Ezekiel Chapter 1
(Eze 1:1) Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
(Eze 1:2) In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
(Eze 1:3) The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon before the total destruction of Jerusalem. He was contemporaneous with Jeremiah and Daniel. He was given a series of visions and prophecies.
The first vision was of the attributes of God. It comes from a distance till he can see all the details.
(Eze 1:4) 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.
(Eze 1:5) Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
(Eze 1:6) And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
(Eze 1:7) And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
(Eze 1:8) And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
(Eze 1:9) Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
(Eze 1:10) 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.
First he sees the Living Creatures. These are not really how angels look, but are very symbolic. These cherubim each have four faces. The lion, eagle, man and ox. In the vision in the book of Revelation there were cherubim who were similar but each one had one face; a lion, eagle, man and ox. The symbolism is the same, but displayed in a different manner.
These faces symbolize different facets of God’s character. The lion being justice, ox—power, Eagle—wisdom and man—love or mercy.
(Eze 1:11) Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
(Eze 1:12) And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
(Eze 1:13) 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.
(Eze 1:14) And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
These attributes are continually working or being expressed in everything that God does. They fulfill their mission and then come right back to God where they support His throne. They don’t deviate. The eyes they are covered with suggest intelligence—they act for a reason. We may not always understand that reason, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Beside the cherubim are 4 wheels, which suggest movement of time. They too are covered with eyes.
(Eze 1:15) Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
(Eze 1:16) The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
(Eze 1:17) When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
(Eze 1:18) As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
There is an inner and outer wheel. The inner wheel travels at a faster rotation than the outer and symbolizes the passage of time. Both are in harmony with God’s Will and attributes and move in the same direction and manner. The inner wheel is God’s dealing with us during our live time—things we see and understand. The outer wheel is the big picture. Epochs and ages—all things working out for good, but at a slower rate than we will be able to determine from where we sit—unless it is in hindsight. Or if we study God’s prophecies then we can begin to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together.
(Eze 1:19) And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
(Eze 1:20) Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
(Eze 1:21) When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
After Ezekiel got all the detail of the living creatures and the wheels, he noticed there was more to the vision above them. This was God Himself in symbolic language.
(Eze 1:22) And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
(Eze 1:23) And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
(Eze 1:24) 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: when they stood, they let down their wings.
(Eze 1:25) And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
(Eze 1:26) And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Sapphire, which is usually blue pictures faithfulness, and it says that God had the appearance of a man—that is Love is His most defining attribute. “God is love.”
(Eze 1:27) And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
Ezekiel was not given the whole vision of God, but enough to get an idea of what He is about. We have to remember that this is a highly symbolic vision and not literal.
(Eze 1:28) As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
The bow reminds us of God’s promises and that they are faithful and true.
(Eze 1:2) In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
(Eze 1:3) The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon before the total destruction of Jerusalem. He was contemporaneous with Jeremiah and Daniel. He was given a series of visions and prophecies.
The first vision was of the attributes of God. It comes from a distance till he can see all the details.
(Eze 1:4) 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.
(Eze 1:5) Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
(Eze 1:6) And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
(Eze 1:7) And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
(Eze 1:8) And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
(Eze 1:9) Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
(Eze 1:10) 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.
First he sees the Living Creatures. These are not really how angels look, but are very symbolic. These cherubim each have four faces. The lion, eagle, man and ox. In the vision in the book of Revelation there were cherubim who were similar but each one had one face; a lion, eagle, man and ox. The symbolism is the same, but displayed in a different manner.
These faces symbolize different facets of God’s character. The lion being justice, ox—power, Eagle—wisdom and man—love or mercy.
(Eze 1:11) Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
(Eze 1:12) And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
(Eze 1:13) 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.
(Eze 1:14) And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
These attributes are continually working or being expressed in everything that God does. They fulfill their mission and then come right back to God where they support His throne. They don’t deviate. The eyes they are covered with suggest intelligence—they act for a reason. We may not always understand that reason, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Beside the cherubim are 4 wheels, which suggest movement of time. They too are covered with eyes.
(Eze 1:15) Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
(Eze 1:16) The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
(Eze 1:17) When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
(Eze 1:18) As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
There is an inner and outer wheel. The inner wheel travels at a faster rotation than the outer and symbolizes the passage of time. Both are in harmony with God’s Will and attributes and move in the same direction and manner. The inner wheel is God’s dealing with us during our live time—things we see and understand. The outer wheel is the big picture. Epochs and ages—all things working out for good, but at a slower rate than we will be able to determine from where we sit—unless it is in hindsight. Or if we study God’s prophecies then we can begin to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together.
(Eze 1:19) And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
(Eze 1:20) Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
(Eze 1:21) When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
After Ezekiel got all the detail of the living creatures and the wheels, he noticed there was more to the vision above them. This was God Himself in symbolic language.
(Eze 1:22) And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
(Eze 1:23) And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
(Eze 1:24) 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: when they stood, they let down their wings.
(Eze 1:25) And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
(Eze 1:26) And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Sapphire, which is usually blue pictures faithfulness, and it says that God had the appearance of a man—that is Love is His most defining attribute. “God is love.”
(Eze 1:27) And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
Ezekiel was not given the whole vision of God, but enough to get an idea of what He is about. We have to remember that this is a highly symbolic vision and not literal.
(Eze 1:28) As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
The bow reminds us of God’s promises and that they are faithful and true.
