I Saw God!
“I saw God.” Only two men in human history could really make such a statement. The mediator of the Old Covenant, Moses, saw the back of God passing by (Exod. 33:23), and the mediator of the New Covenant, the man Christ Jesus, saw Him face to face (John 1:18). However, at least three prophets received visions in which they were privileged to see the Glory of the Lord. These visions are recorded in the books of Isaiah 6:1-4, Ezekiel 1:1-28, 10:9-22 and Revelation 4:2-11. Also, Abraham (Gen. 18:1), Isaac (Gen. 32:30), Jacob (Gen. 32:1, 24), Joshua (Josh. 5:14), Manoah (Judges 13:17), David (Psa. 97:2), and Jeremiah (Jer. 1:9) met the Angel of the Lord in one form or another.
In this article, we focus on the visions of Isaiah, Ezekiel and John the Revelator. In each of the visions, prominent mention is made of strange but glorious beings active in God’s presence. There are many similarities – and yet some differences.
- Isaiah speaks of six-winged seraphim.
- Ezekiel observed 4 cherubim, each with 4 wings, and each with four faces resembling a lion, ox, eagle and man.
- John noted 4 “living creatures” having 6 wings each. Each had only one face, but the appearance of the faces was, again, of a lion, ox, eagle and man.
One of John’s statements seems confusing: “And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts” (Rev. 6:6). It seems impossible for four objects to be “in the midst” and “round about” at the same time. But Ezekiel’s account helps resolve the difficulty.
The reader will find the description in the first chapter of Ezekiel. Without giving all the evidence, we offer the sketch below. Notice one important detail of the account: “two wings of every one were joined one to another” (Ezek. 1:11). A geometrical solution of this expression is the configuration of a circle. Looking from above, it would appear more or less like this:
Above this configuration of cherubim, there was placed a transparent “firmament” (Ezek. 1:22) a half-sphere. The firmament was as if the base of God’s throne (Ezek. 1:26). Therefore the cherubim were “in the midst of the throne” – in the midst of the sphere, which was the base of the throne – and “round about the throne” since from above, the throne looked as if it was placed in the midst of the circle.
DID EZEKIEL AND JOHN SEE THE SAME THING?
This comparison of John’s and Ezekiel’s visions could be an evidence that they are descriptions of almost the same appearance of the Glory of the Lord. Why, then, does John say that each of the living creatures resembled a different animal, while Ezekiel saw each cherubim resembling every one of the animals at the same time?
In Ezekiel’s description, more than just the faces caused one to see their resemblance to a man, lion, ox and eagle.
Each of the cherubim “had the likeness of a man” (Ezek. 1:5) or was standing upright and had hands of a man under his wings (Ezek. 1:8). Each had “a calf’s foot” (Ezek. 1:7) additional similarity to an ox. Each had wings which made them similar to an eagle. One element is missing – their likeness to the lion. However, it is written, that the cherubim had “bodies” (Ezek. 1:11, 23), i.e. trunks. It is not specified which of the animals the body resembled, but in this situation history is helpful. Prof. Unger says that Palestinian excavations provide us with an image of a cherub. It has the face of a man, feet of a calf, wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion.
Also, the Assyrian heroes were winged lions with human faces. This gives us grounds to believe that the cherubim’s “body” from Ezekiel’s vision was the missing element of resemblance to a lion.
What is the result of such an observation?
When we say that one man resembles another, we first compare the faces. It we can find something else in the appearance in addition to that, usually we are satisfied and conclude that they are alike.
Now, if the likeness of the Glory of God described by Ezekiel was shown to us just for a short moment, and from one side only, what would we see? Four beings, every one of which would have a different face, the one on the right of a lion, the one on the left of an ox, the one closest to us of a man, and the one in the back of an eagle. If we noticed additionally that the being with the lion’s face had a lion’s body, that the one with the ox’s face had a calf’s foot, that the one standing closest had the likeness and hands of a man, and the one in the back had eagle’s wings, we would write without hesitation what John did: “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle” (Rev. 4:7).
WHY DIFFERENT NUMBERS OF WINGS?
However, there is one clear difference between the appearances seen by John and Ezekiel. John saw living creatures having six wings (Rev. 4:8), but Ezekiel more than once says the cherubim had four wings. What meaning is conveyed by this difference?
In this question we are helped by Isaiah. The words of the seraphim which he recorded are almost identical with those spoken by the living creatures seen by John: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isa. 6:3). The number of wings in the vision of Isaiah is the same as in Revelation. But Isaiah additionally records the function of each pair of wings. “With twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly” (Isa. 6:2).
Ezekiel also described the function of the wings: “two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies” (Ezek. 1:11, compare Ezek. 1:23). We can infer from this that the wings joined and stretched upward were used for flying, so they had a similar function as those in Isaiah and (presumably) Revelation. The other two were used for covering the body, which had the likeness of a lion.
In other words the cherubim (with the man-face toward the front as in Ezekiel 1:10), having the lion-body covered with wings, exposed to an observer the likeness of a man (face), and an ox (feet). But the seraphim, with his face covered with wings, exposed to an observer the lion-body.
To understand the meaning of this, we have to mention the antitypical meaning of the four living creatures. Bible students commonly agree that they represent the four attributes of God-wisdom, justice, love and power (Psa. 89:14, 97:2). These attributes are frequently matched in this way: the lion represents justice; the ox represents power; the man represents love; the eagle represents wisdom. Without proving this interpretation, let us observe the result of such a connection between the likeness of animals and God’s attributes. Let us look once again at the sketch.
From every side, the face of a man is in the front – this is the attribute of God’s love. No matter what direction the Glory of the Lord is moved, it is always God’s love that initiates this action, it is always first (Ezek. 10:11). On the right side we see the face of a lion – justice. In many languages right side is described with a similar word as “law” or something that is correct, or right.
Let us come back to the wings. In Isaiah’s vision the seraphim exposed their likeness to the lion. No wonder, for that was an epoch of the law covenant, in which God’s leading attribute was justice. This is further confirmed by Psalms 97:2. Using symbolic language: a lion is the basis of God’s throne.
But why does Revelation, a New Testament book, specially emphasize God’s justice also? Until our Lord Jesus presented his ransom price to God, justice was prominent, manifested in the continuing curse over man. The presentation of Jesus’ offering is described in Revelation only in the next chapter (Rev. 5:5, 9). Then God’s love and power could be uncovered to His people.
Speaking in symbolic terms: the face and the feet of the cherubim were uncovered and the lion-body was covered with the wings. Wings, being a feature of the eagle, are a representation of God’s wisdom. It is his wisdom that decides which of God’s attributes are covered in particular periods of history. Ezekiel saw the Glory of the Lord in connection with a vision of the end of time, the end of the Gospel Age, the period when the leading attributes of God’s character will be the power of the holy spirit and love toward his people.
IT’S EFFECT UPON US
Studying these wonderful visions could not we conclude, “I, too, saw God! I, too, saw His Glory!” Of course, but though to see is a lot, yet it is not enough. As Ezekiel, Isaiah or John we must show this vision to the brethren and to the world as well. Not through writing new revelations of course, and not necessarily by giving discourses, or writing articles, but through conforming our character to the likeness of this vision.
Should not love be the attribute which will motivate and begin every action, should we not rather, in this time, cover the justice, to let love and power shine in our works. Though the “breastplate of righteousness” should be a part of our spiritual armor, yet the wings of wisdom should cover it, that Christ’s justice might shine within. Mercy, which rejoices against judgment (James 2:13), should be the rule of our attitude toward brethren.
It is true, that sometimes the lion’s justice will have to be used, when a necessity of reproach or punishment arises. But try to imagine a cherub covering his face to show his lion’s body of justice. Is this not a picture of our father’s sorrow coming usually in connection with administering justice rather than love? Do we cover the face when we have to show justice, is it really unpleasant for us, or do we sometimes find pleasure in it, or at least some satisfaction? Let us strive to have in us a reflection of the Glory of the Lord, a likeness of God’s character, so that our neighbors, watching our works, could always say, “I saw God!”
– Daniel Kaleta