The End Times as God Reveals Them. Pt. 11 Cherubim: Worship Leaders in Heaven!

Have your eyes open today because John is going to tell us about some most remarkable living creatures who protect the throne of God and lead worship in heaven. 

Most amazing worship leaders.

Revelation 4:6-8  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. 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. 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. 

We already looked at the sea of glass in our last post and today I want to focus on the four beasts. These are not the beasts described in the book of Daniel because those beast look entirely different and they represent world governments. John will write about some beasts later in this book that we will compare with those described by Daniel. 

What are these beasts? The Greek word translated "beasts" is not much help as it refers to a living animal. I can tell you that there is a lot of speculation about the beasts but I do not think that we can go beyond what the text tells us about them. 

John gave us a vivid description of how they appeared to his eyes. He tells us that the beast have eyes all around them.  What John described is like four distinct living animals joined as one. One part looks like a lion, the second like a young bull, the third like a man and the fourth like an eagle. John adds that each of the four beasts have 6 wings around them. Such a living creature is very hard for us to visualize since there is nothing on earth that we can compare them to. 

However, we do have other prophets who saw very similar beings like the ones described by John.

Ezekiel's glimpse of God's Glory.

Ezekiel 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. 

This is part of a vision where Ezekiel saw Jehovah's glory. He saw fire, brightness and colors similar to what John saw. 

Living Creatures like those seen by John.

Ezekiel 1:5-14  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. 6) And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 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. 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. 9) Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 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. 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. 12)  And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. 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. 14) And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. 

Ezekiel also saw living creatures that share a lot of similarity with those described by John. They are four in number and they have the same faces of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. They also have six wings on each part of the living creature. 2 wings are raised up, 2 wings were joined to each other and 2 wings covered their bodies. 

Ezekiel described an appearance like burning coals of fire and an appearance like lamps that may correspond to the 7 burning lamps John saw at the throne. He also saw lightning like John did and the living creatures appeared to run out and then return like the flashes of lightning. They moved as one body and did not turn. 

Ezekiel also saw wheels and wheels within wheels which may correspond to the circular "rainbow" that John saw. Thus, there is much commonality between the four living creatures that Ezekiel saw and the four beasts that John saw.

These formidable creatures are Cherubim!

Ezekiel 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. 

Ezekiel also watched the glory of God leave the Temple on earth due to Israel's wicked ways. In Ezekiel 10:1-19, he describes a new living creature and then tells us that they are the same ones he saw in Ezekiel 1. In this text, the prophet tells us the formal name of the living creatures. They are cherubim.

The first time that we read about the cherubim in scripture is in Genesis 3:24 after Adam and Eve sinned. God put cherubim with a flaming sword to keep mankind away from the tree of life. It is apparent that the cherubim are omnidirectional in that they can go in any direction without having to turn. 

We have one more prophet who saw these same living creatures, the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah also saw the Cherubim.

Isaiah 6:1-3  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. 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. 3) And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 

Isaiah described the same living creatures and a different Hebrew word translated "seraphim" which is a word that means burning, fiery color. The powerful element that Isaiah adds is that he, like John, tells us what the Cherubim are engaged in. It is clear that they are closely connected to the glory of God, the throne of God and the worship of God. 

What a dynamic worship text we have here! "Holy, holy , holy is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." Jehovah Sabaoth is the object of such unfiltered, unrestrained praise. The name "sabaoth" refers to the innumerable numbers of angels in heaven and the Cherubim who are ready to spring into action at a word from Jehovah.   

John places his worship text within the context of eternity. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty" which is a phrase that connects to Jehovah Elohim of the Old Testament. 

Why are there 3 declarations of God being holy? It is because the Father, Son and Spirit are united in holiness. The Father is holy. The Son is holy and the Spirit is holy. The Godhead is holy.

Wholehearted Worship in heaven.

Revelation 4:9-11  And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 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, 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. 

In all the texts that we read in this post, it is very clear that the Cherubim are worship leaders at the throne of God. When they initiate worship and praise, the 24 elders fall down before the throne and cast their crowns at the feet of God. 

Revelation 4 ends with one more worship text. Johns recorded what the 4 Cherubim and the 24 elders proclaimed with much exaltation. God alone is worthy to receive glory, honor, and power because He is Creator, Sustainer and Governor of all heaven and earth.  

Thoughts to Ponder...

Now, what we have seen so far is that John is transported to heaven and into the throne room of the Godhead. He described some absolutely amazing things for us to ponder. 

We were introduced to the Cherubim first by John, then by Ezekiel and Isaiah. These marvelous beings are the clear worship leaders in heaven. They are powerful and majestic. They exude tremendous strength and awesome  ability. They are fully aware of all that goes on as suggested by their many eyes. They can move in any direction without turning. 

I think John painted this picture of glory, power, majesty and the overwhelming presence of God in heaven to encourage all believers. We will be in heaven one day because our Lord Jesus promised that He would return to earth, receive  us and take us to our heavenly home. He is preparing us for what we will be blessed to see and participate in throughout eternity. 

Also, going forward in this book we are going to read about the wrath and judgment of God being unleashed upon a world of Christ rejecters. It is good to remember that no matter what is happening on the earth, heaven is unperturbed as worship flows and praises are raised to the All Glorious God.

Are you ready to meet the Father in heaven? Are you thrilled thinking about falling down before the Lamb who shed His blood to free you from sin? Are you preparing to worship God with a new, glorified body that He will give us?

Bob