Ezekiel 11:1-25  The Promise of a New Heart and Spirit

[Study Aired April 1, 2024]

Introduction

What we are going to learn today is about the Lord’s judgment of the Elect in this age and the resulting transformation of the elect as we are promised a new heart and spirit. In this chapter, the Lord showed Ezekiel why He was going to judge the people of Israel for what they had done. As we have learned, the Lord is always seeking an occasion to come and judge our old man so that we can learn righteousness. This is portrayed clearly in the story of Samson as follows:

Jdg 14:1  Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.
Jdg 14:2  Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.”
Jdg 14:3  But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
Jdg 14:4  His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

The chapter also makes it clear that without the Lord giving us a new heart and spirit, we cannot please the Lord. By comparing scripture with scripture, we shall see what the Lord means by giving us a new heart and spirit.

The Wicked Counsellors of the City

Eze 11:1  The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

The Spirit of the Lord lifting Ezekiel up to be shown what was happening signifies that what Ezekiel was going to see can only be understood when he is in the spirit. Being in the spirit means his eyes being opened and his ears given to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

What happened to Ezekiel in terms of the spirit lifting him up is the same as what happened to the Apostle John when he was given to see the woman who is a harlot and represents Babylon in the Book of Revelation. What this means is that without being in the spirit, there is no way that one can understand the spiritual decadence of the church system of this world. 

Rev 17:3  And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns

In verse 1, the spirit which lifted Ezekiel up brought him to the east gate of the house of God. In a negative context, the east in this case refers to our lives when we are not given to pursue the Lord’s agenda in this life, as shown in the following verses: 

Gen 13:11  So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.

Gen 25:6  But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.

Thus, the twenty-five men that Ezekiel found in the entrance of the eastern gate of the house of the Lord refers to those who have tasted the goodness of the Lord but are not pursuing the Lord’s agenda in this life. They refer to our lives as the Lord’s elect in Babylon. We started with the Lord but were sidetracked by what we heard and believed in Babylon. This is affirmed by the number 25 of those found at the east gate. The number twenty-five in a negative note, refers to those who started the Lord’s work but did not go the long haul. 

2Ki 14:2  He (Joash) was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. 
2Ki 14:3  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. 
2Ki 14:4  But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

2Ki 15:33  He (Jotham) was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 
2Ki 15:34  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
2Ki 15:35  Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD.

Having Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, the princes of the people, among the twenty-five is also significant. Jaazaniah means ‘Jehovah hears’ and that of Pelatiah signifies ‘Jehovah has freed.’ These names show us that the people found in the east side of the house of God have a relationship with Christ in name, but they do their own thing.

Isa 4:1  And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.” 

The mention of these men and their status as leaders of the people of Israel suggests that it is an established fact that the whole of the leadership of our brethren in Babylon have gone astray and are not pursuing the Lord’s agenda.

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Jud 1:13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Eze 11:2  And he said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;
Eze 11:3  who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’

As indicated in the previous studies, the city of Jerusalem here is Babylon.  In verses 2 and 3, we are given to know the sins of these twenty-five men. They devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in the city. Devising iniquity and giving wicked counsel means bringing in false doctrines which causes us to walk in iniquity. Verse 3 shows us the essence of the preaching in Babylon, which is that the time is not near to build houses. What this preaching means is that we should not focus on what is permanent but that which is temporal. In other words, the preaching in Babylon causes us to focus on things which are seen. 

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

A cauldron is a large metal pot used for cooking in an open fire. Saying that the city is the cauldron and the people are the meat is the same as saying that man is born to suffer. What this kind of preaching does is that it causes us to be hardened by our suffering such that no matter what we go through, we do not pay attention to what the Lord is trying to say.

Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken anymore? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Eze 11:4  Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.
Eze 11:5  And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
Eze 11:6  Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain. 
Eze 11:7  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. 
Eze 11:8  Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD. 

These verses show us the result of the wicked counsel or the false doctrines that we imbibe in Babylon. As we can see in verses 6 and 7, the whole city is filled with the slain. In other words, the whole of Babylon or the church system of this world is filled with spiritually dead people. The sad part of this is that they do not recognize that they are spiritually dead!!  That was what happened to us in our time in Babylon. We were spiritually dead, but we thought that we were spiritually alive in Christ. In verse 7, the Lord is referring to the saying that the city is the caldron to mean that it is in the church (represented here by the city) that we (the flesh) are boiled and therefore killed. In other words, the church system has become a pot for boiling or killing the people.

Luk 13:33  Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
Luk 13:34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 
Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

As the Lord’s elect, in spite of our spiritual depravity while we were in Babylon, the Lord had promised in verse 7 that He would bring us out of the midst of Babylon.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Verse 8 tells us that even though we fear the sword, the Lord will bring the sword upon us. The sword is a symbol of the Lord’s judgment, and when we were in Babylon, we were afraid of the Lord’s judgment and did not want to even hear that we shall be judged. However, as the Lord came to us, we were given to know that the Lord’s judgment of our old man in this life is the best thing that can happen to us. The Lord’s assurance that He will bring the sword upon us therefore brings to the fore our position as children of the Lord.

Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Heb 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Heb 12:12  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

Eze 11:9  And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.
Eze 11:10  Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 
Eze 11:11  This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:

In verse 9, the process of the Lord delivering us out of the midst of Babylon involves the Lord’s judgment of our old man where He uses the sword in verse 10 as His instrument of our judgment. The negative aspect of the sword refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary. One of the key factors which causes our exit from Babylon is our realization of the lying words or false doctrines prevalent in Babylon.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

These negative words spoken are one of the tools the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect. 

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred [men with Gideon] blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host [of the Midianites]: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

Being judged in the border of Israel signifies that our judgment begins as we start our journey to exit Babylon. In verse 11, we are told that the saying that the city of Jerusalem is a caldron and that we are the flesh in the midst thereof shall not be applicable to us as the Lord facilitates our exit from Babylon. As we have indicated earlier, saying that the city is the caldron and the people are the flesh is the same as saying that man is born to suffer, and therefore, we become accustomed to suffering such that no matter what we go through, we do not pay attention to what the Lord is trying to say.

Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken anymore? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

The Lord saying that we shall not be part of the saying that the city of Jerusalem is a caldron and that we are the flesh signifies that the Lord’s judgment of our old man will cause us to learn righteousness.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Eze 11:12  And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.
Eze 11:13  And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

Verse 12 shows us why the Lord is judging us. It is because we have done evil as we did not walk in the Lord’s statutes as we lived just like the heathen around us when we were in Babylon. The Lord therefore is justified as He comes with His judgment to put to death our old man or the man of sin in our lives. In verse 13, we are told that when Ezekiel prophesied concerning the judgment of our old man as a result of the sins of the people, Pelatiah, one of the leading members of the twenty-five men that Ezekiel saw, died. The dying of Pelatiah signifies the end result of the fire of the word of the Lord spoken by Ezekiel. This fire of the word of the Lord is the tribulation or persecution which comes as a result of the word of the Lord we have received. That is what destroys our old man.

Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

In verse 13, Ezekiel complained to the Lord about the killing of the remnant of Israel. This is because the process of the death of our old man is not an enjoyable experience. When we are being judged, it is as if our lives are coming to an end as we come to our wits’ end. Ezekiel came to his wits’ end when he saw the death of Pelatiah and thought that the end had come for the Lord’s remnant.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

The Lord’s Promise of a New Heart and Spirit

Eze 11:14  Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 11:15  Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.
Eze 11:16  Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.
Eze 11:17  Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

The Israelites who remained in Jerusalem after the Babylonian invasion considered themselves as the chosen ones as they proclaimed that the Lord had given them the land for possession. These Israelites thought that those who were exiled were outcasts and that these exiles were far from the Lord. In verse 16 and 17, the Lord is saying that although He had scattered the exiles among the countries, He was with them, and that they were the ones to inherit the land of Israel. This is the mindset of our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world (Babylon). They think that they are the chosen ones and that they will inherit the earth. On the other hand, they see our leaving the city of Jerusalem or Babylon as being the Lord’s outcasts. However, the Lord is assuring us in verse 17 that He will gather and assemble us out of the countries where we are scattered and that we are the ones to inherit the earth.

Rom 4:13  For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law (which is practiced in Babylon) but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14  For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
Rom 4:15  For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 
Rom 4:16  That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,  (ESV)

Eze 11:18  And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.
Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 
Eze 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

The Lord is gathering us together as the church of the firstborn or the New Jerusalem as He takes away all the detestable things and abominations in our lives. The taking away of the detestable things and all the abominations in verse 18 symbolize the destroying of the old man with his fleshly deeds in our lives. This old man within us is the beast within us or our flesh. The Lord’s promise of giving us one heart means we shall all be of one mind, speaking the same thing and having the same judgment. 

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

In verse 19, we are also told that the Lord will give us a new spirit within us as He takes away the stony heart out of our flesh and gives us a heart of flesh. This giving of a new spirit and a new heart represent the birth and growth of the new man within us which is created in righteousness and true holiness. The stony heart in verse 19 refers to our old man who must be put to death to give way to the new man within us. As the old man is dying within us, the new man is gaining ascendancy.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

It is when we are under the control of the new man that we are able to walk in the Lord’s statutes and keep His ordinances. That is when we shall indeed be the Lord’s people and He becomes our God.

Eze 11:21  But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD. 

Here we are being warned that if we continue to be under the control of the flesh, we shall surely face the second death. 

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 

Eze 11:22  Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
Eze 11:23  And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

As we have indicated in our previous studies, the cherubims represent the Lord’s elect as they sit in the heavenly places in Christ. The wheels signify our lives here on earth as we have this treasure in earthen vessels. The glory of the God of Israel refers to hearing the words of the Lord in the midst of our fiery trials. The glory of the God of Israel being over the cherubims means that it is only the elect (cherubims) who are given the privilege in this age to hear the words of the Lord in the midst of our fiery trials. This is confirmed in verse 23 where the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain on the east side of the city.

The city here is Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. It represents Babylon where they are not given to see the glory of the Lord. That is why the glory of the Lord departed from the city. The mountain where the glory of the Lord stood symbolizes the house of the Lord or the gathering of the Lord’s elect. It is on the mountain of the house of the Lord that we are given to see the Lord’s glory.

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 
Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 

Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

Eze 11:24  Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
Eze 11:25  Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.

As we have indicated, those in captivity represent the Lord’s elect. It is in our midst that we speak to each other of all the things that the Lord has shown us for the edification of the body.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

May His name be praised forever more. Amen!!

Rev 4:6-7 – Part 7, 16 Characteristics

Posted March 8, 2024

This study will cover the last three characteristics which are common to chapters 1 and 10 of the book of Ezekiel concerning the description of the throne of God and the four beast in the middle of and around God’s throne.

Our first characteristic in today’s study is:

14)  A blue throne is common to both chapters.

A sapphire blue throne is seen above the sapphire blue firmament over the heads of the four living creatures, showing us that in the heavens the creatures are subject to him who first sits upon the blue throne in “the likeness as the appearance of a man”, the “son of man.”

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.

Eze 10:1  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.

It is “in the middle of and round about” this blue throne that these figures of those who are redeemed out of every nation are seated with Christ and His Father.

Rev 4:1  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.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Rev 4:4  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Rev 4:6  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.
Rev 4:7  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.
Rev 4:8  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.
Rev 4:9  And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
Rev 4:10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

As noted above concerning the color of the firmament, sapphires may come in other colors, but they are generally blue. The throne, we are told is blue. Everything pertaining to spiritual significance of the color of the firmament is also true for the spiritual significance of the color of the throne which is upon that firmament. In our study on the spiritual significance of colors in scripture, we saw that the color blue is associated with the things of the heavens themselves. That is especially true as it pertains to these patterns and figures of the true heavens, which we are now considering.

15)  The likeness of a man is common to both chapters 1 and chapter 10. In part 4 of this study of Revelation 4, we covered the four faces of the four living creatures, and we noted that one of those four faces was “the face of a man.” Another characteristic of these four living creatures is the fact that their overall appearance was “the lines of a man” which is mentioned in both chapters:

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 10:21  Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

It all serves to confirm who these four living creatures tell us they signify:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

These are the same words used to describe the Lord’s firstfruits who will be “kings and priest with Christ for a thousand years and then judge angels with Christ in the lake of fire:

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Reigning on the earth with Christ takes place after the “blessed and holy… first resurrection, which Christ called “the resurrection of life”, and which He contrasted with “the resurrection of judgment” for those who are not judged in this present life:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [G2920: krisis, judgment, the great white throne judgment/ lake of fire/second death].

It will be those signified by these “four beasts in the midst of and round about the throne”, these “four living creatures of Daniel 1 and 10, who will live and reign with Christ over the kingdoms of this world” (Rev 11:15) for a thousand years:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands [signified by “four beasts; four living creatures”]; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

These are the exceeding great and precious promises given to us by our Lord for no reason other than “it pleased him” (1Co 12:18, 1Co 15:38, Col 1:19)

Gen 15:1  After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram [“if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29)] I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

16) The glory of the Lord is common to both chapters 1 and 10.

Both chapters are a description of “the glory of the Lord”, and just as in the book of Revelation, ‘the glory of the Lord’ is described as being “the appearance of the brightness… of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain.”

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.

Eze 10:4  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.

Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

How does God display His glory? God’s glory and His sovereignty are revealed in His elect.  Our entire lives are to be in His service and to His glory “as the voice of Almighty God.”

Rom 15:7  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24  Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Summary

These are sixteen characteristics of the patterns and figures of the heavenly things themselves. They are all concerning the “glory of the Lord that that is to be revealed in us.”

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

They are:

1) The cloud in which this whole scene is revealed, which cloud we all are.
2) The four living creatures of Ezekiel 1, called cherubims in Ezekiel 10, and called four beasts throughout the book of Revelation.
3) Their four faces, said to be all four common to each creature in Ezekiel, and revealed to also be distinct creatures each one with one of these four faces, in the book of Revelation, and demonstrated as such in each of the four gospels.
4) The four wings of these four living creatures or four cherubims, represent the faith which the whole body of God’s elect have in the promised protection of our heavenly Father. We are “the apple of His eye”, and He will “never leave nor forsake us” (Heb 13:5).

Zec 2:8  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

Heb 13:5  Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “ I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.” (WEB)

5) “The hands of a man under the wings of the four living creatures” demonstrate for us that God has placed His entire work in the hands of “the man Christ Jesus.”

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

As His Father has placed His work in “the hands” of “the man Christ Jesus”, Christ has in turn, placed the work His Father gave Him into “the hands” of His Christ.

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

There is great peace in knowing that we are all in the hands of “the man, Christ Jesus” and that He has sent us as His Father sent Him. The “hands of a man” demonstrate who these four living creatures are. They four have “the hands of a man, the face of a man and the appearance of a man.” They are redeemed of mankind out of every nation on earth, and they will reign with Him over the kingdoms of this world for a thousand years.

6) “They turned not when they went” (Eze 1:17). Being sent by Christ as He is sent by His Father, these four living creatures “turn not as they go” simply because all things are being worked after the counsel of God’s own will, and there is “no shadow of turning with Him.”

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Every move made by these four living creatures was “written in His book, even the days ordained for them, before there were any of those days.”

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

7)  “Whither the spirit was to go they went” is common to both chapters one and ten.

This singleness of mind demonstrates for us the unity that is in the body of the Christ. The Christ is not a schizophrenic, and there are no conflicting doctrines and denominations in the church which is His body.

Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus:

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions [no denominations] among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

1Co 12:25  that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

8) The “one likeness” of the four wheels “upon the earth” is common to both chapters.

“One likeness” demonstrates the “one event” that is common to all men. “They four had one likeness.” ‘Four’ is spiritual language for the whole of any given subject, and the subject with which these four wheels are concerned is the whole of God’s elect, to whom “all things come alike.”  “That one likeness is the “one event” which “comes alike to all.”

“Each in his own order” will experience the revelation of Jesus Christ:

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

9) The work of the four wheels was as it were a wheel within a wheel, is common to both chapters.

“A wheel within a wheel” signifies and demonstrates the secret which has been hidden from the generations but is now revealed to us. It is the outgrowth of knowing that Christ is in His Father, and His Father is in Him. The spiritual significance of the wheel within a wheel is Christ in us and us in Him.

Joh 14:20  In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Col 1:26  even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints,
Col 1:27  to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The “wheel within a wheel” is “ye in me, and I in you.”

10) The color of the wheels is the color of a beryl stone, is common to both chapters.

Beryl is blue, and Christ’s body is also the color of a beryl stone. Blue is the color of the heavens. This tells us that if we are like Christ, then we, too, are the color of beryl and fire, because we are “as He is in this world.”

Eze 8:2  Then I beheld, and, lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as it were glowing metal.

Dan 10:6  his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like unto burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Christ came to bring fire. If we are like Him, then our words will also be the fiery Words that He spoke.

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Beryl typifies the fire that is the word of God in all those who are His. A blue flame is what a welder wants because it is so hot.

11) The wheels being “full of eyes round about” is in both chapters.

These eyes signify the spiritual understanding and spiritually seeing the things of the spirit. Seeing and understanding that “all things are ours” is seeing everything by being “full of eyes round about.”

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

It requires being “full of eyes round about” to see and to understand that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Very few have eyes to see or ears to hear those words:

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

12) The firmament above the four creatures is under the throne in both chapters.

This ‘firmament’ signifies the time and work in which we are  hammered out and conformed by the Lord and His Word into the image of His Son. The root of the word firmament means to hammer out.

Gen 1:7  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Gen 1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

The color of the firmament is blue, like the color of the throne above the firmament. Both signify the heavens of our hearts and minds but the one is below the other, as we are the progressive work of our Savior who is above us, as the head is above the body.

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

13) The sound of the wings is as the sound of many waters and as the voice of the Almighty is common to both chapters.

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 10:5  And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

The sound of the wings of the four living creatures is the word of God in these cherubims who are the figures of the true heavens which ‘true heavens’ speak forth the truths of the king of the kingdom of the heavens.

14) The blue throne upon the blue firmament is found in both chapters.

This blue throne and blue firmament are the figure of the heavens themselves where in Christ is king and in whose hearts and minds He rules as sovereign in all things. Christ is said to sit upon both His throne, “clothed with a cloud” (Rev 10:1). This is the throne where we are to reign with Christ. It is the throne in the heavens where Christ and His Father dwell, and it is the throne on which we are seated with both Christ and His Father.

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

15) The likeness of a man is the overall description of these four living creatures:

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 10:21  Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

16) Our final figure of the things of the true heavens which is common to both chapter 1 and chapter 10 of Ezekiel is “the glory of the Lord.”

We are the true heavens and we are that glory.  It is in us that He is glorified, and we glory in Him:

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

2Co 10:17  But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

This concludes our study of the throne of God as described to us in Revelation 4. This is the glory of the place where the Lord and His Father dwell.

Eze 1:15–28 A Wheel upon the Earth

Introduction

[Study Aired January 29, 2024]

In Today’s study, we are going to look in details of a wheel that Ezekiel saw which was upon the earth and is controlled by the living creatures, and the likeness of a man on the throne above the firmament in a vision given to him. In the previous study, we came to know who the four living creatures were. That is, they represent the whole of the elect of every generation. 

The Lord revealed this heavenly vision to Ezekiel to show us the pattern of the heavenly things themselves. What we are therefore studying is to deepen our understanding of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and how this relationship affects our walk here on earth. 

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

This pattern of the heavenly things was first revealed to Moses during Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness. Ezekiel’s vision therefore serves as a witness to this pattern of the heavenly things. Both Moses and Ezekiel who represent the elect, did not understand what the pattern revealed to them signifies. However, we are the generation that the Lord has opened our eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven.

Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Today’s study will therefore deepen our understanding of how, as His elect, we are caused to live according to the purpose of His will in this tent of the flesh.

The Wheel on Earth

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.

In Ezekiel chapter 10, another vision was given to Ezekiel which gives us a witness to this description of the wheel. This means that what we deduce about the wheels by comparing scripture with scripture is an established fact. 

Eze 10:9  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. 
Eze 10:10  And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

To understand what the wheels represent, we need more information about the wheels. In verse 20, we are given to know that the spirit of the Lord is in the wheels which causes them to move according to the dictates of the spirit of the Lord.

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.

What is significant is that this wheel was upon the earth but filled with the spirit of the Lord. The earth signifies we, as earthen vessels and therefore the wheels on the earth with the spirit of the Lord in them represent the treasure in earthen vessels.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

This means that the four wheels represent the whole of the elect as earthen vessels that are led by the spirit of the Lord. The living creatures signify the elect in our heavenly status where we are raised up to sit with Christ in heavenly places. The wheels represent us as earthen vessels where we are moved by the spirit of the Lord to empower us to live a life pleasing to the Lord to become witnesses here on earth. This means that without the spirit of the Lord, we are just like the people of this world.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 

Verse 15 confirms our assertion that the wheels symbolize the elect as the appearance of the wheels and their work resemble the color beryl. The mention of the color of beryl reminds us of the Lord Jesus Christ whose body appeared as beryl in a vision by Daniel.

Dan 10:5  Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 
Dan 10:6  His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

Beryl is also one of the twelve precious stones that serve as the foundation of the wall of New Jerusalem. These precious stones signify the precious words of the Lord which is also Christ. What this implies is that the appearance of the wheels and their works as the color of beryl is another way of saying that as He is, so are we here on this earth. In other words, we must be like Christ here on this earth and our works must serve as witness of Christ even as the Lord Jesus’ works here on earth serve as witness to our Father God.

Rev 21:19  And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 
Rev 21:20  The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

Verse 16 also mentions that the four wheels had one likeness, and their appearance and their work are like a wheel within a wheel. The one likeness means the elect of every generation all have the same spiritual experience, and therefore they all go through the same judgment of our old man to exhibit Christ. The wheel within a wheel is Christ within the elect.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

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. 
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.

The wheels are such that they go in any of the four directions without turning as they went. This was because the living creature’s movement is mimicked by the wheels here on earth and the reason, they go according to the living creatures is that the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels. That is, when we walk in the spirit or live in heavenly places, our earthen vessels are carried along by the spirit to please the Lord. In other words, walking in the spirit means that we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. If we live in the spirit, we will not turn or look back to the deeds of the flesh.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 

In Ezekiel 1:18, we are told that the “rings” or the rims in the wheels were very high and dreadful and are full of eyes.  The adjective “high” is used in the positive sense in the word of the Lord to signify the heavens. The following verses make this clear:

Job 11:8  It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? 

Psa 103:11  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

The word “dreadful” on a positive note is another accolade of the Lord especially to those who do not know Him.

Mal 1:14  But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

The rotating of the rings is what causes the wheel to move and what causes the rings to rotate is the spirit within the wheel. The rings being part of the wheel and being as high as the heavens refer to our walk here on earth which is in the spirit. To those who do not know the Lord, our walk in the spirit is a dreadful or horrible experience because of the fiery trials that accompany it. The rings being full of eyes all round suggest that we, His elect have been given the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven to guide our walk here on earth.

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.

As indicated, the living creatures represent the Lord’s elect who are raised to sit with the Lord in heavenly places. The wheels also represent the elect in having treasure in their earthen vessels here on earth. It is when we are sitting in the heavenly places with Christ empowered by the spirit, that is, walking in the spirit that we are able to influence our earthen vessels or bodies to follow wherever we go.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Before the Throne

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. 

The likeness of the firmament or expanse appearing as the color of the terrible or fearful crystal over the heads of the living creatures brings to mind the overcomers standing on the sea of glass. In Ezekiel chapter 1, the appearance of the firmament as fearful crystal is the same as the sea of glass the overcomers were standing on in the Book of Revelation. The difference between the two narrations is the position of the elect. In Ezekiel, the living creatures representing the elect were yet to experience the appearance of the fearful crystal since it was over their heads. In the case of the sea of glass, the elect had experienced it and overcome.

Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Rev 4:6  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.

The sea refers to the laver filled with water between the tent of meeting and the altar where only the priests were to wash and cleanse themselves before entering the temple. It is also called the molten sea which is consistent with the sea of glass mingled with fire. The sea of glass is therefore the fire of the word of the Lord which washes us of everything of the flesh to make us transparent before God and man. This is what Brother Mike said about the sea of glass in His review of the Revelation chapter 15:

“But the sea was for the priests to wash in” tells us why those who are on this “sea of glass mingled with fire”, are God’s “kings and priest”, His very elect, who have overcome the image, name, number and mark of the beast. The Levites, who served the temple but were not the sons of Aaron the high priest, were never permitted to wash in this “molten sea” which is the shadow and type of this “sea of glass, mingled with fire” in the heavens here in Rev 15.

But why is this sea called a sea of glass? The Greek word here is ‘hualinos’, and it means clear or transparent. So those who are on this sea of glass know who they are, from whence they have come and how they have been placed where they are by the sovereign hand of their Lord and Savior. They themselves, like the sea on which they stand at this time in their walk, are completely transparent and have nothing to hide. 

While it is argued that glass, as we know it today, did not exist when the book of Revelation was written, it is interesting to note that this sea of glass is “like crystal” which was transparent, and which did exist when the book of Revelation was written. It is also instructive to note that the glass of today is made of sand which has been melted, unified and purified and made transparent by means of the heat into which it is placed. That is the significance of the fire here as it is the significance of fire throughout God’s Word. God’s fiery Word is the fire mingled with this “sea of glass”. It is God’s Word which has purified and made transparent everyone who stands upon this sea of glass. It is through God’s Word, “Christ in us”, that any of us are given the victory over the beast, his image, his number, his name and his mark. Christ is the fire that is mingled with those who are standing on this clear and transparent “sea of glass”.

The fact that in Ezekiel chapter 1, the appearance of the firmament as terrible or fearful crystal is that when we hear of the Lord’s judgment and are yet to experience it, it becomes fearful.

Eze 1:23  And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: everyone 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.

In verse 23, the wings of the living creatures stretching out straight and towards one another means that they are in motion. The next verse shows us that when they are in motion, the noise of their wings is the same as the voice of the Almighty God. What this implies is that the stretching of their wings towards one another is what every joint supplies. In other words, we minister the words to each other during our walk here on earth. Their wings being straight means that there are no false doctrines emanating from the words of these living creatures.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In verse 23, we are told that each living creature has two wings which covered their bodies. Having two or more witnesses regarding His words is what protects us (our bodies) to know the mind of Christ and become established in Him. 

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

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.

As explained earlier, firmament which appears as terrible crystal is the same as the sea of glass mingled with fire. It is through our fiery trials that we clearly hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, who is Christ. When these living creatures stood still and let down their wings, that is when a voice from the firmament was heard. This means that the Lord coming to us to open our eyes to see and hear His words is not dependent on what we are doing for Him. It is through the mercies of the Lord that we are given the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

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.

By comparing scripture with scripture, we are given to know that the appearance of a man in verse 26 is Christ our Lord, who has overcome and sits on the throne of our hearts and mind.

Exo 24:10  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. 

From the above verse, we can see that the man Ezekiel saw sitting on the throne is the God of Israel, who is Christ our Lord. It is He who comes with His judgment as He sits in the throne of our hearts and mind.

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. 
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. 

As indicated in the previous study, the color amber is translated in many versions to mean polished or glowing metal. 

Eze 1:27  From the waist up, it was glowing like metal in a hot furnace, and from the waist down it looked like the flames of a fire. The figure was surrounded by a bright light,

What the polished or glowing metal of the Lord’s appearance from His loins upward and downwards in the midst of the fire signifies is that when Christ comes to us, He comes to initiate our fiery trials to remove all that contaminates our walk with Him so that we can be presented blameless before God.

Col 1:21  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

The brightness of the Lord’s coming is the fire of His words, or His judgement as indicated in the following verse:

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

This brightness of the Lord’s coming is compared to the appearance of rainfall after rain. In Genesis, the appearance of a rainbow was to serve as surety of the Lord’s promise that He shall preserve humanity and not destroy them with the waters of a flood. What this signifies is that the Lord’s judgment now in the lives of His elect and later in the age of the lake of fire is not to destroy us, His elect, and humanity through false doctrines (waters of the flood) but is a way of preserving us His elect to be used as instruments to preserve humanity from destruction later. This means the Lord’s judgment is for the salvation of His elect first and then later for the salvation of all flesh from Adam to date. In this verse, we are given to know the instrument that the Lord will use to save humanity – the truth of the word of the Lord and not false doctrines or the waters of the flood. This means that the Lord, through His elect, will burn every false doctrine in our hearts and mind. What we are therefore learning of the word of the Lord is not only for our salvation, but the salvation of our children, family, friends, etc. at a later time set by the Lord.

Gen 9:11  I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 
Gen 9:12  And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 
Gen 9:13  I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 
Gen 9:14  When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 
Gen 9:15  I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 

May the Lord help us to know Him more as we see the day approaching. Amen!!

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Awesome Hands - part 162: “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” - Discussion

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Awesome Hands – part 162

“Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?”

December 21, 2019

Circumcision is an important step in a Christian’s walk with the Lord. Often times it is easy to think of circumcision as a “one and done” type of situation, but being that circumcision is no longer an outward act that must be followed to be a child of God, we must look toward the inside of the cup to see where this act really gives its true purpose.

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

In our study today, I hope that the Word can be used to help us become closer to Him than we were yesterday while we cut away more of the old man in each of us.

We find ourselves in the camp of Israel with Joshua leading the people to the place of Gilgal. It is named Gilgal because of what happens today in our study.

The only time that hand is mentioned in our verses today is at the end of the chapter, but as always, I like to read the context of our story in our to help us understand why it is important for all us in 2019.

Firstly, we will read the verse containing the word “hand” and then we will read the rest to give us some perspective.

Jos 5:13  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
Jos 5:14  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
Jos 5:15  And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Now, I don’t know what you all are thinking, but that was a quick read. However, there is so much that can be inferred from those three passages. However, before we get to that I am going to read the beginning of the chapter to help us set the stage of Joshua’s encounter.

Jos 5:1  And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
Jos 5:2  At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
Jos 5:3  And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
Jos 5:4  And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
Jos 5:5  Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.
Jos 5:6  For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Jos 5:7  And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
Jos 5:8  And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.
Jos 5:9  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

It is no secret to a Christian that they must be circumcised, but we just read that circumcision is of the heart.

None of the children of Israel were able to enter into the promised land who disobeyed the voice of the Lord. In fact, they had to roam around in the wilderness until they all died.

It was only then, when the type and shadow of the old man died, that Israel was permitted to cross the river Jordan, being baptized in type, to then become circumcised as a child of God.

Once everyone was circumcised, there was a time of rest that took place. They didn’t suddenly go on a march to fight the giants of the land and the rest of the armies of Canaan. What they did was wait on the Lord as His people.

The Lord takes us where we need to be when we need to be there, and because this event happens here, the Lord tells the people He has “rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you” thereby naming the place “Gilgal”.

What a strange name at first glance. However, if you want to see the power of the work of the Lord throughout the generations of men, then this word “Gilgal” will help you do that.

H1537

gilgâl

Total KJV Occurrences: 41

gilgal, 41

Deu_11:30, Jos_4:19-20 (2), Jos_5:9-10 (2), Jos_10:6-7 (3), Jos_10:9, Jos_10:15, Jos_10:43, Jos_12:23, Jos_15:6-7 (2), Jdg_2:1, Jdg_3:19, 1Sa_7:16, 1Sa_10:8, 1Sa_11:14-15 (3), 1Sa_13:4, 1Sa_13:7-8 (2), 1Sa_13:12, 1Sa_13:15, 1Sa_15:12, 1Sa_15:21, 1Sa_15:33, 2Sa_19:15, 2Sa_19:40, 2Ki_2:1, 2Ki_4:38, Neh_12:29, Hos_9:15 (2), Hos_12:11, Mic_6:4-5 (4)

This word is always translated the same. So far so good.

H1537

gilgâl

BDB Definition:

Gilgal = “a wheel, rolling”

1) the first site of an Israelite camp west of the Jordan, east of Jericho, here Samuel was judge, and Saul was made king; later used for illicit worship

2) dwelling place of prophets in northern Israel about four miles

3) a region conquered by Joshua, site unsure

Part of Speech: noun proper locative

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: the same as H1536

The BDB defines this word to mean “a wheel, rolling”. Well, the word “wheel” immediately pops out to me, and the BDB says this word is the same as H1536.

H1536

gilgâl

BDB Definition:

1) wheel

Part of Speech: noun masculine

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a variation of H1534

Same Word by TWOT Number: 353j

H1536 means wheel as well, and it is used only in one place in scripture.

H1536

gilgâl

Total KJV Occurrences: 1

wheel, 1

Isa_28:28

Isa 28:28  Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

In the broader context, let us see what the Lord tells us in Isaiah 28:28 when put into context of the surrounding verses.

Isa 28:23  Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
Isa 28:24  Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?
Isa 28:25  When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?
Isa 28:26  For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
Isa 28:27  For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
Isa 28:28  Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
Isa 28:29  This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

It might be right about now that you are asking yourselves where this line of thought is coming from.

Give ear, hear the voice of the Lord, hearken and hear His speech! “For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him,” tells us that as God does this for the plowman, so He does it for all of His people, yay for all of creation for that matter.

What instruction does He have for us when He “rolls” away our reproach of Egypt from us and shows us where we are “rolling”?

Did you notice that H1536 is a variation of H1534? No, I suppose you didn’t since I just read right through that

Here is the variation, and I will read some of these for emphasis of the point. However, I will not read them all.

H1534

galgal

Total KJV Occurrences: 11

wheels, 6

Isa_5:28, Jer_47:3, Eze_10:2, Eze_10:6, Eze_23:24, Eze_26:10

wheel, 3

Psa_83:13, Ecc_12:6, Eze_10:13

heaven, 1

Psa_77:18

rolling, 1

Isa_17:13

Eze 10:1  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.
Eze 10:2  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.
Eze 10:3  Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.
Eze 10:4  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.
Eze 10:5  And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.
Eze 10:6  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.

And then we see this:

Eze 23:23  The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.
Eze 23:24  And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.
Eze 23:25  And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.

God has “wheels” as a burning fire, which He calls His people, but He also uses the physical “wheels” of the enemies of God to pass judgment on the people of God when they disobey Him. There is always a positive and negative.

Dan 7:9  I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
Dan 7:10  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

We shall all be judged, and with the judgment we are judged with, we as the fiery wheels of God, will execute that same saving judgment to others. For us to get to this point, we must become the people of God who “roll” the narrow Way to Truth and Life.

Why do I say “roll” the narrow way?

Jos 5:9  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled (H1556) away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

H1556

gâlal

Total KJV Occurrences: 20

rolled, 6

Gen_29:3, Gen_29:10, Jos_5:9, Job_30:14, Isa_9:5, Isa_34:4

roll, 4

Gen_29:8, Jos_10:18, 1Sa_14:33, Jer_51:25

commit, 2

Psa_37:5, Pro_16:3

occasion, 1

Gen_43:18

remove, 1

Psa_119:22

removed, 1

Isa_38:12

rolleth, 1

Pro_26:27

run, 1

Amo_5:24

seek, 1

Gen_43:18

trusted, 1

Psa_22:8

wallowed, 1

2Sa_20:12

This word is a verb and is translated the majority of the time as rolled or roll, but there are two times we see it translated as something quite different as the word “commit”.

Yes, this directly relates to our study today about the land which the Lord has brought us into as His people as He rolls way our reproach.

Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psa 37:5  Commit (H1556) thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psa 37:6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Indeed, we shall be spiritually fed with His Word. When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He give us the desires of our hearts.
Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Pro 16:2  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Pro 16:3  Commit (H1556) thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

This word commit is so powerful, especially when we compare it to its true intention and not only the English it has been translated into.

“Roll” thy way unto the Lord”, or “Roll” thy works unto the Lord, seems like a weird English was to say this, but it is the meaning behind this concept that makes it much more potent.

Here are a few of the times that this same word in, “rolled (H1556) away the reproach of Egypt from off you” is translated.

Gen 29:3  And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place.

Gen 29:10  And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

Isa 9:5  For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isa 34:4  And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

Psa 119:22  Remove (H1556) from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.

These events are all significant examples for us in the lives of the people of God, and that brings me full circle back around to Joshua and the three verses I said have significant things that can be inferred from them.

First, notice that there was a time-lapse between this circumcision event and Joshua seeing the captain of the host.

There was the first Passover in Canaan.

Jos 5:10  And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
Jos 5:11  And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.
Jos 5:12  And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

This would have been a significant change for all of these people. The “manna from heaven”, as they thought of it, never happened again. Their old ways and lives were indeed “rolled away”.

However, there is a new “rolling” that must take place. A “rolling” forward as the fire of the Word of the Lord in the hearts and minds of His people.

Of course, in this example of Joshua, it is a type and shadow of this mindset.

Jos 5:13  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
Jos 5:14  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
Jos 5:15  And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

It can be inferred that Joshua was alone. Why, because he lifted up his eyes and he suddenly sees a “man”. If Joshua had soldiers around him they would have immediately defended Joshua or minimally taken this man into custody given that Joshua was the leader of the people.

Joshua knows he must go to take Jericho, and he also knows the Lord is with Him. After all, we know we are told in Joshua 1:6 and 1:9 to “be strong and of good courage”.

Jos 1:5  There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Jos 1:6  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Jos 1:7  Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
Jos 1:8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Jos 1:9  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

I do not believe for one second that Joshua feared this “man” that suddenly stood before him with a sword in his hand. Notice it isn’t recorded that Joshua say this “man” as anything other than a man, but we can infer that he must have been able to deduce that this could be something other than a man.

Why do I say that? Well, there were many miraculous things that happened with Joshua is aware of that happened throughout the history he would have known about.

Joshua’s reaction is to ask this man if he is for the people of Israel or for the adversaries of Israel. Upon hearing the reply, Joshua immediately reacts and recognizes “the voice” of the one He is speaking with.

This whole study is focused on who we are to the Lord and why it is we should be strong and of a good courage.

When the Lord baptized us into His service, there is NO TURNING BACK to the Lord. You are His, and He is yours. Things always roll forward with the Lord.

When He circumcised you in your heart, He rolled away the reproach of your old man. The war of the flesh with the mind of God is already won, but we are just going through the motions of this war playing out as the birthing process is happening of the new man being born in us day by day, more and more.

I will leave you all with this thought concerning who you are in the Lord. Your worst enemy is yourself.

When we read Joshua 1:5, we should be jumping for joy, not for what we think is being said, but for what is being said to the new man in us that can rejoice that the Lord is indeed on OUR SIDE.

Jos 1:5  There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee

There is NO MAN that can stand before you, INCLUDING YOURSELF. The Lord is with us, He will not fail us and he will not forsake us.

Our flesh and carnal mind will always tell us, heck it will scream and yell at us, that there is no possible way we are the Lord’s and He is ours since we know every nasty and evil thing about ourselves, but do not believe it for a second. The Captain of the Lord's host fights with you.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 25 Discussion

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Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory

What are "the seraphims"?

We spent our entire last study discussing why it was "in the year Uzziah died", that Isaiah was given to see the Lord's high and lifted up throne within His temple, which was filled with His train. We saw in our study that we are the Lord's temple and that Isaiah as a type of us, was given to see the Lord's throne in the year Uzziah died because Uzziah was a presumptuous king whose way produced a leprous king. As such Uzziah typifies our own leprous condition as the presumptuous, proud, self-righteous, rejected anointed of the Lord who we all are before we die to that old man of sin.

King David signifies God's "very elect", but he is preceded by King Saul who symbolizes the Lord's rejected anointed. This is what David said to King Saul while David, God 'very elect' was fleeing for his life from King Saul, God's rejected anointed:

1Sa 26:23  The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee [King Saul] into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed.

King Saul had been told that God had rejected him and would replace him because of presumptuously disobeying the Lord's commandment to destroy all that pertained to the enemy of Israel. King Saul did not want to give up his kingdom just because he had presumptuously rebelled against the Lords commandment. Our old man within us does not want give up his kingdom and die. He really does not want to lose his kingdom, and he will not willingly die.

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 

We saw in the story of presumptuous King Uzziah another example of the Lord's rejected anointed. King Uzziah was stricken with leprosy and was cast out of the temple by the Lord's faithful priests. The message we are being given here is that those who see the Lord's throne within His temple are only those 'priests' who do not tolerate the presumptuous false doctrines of all who do not "tremble at the word" of God. Those few 'priests' who are granted to oversee the Lord's temple must be able and willing to "try the spirits" and to say boldly with Christ and with His Christ, "We are of God, he that knows God hears us: he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error":

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The message in those verses is the same as the doctrine of Christ when He told the established apostate church leaders of His day:

Joh 8:55  Yet ye have not known [the Father]; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

Those in whom the Lord dwells are His temple, and they are also those who make up His train, because His train is who He is, and this is who He tells us He is:

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 

Christ knows God. It is He Himself who tells us that He is living His life in us. Therefore the 'Jesus of Nazareth' who Saul of Tarsus was persecuting can boldly say with Christ: "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." Those who know God also know and recognize who are those who are not speaking the words of God, because they "try the spirits to see whether they are of God", and if they find any who are not speaking the words of  Christ, then they flee from that prophet who is spreading that false spirit, that false doctrine.

Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Those who are the temple of God, those who make up His train, know His voice, and the verses about these 'seraphims' we are examining today typify those who know how to distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error, and like Christ and John, they do not hesitate to say "We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

The different symbols of God's elect

Those who "know God" are symbolized by the temple in which God dwells, they are symbolized by His train, and they are also symbolized by the seraphims, the cherubims and the four and twenty elders which are within His temple and are around His throne.

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

The books of Ezekiel and the book of Revelation speak of ' four living creatures' and 'four beasts' being around the throne of God:

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. 

These 'four faces' are the same 'four faces' of the same 'four living creatures' which are also called 'cherubims', both here in Ezekiel and in Revelation:

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.

In Ezekiel 10 these same "four living creatures" are called "cherubims":

Eze 10:1  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.

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.

Just as in Isaiah's vision of the seraphims, the visions of Ezekiel in Ezekiel chapters one and ten and in the book of Revelation, all concern what is on and about "the throne" of God.

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.

Eze 10:1  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.

Rev 4:6  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. 

It is in Revelation 5 that these "four beasts", as well as "the four and twenty elders", inform us whom they symbolize:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

That is both an inward and an outward promise:

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the [inward and outward] world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

I remember as a child hearing of these 'seraphims' in the sermons which were preached in the church, and I asked my father, who at that time seemed to me to know so much about the Bible, "What is the difference between the cherubims and the seraphims? Both are said to be located in the presence of God. Both are in or near the throne of God, both have six wings, and both say "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." Why", I asked my father, "is one called 'seraphims', and the other is called 'cherubims'???"

Let's notice what we read here in Isaiah six about these 'seraphims' which we are told are "Above... the throne". "Above it stood the seraphims..." This is not to be taken as the seraphims themselves being more prominent or being superior to the Lord's throne. The Hebrew word translated here as the English word 'above' is 'maal', H4605, and it is the same word translated as "on high" in this verse:

Exo 25:20  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

So it is with these 'seraphims'. It is "the throne... the mercy seat" which is the center of the attention of these seraphims, and their entire existence centers "around the throne" just as do the 'cherubims' of Revelation 5.

Now let's notice how similar these words describing "the seraphims" here in Isaiah 6 are to what we are told about the "four beasts" in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ:

Rev 4:7  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.
Rev 4:8  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 

Both are "around the throne, [both have] six wings, [and both] say, Holy, holy, holy."

In seeking to know "the sum of [God's] word" (Psa 119:160) on this subject, going back to Ezekiel one, this is what we read of these exact same four beasts round about the throne of God in the book of Ezekiel:

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.

Each beast has with him an accompanying wheel, with which we are told:

Eze 1:14  And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. 
Eze 1:15  Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel [was] upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it.
Eze 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like a beryl. And those four had one likeness, and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel. 
Eze 1:17  When they went, they went in their four directions. They did not turn when they went. 
Eze 1:18  As for their rims, they were high and fearful. And those four had their rims full of eyes round about. 
Eze 1:19  And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Eze 1:20  Wherever the spirit was to go, they went; there the spirit was to go. And the wheels were lifted up beside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

All of that: "Wherever the spirit was to go, they went... for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels... a wheel within a wheel... running and returning as the appearance of a flash of lightning", has been interpreted so many different ways down through the years. Some who are not given spiritual eyes that see and spiritual ears that hear interpret "a wheel within a wheel [moving] as the appearance of a flash of lightning" to be some kind of a heavenly UFO operating as a gyroscope. Such speculations are as numerous as the individual imaginations of those who express their own interpretive speculation. A much more Biblical understanding of what we are being told here is this simple spiritual Truth:

Joh 14:20  In that day ye will know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Ezekiel one tells us of these four living creatures, "they had the likness of a man".

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.

But we are also told they each had four 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." Chapter ten reiterates that each cherubim had "four wings", but instead of the word "ox" we are told one of the faces was the face of a cherub:

Eze 10:14  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.

What this tells us is that the face of a 'cherub' of chapter ten, is the same as the face of the 'ox' of chapter one. 'Wealth', we are told, ' is by the strength of the ox', and the ox was the ultimate sacrifice one could offer to God. That is very likely why Israel made a golden calf in the wilderness and why Jereboam made two golden calves, one in Dan, in the north of his kingdom, and one at Samaria, in the south of his kingdom, to entice Israel into idolatry and to keep them from returning to Jerusalem and the temple there.

In Ezekiel chapter ten we are also told that both the wheels which were by the cherubims as well as the cherubims themselves were "full of eyes..." and the cherubims having "the form of a man's hand under their wings" is reiterated in both chapters:

Eze 10:8  And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings. 
Eze 10:9  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.
Eze 10:10  And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. 
Eze 10:11  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.
Eze 10:12  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.

These creatures are capable of looking all around in every direction within as well as looking all around in every direction without.  Here is the spirit full of eyes which is within these four creatures and their four wheels. Here is also the meaning of "a wheel within a wheel":

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Christ in us is the mystery of  "a wheel within a wheel... full of eyes" within us. It is Christ who tells us so:

Joh 14:20  In that day ye will know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

When Christ is in us we are "full of eyes... [within and without], seven eyes... the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."

Eze 10:12  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.

Eze 10:20  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.
Eze 10:21  Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
Eze 10:22  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.

Christ and all in whom He dwells are single-minded in their obedience to His and our Father. "They [go] every one straight forward... [they] turn not to the right hand nor to the left":

Deu 5:32  Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

2Ch 34:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. 

Pro 4:27  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

If these "four creatures" are Christ in us, then we will "remove [our] feet from evil... in this present evil world", and in time we will be given spiritual bodies as "the redemption of the purchased possession" at the resurrection, then we will be capable of 'running and returning as the appearance of a flash of lightning':

Eze 1:14  And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Even now, through His Father's spirit, Christ is within His people the world over. "As He is, so are we in this world" (1Jo 4:17). In Him we, too, are where we are needed, and we are there, and we return "as the appearance of a flash of lightning".

1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 

Why do the seraphims call to each other, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord?

Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

This is the spiritual meaning and the spiritual benefit of us telling each other that our holy Father is sovereign over all His creation, and that He is a loving heavenly Father who is working all things together for good after the counsel of His own will (Rom 8:28 and Eph 1:11). This is what that does for us.

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Audio Links

The Spiritual Significance of Biblical Locations – Part 7

Where is the Temple of God? Where and What are the Cherubim in the Temple?

2Sa 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

1Ki 6:17 And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.

Psa 11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

Num 7:89 And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.

1Sa 4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

2Sa 6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Introduction

God hears our cries “out of His temple”. His “house…is the temple”. His temple and His throne are “in heaven”. God speaks to us “from off the mercy seat… from between the two cherubims”, and we are told that He “dwells between the cherubims” which are within “the temple of God… in heaven”. The ark of His covenant is in His temple.

With all of this in mind, the apostle Paul was shown that God’s true house, His true temple, is nothing other than His people in whom He dwells. Here is what we are told:

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

For many of us, it seems only yesterday that we, along with so many others, were anxiously awaiting the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem as a necessary event that must take place before Christ could come back to this earth. I remember well quoting:

Amo 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

This prophecy is repeated by James at the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15:

Act 15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

How it is concluded that this prophecy proves that a physical temple has to be built before Christ can return is a mystery to me now, but I can remember well when it not even a question in my mind – the temple had to be rebuilt.

Will a physical temple be built in Jerusalem before Christ returns? Time will reveal whether that will happen, but even if it is built, that will not make it the dwelling place of God, any more that the re-establishing of the state of Israel has served to make the outward Jews who are there today the true Jews in whom Christ dwells. As hated as these words are by both Jews and Christians, they are still inspired of the holy spirit and are the Truth of God:

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Can an outward Jew be a Jew? Only if he acknowledges that being an outward Jew is in itself “but dung” in the mind of God:

Php 3:4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

In Christ a physical pedigree is of no value whatsoever, and being of the physical nation of Israel is now of no advantage at all. The chapter break between Romans 2:29 and Romans 3:1 has served to keep the Truth of Romans 2:28-29 hidden from the masses of Christians. This is no doubt by God’s design simply because He has come to make blind those who think they see (Joh 9:39). Nevertheless, Romans 3:1 is not a contradiction of the previous two verses and must be understood in the context of the revelation of the previous two verses, or it will be taken to mean the exact opposite of Roman 2:28-29.

Let’s put these verses all together without the chapter break and see what the holy spirit reveals:

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Rom 3:1 What advantage then hath the [inward (Rom 2:29)] Jew? or what profit is there of [spiritual (Rev 2:29)] circumcision?
Rom 3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

Our lack of faith in what God says does not change His Truth. The words ‘were committed’ in Romans 3:2 are also in the aorist tense and are a simple statement of fact, that the oracles of God are committed to those who are Jews and who are circumcised. Our lack of faith in Romans 2:28-29 will not change the Truth revealed there, any more than a physical Gentile who was disgruntled with the fact that God had a special physical relationship with physical Israel before Christ would change that fact. The phrase “were committed” is in the aorist tense because of the preceding statement that outward Jews are not Jews at all, and outward circumcision is not circumcision at all. Nevertheless, the oracles of God are still committed to spiritual Jews, who are now spiritually circumcised. The phrase “did not believe” is also in the aorist tense and is again a simple statement of fact without any regard to time. “What if some do not believe what Paul has just revealed to us?” If we refuse to believe that an outward Jew is not a Jew or that physical circumcision is not counted as circumcision by God, will our denial of these Truths change the fact that they are yet True? The answer is:

Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Those who are “the [true] temple of God” are diligently attentive and zealous to be obedient to the Words of God.

Ecc 5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

We “keep [our] foot when [we] go to house of God”, when we fear and tremble before Christ’s words concerning how we are to conduct ourselves within “the house of God”. We cannot do this unless we first confess that we are His temple:

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

“The house of God [is] the temple of God” and the temple of God is “the church which is His body”.

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of [the] Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

So the body in which Christ dwells is also the temple in which He dwells. That explains why we are called “His flesh and His bones” which continue to “fill up that which is behind of His afflictions:

Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Christ loves us as His flesh and His bones because we are His bride whom He loves as He loves Himself.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

God speaks “from between the cherubims”

How does God speak to His people? Does he do so only through the written word on a one-on-one basis? Or does God witness to His people “by the church”? Here is the short answer to this question for all who have eyes that see and ears that hear:

Exo 25:17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exo 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

God speaks to His people “from between the cherubims”. We see this phrase repeated throughout the Old Testament:

1Sa 4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

2Sa 6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

2Ki 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

1Ch 13:6 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.

Psa 80:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Psa 99:1 The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

Isa 37:16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

Eze 10:2 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.

Eze 10:6 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.

That “fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims” is the word of God:

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

So the fire that is “between the cherubims” and the “commun[ing] with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims” is one and the same: “my words in thy mouth fire“.

Here is our final verse containing this phrase:

Eze 10:7 And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim’s 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.

Compared with Exodus 25:22:

Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

‘All [the] things which [God] will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel’ are all His Words which will devour all the wood, hay and stubble within His people. The apostle Paul reiterates this Truth in the New Testament:

1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is [the doctrine and words of] Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire [“from between the cherubims”] ; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Where does God dwell? He “dwells between the cherubims”. He dwells in His temple, and “ye are the temple of God… the spirit of God dwells in you”!

Since you and I are now His people, how does God now communicate Himself and His doctrine to His people? The fact is that He still speaks to His people “from between the cherubims”. Here is how the apostle Paul summarizes all of these verses which tell us that God speaks to us from between the cherubim, from out of His temple, which is the abode of His spirit which “dwells in you”:

Eph 3:8 Unto me [You and me (Mat 4:4, Eph 3:10)], who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see [speak to “all men”] what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church [the cherubim (Rev 5:8-10)] the manifold wisdom of God,

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you [not just Paul].

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Notice the description of these four beasts in the book of Revelation:

Rev 4:6 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.
Rev 4:7 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.

These are the very same four beasts of Ezekiel 1 and Ezekiel 10:

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.

When we put this verse together with what we read in Ezekiel 10 we discover that the definition of “a cherub”, when no other form is specified is to be understood as “an ox”. Notice what we are told of these very same creatures in Ezekiel 10:

Eze 10:14 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.

Here in Ezekiel 10 “the face of an ox” is replaced with “the face of a cherub”, and yet the very next verse tells us this is the very same creature seen in Ezekiel 1:

Eze 10:15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

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.

“The heavens were opened” and Ezekiel saw this vision of the throne of God. Our heavens are being opened, and we are made to know that these four creatures are the whole body of one Christ. In Ezekiel each creature has all four faces, whereas in Revelation each creature is distinguished with just one of these four faces. What this tells us is that we are all within each other, just as we are all within Christ and His Father, and just as the seven churches are separate churches yet they are all within all of us, and the message to each church is also addressed to “He that hath an ear”.

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

In conclusion, here is how Christ Himself tells us that He is still speaking to His people “from between the cherubims”. Every time you see the words ‘thy’ or ‘thee’ or ‘church’, just substitute the word ‘cherubim’, those who “have [been] redeemed… to God by [Christ’s] blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev 5:9), and you will see how God is still speaking to His people “from between the cherubims”:

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Now let’s reword these verses to make them accord with the truth revealed to us in Revelation 5:9 by the four living creatures, the four cherubims:

Mat 18:15 Moreover if [a cherubim’s] brother shall trespass against [a cherubim], go and tell him his fault between [the cherubim] and him alone: if he shall hear [the cherubim], [the cherubim] hast gained [the cherubim’s] brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear [the cherubim], then take with [the cherubim] one or two more [cherubims], that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear [those cherubims], tell it unto the church [the cherubims]: but if he neglect to hear the church [the cherubims], let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

It is of utmost significance to know that God’s true ‘cherubims’ never speak or even “think above that which is written”:

1Co 4:6 Now these things, brothers, I applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us ye might learn not to think above that which is written, so that ye may not be puffed up, one over the one against the other. (ACV)

When we are careful to never “think above what is written”, it is not us, but Christ who continues to reiterate and strengthen the safety that is in these words “which [are] written” in Matthew 18:15-17 and which keep His cherubim from being defiled with the diseases of Egypt (Exo 15:26). To His cherubim, who have been redeemed to God out of every nation, Christ continues:

Mat 18:18 Verily, I am saying to you, Whatsoever you [cherubim] should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you [cherubim] should be loosing on the earth shall be those loose in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again, verily, I am saying to you that, if ever two of you [cherubim] should be agreeing on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it is they [the cherubim] should be requesting shall be coming to them [the cherubim] from My Father Who is in the heavens.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three [cherubim] are, gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them [the cherubim]. (CLV)

This is such an important doctrine of Christ, that He reaffirmed it to His ‘cherubims’, His disciples, immediately after His resurrection as it is recorded for us in:

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you [His cherubim].
Joh 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them [His cherubim], and saith unto them [His cherubim], Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Joh 20:23 Whose soever sins ye [cherubim] remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye [cherubim] retain, they are retained.

I pray that all these verses, “line upon line, and precept upon precept” have served to demonstrate that God is still speaking to His people “from between the cherubims”. He does not speak from a single cherubim, as some so emphatically affirm. Christ nowhere instructs His cherubim to operate independently of His other cherubim. Christ wants us to know that He has ordained that we are never, ever to so much as “think above that which is written” and that He has ordained for every word to be established only in the mouth of two or three witnesses, before we seek a multitude of counselors by telling it to the church. If after we “tell it to the church”, which is a hated doctrine of Christ if ever there has been one, then we are to let that brother or sister be to us as a heathen man and a publican if there is no repentance. To what end? Do we put a brother or sister out of our fellowship to humiliate them and to feel superior? No, of course not! Every true ‘cherubim’, every true disciple of Christ, knows that it is he himself who is ‘chief of sinners’, and he is humbled that Christ has seen fit to forgive him his unpayable debt. This is the reason why those who tremble at the Word of God refuse to allow a heathen man and a publican and a heretic into his spiritual house:

1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

“When you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “The power of our Lord Jesus Christ” is His Words in His cherubim, who are “Jesus of Nazareth” (Act 22:8) What a loving heavenly Father we have! If indeed He and His Son are living and dwelling within us, we, too, will be the first to “forgive from the heart” (Mat 18:35) a repentant brother or sister who has been brought by the dragging of the holy spirit “to the church” by whom they are made to see themselves, and to know they have sinned grievously and have been brought to repentance and to seek the forgiveness of Christ’s cherubim, His true disciples, by whom He had earlier spoken to them.

If ever we fail to follow Christ’s instructions here in Matthew 18, this is what we are solemnly warned:

Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? [Mat 18:15-17]
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

We will close this study on the location of God’s temple and His cherubim with Christ’s demonstration of how His true disciples react when our forgiveness is indeed “from the heart”. This is the spirit that is in us when Christ and His Father abide within us. This is how God has welcomed us back when we have repented and sought His forgiveness, and this is how you and I will welcome back any repentant brother or sister:

Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luk 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Luk 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luk 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

That is the spirit that is in the temple of God, which is within all in whom Christ dwells. That is the repentant and forgiving spirit which is within all in whom the fire of the Word of God has performed its purifying work.