![]() Each of the living creatures had four faces: at the front, the face of a man on the right, the face of a lion on the left, the face of an ox and at the back, the face of an eagle ( Ezek. 1:5-6, 10). In particular, I could not understand the matter of the four living creatures. The more I read this book, the more confused I became. When I was young, I could not understand the book of Ezekiel. If we try to interpret the visions in Ezekiel literally, we will not be able to understand them. The visions Ezekiel saw were absolutely related to God and to spiritual things and therefore should not be understood in a literal, physical way. These pictures are presented in the form of visions. Just as the Bible as a whole is a picture book, so Ezekiel as a miniature of the Bible is also a picture book, a book full of pictures. If we see this, we will realize how rich, profound, unlimited, and unsearchable Christ is. The whole universe is a picture of Christ. Because the universe with the billions of things and persons in it was created for the purpose of describing Christ, He, in revealing Himself, can find in any environment something to serve as an illustration of Himself. ![]() Even the pasture was created so that the Lord Jesus could use it as an illustration of Himself ( John 10:9). If there were no foxes or birds, Christ could not have compared His situation in His ministry to that of foxes with their holes and birds with their roosts ( Matt. 8:20). For example, if vines had not been created, the Lord Jesus could not have used a vine to describe Himself ( John 15:1). This means that the entire universe came into existence for the purpose of describing Christ. God’s intention in His creation is to use the things of creation to illustrate what Christ is. Actually, all the positive things in the universe may be used to portray what Christ is to us. For example, the sun symbolizes Christ as our light ( Mal. 4:2 Luke 1:78), and food symbolizes Christ as our sustenance ( John 6:35). For this reason the Bible uses many types, figures, and pictures to describe and portray spiritual things.Ī great many items in the universe are symbols of spiritual things. Furthermore, He uses signs and symbols to express abstract, mysterious matters. In His wisdom God uses visible, material things to describe invisible, spiritual things. Without the pictures in the Bible, it would be rather difficult for us to understand God and the spiritual things. Not only is God abstract, but all spiritual things are also abstract. God is Spirit, and as such He is abstract, mysterious, invisible, intangible, and unfathomable. The Bible is a book of pictures revealing to us God and the spiritual things. The Bible being a book of pictures that describe spiritual things As we consider God’s glorious visions in this chapter, we need to pay careful attention to all these matters. In addition to the four items mentioned above, the visions in chapter one include the four living creatures, the high and dreadful wheels, a sky as clear as crystal, God’s glorious throne, and the man upon the throne. These visions reveal what God expects man to be in relation to Him. The visions, which begin from the north, where God is, show us God in His will, plan, intention, work, action, and relationship with man. The visions in the book of Ezekiel begin not with man but with God. Spiritually speaking, everything we have depends on God’s being, vision, and manifestation and on our knowing God. The degree of our knowing God will determine both the degree of our spiritual experience and the situation of the church. Likewise, our service and the church affairs also depend on our knowledge of God. Those who know God can testify that our spiritual experiences are according to our knowledge of God. Genesis 1 begins with a word concerning God, and Ezekiel 1 opens with a glorious vision of God. Our spiritual experiences being according to our knowledge of God Fourth, out of the fire there appeared the glowing electrum. Third, there was a fire enfolding itself. Second, a great cloud came along with the wind. First, a stormy wind came from the north. This verse covers four main things: the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. In this message we will consider Ezekiel 1:4. The Wind, the Cloud, the Fire, and the Electrum
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