Morning Light – July 25th, 2017 – Ezekiel 10: Astounded by the Glory

Morning Light – Ezekiel 10
Today: [Ezekiel 10] Astounded by Glory. In Ezekiel 10 we see a vision of the glory of God, the four living creatures and a peculiar arrangement of things, that when compared with the vision of John in Rev. 4 impart to us an astounding revelation of what the glory is and our position in it and God’s presence resident in our lives.
Streaming live daily at: http://bit.ly/2luPMYU
[Eze 10:1-22 KJV] 1 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, [even] under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter [them] over the city. And he went in in my sight. 3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, [and stood] over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory. 5 And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard [even] to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh. 6 And it came to pass, [that] when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels. 7 And [one] cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that [was] between the cherubims, and took [thereof], and put [it] into the hands of [him that was] clothed with linen: who took [it], and went out. 8 And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings. 9 And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels [was] as the colour of a beryl stone. 10 And [as for] their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. 11 When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.
In chapter 10 we find Ezekiel giving a description of his vision of the glory of God. Verse 1 describes a “firmament” above the heads of the four living creatures, or in this verse, cherubims. There is an important detail to note about this when comparing Ezekiel’s vision in the Old Testament with John’s vision recorded in the book of Revelation. First of all, consider Ezekiel’s position. He is looking from a distance from a lower vantage point, UP at the cherubim and the wheels. He sees beyond them and ABOVE THEM something He describes as a firmament which is a bible word describing a visible arch, or extended, solid surface. In Genesis, we see God creating the firmament of the sky above Adam and Eve, between man on the earth and the stars as Adam would have defined them, what we refer to as outer space.
So, Ezekiel is looking up from his vantage point in the earthly realm, through an intermediate space where the angels and the wheels are, to the throne of God separated by a visible barrier referred to early as a terrible crystal, or crystal sea. We would call this in modern, common language, a transparent floor. We can wonder about it being called in Ez. 1:22 a “crystal” because we don’t commonly think of a crystal as being fashioned in this way, however think of your cellphone. Most smart phones use a screen made of ion strengthened glass today. Some manufacturer’s however have used in the past, or are considering using on future models sapphire, which is the gem world’s second hardest substance after diamonds. If you have a smartphone that uses sapphire in the screen, you are literally looking through what the bible would call a “terrible crystal” or “crystal sea”.
Now, again bear in mind the spacial references in this chapter. Ezekiel is on the earth. The angels, cherubim, or 4 living creatures are above him suspended between heaven and earth. Above these angels and their wheels is a glass, or transparent crystal firmament, or floor through which Ezekiel can see a throne sitting upon that terrible crystal, and upon the throne, the appearance of God as a fire from His loins upward and a fire from His loins downward. This is the position of man, the disposition of angels, and the ascendant glory of God above all and ruling over all. Now – let us compare this vision with John’s vision in the book of Revelation from a New Testament perspective:
[Rev 4:1-2, 6 KJV] 1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne. … 6 And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
What is the difference between what John experienced and what Ezekiel experienced? John, in his vision is not looking THROUGH but standing on the crystal sea, looking at eye level at the throne of God. John was invited, by an open door to “come up higher…” Ezekiel received no such invitation. What is the difference? Because the door was not available to Ezekiel. Who is the door? In the gospel of John, Jesus declares:
[Jhn 10:7 KJV] 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
This says something to us about the position we attain in Christ through the shed blood of Calvary. In Eph. 2 we read:
[Eph 2:6 KJV] 6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
Thus we see the difference that Christ made in His work on the cross. The intermediate realm between earth and the throne becomes accessible not just to angels and cherubim, but to you and I. When we ascend to the heavens we are in our native environment as new creations in Christ. Whatever the profound shock and overwhelming experience John has in Revelations, it is from the perspective of New Testament entitlement by the blood of Jesus that Ezekiel was not eligible for, Christ not having yet been sacrificed.
12 And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, [were] full of eyes round about, [even] the wheels that they four had. 13 As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel. 14 And every one had four faces: the first face [was] the face of a cherub, and the second face [was] the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This [is] the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar. 16 And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. 17 When they stood, [these] stood; and when they were lifted up, [these] lifted up themselves [also]: for the spirit of the living creature [was] in them. 18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. 19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also [were] beside them, and [every one] stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’S house; and the glory of the God of Israel [was] over them above. 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. 21 Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man [was] under their wings. 22 And the likeness of their faces [was] the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.
Having seen now Ezekiel’s position in the Old Covenant disposition and compared it with John’s in the New Covenant, let us consider the angels, and the vision of the glory of God. In the vision of Ezekiel 10, the four living creatures and cherubim are seen as suspended above the earth with the terrible crystal, or transparent flooring of the throne room above them. In the New Testament description that John gives, however we see these creatures or beasts not BELOW but ABOVE and BEFORE the throne, ministering directly to God:
[Rev 4:6-8 KJV] 6 And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7 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. 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 suggestion is that man’s disposition before the glory, and the angels disposition before the throne were fundamentally changed when Jesus satisfied the demands of divine justice by the sacrifice of the cross. I am not suggesting that angels were redeemed, because 1 Peter 1:12 tells us that angels do not and cannot have full comprehension of redemption, because redemption is reserved for man, being made in the image of God. Angels were not made in the image of God and therefore have no path of redemption that they could be restored to, if they were found in a fallen condition. Angels can sin therefore (2 Peter 2:4) but they cannot be redeemed. Man however can be redeemed. Man was made lower than angels Psa. 8:5 and we can see Ezekiel lower than the angels by position in Ezekiel 10. However because angels were created as intermediate functionaries between man and God, between heaven and earth, when man was brought and seated in heavenly places in Christ, that changed things for the angels as well. Angels are created to minister to the glory. Since now we know according to Col. 1:27 that the glory is in us, therefore we know that the angels attend us wherever we are and wherever we go because the glory is irresistible to them.
Finally, in considering this vision of Ezekiel, and comparing it with the vision of John in Revelation, bear in mind that Ezekiel’s vision is a vision of the glory of God (Ez. 1:28); and John’s vision likewise is of the glory of God (Rev. 4). John’s vision and Ezekiel’s vision are alike in many respects. What that tells us is that if you look on the glory this is what you would see. If you look on the glory, this is what you would see, wherever the glory is found. Where is the glory found? Is it on a planet called heaven? Hardly. There is no biblical reference that would justify that contention. Is it on some mystical Olympus, as Greek mythology suggests? That is a compelling thought but it is more rooted in Greek philosophy, influence and thought than found in the bible. Where is the glory? Col. 1:27 says that the glory is IN US. When we look upon Ezekiel’s vision and upon John’s vision we are seeing something of who God is on the inside of us, not enthroned in some science fiction concept of an 8th dimension, but in us enthroned on our hearts. To this our eyes are opened when we see in Rev. 4 God on the throne, and we know He is enthroned in our hearts. We see four living creatures crying holy, holy, holy and we know our heart has four chambers, a physical representation of a spiritual reality. We see 24 elders surrounding the throne just as we see 24 ribs encasing and protecting our human heart. This is God then, saying something about who He is on the inside of us. This mystical glory and curious apparatus of the wheel within the wheel and the living creatures and the glory, and the crystal sea are representative something on the inside of us of who God is – in His glory manifesting Himself within and to the community of the redeemed.