Ezekiel Chapter 1

Saturday, 12/13/25 at 10:15
Solitary Man
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Eze 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives (exiles) by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions (mar-aw) of God (elohim).
Eze 1:2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,

We will deal with the first 2 verses together, as they explicitly pinpoint the exact date of this first of several prophecies by Ezekiel.

Some opening remarks are in order. Chapters 1 and 10 are singularly unique in the entire word of God. Nowhere else do we have such a detailed glimpse into one of God’s strangest creatures, the cherubim. We know that this is what these creatures were, because Ezekiel tells us so:

Eze 10:20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

Obviously only by direct revelation from Yahweh would Ezekiel be able to identify these beings.

Isaiah had a vision that was similar, but different. In Isaiah chapter 6, he had a vision of the throne room of Yahweh in heaven. Whether by vision or being actually taken there, we cannot be sure. In Ezekiel’s case, he was on the earth when he saw what he saw in the sky above. Again, whether or not he saw with his physical eyes, or was given an inner vision, we cannot be certain, but the language certainly lends itself to the premise that Ezekiel witnessed these things with his physical eyes.

There is no indication that anyone else saw what he saw. Because of the magnitude and the size of these creatures and their devices that they controlled, it would seem unlikely that no one else saw anything, unless it was only Ezekiel’s eyes that were opened. However, visions from the Lord may be seen with the physical eyes, but yet be only seen by the one whom God has chosen. Remember Peter fell into a trance and saw the heavens open, with many animals being lowered in a sheet. If this was physically occurring, then everyone around him would have seen it. But God chose to only show this image to Peter.

On the road to Damascus, Paul was struck down by Jesus. In the retelling of the tale, we see how these supernatural occurrences are difficult to describe, as Luke’s recounting of what someone told him about it (most likely Paul) in Acts 9 seems to differ from Paul’s recounting of the same event in Acts 22:

Act 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

Act 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

The easiest way to reconcile these 2 verses is that Paul’s companions indeed heard something, but only Paul was given the ability to actually understand what was being said. Maybe the voice was only loud enough for Paul to hear clearly, or maybe the voice spoke in a heavenly language that only Paul heard in his native tongue. The point is that these sorts of very unusual visions are extremely difficult to describe accurately. That is why the visions of Daniel, and the apostle John in Revelation, are so open to interpretation. Thus it is also so with Ezekiel. While I will take a stab at offering a few comments on them, who is able to paint an accurate picture of something so otherworldly, that we all can relate to? It simply is not possible.

We also must keep in mind just how extremely rare these sorts of events are. There are people today who claim to see angels almost every day. If I was feeling exceptionally charitable, I suppose one could make an allowance and say that this may be theoretically possible, should God so choose. But if he never chose to gift any human being during bible times with continual visions, what are the odds that he would do so today? The bible is given to us for examples and patterns of how God operates. It teaches us his ways. And one of his ways that extraordinary experiences such as what Ezekiel is being given, is about a rare a thing as we can possibly find.

Thus visions are impossible to verify by independent sources. Either you believe the person’s story, or you don’t. Do not think for one moment that all visions are from God. The practitioners of the occult have learned of many rituals that help enable its followers to enter into the spiritual realm. But if one chooses to do so through a portal that God’s enemy opens for you, then you are at the mercy of those dark beings, not only for the harm they can do, but the deception that they bring.

I chuckle when people who scoff and mock the miracles of the bible are so ready to entertain the bizarre possibility that what Ezekiel actually saw was an alien spaceship! People have become famous writing books about these ‘chariots of the gods’. They point to ancient drawings that seem to depict spacemen and spaceships, as well as this event in scripture. If you want to see a fairly modern rendition of what Hollywood thinks that Ezekiel saw, check out the movie ‘Knowing’ from 2009. The special effects depicting something akin to Ezekiel’s vision is somewhat impressive. Just bear in mind that the movie itself bears a non-biblical interpretation.

What a marvel lost men are! With zero physical or historical evidence besides hearsay, lost men are willing to seriously consider any and every theory of origins and extraterrestrial life, just so long as they don’t have to believe the bible! While the bible has been proven to be historically accurate time and time again, men who simply do not want to submit their lives to the commandments of Yahweh will come up with the some ridiculous explanations and possibilities as to how life evolved. Aliens from another planet are a possibility, but the God of the bible creating all life is not.

You can’t help stupid.

In any event, none of those people would ever set foot inside this commentary, so we shall abandon this cul de sac and return to the main road. Suffice it to say that what Ezekiel was about to witness had nothing to do with aliens!

These two chapters are solely descriptive in nature. There is really no doctrine, no word of the Lord, though another player in the form of a man also appears in chapter 10. What we are about to undertake in this first chapter is to try and describe the indescribable. Many wiser and much more perceptive men than I have attempted to undertake this impossible task before me. I will attempt to do my best, but I apologize in advance, as I know that I will fall far short of doing this chapter justice.

Before we get to the actual vision, let us now undertake a detailed study of the dating of this word.

As stated in the introduction, Ezekiel was the most conscientious prophet as far as dating his utterances, for which we are all grateful. This is an important point for all of us. How often do we try and leave instructions, or attempt to communicate something, but leave out some crucial element, because we assume the recipient will be able to fill in the blank? At the time, I am sure none of these prophets believed that these words would last forever. But we are grateful to God when he did nudge them to mention the time frame. Most likely some were more faithful than others, depending on their personality. Given the fact that Ezekiel dated every word, and almost all his prophecies are in chronological order, he must have been a very organized, disciplined individual. Perhaps he was quick to write down everything that the Lord gave him. It seemed that most times God spoke to him when he was alone, so he would have had ample opportunity to record these words. Compare his ministry to that of Jeremiah’s, who often was commanded to go and speak to the rulers and the people in public. In his case, God provided a scribe named Baruch, that was responsible for recording his words.

There are 3 main theories as to what this 30th year refers to.

1. It was 30 years since Josiah entered into a renewal of the covenant of God with the people (2 Ki 22:3), which would have been the 18th year of Josiah’s reign.
2. this was the 30th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar’s father Nabopolassar. The problem with that is that he began his reign in 625 BC, so that would put this at 595, contradicting the exact year that is specified by verse 2.
3. This is the year that Ezekiel turned 30.

I favor the third theory. Firstly, the actual year that this prophecy occurred is stated in verse 2. The 5th year of Jehoiachin’s reign is 593 BC.

Because the reign of the kings at the time of Judah’s demise is so confusing, I will reproduce a table for our study here:

1. Josiah – 640-608 BC
2. Jehoahaz (Shallum) – 608
3. Jehoiakim – 608-597
4. Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Coniah) – 597
5. Zedekiah – 597-586

Much confusion occurs as the bible freely interchanges the names of a couple of the kings above with alternate names.

The 3 deportations to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar occurred in 605, 597, and 586. Jehoiachin and Ezekiel were deported in 597.

Thus, you can see the 5th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity was 593, as he was deported to Babylon in 597.

The 3rd theory, that of dating this first prophecy via Ezekiel’s age is not only the easiest way to stop all argument about its accuracy, but it is also symbolic in several ways. Ezekiel would have officially begun his priestly duties at age 30 (see Num 4:23, 30). Jesus and John the Baptist both began their ministries at age 30. While all this is circumstantial, it aligns with other biblical patterns. In any event, however Ezekiel decided to label this event, we do know it was in 593.

The words ‘month’ and ‘day’ are not in the original Hebrew. In those days, months were simply described in their proper order, as first, second, third, etc. The first month was around April, thus the 5th day of the 4th month would have been around July.

Eze 1:3 The word of the LORD (Yehovah) came expressly (haw-yaw haw-yaw – come to exist) unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

God had a special calling on this man’s life. But having been in Babylon for over 4 years, I am sure that he felt that his destiny was not going to be fulfilled. After all, he was a priest, born to serve in the Jerusalem temple. How was he supposed to fulfil his calling if he was exiled from his homeland? God had an answer, but it wasn’t anything that Ezekiel had even remotely imagined. He was going to fulfil his calling, but at a place and in a way of God’s choosing, not man’s.

Ezekiel’s life is a great example of not to put God in a box. You may believe that you are called to be a missionary. But God may place you in an inner city church where your mission field is skid row in your home town. Or, he may call you to be a pastor. But maybe he will lead you to start a prison ministry, where you will shepherd convicts in the faith. Any number of examples come to mind. How many of us may have messed up our calling because we weren’t willing to think outside of the box? Perhaps God wanted you in the full time ministry. You may have assumed that the only way to fulfil that was to go to seminary. But maybe God wanted to train you some other way. And as a result, seminary dimmed and almost extinguished your zeal for the Lord, rendering you mostly ineffective, because you assumed the path that God wanted you to walk.

There is a great example of this in the book of Judges. To quickly summarize, in one of the most sordid events of Israel’s history, men of the tribe of Benjamin wanted to rape a certain man who had lodged in their town for the night. They were appeased by the man because he gave them his concubine, which they proceeded to rape to death. The man cut her up in 12 pieces, and sent each piece to the 12 tribes. They all gathered together to call these Benjamites to account. Judges 20:18-28 is the scripture I wish to focus on. While I will not reproduce it here, you can read it at your leisure.

Basically the people of Israel sought God 3 times before going into battle. Each successive time, they allowed God to reveal his will more fully. In other words, the first time they basically told God what they were going to do, and only asked about one detail of their decision. The second time they also had made up their minds as to the course of action to take, and only asked God if they should actually go ahead. After 2 disastrous battles, they finally approached God correctly the 3rd time. They did not try to limit God, or tell him what they were going to do and ask him to bless their endeavour. No, this time they sought God’s will wholeheartedly, and not only did God give them a specific answer, but he answered in such a way as to provide a certain confirmation.

The point is that whether we realize it or not, we often tie the hands of God, so to speak, when we pray with certain assumptions and conditions built in. For example, you may be asking God whether or not you should go to Africa. What if God’s will is not staying home, and not going to Africa, but going to a completely different country? You gave God no room to speak his real will into your life. Maybe you’re asking how much money you should give to your church. Maybe God wants you to give your money somewhere else this time. You ask God to heal your elderly parent. Perhaps it is time that they went home. And so it goes.

For Ezekiel, God was entering him into full time ministry at age 30, but not at the temple where he assumed he should be. Not even in Judah. But rather he would minister in the midst of his people’s enemies!

This man wants his listeners to know that he is absolutely certain that God’s word came to him, by repeating the Hebrew word haw-yaw in his pronouncement, a sure sign of certainly and emphasis. If you know that God has called you to do something, then don’t let doubt creep back in. Take a stand, and proclaim it.

Ezekiel’s fussy nature leads him to not only mark the exact date, but the exact place where his calling and ministry began. This Chebar river flowed into the Euphrates about 200 miles north of Babylon. Thus he wasn’t in the midst of the pagan culture center, but quite far away, perhaps giving him a level of isolation and solitude that is often so conducive in hearing the voice of the Lord.

The hand of the Lord would have been a Hebrew colloquialism that would have indicated a strong and indisputable certainty that this was God himself that was moving upon him. The apostle John referred to this sort of divine experience as being in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. I am sure that many of us believe that we have felt the hand of the Lord upon us at one time or another. But I am equally sure that none of us have ever had quite the experience that Ezekiel is about to have!

Eze 1:4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind (ruach sa-har – a hurricane like breath) came out of the north (tsaw-fone – also hidden, dark, gloomy, unknown), a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about (encircled) it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour (ah-yin – eye) of amber (polished spectrum metal), out of the midst of the fire.

God may not have been in the whirlwind when Elijah sat in his cave, but, in Ezekiel’s case, it’s a different story. In this vision, God is holding nothing back. He is here to make an impression. Whatever else that we glean from the rest of this chapter, one thing is certain: Ezekiel will never forget what he is about to see.

Each cardinal direction such as north, south, etc., also had alternate meanings in the Hebrew. The north direction also means hidden, dark, gloomy and unknown. Well, we are certainly about to see things hidden. We are going to encounter something completely unknown to us dwellers on the earth.

North is also strongly associated with the direction from which God’s judgment originates (see Jer 1:14-15, 4:6, 6:1). Fitting then, that this vision, which kicks off this book that contains some of the strongest declarations of judgment imaginable, is said to proceed out of the north.

What may have appeared initially as some sort of severe weather phenomenon will quickly coalesce into something far more dreadful and terrible to behold. We have here not only the imagery of a whirlwind, but great clouds, a fire that seems to fold in on itself, all the while some sort of fiery brightness that encompasses everything, perhaps as a halo, while in the center of it all there is some sort of a point of bright polished metal that is emanating out of the fire. Some commentators have translated it as electrum, a medieval concept of an alchemal combination of gold and silver.

Whatever is appearing, imagine the struggle Ezekiel is having in trying to describe it, using terms that everyone in his day was familiar with. And remember, this guy was very, shall we say, ‘anal’ in his attention to detail (ie, his precise dating of time and place), so we are truly fortunate that it is Ezekiel who is writing this down for us, and not someone more impetuous, such as Peter! In other words, God likely chose the man most capable of preserving the most accurate description possible for someone of his era. Most likely today, we would have been tempted to describe this in terms of vehicles, or perhaps even spaceships, and that would most certainly have left future readers with the wrong idea, as this was no Starship Enterprise!

Eze 1:5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man (aw-dawm).

We will now undertake the daunting task of attempting to derive additional meaning and understanding as Ezekiel attempts to describe what he sees. Ezekiel will tell us that what he is seeing are cherubims:

Eze_10:20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

The word cherubims occur 65 times in the bible. Besides the several instances in Ezekiel, where they mostly refer to the creatures that God is allowing him to see, almost all other references refer to the cherubims that covered the mercy seat in the holy of holies in the temple of God. The couple of exceptions are as follows:

Gen_3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Heb_9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

The verse in Genesis is the only place in scripture where one of their functions is described. God used them as guardians to prevent access to the garden of Eden after man’s fall. Where Eden went, and what happened to these cherubims, is unknown. They seem to have a duty of protecting access to what God wants protected. Because they are depicted as covering the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, where God’s presence was found, and given that the temple and all things therein are a pattern of what is in heaven, it is reasonable to assume that they help to control access to the Father’s throne.

The second passage from Hebrews (the only passage in the New Testament that refers to cherubims), also speaks of these creatures that were placed upon the mercy seat on earth. Paul says that he does not have time to delve as deeply into the significance of these things as he would like. Nevertheless, he does make mention that the earthy tabernacle and temple was a pattern of the heavenly:

Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

The above verse strongly implies that what was built by Moses on earth was a replica of what actually exists in heaven. Remember Paul told us that the actual heavenly temple had to be cleansed with the blood of Christ, unlike the earthly one, which was continually cleansed with the blood of bulls and goats:

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

We should take note that God seems to make an exception against the prohibition of images when he commands Moses to create 2 cherubim of gold to place above the ark. I would venture that since this was only to be viewed by the high priest once a year, the temptation to make of it an idol would be insignificant. God wanted a pattern of what was in heaven to be with men. He wants us to have a constant reminder that where we are is temporary, and that we should regularly keep our eyes focused on what is above.

These living beings are different than what Isaiah saw when he was translated into the throne room of heaven. There, he saw the seraphim (saw-rawf – fiery serpent):

Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Their job description seems to be as those who continually and eternally announce to all of creation the unique and untouchable holiness of Yahweh. We don’t know if this is all they do, but this one thing is what God chose to reveal to us. Note that they have 6 wings, versus 4 for the cherubim. They seem to have one face, not four.

The description of the cherubims begins with the fact that there are four of them. As best as the prophet could describe, each one had the general appearance of a man. That is, they were man like in shape.

Eze 1:6 And every one (echad – one) had four faces (paw-neem), and every one had four wings.

Now he tells us they each had 4 faces, and 4 wings.

How can something have four faces? Here is where we begin to encounter the impossibility of adequately and accurately describing something from another dimension. Certain Christians who have a basic understanding of physics may speak of the spiritual realm as another dimension. While we live in a 4 dimensional world of length, width, height and time, God lives in at least one more dimension as spirit. Because the 5th dimension encapsulates the other 4, God can see all events at the same instant. Past, present and future are all available to him in the same instant. Whether or not we will have the same ability once we are glorified remains to be seen.

Some try to explain the 5th dimension in this manner. If you lived in a 2 dimensional world (ie, lived within a piece of paper), if someone who lived in 3 dimensions stuck his finger through the paper, what would the person living within the 2 dimensions see? He could not see your finger, all he would see would be a 2 dimensional circle that had invaded his space. So in the same way, when a creature from the spirit realm such as a cherubim appears in our 3 dimensional physical world (laying aside the dimension of time for the time being, having special properties of its own), then who knows what the cherubim actually look like? What is best described as 4 faces may in fact be a body design of such incomprehensibility, that there would be no way to accurately represent it if viewed from our 3 dimensional space. Thus to try and be dogmatic as to what Ezekiel saw would be foolish. God gives us one man’s best effort of attempting to describe a heavenly being whom God created in such a fashion that could not be created in the same way if it were a purely physical one. So perhaps the 4 faces exist on a 5 dimensional plane in a perfectly normal configuration. But when viewed from our 3 dimensional space, perhaps each face flashed in and out of view, or maybe they rotated, depending on the angle of viewing, or maybe they did look as if each face was set in a specific direction to form a sort of 4 sided head. I’m sure that 10 different people would havegiven us 10 different descriptions.

The four faces bring to mind the verses in Revelation such as this one:

Rev_4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

The above verse is most likely speaking of seraphim, having 6 wings, and worshipping God. They were also 4 in number.

Dan 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

Daniel’s vision had 4 separate beasts, representing 4 successive earthly kingdoms.

Zechariah speaks of 4 horns, 4 carpenters, 4 winds, 4 chariots, and 4 spirits. Revelation speaks of 4 beasts speaking of 4 horsemen, 4 angels, 4 horns of the altar, and the 4 corners of the earth.

These cherubim are 4 in number, each with 4 faces and 4 wings.

You may be wondering what all these verses about the number 4 have to do with these cherubim. Well, not much really, as far as I can tell. Except to show us that God certainly has a thing for numbers, doesn’t he? Mathematicians who fear God at times wax poetic about the mathematical precision found in the physical universe. Everything about specific numbers speaks of a divine order. No chaos. No random chance. All is design.

There are spiritual gleanings to be gathered when we make a study of numbers in the bible. Now I know that some have taken this to an extreme, and try to find meaning in every number that they encounter. Some of my weirder charismatic friends, from time to time, have testified that on a certain day, they encountered the number 5 several times! It was 5 to 5 when they entered this store, or they saw 5 items on the shelf as they went to buy something, etc, etc. Trying to find meaning in the essentially meaningless. Trying to find God in all the wrong places! Wanting so badly to experience a personal touch from God in their life, they cannot content themselves with the revelation in his word, but in their impatience imagine that God is speaking to them in their mundane and banal day to day activities. I smile and stay silent. Some people do not want the truth. They cannot find God any other way, so they make up fairy tales in order to convince themselves that God is really working in their lives. They are not content to simply trust that God is always there behind the scenes. They have to see him in action in the physical world, even as the pagans of old saw omens in the path of a bird, or the droppings of a deer, or the way a tree bent in the wind.

Let us marvel at the precise, intricate design of this universe by a God who created numbers, and set up physical laws with great mathematical precision. He also uses numbers to help direct our thinking about what he may be trying to say to us in the text. Scholars and sages far more versed than myself can give a much more learned exposition on the generally accepted meanings of certain numbers in scripture. Suffice it to say that the number 4 does figure prominently in the bible, does it not?

Eze 1:7 And their feet were straight (upright) feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour (eye) of burnished (polished) brass (copper).

It could be that their ‘feet’ had no knee joint in it. At the bottom of these feet was a noticeable brightness, most likely representing a glorious brilliance, or maybe just another way of describing something that looked like it was on fire.

The glory of God is in a class of its own. Trying to compare it to anything in our world will always fall far short of doing it justice.

Eze 1:8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces (paw-neem) and their wings.

Whether or not these hands were part of arms that were not visible, or somehow the hands were attached to the wings by themselves is not known. The hands also lend credence to the fact that their general shape was man like, but certainly like no man that anyone had ever seen!

Some theorize that these ‘hidden’ hands which were under the wings symbolized the hidden things of God. Just as wings are used to cover, so these hands within these wings may represent the hidden hand of God working in our life, covering us from many of the attacks of the enemy. It could also mean the wings and hands are to cover our eyes from the deadly holiness of God, or to cover the face of God from those who are unworthy to look upon such perfection.

They are spoken of as having 4 distinct sides. While we 3 dimensional beings may have been thought to have 4 sides, in actuality humans look upon themselves as having 2 sides, ie., a front and a back. These creatures were different, the 4 sides hinting at a higher dimensionality.

Eze 1:9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned (saw-bab – revolved) not when they went; they went every one (eesh – a man) straight forward (paw-neem).

It seems as if these 4 creatures were joined at the wing in some fashion so as to make them one. When they moved, they seemed to stay in the same direction. Perhaps it means that no matter in which direction they moved, they all maintained the same position in relation to one another. That is, they never changed places, but moved as one unit. This may represent the unity and unchangeableness of those creatures in heaven specifically designed to perform God’s will. They always go in the direction God wants them to go.

Eze 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Here is where one can wander into as much speculation regarding the symbolism of these 4 faces as one desires. The punctuation of the King James confuses the issue here. The face of a man faced Ezekiel. On the right, the face of a lion. On the left, the face of an ox. By default the back side had the face of an eagle.

The most common symbolism of the 4 faces is the 4 gospels. I leave it up to the reader to try and join up each face to each gospel, perhaps by the theme within each. Some say the four faces represent the ministry of preachers, or of all saints. The face of man is in front. Our direct business is with other men, to preach the gospel to the lost. The lion represents the strength and power of the gospel message. The ox represents the patience that we must embrace in order to see our labors come to fruition. The hidden face of the eagle represents that which flies far above, out of sight. So the Holy Spirit works through each and every one of us, mostly hidden from sight, but providing us with access to the heavenlies.

Apparently there is a saying in the Talmud (Jewish commentaries) that goes something like this:

“there are four that are proud (or excel) in the world; the lion among beasts; the ox among cattle; the eagle among birds; and man, whom God has exalted above all, for he rules over all.”

Eze 1:11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched (paw-rad – separated, divided) upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

Some try to extract some esoteric spiritual significance over the relative positions of the wings. I see this mainly as describing the fact that 2 wings were used for flight, and 2 were used to cover their bodies. Thus, 2 wings were always reaching toward God, while 2 wings were always concerned with personal holiness. We are to simultaneously live in the realm of heaven and earth while we are here. While we reach toward the mark of the high calling in Christ, we are equally aware of the importance of always ensuring that our bodies are not exposed in any shameful way by sinful behavior.

Eze 1:12 And they went every one straight forward (paw-neem): whither the spirit (ruach) was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went (haw-lak – walk).

We are always to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Wherever the ruach wants to go, that is the direction we should face. We should not turn to the right or the left, but move straight ahead on the narrow path. When we walk with God, we are to be as the cherubim – single minded, as one with the ruach, going in one direction only.

Eze 1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down (haw-lak) among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning (baw-rak – glittering sword).

The fire of God should always remain lit within us. The fire permeated their entire being, and so should the Spirit of God permeate our entire lives. The light of the Spirit is meant to always shine brightly.

Eze 1:14 And the living creatures ran (raw-tsaw, only time in OT) and returned (shoob – to turn back, to retreat back to the starting point, also to turn toward) as the appearance of a flash of lightning (baw-zawk – only time in OT).

They were in motion, doing the will of God, but always returned to the source. In other words, they were tethered to the Spirit that enabled and moved them. Yet they were always in motion. Even as we are not to take a break from serving God, so these creatures were in constant motion and service to their master.

Eze 1:15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one (echad) wheel (o-fawn – to revolve) upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

Ezekiel now attempts to describe another aspect of this vision. As he was intently gazing upon these 4 creatures, distinct yet moving as one, there was something akin to a wheel that seemed to be touching the earth. Some say the wheel represents the constant affairs of men that revolve in time, as always being under the providence and influence of the Almighty.

Most commentators seem to think that the Hebrew indicates that each creature somehow had its own wheel. The wheel was the means that motion was achieved by each creature, in whatever direction they were supposed to go.

Eze 1:16 The appearance of the wheels (o-fawn) and their work (mah-as-eh – their action or property) was like unto the colour (hue) of a beryl (gem, topaz): and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work (mah-as-ah) was as it were a wheel (o-fawn) in the middle (center, midst) of a wheel (o-fawn).

The word ‘work’ would refer to its construction. It seems that there was a ‘wheel’ in the middle of another wheel, at right angles to each other. This would represent the fact that these creatures were not limited by our 3 dimensional reality – they could move in any direction as God desired, even in and out of our reality as God willed.

So we too are not to limit what God desires to do in our lives. Like the multi faceted wheels and faces of the cherubim, so we too should be willing and prepared to move in any direction that God sees fit to take us in.

Eze 1:17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned (saw-bab – revolve) not when they went.

Another way of saying that they could move in any direction. As for the second part of the verse, let us hear what Benson’s commentary has to say:

And they turned, or returned, not when they went — That is, they never returned, or went backward, till they came to the end of their course; but proceeded on in one straight course and unbent line of direction. So firm and sure are the methods, so unalterable and constant the purposes of God, and so invariable the obedience and observance of holy angels. So subject to the will of God are all second causes, and so surely does the Divine Providence always accomplish its ends. [end]

Eze 1:18 As for their rings (gab – rims), they were so high (lofty) that they were dreadful (yir-aw – exceedingly fearful); and their rings (gab) were full of eyes (ah-yin) round about (encompass on every side) them four.

The eyes reminds us or Rev 4:8:

Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

These ‘rings’ were so high that they were exceedingly dreadful to behold, perhaps due to their gigantic nature. These rings, which seemed to encompass heaven and earth, were full of eyes every which way that one viewed them. This seems to indicate the omnipresence of Yehovah. He sees all. Paul speaks of this in this passage:

1Co_4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Men are so foolish and short sighted. Verses such as these reminds us that nothing is hidden from his sight. If God has such creatures that seem to see in every direction at once, how much more the Creator himself! Not only in space, but through time itself.

Eze 1:19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

The cherubim and their ‘wheels’ moved as one. That is, everything in heaven moves in concert. We don’t have every created being ‘doing their own thing’, as is the case on earth. Is that not the true curse of the fall, where free will was perverted by pride into self will, where it was said that ‘every man did that was right in their own eyes’? God’s heavenly guardians are showing us the ways of heaven. Jesus came to make us all one. Not as slaves, as the communists and the globalists desire, but that we freely choose to move in the direction of the will of the Father, having been persuaded and convinced that only he knows in which direction we ought to move.

Eze 1:20 Whithersoever the spirit (ruach) was to go, they went, thither (thence, there) was their spirit (ruach) to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against (along with) them: for the spirit (ruach) of the living creature was in the wheels.

The Holy Spirit is meant to live in us forever. It is the Spirit of Christ that should be the prime mover in our lives. At every crossroad in our lives, we should be seeking to know the will of the Father, and allowing his Spirit to direct our spirits. The cherubim are here to teach us how to live day by day, moment by moment.

Eze 1:21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

Only if the Holy Spirit of God is in you, will you be able to move in the correct direction. Ezekiel is spending some time to teach us that no matter what direction we are going, no matter what situation we are facing, the Spirit should be our engine, our driving force.

Is the Holy Spirit in the midst of our ‘wheel’, ie, our human body, which is our ‘vehicle’ while here on earth?

Eze 1:22 And the likeness dem-ooth – resemblance) of the firmament (raqiya – expanse) upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour (ah-yin) of the terrible (yaw-ray – dreadful, fearful) crystal (key-rakh – ice, hail, frost), stretched forth over their heads above.

We know that the word for firmament is the same one used in Genesis. I am not here to speculate as to whether or not any biblical writer believed in some sort of flat earth, with a solid raqiya, or expanse, that sealed them in. I think real science has made clear that this interpretation is quite unsound.

The main idea here is the immensity of creation. Not only has God created beings of such extreme incomprehensibility, but they are encapsulated in a universe that is truly immense and awe inspiring to the point of dreadfulness. That is, the creation itself should automatically produce a genuine fear of the Lord, as Paul so clearly states:

Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Who cannot look at the expanse, the firmament above, and not be awed by our relative insignificance? Only the fact that the Son of God came down and assumed human form in order to die in our place can give us any sense of worth and value. Atheist scientists, having no basis to believe that they are anything special, tell us that we humans are as nothing compared to the immensity of space. And given the unimaginable size of the universe, it seems as if man is as nothing in comparison.

But only God, through the revelation of Jesus Christ, can reveal to us just how much we mean to the Father, even in the face of such an impossibly beautiful, yet somewhat dreadful, creation that surrounds us.

Eze 1:23 And under the firmament (raqiya) were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

The language here might indicate that all 4 wings covered their bodies, when in fact 2 of them expanded upwards, chiefly used for flying, while 2 were used to cover their bodies, for reasons already covered.

Eze 1:24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty (Shaddai), the voice of speech (tumult), as the noise of an host (army): when they stood, they let down their wings.

Noise and voice are the same Hebrew word kole. The sound is described as many, or great waters all tumbling together. It is the sound that we would imagine this great Creator God using. It sounds like a great tumult, or a great army. Thus these wings generated a sound that is indescribable, only that it seemed to overwhelm Ezekiel’s physical senses.

This is why we often see in the bible that being exposed to heavenly beings often causes physical man to drop down as if slain. The glory and power of heaven are too much for puny physical man to handle. It is a good thing that God does not reveal his face to us, where his glory is concentrated. It would kill us. His presence is often described as being in the midst of a terrible and dreadful darkness. Of thick clouds and gloom.

The reason so many reject these sorts of descriptions is because of the silly ideas that we have been taught about Yahweh. We only want to emphasize how Jesus is our friend, our brother, our constant companion, one whom we can approach at any time, in any way that we choose.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The reason why so many of us do not have much of a real encounter with the living God is due to his great mercy. The bible gives us many patterns about the extensive and particular preparations the Israelites had to undertake, before they could even think of approaching God. Think of all the purification rituals that God required the Levitical priests to undergo before they dared to approach him in the tabernacle, or in the temple. This was for their safety.

The glory of God is not something to be played with, nor minimized. Just because we have been ‘born again’, does not give us carte blanche to treat the holy things of God with carelessness. When God truly speaks, the natural human reaction is first one of terror and dread. Only if the hand of God then touches us, and strengthens us, do we have the ability to endure his presence.

Eze 1:25 And there was a voice from the firmament (raqiya) that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

There is a new element now introduced into the vision. A voice from above the firmament now speaks. Now that this divine voice has begun to speak, the cherubim, in a renewed act of worship and reverence, stood still and folded their wings.

Eze 1:26 And above the firmament (raqiya) that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man (aw-dawm) above upon it.

Now Ezekiel is given a glimpse of God’s throne. Note the repetitious use of the word likeness. The prophet saw something that was ‘like’ a throne. Upon the throne there was a being ‘like’ a man. It does not do the vision justice to say that what Ezekiel saw was actually a throne and actually a man, but only that they approximated those things. How does one truly explain God? Do we actually think he looks exactly like a man? It may be said that he is ‘like’ a man, but that is because that is the closest thing that he may approximate. We were created in his image. Too often man turns things upside down, making God more like man, but how else could Ezekiel possibly describe what he sees?

Eze 1:27 And I saw as the colour (ah-yin) of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

How to articulate the glory of God? To Ezekiel’s imagination, the closest thing he could think of is fire. The glory had the properties of fire. It was all consuming. It was indescribably bright. I’m not sure if anything else we could come up with could do a better job of conveying that of which he was seeing.

Eze 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell (naphal) upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

The rainbow is a wonderful image to end this first vision on. The universally understood sign of God’s covenant of grace and mercy that he gave to Noah, upon the completion of that first terrible worldwide judgment. I don’t think the devil could have chosen a more insulting symbol for his band of perverts to use to blaspheme Yehovah than the rainbow to symbolize the alphabet crowd of today.

The rainbow’s colors would have been the icing on the cake, so to speak, of all that Ezekiel saw. All the colors of the universe come from Yahweh’s creative genius. All the beauty that we perceive comes from his hand.

Now that the prophet has completed his feeble attempt at putting into human speech what he had witnessed, his body is totally overcome with the dreadful and glorious presence. He ends up by falling on his face, as many others in scripture did, when they encountered the direct presence of the living God.

The vision ends with the fact that the true purpose of this magnificent event is about to take place. God is about to speak.

And what he is about to say, will tingle not only the ears of Ezekiel, but every person in every age who has ears to hear.

Solitary Man
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