Tag: Revelation

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.

Answering for our actions

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It was my observation while researching God’s mercy, there exists within the nature of Elohim a characteristic to be actively compassionate. We call this God’s mercy. Consider this – we were once alienated from God by our disobedience, we were destined to face God and answer for our actions. Now, within the new covenant, we are part of the family, adapted into Abraham’s family. We walk with God. In the past we had earned banishment, now we are part of the community of God.

Isaiah 65: 16-19 says — Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes. See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more [NIV].

Consider what Isaiah wrote — See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind [NIV]. It is possible to say Isaiah 65:17 teaches we will not remember much of our life on earth. He seems to be saying our memories will be purged. The preceding sentence (Isaiah 65:16) says — For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes [NIV].

Together, I think these two verses means, in God’s mercy, upon resurrection, our memories will be cleansed of the strife and troubles we experienced. But the good stuff remains in our memories. This is why John can write (Revelation 21:4) — He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away [NIV]. God’s mercy gives us a pass to heaven – Selah!


By what right do we obtain a pass to Heaven? Did we not by our sins, take part in rebellion which tried to dethrone Elohim? And did we not in times past move in this world by Lucifer’s nudge, sowing disobedience? Did we not live by the lust of our eyes and heart? How can God love us? Our struggle is with the notions of justice vs the notions of mercy. They complement each other, but one is applied more aggressively than the other in each case. Our answer to the question – how can God love us? The door pass (faith) is provided by his redemptive mercy and love which renews every morning.

Seem too simple? Could our resistance to the idea of pure mercy be part of a subtle resistance to faith. Sometimes I struggle to accept mercy being this simple. The Israelites had the same problem. Paul said, speaking of Israel — they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge (Romans 10:2). The Israelites did not understand the one thing that would make a difference in their life. Consider Hebrews 4:2 — For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us [believers], just as they [some of the Israelites] did; but the message they heard [in the wilderness] was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed [NIV].  

Goodness. To obtain mercy from God, we must believe it is achievable. It is not enough to know what he did in the past; we must believe it is available to each of us now. An endless supply of mercy – Why an endless supply? Because we know ourselves. We need an endless supply of mercy to survive. We have two choices. #1 — We starve to death, sitting on the doorstep of a banquet hall, rejecting the invitation. Or, #2 — we grab hold of God’s mercy (Romans 10:9), enter the hall, and sit down with the other brave souls who have embraced the redemptive power and mercy of the blood of Jesus.

I choose Jesus.

As if Full of Fire

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It was my observation when working my way through the first chapter of Ezekiel, this passage of interest is our first glimpse of the most high. All of the parts of the vision described in the previous essays on chapter one was no more than an introduction to this portion of the vision. This is the main event. Why? because now we discuss the image that appears above the throne, the figure that was like a man.

Ezekiel 1:26-28 says — Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking [NIV].

In this vision God establishes himself as the Lord of angels and overseer of events in the world, thus it is easy to postulate — whatever God either promises (positive or negative); he is able to accomplish.

Angels are presented as his servants; we mortals are his tools. Knowing he is not silent, we look above the wheels, the angels, and the platform to the throne, to the one true living God. We expect a message. Why? Because he is the one true living God who communicates that plan. He is not silent.

In other throne room visions we get the same message. God is not silent. John in Revelation 1:12-13 hear a voice, and again in Revelation 19:10 John speaks of the testimony of Jesus.

We should also note the Glory of God was above the heads of the angels. His position commands reverence and respect. The angels were under his feet as we have read in 1 Peter 3:22 that angels, principalities, and powers are made subject to him. This brings to light the amazing depth of God’s grace. He lives above the angels in this vision, but in his role as our ransom, he chose to become a little lower than the angels (see Hebrews 2:9).

When Ezekiel saw God, he was shroud in light, the color of amber, covered as with a garment. And so, in this vision, he appears in the likeness of man. Notice his lower section gave the appearance of fire, reinforcing the notion that God is a consuming fire. There were rays coming out of his hand (Habakkuk 3:4) that suggest the shielding of his full power. In Revelation 4:3 we also see a rainbow, most view this rainbow as a display of majesty, a cooling of the heat, God’s mercy and kindness, a display of graciousness (implied in Genesis 9:16, Leviticus 26:42) [NIV].

We should note that Ezekiel does not say this is how God himself appears. Rather we are looking at his glory, a translucent image, lest we see God and die. We see a mere shadow (implied in Hebrews 10:1). When he saw this image, he fell upon his face. Ezekiel was overpowered, He knew the distance between himself and God, distance caused by sin. Ezekiel went prostrate on the floor in humility and respect. He prepared himself to hear the message from God. The plan, expressed by God, was overwhelming.

I have come to know — the more we humble ourselves; the more God will make himself known to us. Everything Ezekiel saw to this point served one purpose. Prepare his heart to hear the message. Prepare his heart to hear the plan. We are taught by words from the Spirit of God and then the message is written on our heart with the blood of Jesus. Review Matthew chapter 5, make no mistake, God delights in teaching the humble to be humbler. We benefit. Prepare your heart. Embrace the fire. I choose Jesus.