Each year when August is almost over my Bible reading plan has me reading Ezekiel and Revelation at the same time. Although Ezekiel does hold a special place for me that doesn’t mean it’s still not a challenge to read. Frankly, if you were a fly on the wall, you’d have heard me groan a few times over the years when I reach Ezekiel and Revelation. I also find Revelation to be as equally challenging as Ezekiel. One thing that these two books have in common is visions. I’m a visual lifelong reader and I’ve dabbled as an artist as well and yet I still have a hard time wrapping my head around some of the stuff I read in these books.

Something that caught my eye today is Ezekiel’s description of the cherubim he sees in Ezekiel 1 and 10. We are given more descriptors in chapter 10 than we had from chapter 1. For example, “Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels” (Ezekiel 10:12 NIV). Oh, and if you didn’t notice, we didn’t know what the creatures were in Ezekiel 1. However, Ezekiel tells us “These [are] the living creatures [he] saw by the Kebar River (Ezekiel 10:15 NIV). What caught my eye here, no pun intended is that the creatures were covered in eyes. Everything else aside, that’s kinda creepy and also potentially very painful. I only have two eyes and I get dust in them sometimes when it’s very windy and, it’s often very windy here in Sacramento. Anyway, when I got to Revelation 4 today John is telling us about his vision and the four creatures he saw around the throne in Heaven. “They were covered with eyes, in front and in back” (Revelation 4:7 NIV).

If you’re like me then you’re probably wondering, “What’s the deal with the eyes?” Actually, I was wondering if those creatures in Revelation were cherubim since they too, had four different faces. Both creatures have the face of a man, lion, and eagle but the cherubim in Ezekiel also have the face of a cherub while the creatures in Revelation have the face of an ox. I briefly wondered if I was missing something about ox’s and cherubs but they are, indeed, different. Sometimes I can get the answer I’m looking for by comparing the same verse through different Bible translations but they all mention eyes without any further clarity. After jumping into some commentaries what I gathered about the eyes is that they represent being able to see everything.

We know that God is omniscient so it makes sense that these creatures, the cherub in Ezekiel and those in Revelation, are covered with “God’s eyes.” What I found very cool about the whole eye thing is what was going on in Ezekiel today. When you read Ezekiel 8, Ezekiel is at home sitting around with the elders of Judah. While he’s hanging out with the elders he is suddenly seized with a vision. He describes “a figure like that of a man” stretching out his hand and grabbing him by “the hair of [his] head” and lifting him up (Ezekiel 8:2-3). What you could easily miss is that Ezekiel 8-10 all happen as a vision.

This is where the eyes come in though. The spirit takes Ezekiel back to Jerusalem and shows him all of the detestable things that are going on there. Ezekiel is told “‘They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see” (Ezekiel 8:12 NIV). This motif is all throughout the rest of Ezekiel 8-10 and is really cool, I think when you’re thinking about the eyes of the Lord being in every place (Proverbs 15:3).

Another difference between the cherubs in Ezekiel and the creatures in Revelation is that the cherub actually has four faces on one creature while there are four separate creatures in Revelation that bear the faces of a lion, ox, man, and eagle. I don’t know about you but I realize it’s these sorts of details that I could miss out on when I’m thinking, ahead of time, that I might not understand what I’m going to read or think something like, “These are visions, how am I going to understand them?” The creatures in Revelation represent four different kingdoms, if you will, of the world. The lion for untamed animals, the ox for cattle, the man for, well, humanity, and the eagle for birds. They’re covered in eyes because God sees everything, and He’s also omnipotent. He also created these four kingdoms.

What we see in Revelation are the four creatures giving glory to God 24 hours a day declaring, “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come’” (Revelation 4:8 NIV). We know from Romans that all of creation is waiting to be released from the bondage of this world and we see creation worshipping God in Revelation (Romans 8:19-27). I think that’s cool.

Each day I get pumped up and excited to read the Bible and see what God has to say to me. Whenever I get an illumination like the one today it makes my heart swell with love and gratitude to the Father, and I’m reminded of His promise that when I seek Him I will find Him. That’s why we study His word, to know Him better.

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

Advertisement