posted on May, 5 2018 @ 05:27 PM
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of
the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. ... Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures.
... 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. ... 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 among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth
lightning. ... And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of
speech, as the noise of an host:
Ezekiel 1:4ff (Spoke 4, Cycle 2)
Ezekiel's Vision by Weigel (1695)
Ezekiel's Vision (Weigel, 1695)
From www.biblical-art.com This link takes you off the Bible Wheel site and opens a new window
Ezekiel's famous vision of the Divine Throne above the Four Living Creatures with their "wheels within wheels" contains all the elements of lightning,
fire, a whirlwind, and great noise that typically attend the great revelations of God's Word. Indeed, Ezekiel said that the sound emanating from the
wings of the Four Cherubim was as "the Voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech" (Ezek 1:24), which is, of course, an exact description of what we
hear resounding from God's Holy Bible. It is the rolling thunder of God's Voice. The "noise of many waters" represents the many human voices of the
prophets through whom God revealed His Word as well as the great cloud of witnesses that have been proclaiming it throughout the ensuing millennia
(water typifies people, see Spoke 13, BW book pg 265). It is the "voice of speech, as the noise of an host" reverberating within and ringing out from
the Wheel (Galgal) of God's Word like a Divine Bell summoning all who would know God.
Ezekiel stated the ultimate meaning of this vision at the end when he saw the "appearance of a man" � the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ � seated
on His Throne above the Four Living Creatures and said "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" (Ezek 1:28). This is the
miracle of true prophecy; he saw the glory of God shining "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6) six hundred years before His incarnation in
Bethlehem (see Spoke 4, BW book pg 178).
Ezekiel later identified the Living Creatures as Cherubim, saying "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 cherubim" (Ezek 10:20). His reference to them as a single "living creature" signifies their profound unity. All
four looked identical, and like the inseparable "wheel in the middle of a wheel" associated with each, they were intertwined as one for "their wings
were joined one to another" (Ezek 1:9). The image of God enthroned above or between the cherubim originates in the design of the Mercy Seat that He
revealed to Moses (Exo 25:18ff):
And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end,
and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch
forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces
of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony [the prototypical Word of God,
Spoke 2, BW book pg 136] that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between
the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
As discussed in Wings of Glory (Spoke 11, BW book pg 242), "cherub" is a Kaph KeyWord that is closely associated with many others such as kissey
(throne), kasah (to cover), kanaph (wing), and kavod (glory). These supernatural creatures dwell in the presence of God and ceaselessly declare "Holy,
Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory (kavod)" (Isa 6:3). It was from between the cherubim on the Mercy Seat above the
Ark of the Testimony (God's Word) that the Lord spoke with Moses (Num 7:89):
And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy
seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spake unto him.
This then became a standard image of God's dwelling place, as seen in many Scriptures:
•So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim:
1 Sam 4:4
•And David went up ... to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it. 1 Chr 13:6
•Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Ps 80:1
•O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast
made heaven and earth. Isa 37:16
In Solomon's Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies, also known as the Davir (Oracle, 1 Kings 6:20), from the root davar
which as a verb means to speak and as a noun denotes a word (Spoke 2, BW book pg 141). It was called the Davir because it was there that God spoke �
gave His Word � from between the cherubim.
Various commentators from the earliest times in Church history have recognized Ezekiel's vision as a prophetic revelation of the detailed structure of
the whole Bible, given many centuries before it was completed. The most obvious correspondence is between the Four Faces and the Four Gospels, as
discussed on Spoke 4 (BW book pg 178). One of the earliest records of this interpretation is from Irenaeus (died 202 AD):
It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we
live, and four principal winds, while the Church is scattered throughout all the world, and the "pillar and ground" of the Church is the Gospel and
the spirit of life; it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh. From which
fact, it is evident that the Word, the Artificer of all, He that sitteth upon the cherubim, and contains all things, He who was manifested to men, has
given us the Gospel under four aspects, but bound together by one Spirit. As also David says, when entreating His