Now how do we get that concept? We find in the next mention after Genesis 3 that they are in connection with, or in union with, the mercy seat, which speaks of Christ. We know that from Romans 3 and Hebrews 9. We find that there are three relationships with cherubims with that mercy seat.
Let's say it this way: the theme of the whole book of Ezekiel is the glory of God. The last verse of Ezekiel talks about a city whose name is "The Lord is there." That to me is the theme of the Feast of Tabernacles; it is the Lord manifests Himself there. He is the glory of God. The theme of the Book of Ezekiel being the glory of God actually reveals to us that the theme of the Book of Ezekiel is the revelation of Christ. Ezekiel is the Old Testament book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation we know, the last book in the Bible, is the book of the revealing of the Son in the New Testament. The Book of Ezekiel is the revealing of the Son in the Old Testament. Isn't it amazing that it ends by saying, "The Lord is there." That is the revealing of the Son, isn't it? He is revealed; He is there. Actually He has been there since chapter one. But the city has Him revealed in it. Hello, city! We are the city of God, and He is revealed in that city by the time it is all over. There is a lot that happens in the forty-eight chapters.
We are looking here at Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God. Ezekiel's vision of these living creatures. These living creatures are revealed to be the cherubims in Ezekiel chapter ten. In our next study, we are going to study Ezekiel ten, the Lord willing (must not have been willing.), because it also reveals to us some principles about the cherubims, but what we are going to do is try to get through this book. I can't do that by just really digging out every nugget, so you are going to have to do some study for yourself.
(Review of Scriptures in Ezekiel)
1:1 Notice how parallel this vision is to the one Jesus had on
His thirtieth birthday. When He was thirty years old, He was by the
captives (in other words, these religious people that He was walking with
in, the natural nation of Israel, were captives of their own religion.)
He was by a river, and when He way by a river with the captives on His
thirtieth birthday, the heavens also opened up to Him. Ezekiel is
called the son of man. There is only one other person, Daniel, in
the Old Testament that is called the son of man, and Daniel is only called
the son of man one time. Jesus is called the son of man in the New
Testament, so Ezekiel is a type of Christ. As we progress through
this book, we will see the great sufferings that Ezekiel went through and
we will compare them to what Jesus went through (this won't be part of
Cherubim series). But at the beginning of this book we see the glory
of God.
1:4 whirlwind - in the Hebrew, a spirit wind, a wind of spirit. This is a spiritual vision. The picture of cherubim in the natural, we don't know what they looked like, as Moses was given the pattern of the cherubim, but we know that Ezekiel's vision here is a spiritual picture. Ezekiel did not see the pattern; Moses had a pattern, a physical image that he built, and they put that on the mercy seat, and there was physical pictures. If we had the physical ark up here, we would be able to see a physical representation of the cherubim. But cherubim are spiritual entities. These reveal spiritual truths and realities. If you could paint a picture of them in the natural, they would end up looking like those cherubim. But this is a more accurate picture of the cherubim, but we are not going to be able to take your pencil and draw them. If you don't spiritually discern what we are talking about here, you will get confused in your own mind, trying to get a picture of it. It's the concepts being portrayed by these thoughts. It's the principles. So we find here that there is a great spirit wind that came out of the north. The Bible says that Zion is in the north in Psalm 48. Hello, Zion! It says there was a great cloud; this isn't a rain cloud; this is a glory cloud. "And a fire infolding itself." Jeremiah 23:29 says "My Word is as a fire." Jesus was the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. When we grow up, when we manifest Him, we will be the Word made flesh and dwelling among them.
Verse 16 - notice it says that their appearance and their work was the same. That is interesting. What they do and who they are are the same. The Word of God…we are not just declaring the Word of God; we are becoming an expression of it.
Verse 4 - a fire enfolding itself. Jeremiah saw a fire enfolding itself. I am going to describe this the best I can: the Word of God fuels itself. The Word of God adds its own fire to itself. Every revelation you get makes the Word of God a greater revelation. A fire enfolding itself. When you discover that brass means judgment, you read the scripture again and it makes a difference to you. It is a fire enfolding itself; it feeds on itself, and gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Then when you find out what judgment means, then it just continues to grow and connects to the cross, and the cross connects to the trees, and the trees connect to all of the believers. It just continues to enfold. He said, "I saw this: I saw a whirlwind, and I saw a glory cloud, and I saw the Word of God enfolding itself." Amber is actually a combination of gold and silver. Divine nature and redemption. That is what is seen in that. What is the Word of God? It is a revelation of God's divine nature by method of redemption.
Verse 5 - Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. Remember that John on the Isle of Patmos turned behind him and saw one like unto the Son of Man in the midst of the candlestick. The candlestick is the church; he saw someone like unto the son of man in the church. Now I know people say that is the Lord Jesus, and I believe that, but it is also the picture of someone who grows up in the church into the image or likeness of Him. Here are four living creatures, identified as cherubims in the tenth chapter, who have the likeness of a man. That man is Christ Jesus.
Verse 6 - the four faces. This is the fact that every single mature believer who grows up into Him in all things will have four distinct aspects to their nature, their character. #1 - they will have humanity; it will be a humanity. Jesus walked in His humanity. It was a perfect humanity. It expressed God perfectly. "Let us make man in our image" - it's a man in His image. Then there is the face of a lion, which is kingly, or ruling and reigning. There is also the ox nature, which is the servant nature. It is a great paradox that the king is a servant, and the servant is a king. The greatest among you shall be servant of all. Then you have the eagle, the heavenly creature. Jesus looked at Nicodemus and talked about Himself, and talked about the Son of Man "which is in heaven," speaking of Himself. So there is a heavenly man on earth, and earthly man in the heavens, a kingly man who is a servant, and a servant who is a king. You will see all four of those things operating in the Body of Christ, operating in maturity. Those that rule and reign with Him will be servants. If you are going to be a servant, then you are going to rule and reign with Him. Those aspects fit together. If you want to be a heavenly person, you will have some kind of expression of godly humanity. If you are going to be worth something in the earth, you are going to have to be a heavenly person.
Verse 7 - Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith
unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Notice that it says "the
feet of him." Compare this with Romans 10: The "him"
in Isaiah 52 is the Lord Jesus who brought good tidings and published peace.
It says in Acts 10 that He preached peace wherever He went. But in
Romans 10 we find the verse a little bit changed here. Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! "The feet of them." The feet of "him" has become the feet of "them." Hello, feet of Him!
Straight feet; in other words, they are walking a straight path. Their feet were straight feet. The sole of a calf's foot represents sacrifice. There are four horns on the golden altar, a horn on every corner. If you go back to the brazen altar in the outer court, you find four horns. I know what the four horns are for on the brazen altar; they are to hang the sacrifice up there. They hooked that thing on there as they were dealing with it and cutting it up. That is the hanging of the sacrifice, that animal that is hooked up there. But what is it in there? Why have you got the horns on the golden altar? It's a sacrifice sometimes; you become the sacrifice in the Holy Place. Those hooks are to keep you there on your knees. God just hooks you, and when you get a revelation of prayer and worship and thanksgiving and praise, you are hooked! They keep you there. The Bible says that horns represent power. God has enough power to keep you in an attitude of prayer.
Still in verse 7 - they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. It is amazing how many times - Daniel chapter ten, Revelation chapter one, you will find that the feet of the Lord Jesus are burnt brass, burnished brass, polished brass. He is represented by having feet that are brass. That is telling us there that the last part of the Body of Christ to be birthed (feet are always birthed last) will be a people of great judgment. Don't think that means a judgment that God will, at the end of this age, place upon you, but it will be a judgment that He reveals to you that has been placed upon you in the past. It is His judgment. John chapter twelve talks about a judgment that we were judged with. That judgment will be given to us. That is the reason that the woman Ruth pictures the church, uncovers the feet of Boaz, and she rests in that. She rests at the uncovered feet. Boaz is a type of Christ in that book, and when she sees the judged feet of Christ, the brass feet, she rests. Out of the church will come a royal priesthood who has the bread and wine in their hands. The reason they have bread and wine in their hands is because what the bread and wine have produced has been produced in them. They see themselves as already having been judged and they share that.
That is the picture of the woman …everybody out there who hasn't grown up into the maturity, seeing this great message, unfolding this brass and looking there and resting at a time of midnight, a time of great darkness, a time of transition.
Verse 8 - In Old Testament times I liken hands to the five fold ministry. Ephesians chapter four says that we are coming to the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ by the means of an anointed apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher. If you don't have some hands undergirding you, then your wings will not be straight. I am not ashamed to say that. There are some people who don't feel it's important to have pastors, etc. They are an island unto themselves. But the wings represent the voice. You need to make sure that your voice is undergirded by seasoned ministry.
"They turned not when they went" - I see the attitude or the attributes of the Father there. James 1:17 says He is the Father of lights, and in Him there is no shadow of turning. Can you see the Father's nature in that? These do not turn.
"They also were like the appearance of lamps." Golden candlestick, church, the lamps got their fire from where? All the fire in the Tabernacle of Moses came from the brazen altar. That is where you get your fire.
"It went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright…" The fire was bright. Jeremiah 23:29 says that His Word is a fire. The fire was bright. The enlightenment was bright; there was a lot of light in that place. Jesus was preaching to the religious leaders, and He said, "You know, you guys would be converted if you wouldn't squint at the light. Every time I say something good you shut your eyes and say, 'Whew! It's too bright for us.' You guys would be converted and healed, but you close your eyes. I didn't close your eyes; you close your eyes." The light was too bright. The people in Christ who are being portrayed by these cherubims, they have a bright light! I guarantee you, it will be a bright light! So bright that the darkness will have to flee.
"…out of the fire went forth lightning." Psalm 97:4 says "His
lightnings enlightened the world…" Praise God! That's what
the world needs. See if you agree with what I am saying. I
don't believe the world has ever rejected Jesus. I believe the world
has rejected the in-part representation of Jesus that we have been able
to give sometimes, but they never have rejected the full blown expression
of Him. I believe there will be a full blown expression of Him, and
I believe people will receive Him. How could you reject Jesus?
Somebody says, "Well, they did that on the shores of Galilee." But
those people didn't understand what He was doing. But the world will
understand, because they will be brought an understanding.
You are right in the middle of that work. His spirit and your
spirit. How can you tell the difference? There is no difference.
The spirit of life is in Him; the spirit of life is in you. It is
a wheel within a wheel.
Let's look back at verse 26 of Ezekiel chapter one again. Sapphire
is the stone for Simeon, which means "hearing." Lots of hearing on
the throne. The throne is a place of great hearing. The famine
of Amos chapter eight is over; the famine of hearing the Word of God is
over. God gives us ears to hear and eyes to see what the Spirit is
saying. Those that sit on the throne can hear. What did we
just say was the throne of God? Jeremiah three says that spiritual
Jerusalem will be the throne of God. Who is sitting upon the throne?
The likeness as the appearance of a man who is resting on the throne.
I think it's interesting that in Ezekiel chapter ten, it says that the wings of the cherubim were heard in the outer court. That means that the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the work that is in the wheel, the wheel is in the work, the living creatures are all just one entity, is heard in the outer court. The fire in the church is going to get real bright. Sometimes it gets so bright that I have seen you guys squint a time or two. Maybe you see me flinch sometimes when that lightning came out, because we just don't know just how much darkness we've been walking in. I'm talking about us today. But also by the same token, we don't know how close we are to coming to that point in Him that He can have His way in our lives. I believe we are pretty close; I believe God's working on us. I have never seen a time in the history of this church where God has just come and invaded our lives in a way and really straightened out some things in our lives and dealt with us about other things. He has revealed to us in the last few weeks that He is interested in meeting the need, whatever the level of that need. Those are the kind of people that are going to have so much gratitude that they are willing to share that same message with others. Not just as a principle, but as a real biblical reality. People come into that. Let's worship the Lord, for the glory of God.
Thank you, Father, for Your glory coming to the church. Your Son
manifesting Himself in the church.