'The Four Living Creatures'
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April 14, 2013 |
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The Book of Revelation chapter 4 tells us that there is a rainbow around the throne, and there are seven lamps of fire and a sea of glass before the throne. In the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures. The Book of Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10 have detailed accounts of the four living creatures in very close proximity to the throne of God.
Before God created the earth and all things in it He created the spiritual realm and made angels and cherubim that serve God. They mainly do the jobs of escorting and guarding, the dragons and the four living creatures were the leaders, and they were always located near the throne of God. However, the dragons stood against God along with Lucifer, and they became evil spirits. Therefore, the four living creatures are the highest among the cherubim.
They have human form, and it means the general structure of the four living creatures is similar to a man that has a head, a trunk, and legs. Each of the four has four faces and four wings. The four faces of the four living creatures are of a man, a lion, a bull (Ezekiel 1:10) or calf (Revelation 4:7), and an eagle. The four living creatures have so many eyes that they can examine all things and they obey only the original voice of God the Trinity. Then, let's delve into it!
The Field that Each Four Living Creature Observes
The extent that one accomplishes the image of God
The man-like living creature examines the extent that each individual accomplishes the image of God the Father. To be more specific, it inspects the words that come out of the mouth of the individual. Just as said in Matthew 15:18, observing the words and behavior of people, it measures how much they restore the image of God.
The extent that one is strong and courageous
The lion-like living creature examines how courageous an each individual is when he is faced with hardship. It observes the children of God to see how firmly they keep their faith in a difficult situation, and how courageously they run their race of faith in the name of the Lord. For example, when they are threatened with death or persecution for their faith in God, the lion-like living creature checks whether or not they surrender. The lion-like living creature precisely examines whether they move on with the courage of their faith or if they retreat. It searches not only the outward appearance but also the inner heart precisely.
The extent that one engraves the Word of God in hearts and accomplishes it
The eagle-like living creature examines how indelibly an each individual engraves the Word of God in the depths of their hearts and how well they accomplish it. An eagle has excellent eyesight so that it can capture even a very small object at a far distance. In the same manner, the eagle-like living creature examines not only the outward appearance but also the inner heart. The best way to engrave the Word of God on your heart is to pray hanging on to the Word.
The extent that one works faithfully for the kingdom of God
The bull-like living creature examines the field of faithfulness. It examines if one joyfully fulfills his duty with love for God or he is forced to manage his duty because he feels obligated to do it. The way you gird yourself to constantly cultivate the field of your heart through fervent prayer is the most important way to show your faithfulness before God.
The Four Living Creatures' Unique Roles to Play
Man-like living creature The authority to command and move cherubim
The number of the cherubim in the spiritual realm is so huge that it is beyond description. And the four living creatures are the leaders of these countless cherubim. The four living creatures command these cherubim to manage every facet of the jobs of escorting and guarding. Among the four living creatures, the man-like living creature gives the orders to the cherubim.
Lion-like living creature The authority to control disasters and plagues
In the Book of Revelation by John, you can see the four living creatures are directly connected with the disasters that are brought upon this earth during the Seven-year Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:1, 15:7). When the lion-like living creature opens its mouth, a terrible disaster comes onto this earth. For example, the plague of fire in Sodom and Gomorrah was brought upon them as the lion-like living creature opened its mouth as described in Genesis 19:24. There is a scene in Numbers 16:32-33 that Korah and others received judgment. The lion-like living creature also supervises not only earthquakes or volcano eruption but also the plagues of diseases as written in 1 Chronicles 21:14.
Eagle-like living creature The authority to open and close the gates of heaven
The gates of heaven are the gates to enter the second heaven from the first heaven, where we are currently living. The gates of spiritual world are opened through the movement of its wings. As written in Acts 7:55, the gate of heaven was opened when Deacon Stephen was dying by the stoning and he saw the Lord standing at the right hand of God. The gate of second heaven also opened during the Flood of Noah. At this time, the fountains of the great deep in Eden burst open, and its water poured on into the earth as recorded in Genesis 7:11.
The bull-like living creature The authority to control the changes of weather in the first heaven
Gathering clouds, making rain come or stop, stopping rain, developing or dissipating typhoons (hurricanes), and causing lightning and thunder; these are all under the authority of this creature. Thus, disasters can be stopped anytime once the bull-like living creature works. If a righteous man who is after the heart of God prays for the change of weather with good purpose, God will give an order to the bull-like living creature.
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