Angels

The Man Clothed in Linen (Part 2)

Dan

It was my observation that things are getting serious for Jerusalem as I continue reading Ezekiel. The first thing I notice in chapter 9 is the markings of the remnant. But there are many things that define that mark. I can feel the remnant shuddering at the changes in the City of God. I am sure Ezekiel could see the coming trouble and felt sad for his people. I hope they did what they could to turn the tide back toward the one true living God. Once the angels begin, if you did not have the mark, you were going to die. If you did have the mark, you were heading to Babylon. Not much of a prize for being in the remnant. But at least they were alive and part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I think it prudent to say clearly – we are not getting it done of we think a simple ‘turning away’ from the sin of others is good enough. We do not hate them for their actions, but we do not embrace or overlook the sin. We avoid embracing their sin. We need to carefully reach out to help others find their way out of trouble. We mourn for them as we see their trouble unfold. We grief for those who push away from our hand of help. This tenderness we exude comes from God, we are asked to love mercy and walk humbly, for it is only the Grace of God that separates us from those we are trying to help.

Ezekiel 9:3-6 says — Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it. As I listened, he said to the others, follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers, and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary. So, they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. [NIV]

As we can see the Angels rolling through the city, hunting down the remnant, placing a mark on their head of all people on the list, this clearly pulls the remnant from the fire, they are a work of grace, chosen by God so the Angels know to leave them alone. This mark is a calming event, they become aware they will be spared from the coming trouble.

The Hebrews who stayed clear of the rampant sin were protected from this extreme judgement. I think they would have been somewhat concerned, but they had been trusting God, so there was no real solid reason to not continue trusting God. They had every reason to expect delivery or extreme peace as they endured trouble. We are reminded of the sealing of the servants of God on their forehead (see Revelation 7:3) as the same mark of care and protection related in this passage. In Ezekiel’s situation the mark protects from immediate death, in the case of Revelation, the seal protects the heart from seduction soon to happen.

So, the angelic work begins. Without exception they move through the city. They kill everyone who does not have the mark. The make no distinction to age or sex. There is no hesitation. Those who live in sin die. They resisted change, they pursued their sin even when pursued by God, day after day. They died.

The angels are warned to avoid people with the mark. Coming close would create unnecessary concern and fear. God made promises to the remnant (see Jeremiah 15:11) they should be treated well; things should go well for them. We have no evidence that any of the remnant were killed. And, in other times we see the remnant protected such as when the romans crushed Jerusalem, the Christians were secured in a city called Pella. None perished. But the unbelieving Jews were crushed. They started in the temple, the Ringleaders were first meet the judgement, the sin of the eminent were quashed first. Then the rest of the city. There is no place to hide. Therefore… I choose Jesus.

The Man clothed in Linen (Part 1)

Dan

It was my observation in the vision that Ezekiel saw and wrote about in Chapter 9 was focused on the trouble in the land, the misbehavior and evil that was accomplished in Jerusalem even within the walls of the temple. He clearly was troubled by the situation, and he felt the sorrow from God. He could see the outcome of their lifestyle choices and was helpless to cause them to change. Yet he stayed the course, speaking God’s thoughts and visions even though he could see the ruin coming. It is inevitable, where sin is not abated, judgement will follow. He could see the angels coming with weapons. He knew why they were at the gate. They could not be allowed at the altar if they were not on God’s business. Then the glory of God, the shelter of the Hebrews, started moving towards the threshold of the temple. This is the beginning of the departure of God from Jerusalem. How helpless Ezekiel must have felt as he watched this vision unfold in front of his eyes.

Ezekiel 9:1-3 says — Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand. And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple [NIV].

God wanted Ezekiel’s complete attention, he speaks in a loud voice, a commander is speaking to his cohort. Position the troops. Prepare for action. Notice, at this point, we are no longer talking about the Chaldeans attacking. We are talking about Angels attacking the city. This is a demonstration of the strong hand of the Lord. Clearly, we need to respect the hand of God and his Angels. (see Isaiah 8:11-13)

God deployed one Warrior Angel to support Moses during the extraction of the Hebrews from Egypt. Two Warrior Angels were deployed to support operations during the destruction of the city of Sodom. Now we see six Warrior Angels deployed to flatten the population of Jerusalem, one for each gate of the city. No one leaves the city unless they have permission. In Revelation we see seven warrior angels pouring out the vials of God’s wrath (see Revelation 16:1). Considering the magnitude of the last days, we clearly see the importance of this event.

Standing near the altar, they felt no sense of personal revenge from God. This was not his intent. Rather, we see a pure and sincere expression of the Glory of God. The angels were standing near the altar to protect the integrity of the Altar as they went forward to accomplish their tasks. I think that God was determined to follow through with his plan; however, he took no pleasure from the work accomplished by the Angels.

The identity of the man clothed with linen is not clear, but I think we are looking at our High Priest, who arrived at this event with a writer’s inkhorn, similar to one carried by the ancient attorneys and lawyers.  I think this is Jesus, functioning as the Mediator (see 1 Timothy 2:5) isolating the remnant from the swords of Justice yielded by the warrior angels (see Revelation 19:6-10).  In the middle of this vision, we see God’s grace, his redemptive solution, his son, protecting the remnant.

Finally, we see the removal of God’s glory from the core of the temple. It moves to the outer edge of the temple. In chapter 10, God’s Glory departs the temple. This is a sad day, but God’s mercy is still present. His Mediator is on the job, protecting the remnant. Having read this passage and considered the gravity of the message, my decision is easy. I choose Jesus.

Windstorm from the North (Part 2)

Dan

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)

Dan

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

Dan

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

Dan

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

Dan

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.