06 June 15, 2014 Ezekiel Chapter One, When Your World Crumbles

WHEN YOUR WORLD CRUMBLES
EZEKIEL CHAPTER 1
June 15, 2014
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
USA
Malachi 3:10
10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.”
What’s the number one thing?
http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608004121869748387&pid=1.7
1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.

J. Vernon McGee
Thru the Bible Commentary, Vol. 25: Ezekiel.
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991.
A Prophet for our Time: Ezekiel by Chuck Missler
Adventuring Through the Bible by Ray Stedman
The Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) - Old Testament
Revelation 4
The Throne Room of Heaven
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And
the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying,
“Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat
on the throne. 3 And He Who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in
appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like
an emerald.
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-
four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their
heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and
voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven
Spirits of God.

6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the
throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and
in back. 7 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. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around
and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
http://www.biblefood.org/holycast.jpg
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him Who sits
on the throne, Who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before
Him Who sits on the throne and worship Him Who lives forever and ever, and cast their
crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”

EZEKIEL
CHAPTER 1
The story of Ezekiel is the story of human life and the book begins with a
tremendous vision of God, because all life starts with God.
God is the greatest fact in existence!
Anyone who wants to think logically about life must always begin with God.
That is where the Bible begins.
http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608028422806504002&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0
 This book of Ezekiel begins, then, with a mystic vision of God.
 The glory of the prophet Ezekiel was that he saw God more clearly than
any of the other prophets.
 If your heart needs to be set on fire by the revelation of the character and
glory of God – then study Ezekiel.
 He is the prophet who saw the great glory of God!
The book opens dramatically with the vision that Ezekiel saw by the River Chebar
(kebAWR), in the land of Babylon:

Ezekiel 1:1-4 NKJV
Ezekiel’s Vision of God
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of
the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar (kebAWR), that the
heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month,
which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,
http://www.temkit.com/08-Bible-Prophecy/Knowing-Prophecy/images/captivek.jpg
3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi
(booZEE “my contempt”), in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar
(kebAWR); and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great
cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and
radiating out of its midst like the color of amber (golden), out of the midst of the
fire.
Ezekiel 1:1-4 NKJV
In his captivity, Ezekiel lived at the River Chebar (kebAWR), which was the great
shipping canal branching off from the Euphrates above Babylon.
http://ehsworldstudiesjackoboice.wikispaces.com/file/view/riversofcush.jpeg/158270521/riversofcush.jpeg

http://atlantipedia.ie/images/AncientSumeria2.jpg
 Used for irrigation, it was the primary settlement location of the Jewish
captives.
 Rivers became a place they regularly gathered for prayer (see Acts
16:13).
Acts 16:13
13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer
was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met
there.
Apparently Ezekiel was there interceding with the other captives when the Lord
called him to his new ministry.
http://i39.tinypic.com/ehly0o.jpg
Isaiah was worshiping in the temple when God called him (Isa. 6); Paul &
Barnabas were engaged in worship at Antioch when they received their call
(Acts 13:1-3).

When Ezekiel went to the prayer meeting, it was just like any other day; but the
Lord made it a turning point in his life.
We never know what a difference a day will make when we're in the right place
in the path of duty.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qKfTmDgd0iY/UrDFIM62orI/AAAAAAAAAWo/2Ttp31mx15c/s1600/right+place+right+time.jpg
In Ezekiel 1:2 one of the last kings of Judah, Jehoiachin (598-597 B.C.) has been
taken captive by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24:15) and lived in exile in Babylon.
King Jehoiachin's life is the best illustration of the maxim:
"During prosperity a man must never forget the possibility of misfortune; and in
adversity must not despair of prosperity's return" (Seder 'Olam R. xxv.).
http://s2.hubimg.com/u/6070285_f248.jpg
In verse 3, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel in the form of a vision, and the
hand of the Lord laid hold of him and claimed him for special service.
The word of the Lord brings enlightenment and the hand of the Lord brings
enablement (see Ephesians 1:15-23).

http://eisakouo.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/hand-of-god.jpg
Ephesians 1:17-18 NKJV
17 “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His
calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”
Romans 5:1-2 NKJV
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through Whom also we have access (Hebrews 4:16) by faith
into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV
15 For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need (when your world crumbles).
Romans 5:3-5 NKJV
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation
produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.
There are not enough containers in the whole world to hold all that love.

In Ezekiel 1:4, what was significant about the windstorm coming from the north?
http://withfriendship.com/images/h/36506/into-babylonian-captivity.jpg
Because of the weather patterns, storms usually came from the N or the NW and
because of geography, invasions from empires other than Egypt always came
from the N.
Like a windstorm, this was the direction one could look to for God’s judgment to
come, since the Assyrians and Babylonians both invaded from that direction.
 Ezekiel saw bright light around the cloud and an enfolding fire, like molten
metal, within the cloud.
 Both are reminders of the holiness of God, for “our God is a consuming
fire”.
http://shadowness.com/file/item7/185151/image_t6.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E_Kj7gF6OsU/UkEeKcCtmRI/AAAAAAAAfeI/OH0Z-jQFZQo/s1600/Christ+return1%5B1%5D.jpg
Ezekiel 1:5-14 NKJV
5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their
appearance: they had the likeness of a man. 6 Each one had four faces, and
each one had four wings. (Seraphim have 6) 7 Their legs were straight, and the
soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color
of burnished bronze. 8 The hands of a man were under their wings on their four
sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. 9 Their wings touched one
another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight
forward.
10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four
had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on
the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their
faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one
another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And each one went straight forward;
they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they
went.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning
coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the
living creatures. The fire was bright and out of the fire went lightning. 14 And the
living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.
In Ezekiel 10:15 and 20, Ezekiel identified the living creatures as the cherubim,
heavenly creatures first mentioned in Genesis 3:24.

Genesis 3:24 NKJV
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden
of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the
tree of life.
http://www.live4god.org/Adam_and_Eve018.jpg
Cherubim are mentioned throughout the Hebrew Bible (O.T.) and once in the N.
T. in reference to the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Hebrews 9:5).
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQckUVQaEChPp4zt76eaECMYXXyxjpJwFVud7fx9CVDyYAUTlE65g
Hebrews 9:3-5 NKJV
3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the
Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant
overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the
manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it
were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we
cannot now speak in detail.
The four living creatures had the body of a human, straight feet like that of a calf,
four faces and four wings, with human hands under the wings.

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608001914272023731&w=242&h=182&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7
Of special interest are their four faces: a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezek.
1:10).
http://sunshineinthestorm.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/fourlivingcreatures.jpg
Man is the highest of God's creatures, being made in the image of God.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MQ_V6W8oQos/Too0jH3c_jI/AAAAAAAAAFI/oNaiTWx5I5U/s1600/creating_adam.jpg

The lion is the greatest of the untamed beasts of the forest, the King of the
Jungle.
http://incrediblesnaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Forest-Lion-by-greg-du-toit.jpg
The ox is the strongest of the domesticated beasts of the field.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQDXsPxFAOqJKv4Tq2GzB5YmSvipM5NbkUHdwfbVw42if04kS2mjA
The eagle is the greatest of the birds and is even a picture of God (Deuteronomy
32:11-12).
http://funbaz.com/wallpapers/birds/eagles/downloads/eagle-for-cliff-063.jpg
But there is also a connection here with the covenant God made with Noah (and
with us) and with every living creature after the Flood (Genesis 9:8-17).
Genesis 9:8-10 NKJV
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me,
behold, I establish My covenant with you (man) and with your descendants after
you (that would be us), 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds
(eagle), the cattle (ox), and every beast of the earth (lion) with you, of all that go
out of the ark, every beast of the earth.

The presence of the cherubim before the throne of God is assurance that God
remembers His promise and cares for His creatures.
This, then, is a revelation of the greatness and the majesty of God told in
symbolic form.
We can't interpret all of this, because there is much mystery about the person of
God.
http://trueknowledgeorg.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/blog-mysteryofgod.jpg
What Ezekiel sees is the power and the majesty of God.
It is interesting that the four living creatures setting forth the character of God are
always described as having the faces of a lion, a man, an ox, and an eagle.
Throughout all of history these living creatures have symbolically represented
certain qualities of God’s character.
 A lion is always a picture of sovereignty, of supremacy---"the king of the
beasts."
 A man is the picture of intelligence, of understanding.
 An ox is always the symbol of servitude, of sacrifice.
 And an eagle is the symbol of power and deity, of soaring over all
creation.

Now the significant thing is that the four gospels present exactly these same
qualities in Jesus Christ.
He appears first in the Gospel of Matthew as the King---the lion, the king of
beasts, the sovereign of all.
He appears in the Gospel of Mark as the servant, the ox.
In the Gospel of Luke, He is man in his intelligence, in his insight, in his
understanding of life.
And in the Gospel of John He is deity (the eagle).
These four reflect the character of Jesus Christ.
Now, even though Ezekiel doesn't understand this, even though he doesn't
perceive the significance of his vision; he saw nonetheless the glory of God in
the face of Jesus.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T_pwKfo5X1Q/TVHVTdyrJ9I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/F4Pl4CameaM/s1600/king_of_glory.jpg
2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV
6 For it is God Who commanded light to shine out of darkness, Who has shone in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.
http://wordincarnate.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/transfiguration2.jpg

Exodus 34:29-30, 35 - the skin of Moses’ face shone
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mWEBwrcpjyw/URZfQ7K36kI/AAAAAAAAAq8/uKlJqtFkYf0/s1600/GraceToGlory.jpg
God reveals Himself through Christ and through us!
Ezekiel saw clearly the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel 1:15-21 NKJV
15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth
beside each living creature with its four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels
and their workings was like the color of beryl (BER-əl),
http://gehnabazaar.com/images/imagesite/green_beryl_round_280x280.jpg
and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it
were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KhKeQaL9Nnw/TnZQqtW2I7I/AAAAAAAABH4/SRF4MG2vfhA/s1600/WHEEL-WITHIN-WHEEL.jpg

17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not
turn aside when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were so high they were
awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them. 19 When
the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living
creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Wherever
the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels
were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the
wheels. 21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and
when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with
them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
These wheels looked like a yellow or greenish-yellow precious stone; they were
very high, as though reaching from earth to heaven, and their rims were
awesome and full of eyes.
It was indeed an awesome sight, the huge wheels, the living creatures, the
enfolding fire, and the eyes in the rims of the wheels.
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r289/TruthisAlive/THE-RIVER-THRONE-VISION.jpg

So they could move with almost the speed of light.
Their movement was like a lightning bolt - the appearance of a flash of lightning.
Ezekiel is limited to using human language - trying to describe their
appearance.
http://www.lovingjustwise.com/09_1pr6a.jpg
 This is the third time Ezekiel mentions this, so it's obviously quite
remarkable to him.
 He has not ever seen anything like this on the earth.
Ezekiel’s vision of the four wheels dramatically illustrates the omnipresence and
omniscience of God.
These wheels were associated with the “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:4), who
were later described (Ezekiel 10:5, 20) as cherubim, angelic beings appointed
as guardians of the holiness of God.
http://pastoralin.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/The-Holiness-of-God-2009-National-Conference.jpg
Most Biblical scholars hold to the idea that the Spirit of God gave direction to the
wheels through direct knowledge of and access to the will of God.
(Instant obedience)

The wheels symbolize the omnipresence of God, while the eyes on their rims
suggest the omniscience of God, seeing and knowing everything.
This vision appeared to Ezekiel as a powerful imagery of movement and action
demonstrating the characteristics of God’s divine nature.
Ezekiel’s vision presented God as being on a chariot-like throne, His glory both
supreme and immanent, existing in and extending into all the created universe.
As such, the whole revelation by God in this vision to Ezekiel, i.e., the cherubim,
the chariot, the Spirit, and the wheels, emphasized their unity and coordination.
As terrifying as this vision was, it vividly displayed the majesty and glory of God
(Ezekiel 1:28), Who came to Ezekiel and the children of Israel in the midst of their
Babylonian exile.
It reminded them of His holiness and power as the Lord of all creation during
their darkest days.
The message was clear: though His people were in exile and their nation was
about to be destroyed, God was still on the throne and able to handle every
situation!
The lesson for us today is that, through His marvelous providence, God moves in
the affairs of all nations to work out His own unseen plan, always at work,
intricately designed, never wrong, and never late (Romans 8:28).
 He is not going to have any losers on His team!
Romans 8:11 NKJV
11 But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His
Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:14-18 NKJV
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you
did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father (Daddy).” 16 The Spirit Himself
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then
heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that
we may also be glorified together.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:22-23 NKJV
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs
together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the
adoption, the redemption of our body. (We have to groan to be grown)
Romans 8:26-39 NKJV
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we
should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He Who searches the hearts knows
what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He
also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified,
these He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against
us? 32 He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how
shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge
against God’s elect? It is God Who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It
is Christ Who died, and furthermore is also risen, Who is even at the right hand of
God, Who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any
other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:26-39 NKJV
Of the many fascinating Scriptural descriptions of heavenly things in Ezekiel's
vision, this one of chapters 1 and 10 is by far the most stunning and complex.
The prophet had to describe in the Hebrew language what he saw, which was so
incredible and foreign to his experiences as a human.
The Apostle Paul explained our limited vision and understanding of spiritual
things:
1Corinthians 13:12 NKJV
"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but
then I shall know just as I also am known."
The description is full of the splendor of flashing light, so brilliant that the details
are minutely revealed, but so dazzling that they are not clearly seen.
The "rings were full of eyes" (verse 18).
Since men's eyes are for seeing, and man is made in the likeness of God
(Genesis 1:26), we can safely assume that they are meant for the same.
The great number of eyes on the rings may portend or symbolize how great is
God's awareness and direction of events.
22 The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like
the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. 23 And under the
firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had
two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other
side of the body. 24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the
noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an
army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from
above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let
down their wings.

In Ezekiel 1:22, what is the firmament of crystal?
This likely is the sea of glass, as clear as crystal, mentioned in Revelation 4:6.
 This awesome expanse looked like sparkling ice (crystal) and stood over
the heads of the cherubim.
 Now we get an almost total picture: a heavenly chariot with four wheels,
moving quickly from place to place at the direction of the Lord.
 As it moved, the noise of the wings of the cherubim sounded like the noise
of great waters coming together, "like the voice of the Almighty," and like
the sound of a mighty army (Ezekiel 3:13; 10:5; Psalm 46:3; Revelation 1:15;
14:2; 19:6).
The mobility of the wheels suggests the omnipresence of God; the eyes, His
omniscience; and the elevated position, His omnipotence.
Ezekiel was beholding a representation of the providence of God as He worked
in His world.
But one more item remained.
26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in
appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness
with the appearance of a man high above it.
http://polination.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/sea-of-glass-like-crystal-or-sapphire-tilework.jpg
27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color
of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the
appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire
with brightness all around.

http://www.spiritwatch.org/throne.jpg
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the
appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the Lord.
http://www.gracedoctrine.org/prepschool/2ndcomingofjcpt6_files/image004.jpg

throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone” (v26)
http://www.beadsmanufacturers.com/product/95674.jpg
the throne was azure blue
“on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high
above it.”(v26)
http://esdotcarter.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/ezekielsvision2.jpg

“His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber” (v27)
http://thepalmbeachcandlecompany.com/images/amber.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3093/3175868244_a8fc1c488e.jpg
Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud (v28)
http://www.truthforlife.org/static/uploads/daily051013.png

The sapphire throne had a rainbow around it (covenant grace).
http://newheavenonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sky.jpg?w=640
http://newbreedmovement.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/rainbow-around-the-throne.jpg
Noah saw the rainbow after the storm (Gen. 9:13-16), the Apostle John saw it
before the storm (Rev. 4:3), but Ezekiel saw it in the midst of the storm - in control
of the storm.
Revelation 4
The Throne Room of Heaven
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And
the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying,
“Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat
on the throne. 3 And He Who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in
appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like
an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I
saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of
gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings,
and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are
the seven Spirits of God.
6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the
throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and
in back. 7 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. 8 The four living creatures, each having six
wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night,
saying:
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him Who sits
on the throne, Who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down
before Him Who sits on the throne and worship Him Who lives forever and ever,
and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”
http://harshikaram.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rainbow.jpg

In His wrath, God remembers mercy (Habakkuk 3:2b).
Habakkuk 3:2b
2b O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy.
Ezekiel realized that he was beholding the glory of the Lord (Ezek. 1:28), and he
fell on his face in awesome fear (Ezekiel 3:23; Daniel 8:17; 10:9, 15, 17).
The "man" he saw upon the throne was a preincarnate appearance of our Lord
Jesus Christ. (See Ezek. 8:2 and 40:3.)
http://sapphirethroneministries.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/sea-of-glass-like-crystal-or-sapphire-tilework.jpg
In Ezekiel 1:28, what is the glory of the Lord here?
This is also called the "Shekinah glory", and was manifested by the brilliant
appearance and general awe that surrounded God’s throne.
The wheels depicted God's omnipresence and the eyes His omniscience.
Here the throne speaks of God's omnipotent authority.

http://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2011/08/omnipotent.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X-PiJwkIiDs/T7m5NNvZ-PI/AAAAAAAAE5g/rV7UTXx89tI/s1600/Omnipotent.jpg

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http://transforminggrace.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/throne-of-glory-justice-and-grace.jpg

The glory of the Lord is one of the key themes in Ezekiel (3:12, 23; 8:4; 9:3; 10:4,
18-19; 11:22-23; 39:21; 43:2, 4-5; 44:4).
The prophet will watch God's glory leave the temple and go over the Mount of
Olives, and he will also see it return to the kingdom temple.
Because of Israel's sins, the glory left the temple; but God's promise is that one
day the city of Jerusalem and the temple will be blessed by the glorious
presence of the Lord.
The city will be called “Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).
http://spiritualbattleground.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/7-jehovah-shammah.jpg
The greatest reward a person can ever have is the presence of the Lord!
Now we can begin to grasp the message that God was giving His prophet.
 Though His people were in exile and their nation was about to be
destroyed, God was still on the throne and able to handle every situation.
 He is above the storm!
 In His marvelous providence, He moves in the affairs of nations and works
out His hidden plan.
 Israel wasn't the victim of Babylonian aggression.
It was God who enabled the Babylonians to conquer His people and chasten
them for their rebellion, but God would also bring the Medes and the Persians to
conquer Babylon, and Cyrus, king of Persia, would permit the Jews to return to
their land.
Romans 11:33 NKJV
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

No matter what message God gave him to preach, or what opposition arose
from the people, Ezekiel would be encouraged and strengthened because he
had seen the mighty throne of God in the midst of the fiery trial.
He had seen the glory of God!
END — Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) - Old Testament
BEGIN RAY STEDMAN
Ezekiel 1:5a NKJV
5a Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures.
And he describes these creatures to us.
Each had four faces---the faces of a man, an eagle, an ox, and a lion.
These four faces turned in every direction, faced every way.
After he saw the four living creatures, he saw certain wheels.
These are described in an old song:
"Ezekiel saw a wheel, way up in the middle of the air; the big wheel ran by faith
and the little wheel ran by the grace of God, a wheel in a wheel, away in the
middle of the air."
Ezekiel saw that these wheels were turning, one wheel within the other.
As he watched he also saw a firmament above, shining in splendor, and above
the firmament, as he lifted his eyes higher, he saw a throne. And on the throne
sat a man.
 Now, if you have read the book of Revelation you will recognize great
similarities to what John saw.
 John also saw four living creatures.
He, too, saw a throne, and on the throne a man.
26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in
appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness
with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His
waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of
fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I

saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the
appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of
the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory
of the Lord.
Then in chapters 2-9, Ezekiel moves quickly into prophecies at great length that
have to do with the failure of man.
Ezekiel 2:4-5 NKJV
4 For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and
you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 As for them, whether they hear
or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that
a prophet has been among them.
Ezekiel 5:7-8 NKJV
7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience
more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes
nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the
nations that are all around you’— 8 therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I,
even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of
the nations.
Ezekiel 8:16 NKJV
16 So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the
door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about
twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces
toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun.
Ezekiel 10:18a NKJV
18a Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple
Ezekiel 11:23 NKJV
23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the
mountain, which is on the east side of the city.
As Ezekiel watches in visions, he sees the glory of God departing from the
temple in Jerusalem, leaving the inner court and moving to the outer court, and
then rising and moving out to the Mount of Olives, and rising up from there.
Of course, this prophecy was fulfilled when our Lord moved out of the temple,
down across the Kidron Valley, up the side of the Mount of Olives, and into the
Garden of Gethsemane.

And later, after the crucifixion and the resurrection, He ascended from that
mountain into glory.
God sends the message to His people through Ezekiel that the reason His glory is
departing is because they have not followed Him but the world around them.
Ezekiel 11:12 NKJV
12 And you shall know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes
nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the
Gentiles (the world) which are all around you.
But God always carries out His plan that involves forgiveness and grace and
love for those who do follow His ways.
17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will gather you from the peoples,
assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give
you the land of Israel.”’ 18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its
detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will give them one
heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their
flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and
keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be
their God.
At this point there comes a lengthy passage where Ezekiel traces the
degradation of man, the result of men's rejection of God's grace.
And he tells how God struggles with those people, calling them; how He tries to
win them, to waken them to the foolishness of turning their backs on the glory of
God.
At last they go through times of difficulty and heartache and punishment, as
God seeks constantly to bring them to their senses, to waken them to what they
are doing---to show them that man is made to fellowship with God and that
without God he only goes farther and farther into weakness and folly and
degradation.
Here you find the reasons why man is debauched and degraded, and Ezekiel
sets forth the righteousness of God's judgment.
When man chooses to avoid the God Who made him, what else is there but
judgment?

If we neglect God, Who is utterly essential to our being, and we refuse to give
heed to His love and His grace, then the only thing left for us is to experience the
results of turning our backs to Him.
The prophet sees through all the judgment that came upon this people, he sees
through to the forces behind.
In chapter 28 there is a remarkable passage where the prophet speaks about
the judgment upon the land of Tyre and Sidon.
He speaks of the prince of Tyre and, behind him, an individual whom he calls the
king of Tyre.
Most Bible scholars have recognized that, because of the height of vision from
which this prophet speaks, he is talking not only about the actual prince of the
city of Tyre---the man who was then on the throne in that seafaring city---but he
is looking beyond him and the visible things of Tyre, to that sinister individual he
calls the king of Tyre.
This king symbolizes what are referred to in the New Testament as principalities
and powers, the world rulers of this present darkness who manipulate things on
earth and cause events we see recorded in our daily newspapers.
In other words, these are the Satanic powers.
In chapter 28 you have a passage that many Bible scholars think can be fully
understood only as it applies to the fall of Satan himself.
And this is one of only two passages in the whole Bible that describes the fall of
Satan:
Ezekiel 28:2 NKJV
2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“Because your heart is lifted up,
And you say, ‘I am a god,
Ezekiel 28:12b-13a NKJV
12b “You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13a You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Ezekiel 28:15 NKJV
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.

Ezekiel 28:17-18a NKJV
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18a “You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
END RAY STEDMAN

06 June 15, 2014 Ezekiel Chapter One, When Your World Crumbles

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