Ezekiel 1: 1 – 28
‘First Round Draft Pick’
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. 6 Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. 8 The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. 9 Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning. 15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them. 19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatureswas in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22 The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. 23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. 26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.
There is a saying that goes like this; ‘some went and were never sent, some were sent and never went, and some were sent and they went.’ Ezekiel was such a man that was sent and went as a captive to the land of Babylon., but was called by God to be His servant and Ezekiel obeyed. He thought that his life was destined to be a priest but God had other ideas. God’s plan for Ezekiel was to be a prophet. His services to God spanned some 22 years. The Holy Lord Yahweh had sent some other Jewish brothers to serve as prophets during Ezekiel’s years of ministry. These guys were Daniel, Jeremiah, and probably Obadiah. Let’s take a look at the first three verses of chapter 1.
“1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.”
The prophet Ezekiel’s ministry was from around 593 B.C. to about 560 B.C. Remember that when measuring time in B.C. [ Before Christ] you are decreasing in years. Ezekiel mentions in verse 2 that his time was during the king of Judah’s Jehoiachin’s captivity in Babylon. Once we review the entire book of Ezekiel you can notice that he never mentions the release of king Jehoiachin’s, which was around 560 B.C. So, you have a pretty good basis to know that Ezekiel’s message was completed before then.
To bring you up to date on what had happened thus far let me take a little time and give you a little history review.
After Solomon’s reign the kingdom of Israel was divided up as the Northern and the Southern kingdoms. The North or kingdom of Israel did not have even one good king. Ultimately the Assyrians came and conquered the Northern kingdom and took away many of the Israelites captive. The Southern kingdom alternated between good and bad kings and God for the sake of His love for King David allowed the Southern kingdom of Judah to last longer.
The Babylon Empire grew and conquered the Assyrians. Then a guy by the name of Nebuchadnezzar went and beat the Egyptians at a place called Carchemish. Judah’s king at this time was Jehoiakim. He gave his allegiance to the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar had to return to Babylon because his dad died. He took hostages from the Jews back with him. Daniel was part of this first deportation.
The Egyptians became strong again and Jehoiakim switched sides from the Babylonians to the Egyptians. In 2 Kings 24: 1 we read, ‘In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.’
In 598 B.C. the Babylonians came again against Jerusalem, the city and the Temple were pillaged but were not destroyed. Jehoiakim was killed. His replacement was Jehoiachin who was later taken as a captive to Babylon along with about ten thousand other leaders. Ezekiel was one of these captives in this second deportation. He was about 25 years of age when he was taken captive. We read about this in 2 Kings 24 verses 10 through 14.
“10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. 12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner. 13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.”
For years prior to all these attacks against Jerusalem God had placed the prophet Jeremiah in Jerusalem. He ministered under the last five kings; Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. During this time Israel had major problems socially, economically, and politically. The country’s leaders and the people rejected all of God’s laws and His Will. They would not accept that their country’s deterioration and disasters were from the hand of God as punishment of their sins. Amazingly if the people only woke up and repented, then our Loving God would have stayed His hand from having to deal with His people so harshly.
Do these problems not also exist in our country? The Scriptures reveal in the book of Romans, chapter 15, verse 4, ‘For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.’ Will our country learn or are we on the same course that we read here? Today, dear brothers and sisters let us all not only pray for the peace of Jerusalem but be on our knees daily and often praying that God would have Mercy on our country and by His precious Holy Spirit again bring revival once more to our land.
Since Jerusalem and the Temple were still in existence the people who were taken away captive still possessed some hope that they would return to Israel. Ezekiel’s name means ‘God strengthens’. He definitely would need all that his name conveyed. He would need all of God’s strength to tell the people that they were not going back home just yet and more importantly that the city of Jerusalem and the Temple were going to be destroyed.
In verse 1 we see the words ‘in the thirtieth year’. When Ezekiel was in Jerusalem he was studying to become a priest. A person would start his service to God as a minister when he turned thirty as reported in the book of Numbers 4: 23, ‘From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.’
The ‘River Chebar’ actually means ‘The Grand Canal’. It was a branch of the Euphrates River flowing southeast out from Babylon. Unlike other enemies the Babylonians allowed their captives to settle together. Jeremiah had encouraged these captives to get use to living among the Babylonians. Even though they did begin to acclimate themselves to this new culture, notice that Ezekiel points out in verse 1 that he and they were still ‘captives’. These people would build homes and begin to use their trades yet many Jews recognized that this was not their home. They kept their religious and national identities as they have throughout the centuries even to today. Some people ask us the question, ‘How can we prove that there is a God’? One answer is to point to the Jews. What other group of people were dispersed for thousands of years to countries all over the world yet have continued their identity and have been brought back as a nation.
Ezekiel saw ‘That the heavens [plural] were opened’. We learn from Scripture that there are three heavens – the sky, space, and our Lord God’s dwelling place in the highest north. All three were opened or pealed back and the prophet saw visions of God Himself.
Look at some of these statements of our God and His heavens;
Genesis 2: 4, ‘This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.’
Job 20: 6, ‘Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds – They are higher than you.’
Psalm 8: 3, ‘When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained.’
Psalm 57: 10, ‘For Your Mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your Truth unto the clouds.’
Psalm 103: 13, ‘The LORD has established His throne in heaven and His Kingdom rules over all.’
Matthew 3: 16, ‘When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.’
The greatest vision is to see our God. Joel 2: 28 says, ‘And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’ As we look to study the book of Ezekiel may our Lord also, as He did to Ezekiel, place His hand upon us to know Him more and to be transformed into the image of His Holy Son.
We next read about a unique experience Ezekiel had in verse 4 of Chapter 1,
“4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.”
I am sure you remember the so-called counselors that came to Job. A very interesting statement is made by one of them called Elihu in chapter 37 verse 9, ‘From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds of the north.’
The book of Job is interesting in that many of the words spoken by Job’s friends are not accurate. This statement may at first startle you, but look at what the Awesome and Holy God says about their comments in Job 42: 7 – 8,
“7 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”
The Lord did not even recognize the young man or what he said, only what the others had spoken. He commented that the ‘whirlwind comes from the south’ I believe that as he was speaking to Job he noticed the storm approaching. In the same chapter he comments on God’s splendor appearing out of the north [note that he now sees the whirlwind coming out of the north] in verses 21 through 23 in chapter 37,
“21 Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them. 22 He comes from the north as golden splendor; With God is awesome majesty. 23 As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress.”
The young man is caught up by the approaching whirlwind in chapter 37, then in chapter 38 verse one the Lord speaks out of the whirlwind. ‘Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind.’ God then goes on to question Job about his perceptions of God.
Why did I bring this up? Aren’t we studying Ezekiel? Yes we are. In verse 4 of chapter 1 we read, ‘Then I looked, and behold a whirlwind was coming out ot the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself, and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.’
Our Lord’s approach to Ezekiel seemed similar to what happened to Job. Remember that Ezekiel was studying to be a priest in Jerusalem before his captivity. The book of Job is one of the earliest books of the bible that was written. It is quite realistic to consider that Ezekiel read and studied this book during his training for the priesthood. Then if he was studying the book of Job as a young student then most likely he likes to get to the best part where God shows up. He would have understood how God had showed up before in a whirlwind.
Perhaps that is why he is able to take in the whole magnificent scene before passing out. Imagine that you saw this vision of Almighty God on His chariot. What amazes me is what he does in chapter 2 verse 1, ‘So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. And He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.’
Ezekiel was able to take in all the amazing and awesome appearance of the LORD God and His chariot and then he dropped. I think I would have been on my face at the first sight of all of this.
There is a great truth that can be learned from this for anyone considering in becoming a minister. That is that God holds ministers more accountable to His Great Truths. In Luke 12: 48 it says, ‘but he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be requires; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.’ We also read this in 1 Corinthians 4: 2, ‘Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.’
Look at the Bible and how our God is very serious of how His Servants represent Him. Moses was forbidden to enter the Promised Land because of losing his temper and striking the rock. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 1 verses 5 through 22 we see God use the angel Gabriel to rebuke a minister for not believing God’s power and Truth as displayed in the Scripture.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.”
The angel Gabriel came and gave Zacharias the answer to both of his prayers – one personal and the other as a representative of God. Part of the requirements of a priest was to pray for God the father to send His ‘Anointed One’ or ‘Messiah’. The angel told him that God was now about to send the Messiah, His Holy Son into the world. In addition, the angel then went on to tell him that his prayer to have a child was also approved. Zecharias knew from Scriptures that God gave Abraham a child when he and his wife were past the age of child bearing. He questioned how it could be done and by that lack of belief he was struck and lost his ability to speak and hear, which by the way disqualified him from serving in the priesthood.
There are three significant events that happen to a Christian after he/she is “Born Again’. First of all they are ‘Justified’. Our Lord Jesus Christ paid for the penalty of sin in the past by His pouring out His Blood and dying in our place on the cross Therefore, the Christian is freed from the ‘penalty of sin’
The rest of a Christian’s life while here on earth is becoming ‘Sanctified’. The believer now has a battle between their old self and the new life. This can become a constant battle for the rest of our earthly lives. Yet, God has freed us from the ‘Power of sin’. By trusting the Holy Spirit we can become over comers.
Lastly, there is the process of ‘Glorification’ that makes us free from the ‘Presence of sin’. Our God Who Is so Awesome sees us in every stage of the Christian way. He sees you ‘Justified’ [Just as though you never sinned], ‘Sanctified’ [set apart by and for Him], and ‘Glorified’ [In heaven with Him].
Our God is an All Knowing God. He knows everything. He knows the beginning from the end. He sees your entire existence from your birth through death and already sees you with Him in eternity. How great is that?
Your seeking more knowledge by studying His Word is good. 2 Timothy 2: 15 says, ‘Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ Studying God’s Word diligently while here on earth will greatly bless you here and in the life to come.
Picture that you are now come to Heaven. You are escorted to the One you have been waiting to see – our Lord jesus Christ. That will be enough for me but you will ultimately begin to take in the sights of your new surroundings. You look around and have the opportunity to see God the Father and His Throne Room. Are you going to be shocked by what you see? You shouldn’t be because you have already studied what God’s Throne room will look like including all the unique and interesting beings He has with Him there.
Ephesians 3: 8 through 12 says, “8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”
We read here that there are different positions and duties [powers] and different types of created beings [principalities]. We also read in Ephesians 6: 10 – 12 that there are similar evil beings. “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
In the Highest Heaven we have Seraphim, Cherubim, The Four Living Beings, and angels. In the dark side we have Satan, fallen angels, and evil spirits. In future studies we will get into more descriptions of these unique beings, but for today’s study as given to us in Ezekiel chapter 1 let us just look at Cherubim.
“5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. 6 Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. 8 The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. 9 Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning. 15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them. 19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatureswas in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
The Holy spirit is very gracious in pointing out to us that Ezekiel was studying to become a priest. The LORD God of course had a different career set aside for Ezekiel and that he was to become God’s spokesperson as a Prophet. As a priest in training, Ezekiel studied the Holy Scriptures. He would have taken significant time in studying the Pentateuch. These are the first five books of the Scriptures.
Genesis 3: 22 – 24 revealed, “22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
After Adam and Eve sinned our Wonderful God in His Mercy set out to protect man. Notice the term ‘to guard the way to the Tree of Life.’ The cherubim were placed as guards to protect the ‘way’ so man still had access to God not to prevent him from the tree of life.
God prescribed a new way for man to come to him and that was through the blood sacrifice. You might say, ‘now where did you get that idea?’ Look at Genesis 3: 21 which says, “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them,’
So, where did the skins come from? An animal had to shed its blood in order for Adam and Eve to be now clothed. Then how does it reveal that it was now sacrifices needed for man to be forgiven and to have fellowship with God and how did it become a lamb? Genesis chapter 4, verses 3 through 7 lets us know that God’s accepted way of sacrifice was through the blood of lambs which both Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve’s sons knew. That is why God spoke to Cain after he attempted to bring a different sacrifice other than what was prescribed by God,
“3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Ezekiel gathered from Genesis that there existed cherubim but at this time it does not indicate what they looked like. Continuing in his studies Ezekiel would have come to Exodus 25: 18 – 22 which says, “18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel”.
Here God instructed Moses to add cherubim to the Ark of the Testimony and for the Curtain in the Tabernacle. Now how did Moses know what the cherubim looked like in order to do this exact copy of an earthly type of God’s Throne Room? Exodus 25: 8 – 9 says, ‘And let them make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.’
Moses came down the mountain with the 10 Commandments written by the Hand of God Himself, but in addition, Moses came down with the vision of Heaven’s hosts and the blueprint from God on how to recreate exactly God’s Throne Room with all its exact items and beings. In other words God showed Moses Heaven. How else would Moses know how to duplicate everything to exactly as it was in Heaven?
On Mount Sinai Moses saw the cherubim escorting God’s chariot. He was instructed to make sure that everything was produced for the curtains of the Tabernacle and the Ark matched exactly in what God had showed him. Exodus 25: 40 reveals this fact, ‘And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.’
Moses knew what the cherubim looked like and he was instructed by God to make them for the ‘Mercy Seat’ and the Curtain of the Tabernacle.
Ezekiel would next find reference to the cherubim in the life of David. Now David was a king, not a priest. So how did he come to know what the cherubim looked like and what they did in his descriptions? Take a look at 2 Samuel 22: 11, it says, ‘He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.’
How did David know how the cherubim did this? I believe he saw first hand the chariot of God also. Look at 1 Chronicles 14: `4 – 15, “14 Therefore David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 15 And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
David witnessed God’s direct involvement in battle. It says David heard the sound of God going out before Him to do battle. David would know from biblical advice on how God travels and knew how God traveled on a whirlwind and the cherubim are part of God’s chariot.
In Psalm 17: 8 David knew what the cherubim on the Mercy Seat looked like ‘Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.’
David had the priests set up the Tabernacle in Jerusalem. What the above Scripture reveals to us is that when the sun shone on the Tabernacle, it cast a shadow. David was not allowed to go into the Tabernacle since he was not a priest. He could and probably saw the shadow of the ark and the cherubim with the four faces.
22 The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. 23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. 26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. “
The Lord additionally revealed Himself as reported in previous Scripture. Here are a few such displays of His manifestations. Exodus 19: 9, 16; 24: 15 – 18; and 40: 34 – 38 show us,
“9 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.”
“16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”
“15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. 16 Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”
“34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”
Our desire as mankind is to see God. However, in our sinful condition we would perish if we attempted to see Him in all His Glory. You will remember when God spoke the people couldn’t handle the fear. They told Moses to just let God speak to Him and then tell them what they should do. It truly is a fearful and frightful thing to fall into the presence of our Awesome God.
So as we read about Ezekiel’s direct vision of God’s chariot we see how he was able to totally take in the whole scene before the whole amazing scene knocked him to the ground in chapter 2. He had studied about God’s chariot and now was able to see for himself the very real heavenly manifestation. And as I said previously folks you also will be a direct witness in seeing this awesome sight for yourselves in the future when we have passed on from this life to our eternal destinations. So, people get ready!
