Ezekiel (Program #10) – The Man on the Throne

After the revelation of the four living creatures and the great wheel of the move of God in Ezekiel chapter 1, we are presented with the striking description of the spiritual sky above these four living creatures. In 1:22, Ezekiel writes, “And over the heads of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the sight of awesome crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.” This vivid picture conveys that when God’s people are fully experiencing Him in Christ and are connected to one another in a way that expresses and glorifies Him, then they have a clear sky above them – so clear that they can see without limitation into the very third heavens where our dear Lord Jesus sits so preeminently on the throne. Verse 26, “And above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, like the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was One in appearance like a man, above it.”

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Ezekiel (Program #9) – The Throne Above the Clear Sky

The book of Ezekiel opens this way – “Now in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, while I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1). Included in these visions of Ezekiel are many things from the natural realm that were used to describe things in the spiritual realm. These things are deep but we can understand them through the natural things that Ezekiel gives us as pictures. Today we come again to the clear expanding firmament that is over the heads of the four living creatures. This awesome crystal as it’s referred to in the Bible is actually a picture of the spiritual sky that all of us as believers desire and are capable of being under. How to stay under the clear sky in our fellowship with God is our topic today.

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Ezekiel (Program #8) – A Sky as Clear as the Terrible Crystal

The final few verses of Ezekiel chapter 1 are very deep and very profound. They speak of the sky or the expanse above the heads of the four living creatures being so clear and limitless that the Bible itself uses the term “awesome crystal” to describe it. Now the Biblical usage of the term or word “awesome” is nothing like today’s common vernacular especially among the young people. The spiritual application of this clear crystalline expanse above us truly is awesome. And it portrays a spiritual condition that God would have us all experience day by day.

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Ezekiel (Program #7) – The High and Dreadful Wheels

Ezekiel chapter 1 with its detailed description of the four living creatures is arranged marvelously. Once we begin to see the spiritual application of all of the details associated with the four living creatures, we realize how significant this sequence is. For example, it begins with the wind, the cloud, the fire and the electrum – all figures or pictures of our progressive experience of God. Then out of these four come the four living creatures, each with four faces depicting aspects of Christ from His humanity, to His kingship, to His being a slave to come to serve God and man, and finally, to His divine transcendency. From this point, we progress to the coordination between and among the four living creatures. A coordination very much necessary if we are to enter into the next main point of God’s move on the earth for the accomplishment of His purpose.

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Ezekiel (Program #6) – The Coordination of the Four Living Creatures (1)

The spiritual application of the mysterious vision in Ezekiel chapter 1 of the four living creatures is marvelous on many levels. First, it portrays Christ in various aspects; but more than just revealing aspects of Christ in this vision, we can see ourselves in God’s economy and how the various aspects of Christ become the genuine aspects of our experience of Him. Ultimately, God’s purpose and His move on earth are revealed in this vision. A vital key in our entering into God’s move is revealed in Ezekiel is the matter of the coordination typified by the four living creatures.

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Ezekiel (Program #5) – Eagle’s Wings, Man’s Hands, and Calf’s Hoofs

Ezekiel, like the books of Daniel which is also in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament, is a book of signs and figures typifying important spiritual realities. It begins with a storm wind and a cloud with a fire out from which is a golden silver glowing called the electrum. And out of these four comes an indelible image – an image of four living creatures joined together to produce one corporate expression. The details of these four living creatures occupy much of Ezekiel chapter 1; and each of the details is worth our examination because each aspect of this mysterious image reveals much about God’s purpose as well as about our genuine experience of Him in the Christian walk and life. Let’s remember from our previous program that in each of these four living creatures itself has four faces – here’s Ezekiel 1:10 “As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four of them had the face of an eagle.”

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Ezekiel (Program #4) – The Four Living Creatures

Ezekiel is a book of figures or pictures that portrays spiritual things. For example in the beginning of the book, in the first 4 verses it says, “The word of Jehovah came expressly to Ezekiel the priest…And I looked, and there came a storm wind from the north, a great cloud and a fire flashing incessantly; and there was a brightness around it, and from the midst of it, there was something like the sight of electrum, from the midst of the fire.” These four items, the wind, the cloud, the fire and the electrum actually depict various aspects of how we experience God. God is like a wind to us, He overshadows and broods over us like a cloud; At times He’s a burning refining fire to purify us; and He’s also like a shining glowing electrum of gold and silver depicting His divine nature and Christ’s redemption. But if we genuinely experience God in these aspects, it will also produce something which we also come to today in verse 5, “And from the midst of it there came a likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man.”

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Ezekiel (Program #3) – The Wind, the Cloud, the Fire, and the Electrum

At the beginning of the book of Ezekiel, there are some very striking verses that talks about the heavens being opened and Ezekiel seeing visions of God. And then in verse 3 it talks about the word of God coming expressly to Ezekiel. And then, the hand of Jehovah was upon him.

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Ezekiel (Program #2) – Introduction (2)

Ezekiel is a book of visions. The prophet Ezekiel was a young man, just 30 years old and having just concluded his apprenticeship to the priest when he received these visions. We also need a vision from God concerning His divine plan and His eternal purpose. And like Ezekiel, it’s critical to pay attention to three things if we are to receive such a vision. First, is the place that we are in. Second, the kind of person that we are. And third, the conditions necessary to receive these visions.

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Ezekiel (Program #1) – Introduction (1)

One book in the Bible that always seem to stir interest is the book of Revelation. This book gives the account of the apostle John receiving the revelation from God. This revelation actually came as John saw vision after vision, prophetically revealing the key elements of God’s eternal plan. But if one is really to understand the book of Revelation, it is equally important to know the parallel Old Testament book, the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel and Revelation go together in many critical aspects as you’ll see in the coming weeks.

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