41a Ezekiel’s Vision of the Throne of God [Ezekiel 1]
The Bible passage: [Ezekiel 1]
The Story:
Ezekiel was a prophet who was living in Babylon among the Jewish exiles. He told the story of a vision where he saw a chariot. This is his vision:
I was sitting by the Chebar Canal. The Lord’s hand was on me. The heavens opened and I saw visions of God.
I saw a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing and bright light all around. In the center there was an amber gleam.
Four living creatures came from the cloud. They looked human, but each had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight. The soles of their feet were hooves like a calf. They had human hands under their wings.
Each of the creatures had one human face, one lion face, one ox face, and one eagle face.
Their wings stretched upward. Each one had two wings touching the wings of another and two wings covering its body.
Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit wanted them to go, they went without turning as they moved.
The creatures had the appearance of fire; fire was moving back and forth between the living creatures and the creatures darted back and forth like flashes of lightning.
There was a wheel on the ground beside each of the creatures. Their appearance was like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they went in any direction without pivoting. Their rims were large and frightening. Their rims were full of eyes all around.
When the creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. When the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still.
There was an expanse above the creatures, with a gleam like the finest crystal.
When the creatures moved, the sound of their wings was like the roar of a waterfall, like the voice of the Almighty God, and like the noise of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
I saw the shape of a throne above the expanse. The throne had the appearance of a sapphire stone. There was a human-looking form on the throne. From His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber enclosed in fire. From His waist down, I saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around Him. The appearance of the light was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the form of the Lord’s glory.
When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.
The Lessons:
- The glory of God is beyond comprehension. Imagine what it must have been like for Ezekiel, trying to describe what his mind couldn’t understand.
- Ezekiel’s response to the vision was to fall facedown, demonstrating reverence and humility before God. This teaches us the importance of approaching God with a heart of worship and respect.
- The vision of the four living creatures represents God’s sovereignty over all creation. The faces symbolize different aspects of creation: humanity, wild animals, domesticated animals, and birds. This reminds us that God is in control of everything.
- The Holy Spirit is shown to be guiding the movement of the creatures and the wheels. The Holy Spirit takes an active role in our lives, leading and empowering us to follow God’s purposes.
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