Christians and Bible Scholars: What is your interpretation of the visions of Ezekiel 1?

Ezekiel 1 was talking about Jesus. As the saying goes, "The old is in the new concealed; the new is in the old revealed." On the road to Emmaus, Jesus expounded to the two disciples in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself, beginning at Moses and all the Prophets. (Luke 24:27) This would include the book of Ezekiel too. Today, we believers in Christ depend on the Holy Spirit to unveil the glory of Jesus to us - "He will testify of Me" (John 15:26) and "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:14)

The description of Jesus in Ezekiel 1 also mirrors the description in Revelations 4. "The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle." (Revelations 4:7) The book of Revelations is highly symbolic, so we need to interpret them with reference to the rest of the Bible to look for consistency in the use of imagery. For I have learnt a rule of Bible interpretation that says we should never build a doctrine based on one verse or passage - there must be two or more passages to support a doctrine. "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established." (2 Corinthians 13:1, Deuteronomy 19:15)

In the four gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see four different portrayals of Jesus. Matthew portrays Jesus as the Messiah or the King - who is majestic and strong as a lion. Mark portrays Jesus as the Servant - who is untiring and diligent as an ox. Luke portrays Jesus as the perfect Man - who is homely and approachable as a human being. John portrays Jesus as God - who is divine and perceptive as an eagle. Our Lord Jesus is so awesome in His character and nature that it takes four different gospel accounts to portray the fullness of all that He is - meekness and majesty, steel and velvet, full of lovingkindness and compassion yet uncompromisingly righteous and holy. "He is altogether lovely." (Song of Songs 5:16) The more we behold the glory of the Lord, the more we will be transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

In view of such majestic and glorious presence, it is no wonder that those who met Jesus face to face in His glorified appearance were overawed and humbled, including Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and John who wrote "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death..." (Revelations 1:17-18)

Finally, the book of Ezekiel was written before the cross. Israel was under law, and therefore was subject to God's judgment for their disobedience. But the book of Revelations was written after the cross - Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. All our sins have been punished on the body of Jesus at the cross, and God's divine justice was satisfied with Jesus' perfect payment. So we are living under the new covenant, where God said, "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12) So in John's heavenly vision, we see Jesus with a rainbow on His head and His face was like the sun, shining with God's favour. (Revelations 10:1, Numbers 6:25)

The rainbow was first mentioned in Genesis 9 - a sign of God's everlasting covenant that He would not flood the earth anymore after the Flood because the judgment was already carried out on all corrupted flesh. Noah's ark is a picture of Jesus Christ, who keeps and protects believers in Christ from the judgment of God. In Isaiah 54, which comes after Isaiah 53 that talks about Jesus' finished work of redemption at the cross, God said, "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so I have sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke (or condemn) you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you." (Isaiah 54:9-10) This passage applies to believers in Christ, because it ends with "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me" (Isaiah 54:17) We receive the gift of righteousness through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17) And we walk in no condemnation because we are in Christ. (Romans 8:1) So the rainbow is God's sign telling us believers that there is no more judgment for us, and He will never be angry with us nor condemn us, because all His fiery anger and righteous indignation fell on His Son at the cross when He was carrying our sins 2,000 years ago. (It would be unjust for God to punish the same sins twice.) We are living in the age of grace, and God's final judgment on those who rejected His Son has not yet come until Jesus comes back for His bride - the church.

First, the four creatures are defined by the author of Ezekiel himself as angels (cherubim) - so there is no need to conjecture on that. Claiming that their faces indicate their character, on the other hand, is sheer supposition. They appear to act identically in Ezekiel.

Similalry the wheels and the "eyes". Though perhaps he is not completely wrong with regard to the eyes - it may be that they are not symbolic at all. Again, sheer conjecture on his part.

Henry sees the "rainbow" as symbolic of covenant because of Noah. Again, sheer conjecture. I always thought Ezekiel was giving an exacting description of things that he actually saw - not at all like the symbolic vision of Revelation (though Ezekiel is not without symbolism).

Ezk 1:28 uses the tetragrammaton - so this is not Jesus, but the Father.

Conclusion: judging by what you have presented, I think Henry took a lot of liberty with his interpretation. Although there are parallels with his ideas elsewhere in Scripture, that does not mean that those parallel concepts apply to Ezekiel! I still feel that Ezekiel, unlike John of Revelation, was describing what he actually saw as opposed to a dream vision.

Another possilibity: if you examine the description minutely, the four creatures in chapter 1 resemble nothing more closely than modern aircraft! They are identified as angels (cherubim) later in Ezekiel. Perhaps he was having a literally visual prophetic vision of modern, winged, wheeled aircraft?

Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/

As with any literary genre, one must come to a place of full understanding of that genre BEFORE one can truly understand what that writer means. We read a cookbook different than we read the want ads.

We rarely have documents before us that are remotely like the prophetic anthologies of Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the 12 minor prophets. The intertwining of apocalyptic, narrative and prophetic writing using allegorical poetry is enough to confuse anyone other that the most devoted scholar.

Such is why there are study Bibles and commentaries. Trying to discern the Bible on your own without revelation - cannot be done.

This is what makes the Bible so intriguing. There is an interpreter at your disposal - if one is so willing.

Suzanne Your in slight error. The house of Israel will be gathered together to the land. The house of Israel is both Judah (the Jews) and Ephriam (the so called lost ten tribes) As it pointed out in Ezekiel 37 he will rejoin the two houses and the animosty between the two houses will be no more. I repeat and go check this out, It is not the Jews who are to be gathered but The House of Israel. That would be all 12 tribes not just the tribe of Judah Benjamin and the Levites who became known as the "Jews" . Secondly the believers in Yahshua do not replace Israel but are "grafted into Israel." It has always been so. Even before the Israelites became a nation those "strangers" or foriegners who joined themselves to YHVH were accepted and became as one of the native born. It was not even allowed for it to be mentioned that they were not native born. So far the Jewish Government of Israel will not allow non-Jews to do alliah to the nation of Israel. I believe this will change soon however. I see a war brewing against the Jews and I see the Palastinians being ejected as a result of the war. I think at this time because of the work of the Messianic community in Israel that our Jewish brothers will open up the land to believers and a large portion of those are Israelites and just don't know it. Also many non physical but spiritual Israelites will be allowed into the land. The second part of your question is of course Edom. Quite frankly there will be punishment of Moab and Ammon too, the sons of Lot, and that corrisponds to modern day Jordon. Esau or Edom I believe is Modern day Saudi Arabia. It is the east wind that withers. It is also the seat of Islam. It will be judged and judged very severly. It really is as simple as taking a look at a map of the times and seeing where the nations were. I'm thinking that the radical islamist in particular will most likely be the decendents of Esau/Edom. This was the simple answer the long answer would never get read but I'd love to discuss this with you at length if you so wish. I sincerly hope that your "rabbi" isn't passing this nonsense of the idea that "Jewish" means all of Israel. If he is you need to look to your only real rabbi, Yahshua Messiah. Edit: I do not believe in replacement theology either. I believe that many of the Western European countries are decendants of the origianal ten lost tribes. I'm just saying that many of them have become christian. And why not? The would have ancient tribal memories even if submerged of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob of whom Jacob made them swear on his death bed would always be their God. I know "rabbis" with a lot of degrees too. Sister, and I mean that most sincerely, It is by the power of the spirit that we understand the scripture not by the amount of sheepskin we hang on our walls. God calls the foolish and the simple. Not many wise men are called. I've found that most educated people way overthink the scripture.

1 "The thirtieth year"... Either of the age of Ezechiel; or, as others will have it, from the solemn covenant made in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josias. 4 Kings 23.

5 "Living creatures"... Cherubims (as appears from Ecclesiasticus 49. 10) represented to the prophet under these mysterious shapes, as supporting the throne of God, and as it were drawing his chariot. All this chapter appeared so obscure, and so full of mysteries to the ancient Hebrews, that, as we learn from St. Jerome, (Ep. ad Paulin.,) they suffered none to read it before they were thirty years old.

1 [1] The thirtieth year, which corresponds to the fifth year of exile (Ezekiel 1:2), has never been satisfactorily explained; possibly it refers to the prophet's age. The river Chebar: probably a canal near Nippur, southeast of Babylon, one of the sites on which the Jewish exiles were settled.

2 [2] The fifth day of the fourth month, the fifth year: July 31, 593 B.C.; cf Ezekiel 1:1.

3 [4] The North: the abode of God; see notes on Job 37:22; Psalm 48:3. Electrum: an alloy of gold and silver, used here for some undetermined bright metal.

4 [5] Four living creatures: identified as cherubim in Ezekiel 10:1-2(20-21).

5 [8-22] Note the changed order of the verses and the omission of the textually uncertain Ezekiel 1:14, 21. Such changes also occur elsewhere in this book.

6 [22-23,26] This symbolic description of God's throne is similar to that in Exodus 24:9-10.

7 [26] One who had the appearance of a man: God appearing in human form (Ezekiel 1:28); cf Exodus 33:18-23.

I agree with that interpretation, we read in Revelation the four living creatures who praise God continually.This is what Ezekiel saw.

God Bless.

Ezekiel seen a spaceship and a angel get out. He called this angel a 'man', never once calling him a spirit. Ezekiel stated he seen gleaming amber' which comes out to the Hebrew word ' Chasmal' which is a golden brown metal. Ezekiel seen a craft coming down from the sky. Yahweh's angels fly in spaceships or what is modernly called alien UFOs. It wasn't just four creatures it was strange objects flying in the sky, and the only thing Ezekiel could call them was creatures because that was in his vocabulary. It was some sort of morphing golden UFO.

The faces are I believe;

man- god created man in his image

lion- the king of beast. god is supreme

Ox- The ox is strength

eagle- Is the swiftest flying bird

All the eyes is the all seeing God.

The actual meaning of this I do know. I am so sorry I can't tell you it though.

None of the people on here are Bible Scholars. There are only Trailer Park Theologians.