Ezekiel 10:14

The Bible says in Ezekiel 10:14-15, “And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.[15] And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.” Ezekiel saw four faces: the face of a cherub, a man, a lion, and an eagle. Each of these is a creature that God created, and each has a prominent place in His creation. The cherubs are angelic beings that have the privilege of being near the throne of God. Man has the privilege of having been created in the image of God, and being given the earth to rule over. Man also has the great opportunity of knowing Jesus as Savior and Master. The lion is the king of the forest. The eagle is the king of the air and of all birds. The cherubim and the lions and the eagles fulfill their proper place in the creation just by being who they are. Man only fulfills his proper place by serving God through faith in Christ. O how much the Lord is able to accomplish through man. What a privilege it is to be used by God for anything, and He is going to let us reign with Him forever.

Verse 15 says that the cherubims were lifted up. This means that another force lifted them up. This symbolizes that they got their strength from God. They were able to go wherever they went by the poser of God. Christians are also able to go wherever God wants us to go by the power of Christ. We do not depend upon ourselves because we know that we have no strength. The Lord is our strength and our salvation. Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”

The Bible says in Ezekiel 10:16-17, “And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels turned also not from beside them. When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.” The key phrase is at the end of verse 17 that says, “the spirit of the living creature was in them.” This is similar to the New Testament teaching that every believer in Jesus has the Spirit of God dwelling in him or her. Having the guidance of the indwelling Spirit is what makes it possible for us to serve the Lord. It is called the law of the Spirit. The indwelling Spirit is how we live the spiritual life. To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace That is what it says in Romans chapter 8. It also says, “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” Be careful to go the way that the Spirit is leading you. If you do not, you will not be happy with the results, and you will definitely wish that you had.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 10:18-22, “Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.[19] And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.[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.[21] Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.[22] And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.” The first of verse 18 is a very sad phrase for Israel. It says, “Then the glory of the LORD departed…” God set Israel aside. God was going to use them as His witness in this world, but He could no longer do that. They turned away from Him so resolutely, they sinned against Him so greatly without repenting of their sins, and therefore the glory of the Lord departed. That is so sad because it is the ultimate disaster for life. We were born to serve the Lord. In our age we serve Him by trusting in Jesus for salvation, and then trusting Him every day. It is such a privilege to serve Him in this short and limited life. Each believer’s eternal existence will be altered massively and eternally depending upon how well and how much they served Jesus Christ. There are rewards to gain or lose. The Israelites had the glory of the Lord in the temple to symbolize God’s presence and guidance and help in their lives. Believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit. One great benefit of living under the new covenant is the fact that the Holy Spirit will never leave us. We want to make sure that we do not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit, but He will never leave us. That is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 11:1-5, “Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD's house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, the princes of the people.[2] Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:[3] Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.[4] Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.[5] And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.” Why were the men identified in these verses as wicked men? They were wicked because they gave a teaching that was not God’s teaching. God said the city was going to be destroyed if the people kept on in their sinful ways without repenting. These men were wicked because they rejected God’s message and preached a message contrary to the truth. They said that everything was going to be fine: “let us build houses.” In other words they were saying to go ahead and settle in and prepare for the rest of your long life. They were wrong. Everyone is wrong who goes against God’s Word. To go against God’s Word is the path of destruction.

Ezekiel was told in verse 4 to “prophesy against them.” We who serve Jesus are for the truth, but we are against falsehood and we are against false teachers. In the spiritual warfare that is life on this earth, there is nothing more important than the true teaching of the Word of God. Therefore, there is nothing worse than those who teach false religious teachings. Some of those false teachers are outside of official Christianity, and some of them are inside official Christianity. Beware. How do we combat those that are false? It says in verse 5, “Speak; Thus saith the LORD.” Teach the truth of the Bible. Preach the gospel. That is what the world needs. The Bible is the sword of the Lord. Use it to fight the battle.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 11:6-12, “Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.[7] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.[8] Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.[9] And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.[10] Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.[11] This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:[12] And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.” The Jewish people had become violent. That is a common consequence when people turn away from the Lord. One reason for that is because people who reject the Lord become very selfish people, and when you are very selfish, you always want your own way. And then you get angry when you do not get your way, and selfish anger easily turns to violence and murder. God said to the Israelites in verse 6, “Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.” Of course, that is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not kill.” Why did God give such a commandment? He gave it because He is the life-giver and only He has the right to take away that which He has given. Every human being has a God-given inalienable right to life. Once God gives life, He wants that person to face the full life of challenge and opportunity. God is hoping that they will come to know Christ as Savior and become the best that they can be. How great a sin it is when one human being takes the life of another. It is a sin against God, and against God’s will, and against God’s purposes. Israel had become a place of violence, and therefore God’s judgment was assured upon them. Today the whole world has become a place of violence, and one of the reasons for the return of Christ will be to end the violence. The Prince of Peace will do it. Even the lion will lie down with the lamb.

Part of the Israelites judgment was that their greatest fears would be brought upon them. God said in verse 8, “Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you.” One of the benefits of having Jesus as Savior is that we can throw upon Him all of our concerns and worries and fears. A Christian who is full of faith should fear nothing because we have the Lord. For another thing, most of what people fear will never happen anyway. You want to prepare where you can, but most of the negative things that people fear never happen. That being the case, most fears are a waste of human emotion. But in the case of the Israelites, God said that what they feared was exactly what was going to happen to them: the sword. In other words they would have war and violence and death and destruction.

In verse 12 God tells the Israelites why He is bringing this judgment upon them. It says, “And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.” God is God, and He wants everyone to know that He is God. That is one of the reasons that Jesus will return. Everyone will see Jesus: King Jesus. And everyone will bow down at His feet. The Israelites failed to keep the law. They did not walk in God’s statutes or God’s judgments. Once you fail to keep the law, then the law brings judgment. We are so fortunate that we are not under law but under grace through faith in Christ in the age in which we live. Why did the Israelites become so evil and go so far away from God and refuse to turn back to Him. In addition to the selfishness of their own hearts, they followed the example of the “heathen” that lived near them. You will either be a follower or a leader. You will either be a good example to the unbelievers, or they will be a bad example to you. You must have lines that you will not cross, and you must have standards. If you are going to be a Christian who stands for something and who remains faithful to Christ, you must have some backbone to you. This important Biblical principle is stated very well in Second Corinthians 6:14-18, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?[15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?[16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.[17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,[18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” In other words, be a leader and not a follower. Influence others for good instead of having them influence you for bad. That is a part of being a testimony for Christ and letting your light shine.

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