Ezekiel--a Throne with Wheels (study notes)

Imagine someone being born blind, never having seen the multitude of people, forms, and colors we look upon in everyday life. How could we describe to them this visual world we experience? In a similar way, none of us have ever seen God and none of us have ascended into heaven (Jn.2.) Yet, there are descriptions of visions written down by the prophets; these are rare glimpses into heaven itself. Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, and others were given these special views into heaven. It often came in the form of prophetic visions, dreams, and spiritual revelations. These occasions give us a lens to look into the celestial unknown to what is normally unseen and it is made visible to us. This realm is vastly different from what we are familiar with. It is a place of radiant glory and splendor.


Consider these questions concerning the visions we will be looking at: Why were there cherubim and wheels under the throne in Ezekiel's vision or on the throne that Daniel saw? What is the meaning of the cherubim surrounding the throne that the apostle John beheld ? There is something about this that perplexes the imagination. For one, it may be that it is unusual for a wheel to be associated with our modern view of a throne .

These wheels were first revealed to Ezekiel. At the beginning of the book, Ezekiel the prophet states he had visions of God . He wrote as he looked " a whirlwind came out of the north" (v-4.) In the distance he saw an immense storm cloud flashing like fire. In the center of this he saw what looked like four living creatures. Their appearance was the form of men , but each had four faces and wings . Each had the face of a man ,an eagle, a lion ,and an ox. These creatures moved about and had wheels beside each of them . These glowed of burning fire and were full of eyes and awesome in appearance. " (Ez. chp.1)

He described over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of a firmament or dome shining like crystal. The thunderous sound he heard was like the voice of the Almighty. He wrote, " Then I looked ,and behold ,on the firmament that was covering the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in form resembling a throne; and seated above this was a likeness as it were of a human form . And upward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were gleaming bronze, like the appearance of fire enclosed round about ......Like the appearance of a bow that is in a cloud ... such 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 the voice of one speaking ." (v-26-28)
And he said to me " Son of man , Stand upon your feet and I will speak to you ....I send you to the people of Israel, to a rebellious house... And you shall speak my words to them whether they hear or refuse to hear ." ( ch.2) In this is a message from the throne.

Ezekiel starts relating what he saw with the phrase " the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God " ( v-2. ) It is the Lord who opened a window in order for the prophet to see. Obviously, this imagery of the heavenly realities describes something very different from what is normally seen in the natural world. Ezekiel used the closest words he knew of to describe these things. God himself is allowing the prophet to peer into the very deepest chamber of his dwelling . We have doors and partitions to separate what is public from private. The heavenly realm is normally invisible, but visible to those whom God allowed this spiritual insight.

To get to the answers mentioned above involves a step on the part of the reader to think beyond the natural world. It also requires us leaving stereotyped popular views of the heavenly realm and looking at it afresh , objectively from a prophetic Biblical view; from the descriptions inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The prophet related what he was given to see in the form of similes. His words can only go so far, and beyond that it is truly indescribable. His vision takes us to the edge of the circle . Although all these things were literally seen and these were real living creatures , could it be that much of this passage was meant to be understood in a figurative sense? This fuller meaning can only be brought to light by carefully applying other relevant scriptures.

" Likeness " of a throne
It should be said as this point that all the descriptions of the throne and cherubim wheels etc , are only representations. Describing the indescribable. Sometimes they are 3 steps removed from the true heavenly realities. Such was the "appearance" of the " likeness"of the " glory "of the Lord. Thus how awesome the real manifestation must be. The Apostle Paul said he was caught up in the third heaven and saw things that ought not to be described. God doesn't inhabit a physical location or seat in some earthly way, but these are simply distant approximations of heavenly realities. He doesn't materially ride a throne with wheels, however the cherubim are real and he is enthroned upon them. God's glory is so incredible that even a distant approximation of Him is awesome.

It is helpful to try to get a mental picture of what is occurring in these passages. Images convey meanings . When the words of Scripture where penned, it had a purpose for all time (both for then and now.) The Lord could have had Ezekiel simply see some ornate chair throne and went on with the narrative, but there is much detail. Perhaps we have an advantage due to our modern technology with its movies and special effects and science fiction. Yet other things are lost; the cultural significance and the language issues and meanings of words .

God is a God of self- revelation and He reveals himself to his servants . The Lord manifested himself to Ezekial in an awesome way and gave him a message. It is also interesting to note that Ezekiel had this vision just prior to a very significant event, the destruction of the first temple and the total exile of God's people to Babylon. Another question to add is why were the cheribum and the wheels shown at all? What's the point ?

What is happening ? Let us proceed with some primary observations. Imagine assembling many pieces of a puzzle. Like a detective searching out the truth of a mystery, often it is helpful to first look at passages inductively, gathering the known facts, before trying to interpret its meaning or application .


The Cloud
The vision is brought forth out of the midst of a distant storm cloud, a whirlwind. This has relevance for often the Lord would appear and manifest himself in a cloud and the storm. This was sometimes referred to as a glory cloud "the Shekina" (refs. ) Also, in a related way throughout the Old Testament the Lord's presence would visibly manifest in a " storm theophany ." The cloud would represent his glory when seen .
The closest comparable O.T. account of God being "seen " is found in the book of Exodus. In that passage Moses went up to mount Sinai. The Lord visited him in a glory cloud of fire and smoke. Amidst thunder and lightning God's awesome voice made the mountain tremble. Moses, Aaron and the elders "went up, and they saw the God of Israel ;there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone like the very heaven for clearness ." (Ex-24) One ancient historian (Josephus) wrote that Moses actually saw the throne and the cherubim.


THE GLORY OF THE LORD (like on Mount Sinai )
Ezekiel was a priest and thus was allowed to behold the manifestation of God's presence (like those who saw it at the Tent of Meeting. ) This cloud is described in increasing detail as the vision progresses. It is as if the lens is zooming in and showing more and more of the detail. It is unfolded before the eyes of the prophet. Initially, out of the fiery storm cloud the prophet sees four strange creatures with different faces and multiple wings.
They are identified as the cherubim (Ez-10) and we further read the glory of the Lord (in human form ) is enthroned upon them .
This form upon the throne is the personification of the Lord's Glory, none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 1.14,Col. 1.15. ) Here the Lord upon the throne speaks to the prophet and commissions him to speak to the Israelites .

The MESSAGE
This whole vision precedes Ezekiel being given a message . In a time of exile and unfaithfulness, God is sending warnings through the prophets. The Israelite's rebellion is compared to "briers and thorns" (Ez.2.6 .) The turning away from God to other things is a significant point as we shall see later . The human heart in scripture is compared to a field (Mk.4:7. ) As we shall examine this concept later, the heart that is to bear fruit unto God oftentimes gets choked by the thorns . "Today when you hear his voice , harden not your heart."
Ezekiel went on to describe that beside each of the living creatures was a wheel . He relates how they followed every movement of the Living creatures . "Their appearance was like coals of fire ; like torches ... fire moved back and forth from among the creatures ; it was bright ,and lightning flashed out of it . The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning .v-14 The wheels touched the ground; each was like a " wheel within a wheel " and "all four were full of eyes all around .."


PRAISE !
He hears a sound ; the sound of the wings of the cherubim and the sound of the wheels. He hears it as this sound, "May the glory of the Lord be praised." The sound of wheels is like a rumbling sound (V-13.) "Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place" (WEB.) The sound of their wings and the wheels was said to be like "the sound of the voice of the Almighty when he speaks " . The sound from the cherubim ( similar to the rush of a mighty wind in Acts 2 ) bring forth praise to God . We can see that these cherubim are associated with giving praise and glory to God . It is part of their nature . In other chapters of this writing we shall see this as a very important part in understanding these beings . They are beings of worship.

The prophet is overwhelmed by the Lord's glory and then compelled to then deliver a message to the people . The Lord is speaking to them in a foreign land. God allowed some of the prophets glimpses of his glorious throne and when this happened it was a sign that God was about to do something very important . In the third chapter Ezekiel is lifted up by the Spirit of the Lord. It should also be noted that God's Spirit came into the prophet, empowering him to proclaim His word. Throughout the Bible there is a close connection between God's word being spoken by someone and God's spirit being involved .

In the ninth and tenth chapter we read of a further vision of this throne:
"Then I looked, and see, in the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2He spoke to the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling wheels, even under the cherub, and fill both your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city. He went in as I watched. 3Now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. 4The glory of Yahweh mounted 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 Yahweh’s glory. 5The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. 6It came to pass, when he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim, that he went in, and stood beside a wheel. 7The cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took of it, and put it into the hands of him who was clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8There appeared in the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their wings. 9I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like a beryl stone. 10As for their appearance, the four of them had one likeness, like a wheel within a wheel. 11When they went, they went in their four directions: they didn’t turn as they went, but to the place where the head looked they followed it; they didn’t turn as they went. 12Their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, werefull of eyes all around, even the wheels that the four of them had. 13As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels. " (WEB.)
Burning coals
------The angelic servant is told to take fire from "among the wheels and scatter it over apostate Jerusalem," which had turned to idolatry . They were marked off for temporal retribution . Then fire came from the wheels . The fire from wheels was the source of what was to happen to The City which was suppose to bear God's name . A destruction by fire was coming upon (Jerusalem. ) After persistently turning from God and remaining in unbelief, it reached a point where no remedy was left; a point of no return . God in his sovereignty from his throne can decree this. He was abandoning his house. Later we read that the Glory of God departed from the temple. It left what was supposed to be God's habitation, because of wickedness (Ez10.18.) Our God is a jealous God and won't abide with competing affections.
The rebellious people, like the thorns and thistles, are separated out. In other passages (Ch. 6,7,8 ) it speaks of them being given over to the sword (refs.)

A Unity
The cherubim and the wheels are bound together . There seems to be a total unity of the two . As the Cherubim went , rose, stood still , so did the wheels . Practically every characteristic of the two are the same . Both were full of eyes .The fire said to be between the Cherubim was between the wheels . The sound of the wings was like the sound of the wheels, "like the voice of God Almighty." It would seem that this a case of them reflecting divine attributes ? We also read that creatures moved "like a tumult of an army..." The Lord is often referred to as "The Lord of host " (of the armies of heaven. ) Here a military concept is introduced .


The Lord was enthroned upon the Cherubim and wheels. (They are all 3 together.) Put simply, all three are together including the manifestation of the glory of the Lord. " What is being portrayed is a throne of fire coming out of the storm . Upon this throne is the Glory of God on a moving platform (some sort of vehicle.)
An ancient Jewish understanding of Ez 1 was that Ezekiel beheld the Merkabah, the Lords chariot-throne. Hence the word as we shall examine later in more detail.

In all the passages in Ez. we have a great contrast between God's holiness and pure glory visiting a people and their stubbornness, idolatry and abominations. Contrast provides clarity, because by the one we can see the other clearer . The light shines in the darkness , like the lightning at night . The Lord is exposing what was thought to be hidden in the hearts of these men by His spirit (Ez 8.3,4.) At the holiest place in God's sanctuary was an image that provoked jealousy . It was an abomination that brought a desolation to God's house.

The cherubim were led by the spirit (EZ. 1-20.) It is the spirit of living creatures (their nature) that is animating the wheels. This raises questions . Here the line between animate beings and inanimate objects is blurred. " Spirit " is associated with the living. Wheels are typically inanimate. There also are basic immediate questions that come to mind. They seem to be literal beings as the others in the narrative are, but is there merely symbolism or an allegorical message in it ?
Could the wheels be an inanimate representation of the Spirit of God like the 7 lamps on the lampstands in Revelation and Zechariah? In those passages an object describes the vessel of the person of God's Spirit.

The " Whirling " wheels
Concerning the meaning of the wheels we see in chapter 10 our first significant clue as to what the wheels are called themselves. 12Their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes all around, even the wheels that the four of them had. 13As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels. (WEB)
Ezekiel heard them being called the "whirling "wheels "! . The two Hebrew words for wheels are as follows: 1-Owphan (Str 212), 2-GALGAL (STR-1534.) The latter also means " whirlwind "or swirling chaff " (FTN.) In this passage both words are used . Here the Scripture itself is telling us what they are like. The adjective is very helpful (as we shall later see. ) We also note the meaning of the words "spirit and wheels" being a common association with the the wind . The "spirit" of the living creatures was in the wheels. " (Hebrew word -" Ruach " can mean wind or spirit.) The words for wheel as noted earlier also can mean the whirlwind. Also the living creatures and the throne of Glory came out of the whirlwind .

Though all these things are a start, we aren't told the whole meaning of the wheels . We will now go to other ways of approaching the meaning through passages in other parts of scripture that shed light on this mystery. We will also interpret the obscure from the simpler passages .

Summary =
God revealed his throne to the prophet . We read of these strange creatures and this awesome vision. These come out of a whirlwind theophany cloud , out of the fire . They had the form of men and their wings all touched one another. Their unity was in that they went together, like lightning , full of eyes. Wherever the spirit went, the wheels went. The wheels are "of" the throne , though the Glory of the Lord dismounted from the throne at a point in the narrative (chapter 10.) God revealed himself to his wayward people .

The Lord came to his people in exile and the idolatry that Ezekiel witnessed by the elders of Israel was confronted and exposed. Holiness cannot endure wickedness . When the moving throne came to this , after all the warnings, only a judgment of fire could happen.
Yet, out of grace He did not leave them abandoned . He offered them promises of restoration .

In the quest to apply other relevant Scripture , we shall backtrack a little and get some more foundational understanding and context. The throne , cherubim and the Spirit are closely linked with the "whirling " wheels , so in a sense they cannot be interpreted in isolation - though there is some uniqueness. At this point it would be appropriate to first understand the cherubim ," for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. "

(Which will be the subject of the next Blog "The Cherubim of Glory ")

Blessings ,
Tom