This post is part of an ongoing series documenting my readings on the book of Ezekiel. Today, I read Ezekiel chapter 1.
Summary:
Ezekiel has a vision in which he sees a whirlwind coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself. Brightness surrounds it, and from its midst radiates a color like amber.
Out of this whirlwind come four living creatures. Each one has four faces, those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. They each have four wings and two straight legs, but the soles of their feet are like those of a calf, sparkling like burnished bronze. Their wings stretch upward, and two of the wings cover their bodies.
As Ezekiel watches the creatures, he sees a wheel on the earth beside each one. The color of the wheels is like beryl. Each wheel appears to have another wheel intersecting it, and when the living creatures move, the wheels move with them. They can move in any of the four directions without turning.
The rims of the wheels are high and awe-inspiring, and they are full of eyes all around. Wherever the living creatures go, the wheels go with them. When the creatures move, the sound of their wings is like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty.
Above the heads of the living creatures is something like a firmament, shining like an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. Above the firmament is something resembling a throne, in appearance like sapphire.
On the throne sits the likeness of a man high above it. From his waist downward, he has the appearance of fire, and brightness surrounds him. Around him is the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day such is the radiance encircling the throne. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God.
Ezekiel’s vision parallels the visions that John later saw in Revelation. The four living creatures and the wheels are powerful symbols of judgment, while the rainbow above the throne represents God’s unending faithfulness to His people. Just as God sent a rainbow to Noah as a promise never again to destroy the earth by flood, this rainbow may symbolize God’s promise to preserve those who remain faithful to Him.
Faith With Petra 