Eze 1:28
I Want Some of That
Read the chapter with the following outline:
I. \\#1-3\\ Introduction
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.
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the
fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,
3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto
Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land
of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the
hand of the LORD was there upon him.
A. Ezekiel was the prophet. He was likely giving us his age as
being 30 years old, just coming of age to serve as a prophet
for God.
B. He was a captive of the Babylonians. No doubt some taken in
one if their first conquests.
C. He was sitting beside the River Chebar when God gave to him a
vision.
II. \\#4\\ Ezekiel saw a supernatural whirlwind.
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.
A. The very fact that a whirlwind was being commandeered by God
would indicate something of His power and presence.
B. The whirlwind came from the north.
1. North is a direction often associated with God.
2. \\#Is 14:13\\ When Satan wanted to ascend to the heavens
and be like God, he said he would place his throne on the
"north" side of the mountain.
3. God could have sent His judgments upon Israel from any
direction, but Scripture repeated shows God calling them
from the north—even when the countries that He used were
not directly north of Israel. (Assyria, Babylon, Persia)
4. \\#Lev 1:11\\ God had the Burnt Offering killed on the
north side of the altar. One writer side the most holy
sacrifices were always slain on the north side of the
altar while the less holy ones could be slain on the
south or east sides.
https://philologos.org/__eb-ttms/temple05.htm
C. The whirlwind itself seemed to either have a cloud surrounding
it or appeared to be more like a cloud as it grew closer.
1. It was a cloud but it was also a fire. \\#Ez 13:22\\
2. It infolded upon itself indicating that it did not need
any other thing to feed it or to keep it alive.
D. It had a brightness about it.
1. It gave off a light.
2. Perhaps it radiated with God’s glory.
E. The cloud was the color of amber which means the colors of a
fire: orange, yellow, red.
F. And fire itself seemed to come out of the middle of the cloud.
G. This whirlwind was not God. This was nothing more than the
covering of God, but it was glorious and impressive to
behold.
III. \\#5-14\\ Four creatures (Read verses 5-10 first.)
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.
A. I cannot not get a visual picture of these creatures.
Eze 1:6 And every one had four faces, and every
one had four wings.
10 As for the form of their faces, each had the
face of a man, all four had the face of a lion
on the right and the face of a bull on the left,
and all four had the face of an eagle.
B. \\#6,10\\ They each had four faces.
1. Each face was different.
2. Each face pointed in a different direction.
a. This pointing in different directions seems to be so
that the creatures would never have to turn.
b. That will be emphasized several times in this vision.
c. To turn indicates a change.
d. God never changes and everything in this vision
demonstrates that.
C. \\#6,8-9, 11\\ They had wings—several.
1. \\#8\\ They had some on each of their four sides, I
suppose for the sake of flying.
Eze 1:8 And they had the hands of a man under
their wings on their four sides….
2. \\#11\\ Two covered the creatures’ bodies, I suppose for
modesty’s sake.
Eze 1:11 Thus were their faces: and their wings
were stretched upward; two wings of every one
were joined one to another, and two covered
their bodies.
3. \\#11\\ Those wings were stretched upward, I suppose to be
always ready to go.
4. \\#11\\ Two of the wings of each creature were joined to
other creatures, I suppose to show their oneness.
D. \\#13\\ Like the cloud, these beings gave off light,
Eze 1:13 As for the likeness of the living
creatures, their appearance was like burning
coals of fire, and like the appearance of
lamps: it went up and down among the living
creatures; and the fire was bright, and out
of the fire went forth lightning.
1. They are described as coals of fire and lamps that had a
brightness to it.
2. But it was a moving light that ran up and down them.
3. And the light was bright and went from their bodies like
lightning.
4. It appears the light pulsed up and down the creatures’
bodies, bright as it moved, shooting thin beams of light
from their bodies but leaving a glowing light after it
had passed.
E. \\#14\\ These creatures were fast, moving as fast a lightning
itself.
Eze 1:14 And the living creatures ran and
returned as the appearance of a flash of
lightning.
F. These beings were not God. They were nothing more than God’s
servants who drove His carriage.
IV. \\#15-21\\ Wheels inside of wheels (Don’t read.)
A. They must have looked like some kind of gyroscope.
B. They never turned.
C. The same spirit that was in the creatures to direct them also
directed the wheels.
D. The creatures and the wheels moved in unison no matter which
direction they went.
E. These wheels were not God. They were but the wheels of God’s
carriage.
V. \\#22-25\\ Firmament
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.
A. Firmament means an expanse or a space. There was a space
over the wheels and the creatures but it was not an empty
space.
B. \\#22\\ It was like crystal.
1. Crystal is clear but not like glass. It is frosted. It
was opaque, not transparent.
2. So one could see through it but only in the broadest of
terms.
C. \\#23\\ There were more wings, I suppose belonging to the
creatures or perhaps even attached to the wheels of the
firmament itself.
Eze 1:23 And under the firmament were their
wings straight, the one toward the other: every
one had two, which covered on this side, and
every one had two, which covered on that side,
their bodies.
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.
D. \\#24\\ And they were loud as they firmament must have rested
upon whatever had the wings.
E. This firmament is not God. It is but the floorboard of His
carriage.
VI. \\#26-28\\ 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.
A. \\#26\\ First, we see God’s throne.
1. It looks like stone the color of sapphire.
2. Sapphire can be several different colors but the most
common seems to be blue, the color of royalty.
B. Then Ezekiel sees the figure of God.
1. \\#26\\ He has the appearance of a man.
2. \\#27\\ He can make out the colors of amber: red, orange,
and yellow.
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.
3. And He had the appearance of a fire all the way up and
down Him.
4. And it was bright.
5. \\#28\\ There was what looked like a bright rainbow
round about Him.
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….
a. The rainbow is a symbol of God’s promise of mercy.
b. The repeated reference to amber and fire are symbols
of God’s judgment.
c. God had come and was moving in this world to judge
Israel but still the rainbow spoke of God’s offer of
mercy and forgiveness!
C. And this was the "glory" of God as God appeared to Ezekiel.
Eze 1:28 …This was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the LORD…
D. This was God’s manifestation of Himself to Ezekiel.
VII. And Ezekiel fell (not bowed, but fell) to the ground! Why?
Eze 1:28 …And when I saw it, I fell upon my
face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
A. Perhaps Ezekiel fell in awe and wonder of God.
1. Twice the Bible tells us to stand in awe of God.
\\#Psalm 4:4, 33:8\\
Ps 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all
the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
2. And why shouldn’t puny man stand in amazement and wonder
while even considering the presence of God?
3. I want some of that awe, enough to always desire to enter
His presence, to read His Word, to share Him with others.
B. Perhaps Ezekiel fell in fear of God.
1. Some mistakenly believe we do not need to fear God.
1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood.
Fear God. Honour the king.
2. What about all the "fear not"s in the Bible?
a. Is that a contradiction? It is more a fine balancing
act.
b. We must not be so afraid that we dread Him but we
neither should we ever be so comfortable that we
presume upon Him.
3. If mortal flesh ever saw this holy God, there would have
to be fear.
4. I want some of that fear, enough to never handle God’s
Word without reverence and devotion, to never ignor God’s
leading, to love God supremely.
C. Perhaps Ezekiel fell to worship God.
1. There is no indication that Ezekiel expected or asked to
have this encounter but with it upon him, did he feel
the pull to worship God?
2. I want some of that, enough to want to attend church, to
seek God out and praise Him, to hunger for His presence
day and night.
I want some of that. Do you?
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