to proceed.

God is on his throne and driving the wheels of the throne room. He controls the whole so the components move in perfect unison. Just as our body moves in unison, so do the wheels, angels, platform, throne, and all the visuals surrounding the angels and hardscape. It all moves as a unit in accordance with God’s will as he purposes things to be accomplished. These angels move exactly in accordance with his plan, not one thing is done incorrectly. No errors. The angels are persuasive. As needed, they move us to serve the intention of God. Even Cyrus was moved as directed (see Ezra 1).

Pondering on this thing with the eyes on the rim and God using anyone to achieve his objectives takes us to a new place. The eyes of the rim are on all things in his creation. They see it all. They are part of the inner sanctum; they are one small step away from the God of this universe. One of the eyes is looking at you right now even as you read this. God can use anyone. He is looking for a few people who are willing to serve God. The big wheels are turning (yes, I smiled with this phrase, a glib reference to the song Proud Mary). The Holy Spirit will speak the will of the God who is there. Angels are moving. It is time to get in step, to find the river (opps, I still have that song in my head).  I choose Jesus.

God delights in our Humility

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It was my observation that one thing God is not is silent.  He is the God who is there (Jehovah Shammah). And, our God is not silent. Ezekiel tells us of the noise present just under the platform (the vault) that supports the throne. A quiet murmuring? Gentle talking amongst the angels? Nope! We are told of a roar, like the sound of rushing waters. This is not ‘quietness’; this is in your face ‘loudness’. This is a wall of sound – 125 decibels of thundering water. Enough sound to cause your body to vibrate.  The sound was like the tumult of an army. Imagine a couple of thousand soldiers carrying all types of heavy metal gear. The clanging and crunching of steel on steel. This is described as loudness at a significant decibel level. I remember once a few years back, part of my job was to bend over and walk under a wing of an F4 while the engines were running to confirm the proper installation of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles just before a launch.  The volume was overwhelming, organs in my body vibrated, the movement of the air because of the sound was intense. Then, above all that noise and air movement, comes a voice (in my ear from a headset) – we good? the young lieutenant pilot asks.  I reply – Sir, you are clear to launch.

Ezekiel 1:22-25 says — Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings [NIV].

Over the heads of the angels (living creatures) we see something that is awesome. Some translate this idea as sea of ice, hail congealed like a glazer, or mountain snow that has melted and frozen again like ice. Psalms 33:14 is clear, he can see is clearly 24/7 from his throne as we move about on earth. He sees the angel wings from his throne, even though they are on the other side of the platform that supports the throne (see Ezekiel 1:23). One thing is for sure, the wings are used for flight or covering. God is above platform; the angels are below the platform. They are ready for dispatch. They are under God’s authority, subject to his plan, ready to fly on errands and such, and serve God. Then comes the eye of God attached to the wheels.

There is a chain of events which is always drawing the eye of God one way or other. Fortunately, he has a lot of eyes on the job.  Life ebbs and flows, in the same way God’s plan unfolds, but always in the stated appointed times and measures. We see things in part, we do not see all of the story.  We know of the shortcomings in our ability to see and accept them.  But we know God sees so much more.  He sees everything.  Everything!  As he sees events unfolding, he speaks, he makes known his will.

Consider the loudness of a bee when they fly near our ear, it is amazing how much noise their wings create.  Transfer that magnification of sound to four angel’s wings.  This suggests tremendous volume.  Then add in the notion of intelligent communication.  God’s voice appearing over the top of the loud waters, the mass of sound coming from the angelic wings. 

When God starts talking, the angels drop their wings in respect, their noise subsides, God’s voice now fills the space.  There will be order in the universe.  We hear the voice by opening up our ears to hear the message from the word.  I have heard testimony many times from young Christians; before I knew Jesus, the bible made little sense to me, but now when I read, God jumps off the page.  Thus, when the town crier speaks out the message of God; men yield to God or perish.  Earthly noise distorts the message, but when people respect the sound, they hear the message.  Selah.  I choose Jesus.

The Internal War

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It was my observation; about 44+ years ago, as a baby Christian (only a few years old in Jesus), I was drawn into a very dark situation while involved in helping a church establish a building program. I believed I had been lied to by my district leaders, I felt betrayed and hurt. I was self-focused, heartbroken, but after a short while, that heartbreak turned to vindictive unforgiveness. At first, I convinced myself I had every right feeling this emotion. Then common sense set in, and I knew I was in trouble. For weeks I struggled. I wanted what was right but could not shake loose from the troubles. I prayed, thought I was free, then a few days later, a trigger would actuate my feelings, and I was back in the ditch.

The relentless feeling of righteous anger was a drug that would overpower the small voice pulling the desire of my heart towards forgiveness. Yet I held onto unforgiveness. I prayed openly for mercy and kindness towards the people I was struggling with, but I was way too young in the Lord to enter his rest.

The war inside me was exhausting. It affected my marriage, my children, and my work. There was no relief. One side in me wanted a cease fire the other side in me wanted total victory.

Then a friend of mine, seeing my struggle, talking with friends who also were aware of my struggle decided to enter the fray. He started talking to me about standing down, ending the struggle. I resisted. I wanted victory. Fortunately, he was on a mission. He knew what I did not.

He knew I needed to let go or I would digress into a disabled human, a trophy of Lucifer. He kept showing me passages on forgiveness, I was hopeless. He kept at it. My friend showed me Psalms 130 and helped me to really understand the message from David.

David said — Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy (Psalms 130:1-2).

I wanted to be free, even if it meant forgiving someone undeserving of my forgiveness and had not even asked for it. I wanted out of the prison I had created. Yet I could not find the door. How do I get out?

David said — If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you (Psalms 130:3-4).

I realized I had been living in a state of oppression from Lucifer, and it was affecting everything. It affected my choices each day. It affected my peace, joy, and happiness each day. In pursuit of a twisted form of justice, I lost sight of God’s goodness, his mercy.

David said — I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his Word, I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalms 130:5-6).

From a worldly perspective, I convinced myself I was justified to be angry and unforgiving, but from a godly perspective, I saw with fresh eyes that my anger and unforgiveness held me hostage to a lack of joy – my close communion with God and my family had been marred. I was wrong in God’s eyes. I was trying to do his job. I repented.

David said — Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins (Psalms 130:7-8).

I learned all over again about forgiveness, given to me as a gift by the actions of Jesus. His forgiveness had opened the door, then blew out the hinges so it could not close again. The prisoner was me. The Door was clinging to my anger and unforgiveness. My friend had pointed me to the cross and Jesus. My friend helped me put down the crushing burden. My peace returned. The war inside of me was over. My friend knew one thing I did not know. The way out of the problem. He was a blessing to me.

I choose Jesus.

How Long Did Job Suffer?

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It has been my observation that when the Bible speaks on a topic, the Bible speaks absolute truth. Furthermore, I find no path available (within the confines of absolute truth) to yield on this point and remain faithful to scripture (God’s message). But sometimes, we observe that scripture leaves gaps in the information presented.

What do we do? What should we do? The focus of this essay is one of those gaps. Let us explore the duration (timeline) for the troubles of Job. Scripture does not comment on the complete timeline, but I have attempted to form a reasonable estimate of the timeline drawing from available scripture and a close reading of a map. I chose this subject because it does not present the same struggles that other gaps in scripture do.

Let us start at the beginning. Job was a real person who experienced the real events described in the book of Job. I start with that truth. I believe his friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) were earnest but misguided – they were scolded by God at the end of the account (see Job 42:7-9). I believe that Elihu was on point – he was not scolded by God at the end of the account. But it remains, how much time did the story traverse?

The following dialogue is ‘one man’s opinion’ — a safe way to demonstrate how to deal with an unknown. I am not recommending that you build life theology on my findings, rather I traveled this path to try to wrap my mind around the message of Job and to form an understanding for the duration of his woes. 30 years, 3 years, 3 weeks, 3 days, 3 minutes – these various spans of time all affect the intensity of the account.

We know that Job’s suffering began with the death of his servants and the loss of his livestock. Then his troubles became progressively worse with the deaths of his 10 children and his physical afflictions. We are told that four messengers came, one after the other while the previous one “was yet speaking…” (Job 1:13-19). Scripture says this encounter with the four messengers happened in a single day (Job 1:13).

I think Lucifer would strive to create the maximum amount of chaos in Job’s life (within the limits place upon Lucifer by God) to create the maximum impact on Job. This seems intense but we know God does not permit trouble we cannot endure as long as we lean on God (implied in Psalms 37:24, 1 Corinthians 10:13).

In Job chapter 1:13-19 we read — One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”  While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” (NIV)

What a mess. Then a conversation happens between God and Lucifer. This happens while Job is recovering from the troubles. His wife comments on the troubles. (see Job 2). Again, these conversations take about a day. We are prudent to allow time between each key day.

Next, we are told that three of Job’s friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) decided to visit him when they heard of his suffering (implied in Job 2:11). We know the name of the places they come from; but we are unsure where the places are located on a map. What do we know about this situation? Numbers 1:2 suggests it takes about 11 days to travel from Egypt to the promised land. I choose to assume Job’s friends lived closer than Egypt. Friends tend to live near each other. I suspect they arrive at Job’s place within 10 days of the initial event (three days to get the notification, four days to prepare, and three days to travel). This assumption suggests a maximum of about 2 weeks from notification to arrival (why? Because they lived close to him).

We know Job’s three friends sat with Job in silence for 7 days. Then his friends conducted a debate with Job containing 9 discourses (see Job 3-27). After Job’s three friends ceased debating, Job speaks on a deeper level (Job 28-31). Finally, Elihu, a young man, arrived and spoke up (see Job 32-37). When Elihu ceased speaking, then God spoke. God first asked questions of Job (Job 38-41), and then He rebuked Job’s three friends. Overall, I estimate about 3-4 weeks for the debate (1 week of silence, 2-3 weeks of debate).

Given the first few days of notifications from the four messengers, the conversation with his wife, the notification and travel time for Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and the debate, we find ourselves with about 6-8 weeks of time.

Let us pause to notice how Job responded to the Lord (Job 42:2-6) “I know that You can do everything, … You asked, ‘Who … hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. … I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. “

After the three friends left (implied in Job 42:9), God restored Job (implied in Job 42:10). Based on this analysis I suggest the timeline for the troubles of Job and the assorted conversations traversed a couple of months. I prefer to think the restoration (see Job 42) happened over a few years. The Bible simply does not say. But it helps me to understand the flow of events if I place the occurrences for most of the Book of Job into a window of a few months. You may hold a different opinion — I’m good with that. I do not think it would be fruitful to debate this topic much. I formed this opinion as a tool, a framework, to help me visualize the events unfolding as described in the book of Job.

The deeper truth from Job — When God allows us to suffer in any way, or for any length of time, we must remember that He has a purpose (implied in Romans 5:3-5). The absence of a timeline in the Book of Job helps us to avoid comparing the duration of our suffering to Job’s suffering. We are promised God will work all things for our ultimate good and His glory (implied in 1 Corinthians 10:13). Therefore, what matters most is not the length of suffering, or even the severity of our suffering, it is how we choose to embrace the suffering (implied in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7). Where do we turn for comfort and hope? When we turn to God in faith, our hearts change, and troubles eventually evaporate (implied in James 1:2-4). Then the desired effect of the unknown timeline may produce the outcome God intended (see Psalms 46:10).

I choose Jesus.