Ezekiel's Vision of God (Ez 1:4-28)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:06.960 So tonight I continue preaching God's word from his Ze Heel. Chapter One, 2 00:00:08.230 --> 00:00:16.469 I'm versus four through twenty eight. So if you would, if I please, 3 00:00:16.629 --> 00:00:22.140 turn with me there. If you don't have a Bible, and if 4 00:00:22.219 --> 00:00:28.739 you do, either way you're going to want to. You're going to want 5 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:35.460 to very prepare yourselves, like God says, the job. Prepare yourself like 6 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:41.409 a man, and what I mean by that is prepare yourself to listen and 7 00:00:41.530 --> 00:00:47.530 to listen carefully. There are many, many details here. It can be 8 00:00:47.729 --> 00:00:52.600 overwhelming, and I believe it's intended to be that way. So don't be 9 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:57.200 afraid of that. Don't be afraid of God's work in your heart, even 10 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:04.870 in overwhelming you. But don't let the don't let perhaps the unfamiliarity of this 11 00:01:06.069 --> 00:01:15.269 passage lull you into thinking it's not important. Don't let perhaps the difficulties in 12 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:21.340 this passage make you feel like giving up and like it's not important to listen. 13 00:01:23.780 --> 00:01:26.620 So let's give our attention now to God's word in easy quel one, 14 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:37.849 versus for through twenty eight. As I looked behold, a stormy wind came 15 00:01:37.930 --> 00:01:42.569 out of the north and a great cloud with brightness around it, and Flyer 16 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:47.200 fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it 17 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:53.040 were gleaming metal. From the midst of it came the likeness of four living 18 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:57.359 creatures, and this was the appearance. Their appearance. They had a human 19 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:02.670 likeness, but each had four faces and each of them had four wings. 20 00:02:04.310 --> 00:02:07.629 Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were like the soul of 21 00:02:07.709 --> 00:02:14.229 a calf's foot, and they sparkled like burnished bronze under their wings. On 22 00:02:14.310 --> 00:02:19.419 their four sides they had human hands and the forehead, their faces and their 23 00:02:19.539 --> 00:02:24.580 wings. Thus their wings touched each other. Each one of them went straight 24 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:29.979 forward, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of their faces, 25 00:02:30.169 --> 00:02:34.129 each had a human face, the foe had the face of a lion 26 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:38.569 on the right side and the forehead the face of an ox on the left 27 00:02:38.610 --> 00:02:43.210 side, and the four had the face of an eagle. Such were their 28 00:02:43.250 --> 00:02:47.360 faces and their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, 29 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:52.960 each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies, 30 00:02:53.639 --> 00:03:00.469 and each went straight forward wherever the spirit would go. They went without turning 31 00:03:00.509 --> 00:03:04.990 as they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance 32 00:03:05.150 --> 00:03:08.550 was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches, moving to 33 00:03:08.830 --> 00:03:15.259 and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out 34 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:19.539 of the fire went forth lightning, and the living creatures darted to and fro 35 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:23.419 like the appearance of a flash of lightning. Now, as I looked at 36 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:28.930 the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, 37 00:03:29.210 --> 00:03:31.729 one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of 38 00:03:31.770 --> 00:03:37.370 the wheels and their construction, their appearance was like the gleaming of Beryl, 39 00:03:38.250 --> 00:03:42.080 and the four had the up same likeness, their appearance and construction being, 40 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:46.039 as it were, a wheel within a wheel. When they went, they 41 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:50.840 went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went, and 42 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:55.469 their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full 43 00:03:55.509 --> 00:04:00.030 of eyes all around. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went 44 00:04:00.189 --> 00:04:05.110 beside them, and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels 45 00:04:05.189 --> 00:04:11.379 rose. Wherever the spirit wanted them wanted to go, they went and the 46 00:04:11.460 --> 00:04:15.060 wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in 47 00:04:15.100 --> 00:04:18.939 the wheels. When those went, these went, and when those stood, 48 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:23.379 these stood, and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along 49 00:04:23.459 --> 00:04:27.449 with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 50 00:04:29.569 --> 00:04:33.290 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, 51 00:04:33.529 --> 00:04:40.800 shining and awe inspiring crystal spread out above their heads and under the expanse their 52 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:45.560 wings were stretched out straight one toward another, and each creature had two wings 53 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:48.720 covering its body. And when they went I heard the sound of their wings, 54 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:53.790 like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, 55 00:04:54.269 --> 00:04:58.629 a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, 56 00:04:58.829 --> 00:05:01.750 they let down their wings, and there came a voice from above the 57 00:05:01.910 --> 00:05:06.939 expanse, over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their 58 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:12.819 wings and above the expanse, over their heads, there was the likeness of 59 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:18.300 a throne, in appearance like Sapphire. And seated above the likeness of the 60 00:05:18.379 --> 00:05:25.329 throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had at 61 00:05:25.370 --> 00:05:29.209 the appearance of his waist, I saw, as it were, gleaming metal, 62 00:05:29.930 --> 00:05:33.930 like the appearance of fire enclosed all around, and downward from what had 63 00:05:33.970 --> 00:05:38.040 the appearance of his waist, I saw, as it were, the appearance 64 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:43.519 of fire and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow 65 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:46.680 that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearing 66 00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:53.029 arts of the brightness all around such was the appearance of the likeness of the 67 00:05:53.110 --> 00:05:56.829 glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my 68 00:05:56.990 --> 00:06:24.730 face and I heard the voice of one speaking. It's easy to be overwhelmed 69 00:06:24.810 --> 00:06:33.160 by the things in the world, the news constantly, constantly going, the 70 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:36.759 General Noise and distraction of life, the various things we have to deal with. 71 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:41.120 The mail keeps coming, the emails keep coming, there's things to do. 72 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:46.189 But here's something, here's a chapter and the chapters to follow. Really 73 00:06:47.750 --> 00:06:54.550 that can shift your express your perspective, if you can see it. Indeed, 74 00:06:54.589 --> 00:06:57.149 when we get to the end of this section, we read in three 75 00:06:57.550 --> 00:07:04.339 fifteen that Ezekiel was overwhelmed, stunned, kind of like the Horse and rider 76 00:07:05.379 --> 00:07:10.459 that we read of in Psalm Seventy Nine, at the glory of the Lord. 77 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:15.810 In some ways, I think that's what God in tens for a passage 78 00:07:15.970 --> 00:07:19.769 like this. It functions, I think, a little bit like smelling salts. 79 00:07:20.730 --> 00:07:26.449 Right, you know what smelling salts are, those ammonium. I think 80 00:07:26.970 --> 00:07:30.439 that you break after a person's or open after a person is fainted, and 81 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:38.319 it causes this inhalation reflex that wakes them up. This passage is a little 82 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:42.759 bit like that. It is very good if you have become drowsy in your 83 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:48.949 spiritual life, if you've become unconscious and your spiritual life. This passage, 84 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:54.149 in this vision that is equel is sharing with us by the spirit of God, 85 00:07:56.589 --> 00:08:00.860 functions like that. It can can wake us up if we can see 86 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:05.180 it. We pray that the spirit will help us to do that, to 87 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:13.290 make this passage clearer, and perhaps will just all I what I mean is 88 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:18.170 to explain it. I think it's helpful to just work from the beginning to 89 00:08:18.250 --> 00:08:22.649 the end, working upward as the passage goes, and it helps to see 90 00:08:22.769 --> 00:08:26.920 that that Ezekiel begins on the ground, as all men do, and he 91 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:33.480 begins to see something above him, and then above that and then above that 92 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:37.759 and above that. It starts with a storm cloud in verse four. It 93 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:43.429 moves to a description of these living creatures within in the cloud, then some 94 00:08:43.590 --> 00:08:46.909 kind of holy chariot that they are a part of, then a description of 95 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:50.590 their movement, then an expanse above them and then a throne above that, 96 00:08:50.830 --> 00:08:56.980 and then on that throne, as he says in verse twenty, excuse me, 97 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:03.779 as he says, the appearance of a man, he says, even 98 00:09:05.379 --> 00:09:09.809 the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And so let's look at these 99 00:09:11.370 --> 00:09:16.009 and consider what God is showing us. So first, in verse four, 100 00:09:16.049 --> 00:09:20.690 Zekiel sees a cloud, a stormy wind out of the North is Ekiel looks 101 00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:26.759 up and perhaps you've been in a big storm. We get them here occasionally, 102 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:31.159 these ginormous clouds that fill the whole sky and they make your heart beat 103 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:35.919 a little faster. Won't something like this? He sees this great cloud and 104 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:41.029 it's not insignificant that it comes out of the north. He mentions that, 105 00:09:41.190 --> 00:09:46.750 probably because this is where God's or Judah's enemies typically come from, and much 106 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:52.710 in this passage will speak of judgment, of the coming judgment of God, 107 00:09:52.830 --> 00:09:56.059 the fury, the wrath of God. This is the traditional place of Judah's 108 00:09:56.059 --> 00:10:01.100 enemies. This is not a friendly cloud. This is a cloud of judgment. 109 00:10:03.139 --> 00:10:05.539 But is he looks up and he sees this great cloud. He sees 110 00:10:07.490 --> 00:10:11.129 brightness all around it. It's not merely dark, it's a somehow also bright 111 00:10:11.330 --> 00:10:18.009 to and inside of the cloud, there is fire flashing continually, lightning we 112 00:10:18.169 --> 00:10:24.039 call it this. Fiery flashes come and in and in addition to these blasts 113 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:28.279 of light, continually, over and over again, there is in the midst 114 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:33.759 of it something that's steady. He describes it as in verse at the end 115 00:10:33.759 --> 00:10:37.389 of Verse Four, as it were, a gleaming metal. This is not 116 00:10:37.629 --> 00:10:43.110 flashing, this is holding still, it's it's shining, and it's there in 117 00:10:43.269 --> 00:10:50.500 this persistent, steady, reflecting shining that he then sees creatures the likeness of 118 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:56.700 for living creatures. Later in his echyl ten he will describe he will use 119 00:10:56.820 --> 00:11:01.980 the word Cherubeam to describe these creatures or to name these creatures. I should 120 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:05.490 say Cherub, a word you might have heard in English before, is a 121 00:11:07.009 --> 00:11:13.970 transliterated word from Hebrew, which is Cherub or CAERUB. You just take the 122 00:11:13.090 --> 00:11:18.759 Hebrew letters and put them into English Alphabet, Latin Alphabet, and there you 123 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:20.960 have the word. Right. So it's not really a translation, it's just 124 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:30.000 us saying the word that's in the text here, Cherub for singular, Cherub 125 00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:33.830 beam plural, and so this is what he calls them. Later in he's 126 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:37.029 ekiled and I'm here and is egil one. He refers to them as just 127 00:11:37.389 --> 00:11:43.350 the living creatures. This group is sometimes referred to as the host of Heaven, 128 00:11:43.629 --> 00:11:48.419 or at least a part of that host of Heaven, and God is 129 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:52.659 said to be in many places enthroned upon them, which is exactly what we 130 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:56.299 see here. So there are a few places in scripture that we read of 131 00:11:56.460 --> 00:12:01.169 the Lord God, who is a enthroned above the Cherubeam or who rides on 132 00:12:01.370 --> 00:12:05.330 the chair of Beam. That is the picture that we have here, the 133 00:12:05.769 --> 00:12:11.730 great chariot of the Lord, we might say, this great Cherubeam chariot of 134 00:12:11.889 --> 00:12:18.679 the Lord, made up of these wheels of eyes and living creatures filled with 135 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:22.679 the spirit of God. This is on which the throne on which the Lord 136 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:26.279 sits. So that's important to keep his in mind. Even as we start 137 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:31.870 here at the beginning and we have these awesome, terrifying even descriptions, we're 138 00:12:31.950 --> 00:12:37.669 not even speaking of the Lord yet, just creatures like you and me, 139 00:12:37.750 --> 00:12:43.940 creatures that he made when he made the heavens and us as well on the 140 00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:50.700 earth. We describes them in verse five. He says out of that midst 141 00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:58.929 of this cloud we he sees these living creatures. Later he describes at the 142 00:12:58.970 --> 00:13:05.090 end of verse seven that they sparkled like burnished bronze, gleaming lawns. Burnished 143 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:09.529 bronze, burnishing, as a process or metal be can become very shiny and 144 00:13:11.129 --> 00:13:16.080 sparkly, even a little bit. That's why he sees this gleaming in the 145 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:20.240 middle of this crow cloud, because he sees these creatures that have this appearance 146 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:28.389 like burnished bronze. He says they have. He says they had a human 147 00:13:28.509 --> 00:13:31.909 likeness to them, even a human face, he says later. But each 148 00:13:31.950 --> 00:13:35.909 of their but they all have. So had four faces and four wings. 149 00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:39.950 Verse seven he says their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were 150 00:13:39.990 --> 00:13:46.139 like the souls of calves feet. In verse eight he says their wings, 151 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:52.620 and he says, I'm sorry, under their wings, on their four sides 152 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:56.610 they had human hands and therefore, and the four had their faces and their 153 00:13:56.690 --> 00:14:03.289 wings. Thus they they touched one another. And then, interestingly, he 154 00:14:03.330 --> 00:14:07.889 says each one of them went straightforward, without turning as they went. What 155 00:14:07.970 --> 00:14:13.639 does he mean by this? I think he has a military image in mind. 156 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:20.120 If you've ever seen an army marching shoulder to shoulder, lock step together, 157 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:24.110 it's a forceful thing right. They move together, they move as a 158 00:14:24.230 --> 00:14:30.429 force, even though they're touching so closely. There is order, there is 159 00:14:30.509 --> 00:14:35.710 strength, there is precision, and we see that in these great beings, 160 00:14:35.110 --> 00:14:41.860 their wings touching one another and when they move, they go straight we also 161 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:48.779 have in their movement. We are told that they move as the spirit moves. 162 00:14:50.740 --> 00:14:54.210 Each one goes straight forward and they move, but they move for the 163 00:14:54.289 --> 00:14:58.970 spirit is with them. Wherever the spirit goes, they go as well. 164 00:15:01.009 --> 00:15:03.490 Continuing on, we read in verse ten that of their faces there was a 165 00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:13.080 lion and ox and Eagle and a man. Commentators have given all kinds of 166 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:18.000 different reasons for these four faces, some of them probably ridiculous, some of 167 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:24.029 them probably worth paying attention to. I'm inclined to think that what is being 168 00:15:24.070 --> 00:15:28.870 pictured here is their strength and their presence in creation, with these different kingly 169 00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:33.750 animals over different parts of creation. One commentator described it this way, a 170 00:15:33.990 --> 00:15:41.379 lion over the wild animals and ox over the domestic animals and Eagle over the 171 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:43.620 birds, as King of the birds, and, of course, man, 172 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:48.379 King of all the the animals, the King of all creation that God made. 173 00:15:50.570 --> 00:15:56.570 These creatures in a way represent creation and are present among creation. When 174 00:15:56.610 --> 00:16:02.370 they are pictured in the temple, in Solomon's Temple, for example, they 175 00:16:02.370 --> 00:16:07.759 are pictured also among the creation, among palm trees and pomegranates and these kind 176 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:15.840 of things. It also is, I believe, likely that these these these 177 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:19.870 faces, are meant to remind us and point us to the fact that they 178 00:16:19.950 --> 00:16:26.029 not only have this strength and power, as these animals do, as these 179 00:16:26.110 --> 00:16:32.860 other animals and God's creation, but they are also watchers over creation. The 180 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:37.340 idea of watchers and guardians, of the Cherub beam, is a common theme 181 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:41.059 in the Scriptures and it comes out here as well. These faces, after 182 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:45.700 all, see things, they they watch and they guard and, as we 183 00:16:45.779 --> 00:16:51.009 get to in a moment, they wheels in which they are connected to are 184 00:16:51.169 --> 00:16:55.970 full of eyes. The Language and the image they are as God is, 185 00:16:56.370 --> 00:17:02.000 is above is a God who is a knowing God. He is separate from 186 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:07.240 us in this incredible way, almost incredible way, I should say, if 187 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:11.160 we take the literal meaning of that word. And yet he's so close. 188 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:17.109 He sees everything, as we read in Psalm Twenty Nine, as we read 189 00:17:17.150 --> 00:17:21.309 in Psalm Seventy Nine, the Lord speaks and the earth and the deer gives 190 00:17:21.430 --> 00:17:25.190 birth. The Lord Speak, sent an army is laid down, the Lord 191 00:17:25.309 --> 00:17:30.259 speaks as he will and his ekiel and a dead army rises up. The 192 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:41.420 Lord sees and knows and watches his creation and he is supreme to the highest 193 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:49.490 degree you can think of and beyond, over that creation. These angels are 194 00:17:49.690 --> 00:17:55.650 these Cherubeam Rather, which may be distinct from angels. Will Save that for 195 00:17:55.730 --> 00:18:00.160 another discussion, but at the very least these are creatures within heaven, part 196 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:03.400 of the heavenly beings. They have wings and they spread out above their eat. 197 00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:10.319 They spread out above. These wings are used for movement and they seem 198 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:14.349 to be moved for listening to. When the voice speaks from above, they 199 00:18:14.470 --> 00:18:19.150 stop and their wings come down. They pay attention and when they are on 200 00:18:19.430 --> 00:18:25.309 they when they are on the move, that military language comes out, not 201 00:18:25.430 --> 00:18:32.460 only with the flashing fourth of Fire and lightning from them, but also that 202 00:18:32.819 --> 00:18:36.980 sound that they make. We read in Verse Twenty Four that when they went, 203 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:40.980 I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, 204 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:48.650 the sound of the Almighty. This is God on the move, the sound 205 00:18:48.690 --> 00:18:51.609 of tumult, like the sound of an army. When they stood still, 206 00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:56.119 they let down their wings and there came a voice from above, the expanse 207 00:18:56.200 --> 00:19:02.359 over their heads. Let's continue reading on. How is it that they move 208 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:08.039 in connection with these wheels? As he describes these living creatures, he then 209 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:14.670 moves on to describe a set of wheels in Verse Fifteen. Now, as 210 00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:18.150 I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside 211 00:19:18.190 --> 00:19:22.589 the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. As for 212 00:19:22.670 --> 00:19:26.900 the appearance of the wheels, their and their construction, and now he's going 213 00:19:26.980 --> 00:19:30.500 to he's describe these creatures and now he's going to describe the wheels. Their 214 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:37.769 appearance was like green, gleaming barrel. I'm barrel is like I believe Emerald 215 00:19:37.890 --> 00:19:44.289 is a barrel, is part of that family. It's beautiful, kind of 216 00:19:44.410 --> 00:19:52.880 green, blue, usually Shimmery. So imagine these wheels, beautiful, everything 217 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:57.440 shiny right this huge cloud of judgment and then shining and fire and gleaming and 218 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:02.599 brightness everywhere. It's unimaginable really. I mean the Odit. Here it is, 219 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:06.079 he's trying to describe it. Notice how he uses this language. He's 220 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:10.150 like, it was like the likeness of this thing. It was like the 221 00:20:10.309 --> 00:20:14.509 likeness of that thing he's trying to describe to us what he sees, and 222 00:20:14.829 --> 00:20:18.349 we know that he's not doing a bad job, because is the very spirit 223 00:20:18.470 --> 00:20:22.500 that is at work within this great army. Is the one who is giving 224 00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:30.140 us these words. It's the one who will say at the it is the 225 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:36.410 one who will record these words in chapter two. This the Lord speaking, 226 00:20:36.529 --> 00:20:38.289 and he says to me, son of man, stand up on your feet 227 00:20:38.289 --> 00:20:45.210 and I will speak to you. So, in this shining and this glory, 228 00:20:45.329 --> 00:20:48.009 with these wheels of gleaming barrel, the four we read, the four 229 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:52.480 wheels had the same likeness. They know the words. The wheels were all 230 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:55.839 the same, their appearance and their construction being as it was, a wheel 231 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:03.039 within a wheel. It's kind of a couple possibilities here. One is you 232 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:07.069 can imagine a circle and then another circle inside of that, a wheel within 233 00:21:07.190 --> 00:21:14.109 a wheel. Another possibility, which seems unlikely to me given the next verse, 234 00:21:14.230 --> 00:21:17.309 when it says and when they went, they went any of their four 235 00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:22.140 directions, is that you in a kind of gyroscope right, a wheel here 236 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:27.220 and then another wheel here, like on two different axes, and so perhaps 237 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:33.170 as they move they don't really turn because they can kind of go wherever they 238 00:21:33.250 --> 00:21:37.690 need to go, almost like a ball in a way. Either way. 239 00:21:37.890 --> 00:21:42.809 However, we understand these we understand that there is solidity in their movement. 240 00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:47.960 They don't turn. It's a it's a strange thing, this cloud, in 241 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:52.480 these creatures. On the one hand there's movement all over the place, flashing 242 00:21:52.599 --> 00:21:56.680 and lightning and turning and moving and and all of these things, and then 243 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:03.750 on another way it's so solid it's not going anywhere. Remember that the that 244 00:22:03.990 --> 00:22:10.589 the Lord is revealing this to Ezekiel in exile. Think about the power of 245 00:22:10.750 --> 00:22:15.190 that being away from the Temple of the Lord, away from the place where 246 00:22:15.190 --> 00:22:18.099 the where the glory of the Lord, where the God has put his glory. 247 00:22:19.579 --> 00:22:25.579 Here they are in Babylon and he's seeing the Throne Room of God, 248 00:22:26.900 --> 00:22:33.609 the throne of God rather well. Continuing on, we read the connection of 249 00:22:33.690 --> 00:22:37.970 these things with the spirit. Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went. 250 00:22:40.049 --> 00:22:45.400 Ultimately, we see that these my powerful creatures are not independent of God. 251 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:51.400 The scriptures tell us explicitly that we are not to worship heavenly beings, 252 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:56.480 we are not to worship I'm spiritual God's spiritual creation, just as we are 253 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:03.309 not to worship his physical creation. They are awesome, they are powerful, 254 00:23:03.349 --> 00:23:07.069 they are inspiring and many times, as it happens to e Ekiel, when 255 00:23:07.109 --> 00:23:12.980 they are seen, we find ourselves on the floor. But they are not 256 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:17.940 the Lord. They are moved by the Lord. They are moved by his 257 00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:22.299 spirit. They where they go, they go based on where the spirit goes. 258 00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:33.650 May the same be said for us. Having seen this great cloud, 259 00:23:33.849 --> 00:23:37.369 in these great creatures, these living creatures, and the wheels that the are 260 00:23:37.490 --> 00:23:44.920 moving or the wheels that that go Zeki, you will now see something above 261 00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:49.160 even that, over them. He says in Verse Twenty Two, there was 262 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:56.670 the likeness of an expanse, some great space, but the space is not 263 00:23:56.910 --> 00:24:06.309 empty. Maybe it's something like water, because it shines, shining like awe 264 00:24:06.549 --> 00:24:12.500 inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. He goes then and describes the 265 00:24:12.619 --> 00:24:18.460 movement of the of the Cherubeam as I have gone over already in verses twenty 266 00:24:18.539 --> 00:24:22.220 four and twenty five, and then he moves ahead, or upward, I 267 00:24:22.259 --> 00:24:29.089 should say, above that expanse, above the expanse, over their heads, 268 00:24:29.130 --> 00:24:33.930 there was the likeness of a throne. Isn't this amazing that there is a 269 00:24:33.170 --> 00:24:40.519 separation even between these creatures and God, as close as they are to him? 270 00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:45.400 As as connected as they are, to him, as intimately involved as 271 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:49.759 they are with the work of the spirit, yet they are still separate from 272 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:56.710 him, as all creatures are from their creator, separate not in Adu, 273 00:24:56.910 --> 00:25:00.710 in communion or fellowship, but separate in that they are not God's. And 274 00:25:00.829 --> 00:25:06.190 so there is this expanse above their heads. And above that expanse we come 275 00:25:06.269 --> 00:25:10.859 to in Verse Twenty Six, is the likeness of a throne. So we 276 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:15.660 have these great creatures within this great cloud, with the connected with these great 277 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:21.569 wheels. Above that in expanse, and then above that sits this throne. 278 00:25:22.490 --> 00:25:27.529 This is awesome. How do we describe the throne? Ezekiel tells us its 279 00:25:27.569 --> 00:25:33.769 experience was like it was the it was in appearance like Sapphire, and seated 280 00:25:34.009 --> 00:25:41.599 above the likeness of the throne was the likeness of one with a human appearance. 281 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:56.750 Ezekiel here is seeing our Lord and Savior. He is seeing that same 282 00:25:56.910 --> 00:26:02.789 one who will one day be born a man and who will suffer and die 283 00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:10.259 on to the very judgment that is depicted here. The one who is seated 284 00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:15.180 on a throne will be borne under the law and will suffer and die on 285 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:25.049 a cross for you and for me. Well, this one that's seated on 286 00:26:25.130 --> 00:26:32.210 the throne. He has the appear more shining upward from his waist. It's 287 00:26:32.289 --> 00:26:38.000 like gleaming metal, the appearance of fire and closed all around. Have you 288 00:26:38.039 --> 00:26:45.000 ever tried to look directly at a fire? Gleaming metal, fire and closed 289 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:48.509 all around? Above his waist he sees that. And below his waist, 290 00:26:49.549 --> 00:26:53.950 I'm something similar downward from what had the appearance of his waist. I saw 291 00:26:53.950 --> 00:27:00.230 the appearance of fire and there was brightness all around him. So we have 292 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:08.099 within this cloud it's like degrees of shining. Somehow this gleam, flashes of 293 00:27:08.140 --> 00:27:14.420 lightning and then gleaming metal and these shining creatures, on top of which is 294 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:18.849 a the shining wheels and a shining sea, on top of which is this 295 00:27:19.289 --> 00:27:27.809 shining throne of Sapphire, on top of which is this fiery Lord who have 296 00:27:27.930 --> 00:27:37.039 been surrounded by brightness, surrounded by brightness, and not just any brightness, 297 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:41.319 beloved, like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the 298 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:48.029 day of rain. You've all seen that, right, a rainbow, God's 299 00:27:48.230 --> 00:27:59.980 bow surrounding him. And so in this great terrifying image of judgment, we 300 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:04.299 also have the Lord, who is marked by this awesome symbol of hope, 301 00:28:07.180 --> 00:28:11.140 because we remember that it was the flows that came and washed over the Earth 302 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:17.769 as God judged man for their sin that God placed that Rainbow is as covenant 303 00:28:17.890 --> 00:28:22.930 sign of his promise to protect them and keep them and never flood the world 304 00:28:22.970 --> 00:28:30.960 again. Some have said that the rainbow is perhaps a picture of God's weapon 305 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:38.599 of war, a bow that is hung up, no longer being used, 306 00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:49.029 this shining, awesome presence surrounding all around and Ezekiel concludes by saying, such 307 00:28:49.390 --> 00:28:55.029 was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when 308 00:28:55.069 --> 00:28:59.099 I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard the voice of 309 00:28:59.180 --> 00:29:10.650 one speaking. And number seven and eighty nine. We read that when Moses 310 00:29:10.730 --> 00:29:14.250 went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the 311 00:29:14.369 --> 00:29:18.930 voice speaking to him from the mercy seat that was on the Ark of the 312 00:29:19.009 --> 00:29:26.440 testimony, from between the two chairubim, and it spoke to him. Ezekie 313 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:33.440 having the same kind of experience here between the chair of him on the Ark 314 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:38.349 in the throne of God, on the throne of God, God is speaking 315 00:29:38.470 --> 00:29:48.950 to him and God enables him to stand in all of these images. We 316 00:29:48.069 --> 00:29:55.700 have images of Judgment, images of the Divine Warrior, images of the one 317 00:29:55.819 --> 00:30:03.259 who is going to come and devastate under his judgment and, as we will 318 00:30:03.299 --> 00:30:10.529 come to see, this devastation is going to come on Jerusalem herself. Ezekiel 319 00:30:10.650 --> 00:30:15.529 is seeing in Babylon the coming judgment of the Lord and later on in Ezekiel 320 00:30:15.650 --> 00:30:21.049 we will see the glory cloud that is described here. He will have a 321 00:30:21.089 --> 00:30:26.599 vision of that cloud lifting up from the temple in Jerusalem and going away, 322 00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:34.079 departing. I can't remember, think it was one of the hymns you might 323 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:41.630 have requested, but it's saying, we saying of the glory departing no more, 324 00:30:42.710 --> 00:30:49.579 and that's what is in mind there. How do we take all of 325 00:30:49.740 --> 00:30:56.940 this? One like Ezekiel, we ought to be humbled, we ought to 326 00:30:56.980 --> 00:31:00.980 be stunned, we ought to put our hands over our mouths and be silent. 327 00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:07.289 As as job was. It's a similar passage to job in a way. 328 00:31:08.650 --> 00:31:12.690 In many of the passages and job, God describes his great power, 329 00:31:12.970 --> 00:31:18.039 but in earthly terms. He uses the image, in the language of his 330 00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:25.440 his work in creation, to bring us to our knees, to bring us 331 00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:30.400 to silence here and is equally does the same thing, except it's heavenly pictures 332 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:36.670 that he gives us. How much do we need? A Lot, it 333 00:31:36.910 --> 00:31:45.869 would seem. What this passage also reminds us of, as I've hinted at 334 00:31:45.910 --> 00:31:53.819 already, is that when we think about the judgment of the Lord on the 335 00:31:53.980 --> 00:32:02.410 Cross of Christ, we ought to remember these kind of images. When we 336 00:32:02.609 --> 00:32:08.210 think about the judgment of God coming upon our Lord and Savior for our sins, 337 00:32:09.890 --> 00:32:15.240 we ought to keep in mind the power and the glory of his chariot 338 00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:23.039 on the move. Not just any chariot, some Egyptian thing, some Roman 339 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:30.670 thing, this chariot. And what can I say? It's very humbling, 340 00:32:30.829 --> 00:32:42.309 it's terrifying, it's a little bit scary to preach on, but the Lord 341 00:32:42.470 --> 00:32:46.779 tells us that we can go into his presence and stand strong, because the 342 00:32:46.859 --> 00:32:53.059 judgment that was placed on Christ was placed on him for us. The Lord 343 00:32:53.180 --> 00:32:59.890 Brings This judgment certainly to threaten those who are still remaining in their sins, 344 00:33:00.250 --> 00:33:05.930 to wake you up, so that you might be terrified, so that you 345 00:33:05.970 --> 00:33:10.250 might wake up and no longer remain in your deadness, to remain in your 346 00:33:10.289 --> 00:33:19.759 obstinence, to remain and your rebellion, but to also encourage the saints that 347 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:24.519 this judgment that is pictured here and coming is a judgment for us that is 348 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:32.430 past. We don't stand in terror of the coming judgment and the terrifying chariot 349 00:33:32.630 --> 00:33:40.349 and all his mighty hosts coming after us at the end of time. Instead, 350 00:33:40.349 --> 00:33:47.579 we will come, at the call of the Christ, gathered up by 351 00:33:47.740 --> 00:33:54.019 the angels, into his presence to sing with him and them. Holy, 352 00:33:54.220 --> 00:33:59.450 Holy, Holy, is the World Lord, Worthy is the lamb that was 353 00:33:59.569 --> 00:34:07.529 slain. It brings US comfort, it should bring us confidence and when we 354 00:34:07.690 --> 00:34:13.760 are overwhelmed by the things of this world, it should give us some perspective. 355 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:22.840 God is Supreme, God is in control and judgment for us has passed, 356 00:34:24.070 --> 00:34:29.349 and we can come into his strength and into the glory of his splendor, 357 00:34:29.630 --> 00:34:35.469 in that splendor of holiness, because we are clothed not in our filthy 358 00:34:35.510 --> 00:34:40.179 rags anymore, but in the righteousness of the one who sits on the throne. 359 00:34:43.340 --> 00:34:45.900 So the praise of his glorious name