The Four Beast

Q: What does the Bible say about the four beasts in Revelation?

The four beasts in Revelation symbolize the attributes of God and represent the Godhead surrounding the throne of God. In Revelation 4:6-11, we encounter four beasts that are depicted as being in the midst of the throne, full of eyes, and each resembling different creatures: a lion, a calf, a man, and a flying eagle. These beasts are commonly understood to represent the cherubim as described in Ezekiel 1, who are symbols of God's attributes and the divine presence. They are in a state of constant worship, proclaiming 'Holy, Holy, Holy' to the Almighty God. Their presence emphasizes the holiness and majesty of God, revealing the inexpressible nature of the Godhead and His covenant with humanity.

Q: How do we know that cherubim represent God in Scripture?

Cherubim, as revealed in Scripture, are often depicted as the guardians of God's holiness and the coming of God to His people. The cherubim are detailed throughout the Bible, particularly in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation. In Ezekiel 10:20, the prophet explicitly identifies these living creatures as cherubim. They are marked by their proximity to God, being found 'in the midst of the throne' and 'round about the throne' in Revelation 4:6. Their characteristics, such as being full of eyes and involved in ceaseless worship, highlight their role as God’s chosen instruments to reveal His holiness and majesty. Furthermore, the cherubim's involvement in the mercy seat (Exodus 25:20-22) establishes them as vital mediators of God's presence, signifying His covenantal engagement with His creation.

Q: Why is understanding the four beasts important for Christians?

Understanding the four beasts deepens our comprehension of God's holiness and the serious nature of worship within the Christian faith. The four beasts represent profound truths about God's character and His interaction with humanity. By realizing that they symbolize attributes like strength, sacrifice, intelligence, and care, believers can gain a better understanding of how God engages with us through Christ. Their eternal proclamation of God's holiness serves as a reminder for Christians that worship is not merely a ritual but a necessary response to the glorious nature of God. By contemplating their role in the heavenly order, believers are encouraged to engage in sincere worship and recognize the centrality of God in both creation and salvation. This deepens our faith, broadens our understanding of God's nature, and encourages us to honor Him in our daily lives.

Q: How do the four beasts in Revelation reflect the attributes of God?

The four beasts symbolize God's omnipotence, sacrificial love, wisdom, and protective nature. In Revelation, the four beasts collectively reflect the attributes of God in several ways. The lion symbolizes strength and kingship, representing Christ as the Lion of Judah. The calf signifies sacrificial love, embodying Jesus' role as our sacrifice. The man reflects the wisdom and intellect of God, particularly seen in Christ's incarnation, while the eagle signifies protection and vigilance over God's people. Each beast serves as a reminder of how God’s nature is manifested in the world, encapsulating the fullness of who He is in relation to humanity. Their constant worship underscores the response we are called to make — living lives that declare God's glory and grace.

Psalm 36. Let us pray together. Kind and loving Father, full
of mercy, grace, and truth, Father and God of our Lord Jesus, and
our blessed Father in heaven. We thank you for the opportunity
and the time you've given us to meet again this morning to
look unto Thee, and to praise Thy holy and most wonderful name. And to thank You, Father, for
all the kindness and mercy and the graciousness that has been
shown to us from Thy great heart of love. How we thank You. Bless, Father, the service this
morning to Your honor and to Your glory. Remember our brethren
here and our dear friends and loved ones in other places as
they meet together to worship and praise Thee. In His dear
name, Amen. It says, The transgression of the
wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God
before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in
his own eyes until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words
of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. He hath left off to be
wise and to do good. He devises mischief upon his
bed. He setteth himself in a way that
is not good. He abhorreth not evil. Thy mercy,
O Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth under
the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the
great mountains. Thy judgments are a great deep. O LORD, Thou preservest man and
beast. How excellent is Thy lovingkindness,
O God! Therefore the children of men
put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly
satisfied with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou shalt make
them Drink of the river of thy pleasures, for with thee is the
fountain of light. In thy light shall we see light. O continue thy lovingkindness
unto them that know thee, and thy righteousness to the upright
in heart. Let not the foot of pride come
against me. Let not the hand of the wicked
remove me. There are the workers of iniquities
fallen. They are cast down and shall
not be able to rise." Turn with me to the book of Revelation. Chapter 4, Revelation chapter 4. The subject that I deal with
today, let me just say on the outset that I truly ask the Lord's direction
and guidance for myself and for you because we deal with something
today in this blessed book that obviously is so holy, is so indescribable
that I tread upon these areas here with a realization of my
ignorance and my need of being taught. I have prayerfully considered
the things that I will say today, and in saying that, will try,
as God gives me ability, to show according to the Scriptures why
I say what I say. I think it is the most fearful
thing that a man can do to get up and tread into areas that
are not as consistently taught, you know, and then start giving
an opinion. Everybody's got an opinion. But
I want to be able to try to back up what I say. I have looked
at these particular Scriptures for the better part of three
weeks, and some of you know that quite well. Because every time
I'd read something, I'd try to bounce it off of you. The last time we looked into
this blessed book, the book of the revelation, and that ought
to give us an indication. It's not a hidden book. It is
a revelation, Bob. It is a revelation of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We saw that in verse 6, and that's
where I ended. I took that first half, verse
6, and there was a sea of glass. The Scripture says, like unto
crystal. John is viewing the throne of
God. That's what he said. He said,
verse 4, he said, well, verse 2, immediately, I was in the
Spirit, and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat
on the throne. What he saw was what God allowed
him to see of the throne. Before that throne, there was
a sea of glass like unto crystal. That spoke, we dealt with this
last time, of the settled condition of peace for the redeemed saints
before God. It was a sea of glass. perfectly
smooth. Smooth like that sea that was
smoothed, the tempestuous sea that the disciples were in with
the Lord Jesus Christ as He was in the boat. Here we see the
unwavering state, settled, cleared, quiet, calm, of all those chosen,
redeemed, and kept by God Himself. It was like, John says many times
when you read that, take that word to heart. It was like he
was trying to look and say what the Lord told him to write. He
was like or represented as. On to Crystal. We looked last
time. Crystal. That's how John described
Him who sat on the throne. He was like, verse 3, to look
upon a jasper, sort of like a jasper. And we found over in the latter
part of Revelation that that was speaking of the crystal,
the diamond possibly, clear, speaking of the holiness of Almighty
God. So the settled condition of that
sea of glass that the saints walked upon was wrought by the
righteousness, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is,
if you'll notice, before the throne. That's where it was,
before the throne. That's where the redeemed stand,
holy and without blame before God. Now, as we enter into the
next portion of this text, verse 6 of chapter 4 of Revelation,
we enter and we meet with an account that speaks of four beasts. So frequently are these beasts
spoken of in Scripture that I believe that we would be, number one,
remiss to not deal with it And secondly, we would miss a great
blessing to look into their meaning. Starting in that last part, let's
just read verse 6 to verse 11 of Revelation 4, And before the
throne there was a sea of glass, like unto crystal. And in the
midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts,
full of eyes, before and behind. And the first beast was like
a lion, and the second beast like a calf. The third beast
had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying
eagle. And the four beasts had each
of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within. And they rest not day and night,
saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is
and is to come. And when those beasts give glory
and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth
forever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before
Him that sat on the throne and worship Him that liveth forever
and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for
thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created." Now, we're going to look between primarily
two books this morning, right here in Revelation and also in
the book of Ezekiel. So if you want to find the book
of Ezekiel, we'll be flip-flopping But we must look at some Scriptures
because, as I've said before, whenever you start dealing with
a subject that you've dealt with many times, and we're familiar
with certain verses. If I deal this morning, Neil,
with Ephesians 1-4, we understand that God hath chosen us from
the beginning, and we're familiar with those. If I say John 1,
we know those Scriptures, and we recount those Scriptures.
But whenever we're dealing with something as we deal with this
morning, we ought to look at those Scriptures. And don't just
listen to what I have to say, because when your eyes look upon
those words, then you see what I'm saying is so concerning this
blessed subject. We're going to allow Scripture
to reveal Scripture. This is something that is just
too much, too high for me. Four beasts, John said, in the
midst of the throne and round about the throne were four beasts
full of eyes before and behind. Now these four beasts are also
spoken of in Ezekiel chapter 1. And like I said, just hold
your place because we're going to go back and forth here for
a few minutes. Ezekiel chapter 1, verses 4 to 6. These four beasts are spoken
of. And they're referred to in the
book of Ezekiel as living creatures. Ezekiel 1, 4, And I looked, and
behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a gray cloud and
a fire enfolding itself, or catching itself. And a brightness was
about it, and out of the midst thereof, as the color of amber,
and out of the midst of the fire, also out of the midst thereof,
came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their
appearance. They had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces
and every one had four wings. Now, these creatures, these living
creatures, are expressed by the prophet Ezekiel and told who
they are. In Ezekiel chapter 10, and verse
20, these four creatures. Now here again, we can look at
this and we can say, well, there are four beasts. I think that
four beasts, well, let the Scriptures tell us who they are. Ezekiel
chapter 10 and verse 20. Ezekiel, speaking under the inspiration
of the Spirit of God, says in verse 20 of Ezekiel 10, this
is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the
river of Chibar. And I knew that they were the
cherubims. The cherubims. So we know so
far, and this is all we know so far, that the four beasts
in Revelation 4 and the four living creatures in Ezekiel 1
are referred to as cherubims. Now, cherubim, or living creatures,
or beasts, in all of the places that I found as far as their
description, how is the concordance? Take a concordance and look up
the word. How are these cherubim described? What's the definition of them?
And here's what it is. An imaginary thing. An imaginary
thing. Obviously, they're not imaginary,
meaning having no meaning, or just made up. That's not so,
because you see where John saw them. He saw. He said, I saw
like four beasts. Ezekiel says, I looked I was
by the river Chebar and I saw four living creatures. We'll see in just a moment that
Isaiah also saw. Now, these imaginary creatures,
it doesn't mean that they're made up, but it means something
that is an emblem of something that is indescribable. known
only, or seen, or heard by faith." Now, when Paul, in 2 Corinthians
12, verse 4, says that he knew a man, whether in the body or
out of the body, he couldn't tell, God knoweth, Paul says,
he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which
are not lawful for a man to utter. What he said was he could not
do justice to express the sound of exalted praise. He said, I
heard things. I heard unspeakable words. So we realize something about
these four beasts. And the reason I'm saying all
of this the way I'm saying it is because after two or three
weeks of looking, I'm trying to just methodically build on
something. John saw four beasts in the midst
of the throne and round about the throne. Ezekiel saw four
living creatures. They're described, and I'll show
you what Isaiah saw, and then I'll tell you who I think they
are. Our question, because the Scripture
deals with them, so much from the beginning. I'll show you
where they started, where the Scriptures began to talk about
them over the book of Genesis all the way to the end of the
book of Revelation and in all of the prophets right on through.
The cherubim, the four beasts, the living creatures, because
the Scripture deals with them so much, we really would be remiss
not dealing with them. But our question then is, what
or who do they represent? As I said a while ago, realizing
that we walk upon ground that is so holy concerning the glory
of our God, we dare not walk on this ground presumptuously. as his people. Ask as we look
together, Lord, will you teach me what you're saying? Teach
me what the Spirit saith to the churches. Back in Revelation
4, verse 6, it says the four beasts were seen, it says, in
the midst of the throne and round about the throne. Now, these
four beasts, or living ones, were in the middle. When it says,
in the midst, that means in the company of, in the middle of. If I were to say, there's someone
in our midst today that is whatever, well, you'd understand what I
was talking about, in our group. They're in our midst. They're
in the middle of us. They're with us. We have someone
in our midst today that I'd like to just, you know what I'm talking
about. It says that these four beasts
were in the midst, or in the middle, or in the group, that's
what it means, of the throne, and round about the throne, or
encircling the throne. Now there's three references
to being in the midst of the throne. Right here. In this part, right here, it
says, and in the midst of the throne, round about the throne,
were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. The next reference
is Revelation, probably the same page for you, Revelation 5 and
verse 6. And I beheld in low in the midst
of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns,
seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into
all the earth. And then turn over to Revelation
7, 17, and the Scripture says, For the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and
shall lead them unto living fountains of water, and God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes. So obviously, here's what we
know about these four beasts. They represent, declare the Godhead,
he who sits on the throne." For the Scriptures to say that these
four beasts were in the midst of the throne, that in itself
is a very sacred, holy place reserved only for God Himself. Secondly, they are said to be
round about the throne. Or, when it says round about
the throne, it is encircling and also supporting. Now, as I said before, turn back
to Ezekiel 10. As I said, I do pray that if
I make a statement that I can show you that in the Scripture. Scripture has to reveal Scripture. Ezekiel 10 and verse 20. We read this one a while ago
When Ezekiel said the last part, he said, I knew that they were
cherubim. But look at the first part of
what he says. This is the living creature that
I saw under. You see that? Under the God of
Israel by the river Chibar. That means below or to humble. In Ezekiel 1.22, just flip back
to Ezekiel 1.22, It says, and here again, Ezekiel
is seeing the vision of these four living creatures. And it says in Ezekiel 1.22,
And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living
creature was as the color of the terrible crystal stretched
forth over their heads above. Then these four creatures also
back in Revelation, and I'm saying all of this, and then I'll tell
you what I believe is actually said in that verse 6. It says
also they were in the midst of the throne, they were round about
the throne, and it says in verse 6 of Revelation 4 in the four
beasts, full of eyes before and behind. Full of eyes, or the
word eyes there is vision. Ezekiel 1.18 also said those
creatures, living ones that Ezekiel saw, they had eyes or vision
before and behind. So from verse 6 of Revelation
4, we know concerning the cherubim, the four beasts, those that Ezekiel
said, and I know that the four creatures that I saw were the
cherubim. So we know that concerning the
cherubim, number one, they're worthy to be in the place reserved
only for God Himself in the midst of the throne. Secondly, they
are all around and supporting the throne. And thirdly, they're
omniscient. They're full of vision. Now,
knowing From this Scripture, I believe the cherubim are the
indescribable." Paul says, I heard words that are inexpressible. I believe that the cherubim are
the indescribable representatives of the glorious persons of the
Godhead. The cherubim reveal the triune
God in His covenant engagements to redeem His people in their
fallen nature. They are in their actions, and
they reveal by their actions the attributes and the character
of Him who is, that is, to fallen man, unrevealable. with their presence of the unity
of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, vitally joined to the
incarnate Christ. In the visions of Ezekiel, Isaiah,
and John, we see something of this truth that is set forth
by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when He said in John
1.18, no man has seen God. And in that setting forth God
there, it means Father, Son, and Spirit. No man has seen God
at any time. The only begotten Son, that is,
the Lord Jesus Christ, which is in the bosom of the Father,
He hath declared. Now, in the Scriptures, the word
Him is in italics. He has declared Him, that is,
God, but there is no word there for Him. It's italics. It was
not there. He hath declared. The cherubim,
the inexpressible beings that Ezekiel, Isaiah, and John saw
every time they said and had a vision of the throne, they
spoke of these four creatures, living creatures. In Isaiah,
He speaks of them in a way I'll show you in just a minute. But
he speaks of them in a way that is consistent with Ezekiel and
John here. Inexpressible. I believe that
when Paul the Apostle was taken up into the third heaven, he
said, I heard as these creatures expressed the holiness of God. And Paul said, I heard words
that I just I don't know how to set forth the praise of Him
according to what I heard. So the cherubim are actually,
and this is the only way I know how to say it. I've looked at
it, prayed about it, considered it, and I say, how do I put across
what I think? I believe the cherubim are actually
When the Lord Jesus Christ says, no man has seen God at any time,
the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared. I believe the cherubim are actually
the Lord Jesus Christ declaring who God is. I believe the cherubim
are Actually, the Lord Jesus Christ, in a way that you and
I, I don't know how to say it. He says He does declare it. I
know that men can say, well, He does it in the preaching of
the gospel. I understand that. But there
has to be something that happens between my voice and your hearing
and understanding that causes us to hear. You say, well, that's
by His Spirit. I understand that. But there
is something about these cherubim that is set forth that John says,
I saw, I heard the Lord Himself. I heard God Himself and I saw
God Himself. Turn back to Ezekiel. Let me
show you something. I started reading. Let me show
you how easy it is to miss something. Look at Ezekiel 1. Now, it came
to pass. Now, if you start in verse 4
and go through, you know, pretty much the rest of the first chapter
of Ezekiel, and Ezekiel deals with these four creatures, and
we'll look at them in just a minute. I say, I don't want to just labor
it and burden you, but I want to show you something that is
amazing. In Ezekiel chapter 1, verse 1,
it came to pass in the 30th, year, in the fourth month, in
the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the
river of Chibar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions
of God." If you keep reading that first chapter, you're going
to find out that he saw the cherubim. And he describes them. The face
of a man, the face of an eagle, an ox, a lion. Ezekiel said,
I saw God. But the Lord says no man has
seen God at any time. The only begotten Son hath declared. How? It has something to do with
the cherubim, the inexpressible, as Strong's Concordance says,
the imaginary things. It says in verse 5 of Ezekiel
1, Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living
creatures. This was their appearance. They
had the likeness of a man. Turn over to Ezekiel chapter
10. I want you to look at this. Ezekiel 10, verse 3 to 5. Ezekiel
10, 3 to 5. Ezekiel says, Now the cherubims
stood on the right side of the house, and when the man went
in, and the cloud filled the inner court, then the glory of
the Lord," notice that word Lord there is capital L-O-R-D, all
capital letters, Jehovah Himself, the Lord, Jehovah God, then the
glory of the Lord went up from the cherub and stood over the
threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud,
and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory,
and the sound of the cherubim's wings was heard even to the outer
court as the voice of the Almighty God when He speaketh." The cherubim,
divine, inexpressible, symbols that Paul says are unutterable. The cherubim, I believe, are
actually the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He said the only begotten
Son hath declared Him. I cannot tell you how. I cannot explain how. But I can show you that whenever
the cherubim, the four creatures, the four living ones, actually
are in the place of, around the throne of God, that's how men
perceived or understood some things. In Ezekiel chapter 28,
Ezekiel 28 verse 11 to 15, the cherubim actually reveal Christ. Remember, the cherubim reveal
the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. They reveal God. No man
has seen God. Father, Son, and Spirit. No man
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son hath revealed. The cherubim actually, as Christ
Himself, reveal Christ to be the only way to and the only
maintainer of fellowship with God. In Ezekiel chapter 28, look
at verse 11 to 15, Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto
me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king
of Tyrus. Now, suffice it to say, let me
just tell you this, and after I read it, you'll understand
what I'm saying, and I won't take the time to prove, All you
have to do is listen to what's being said and you'll understand
what I mean. The King of Tyrus here is a type or a picture of
man as he has fallen, Charlie, in Adam. The King of Tyrus is
a picture of fallen man in Adam. It says, Take up a lamentation
unto the King of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord
God, Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in
beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden
of God. Every precious stone was thy
covering. The sardis, topaz, the diamond,
the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, the
carbuncle, and gold, the workmanship of thy tablets and of thy pipes
was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee
also. Thou wast upon the holy mountain
of God. Thou hast walked up and down
in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy
ways from the day that thou wast created till iniquity was found
in thee." Now here the Scripture reveals that Adam created, Scripture
says, the Lord, and you know, He said, you were in the Garden
of Eden. You were the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have
set thee so. And you were upon the holy mountain
of God until iniquity was found in thee." Adam was made. Now remember, as I said, the
cherub reveals the character of God. The cherubim. They are imaginary creatures. Not that they're not there. They
cannot be described, Robin. When I say imaginary, get the
word out of your mind like it just was made up in your mind.
They cannot be described in human terms. Paul says, I can't speak
what I heard. But they are the creatures made
by God, set forth by God to reveal God. Adam, according to that
Scripture, was the anointed cherub. Now, in Genesis chapter 2, Genesis
2 and 15, let me show you is being set forth when I say the
cherub reveal the character of God Himself. In Genesis 2 and
in verse 15, the Scripture says, And the Lord took the man and
put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. was to keep the place of fellowship
with God. That's what he's talking about.
The Garden of Eden was where God met with man. He walked, the scripture says,
in the cool of the day. He walked with Adam, fellowship
with Adam. He was to dress it and keep it. He said, you were the anointed
cherub till iniquity was found in you. Adam was to keep that
place of fellowship. But, the Scripture says, iniquity
was found. He fell. So just turn over to
Genesis 3, verse 22 to 24. Adam didn't keep it. It says,
Genesis 3, 22, And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become
as one of us. to no good and evil, and now
lest he put forth his hand, and take also the tree of life, and
eat and live forever in that state." I started to want to
deal with that scripture this morning, but I thought, nah,
I've got more than I can handle this morning. Therefore, the
Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the
ground from whence he was taken, so he drove out the man and he
placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming
sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of
life." Adam was told by God in this garden in Eden where you
were according to Ezekiel 28. He said you were the anointed
cherub, the keeper of the place of fellowship with God. till
iniquity was found in you." And because of rebellion against
God Almighty, he was put out. Therefore, God put the cherubim,
cherubims, it says, at the gate there east of Eden with a flaming
sword to keep the way to the tree of life. Here we behold
the cherubims actually revealing Christ that keeps the way of
fellowship with God. Adam couldn't do it. Adam fell.
But the cherubims that were there, what were they? They were the
revelation by God Himself that says there's only one way that
this way is going to be kept. And that is by the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself who said as He walked on this earth, I am the
way. I am the truth. No man comes
to the Father but by Me." The cherubims in Eden were speaking
by their presence that God Himself must keep the way because man
cannot. He is the only meeting place. Look at Exodus 25. I'm going
to try to hurry. I don't want to prolong and burden
you, but I want to show you. Exodus 25, the cherubim is God's
way of setting forth God Himself. Exodus 25, verse 17, And thou
shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall
be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold. of beaten work shalt
thou make them in the two ends of the mercy seat. Look in verse
20 to 22. And the cherubims shall stretch
forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings,
and their faces shall look one to another. Toward the mercy
seat shall be the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt
put the mercy seat above upon the ark, and in the ark thou
shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee, and there
Well, I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above
the mercy seat from between the two cherubims, which are upon
the ark of the testimony of all things, which I will give thee
in commandment unto the children of Israel." The mercy seat was
the only seat of rest. Now, this is a true statement.
There was no chair. in the tabernacle. You know that
because the priests were never done. You know that. But I'll
tell you this, there was a seat. There was no chair, but there
was a seat. And it was God's. And it was
a seat of rest. It was a seat of mercy. The mercy
seat's fulfillment. The Lord told Moses, He said,
I'll meet with you from between the cherubims. The cherubims.
There are the symbols of God's place of meeting with man. They're
symbols. The cherubim declare. What they're
saying is they're declaring the Lord Jesus Christ our mercy seat. The mercy seat's fulfillment
was the cross. That's where I'll meet with you.
That's where judgment was taken care of. The cherubim are the
way that God speaks. In Numbers 7.89, it says, when
Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak
with him, then he, that is, Moses, heard the voice of one speaking
to him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony
from between the two cherubims, and he spake unto him. Christ said, I am the Word. I
am the Word. was made flesh from the voice
of God between the two cherubims." You know, the Scripture says
that from the witness of two, of three, shall a thing be established. These two cherubims right here.
God said, I'll speak to you. The cherubims were actually the
way in which the Lord Jesus Himself manifested or declared God. And
we learn that God will speak and deal with a sinful people
in mercy only on the basis of an accepted sacrifice. The cherubim,
here on that mercy seat, they reveal Christ as our high priest
and our burnt offering, acceptable to God as a sweet-smelling savor. I turn back to Revelation 4,
verse 7, and the first beast was like a lion. Second beast, like a calf. Third beast, face of a man. Fourth
beast was as a flying eagle. The first beast, and I will go
into this in chapter 5, and I'll deal with it more extensively. But just so we can see, to begin
to see, because these cherubim, we deal with them throughout
this book. It says the first was like to a lion. Revelation 5.5 says, And one
of the elders said unto me, Weep not. Behold, the lion of the
tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
and to loose the seven seals thereof. Here in the cherubim
that John saw as he wrote in this book the things that God
taught him, he said, I saw these four beasts. And one of them
was like a lion. That expression of the might
of Almighty God. Genesis 49, verse 8 and 9 says,
"...thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies." Judah
is a lion's whelp. That means the people of God
are in his lair. I would dare say that none of
us here would want to jump in the middle of a lion's lair and
try to take one of those lion cubs while the lioness was there. He said, Judah, the lion of the
tribe of Judah, he has prevailed. So this cherubim that John saw,
he said, I saw him. There is God Himself declaring
Himself as the mighty God. He said, I saw one of those Four
beasts and it looked like a calf. Hear this cherubim, the Lord
Himself, revealing Him who is the sacrifice and substitute
for His people. He said, I saw one, and He said
He had like the face of a man. The Word. Christ Himself made
flesh. Came in the likeness of sinful
flesh and for sin. And He says in that fourth beast
was like a flying eagle. Here we behold the watch care
of God Himself in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ over
His people. Exodus 19 verse 4 says, I bear
you on eagles' wings, and I brought you to Myself. Here's the safety,
the security. So when John saw, he said, I
saw these four beasts, and one of them was like a lion, the
second beast like a calf, the third beast had the face of a
man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. I'm telling
you what John saw in those cherubim. That was God Himself declaring
Himself in God's way, in God's means, in God's expression of
Himself, the cherubim. That's the Lord Jesus Christ
declaring. No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son hath declared. But something else is noticed
here. Amazing thing. You know, we've been studying
Leviticus. The eagle was an unclean bird. Go back and look. And those animals
and those birds, you know, remember we looked at what could be eaten
and what couldn't be eaten. The eagle was an unclean bird. Here it says one of them looked
like an eagle. Here we see the cherubim revealing
Christ who has borne our sin, made a curse for us, made sin,
taking of our nature to himself, and bearing his own on wings,
he hath made him to be sin, made sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. But I found out one other thing.
The eagle is the only bird that carries the young upon her wings. All others in the transporting
of their young use their talons. Here, we're taught by the fourth
cherubim that it is impossible to fall from His protection and
grace and mercy. To get to the young, you've got
to get through the eagle first. Verse 8, it says, "...the four
beasts had each of them six wings about him. They were full of
eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy,
Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come."
Here, and believe me, I know there's a few verses left, but
the last few won't be that long. In Isaiah, And this is what I wanted to
show you concerning the vision at Isaiah 6. John saw really what Isaiah saw
and what Ezekiel saw. Are you turning to Isaiah 6 and
just hold it? I just said this is what John
says. He said the four beasts had each of them six wings about
them and they were full of eyes within. Rest not, day and night,
saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is
and is to come. In Isaiah 6, verse 1 to 3, it
says, In the year the king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting
upon a throne, high and lifted up. His train filled the temple,
and above it stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings with twain
covered his face. With twain he covered his feet,
with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and
said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth
is full of his glory. The seraphim, which the name
of the seraphim and cherub is from the same root word, actually
I think based on what I can read is the seraphim of the glen is
actually the glory of the cherub, but that's okay. That's not relevant. The seraphim, Isaiah refers to
them, are the burning ones. Here they are declaring the glory
of God, which is what the cherubim do. It says that they were above
the throne and they had six wings. It says, with two wings they
covered their face. Now remember, the cherubim are
God Himself, a place that reserved there in the midst of the throne,
in the place that's only reserved for God, round about the throne. And there was even one thing
that I failed to say, that when it says they were round about
the throne, these cherubim in John's vision, were round about
the throne, and on the outer part of that were the four and
twenty elders, which we looked at last time as being representative
of all God's elect. But for the elect to get to God,
to the throne, they had to go through the cherubim. The cherubim
were round about the throne. And here the cherubim is saying
of the Lord Jesus Christ, no man comes to the Father but by
Me. The cherubim in their presence
reveal the character of God. But these Seraphim, with two
wings, they covered their face. What are they saying? They're
saying, Exodus 33, no man has seen God at any time. In Exodus chapter 33, let me
just read this to you for the sake of time. You want to turn
there? It's OK. Exodus 33, 16 to 23, it says, Exodus 33. For wherein shall it be known
here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight, is
it not that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and
thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the
earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also
that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight,
and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee,
show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all
my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name
of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. And
he said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man
see me and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there
is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock and it shall
come to pass while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in the
cleft of the rock, and I will cover thee with my hand while
I pass by, and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see
my back parts, but my face shall not be seen." In human existence,
when he said, no man shall see me and live, what God told Moses
was this. in human existence as being born
in Adam, no man, because of the holiness and justice of God Himself,
can see or perceive God and live or be saved." That's what he's
saying. You cannot look upon me. You
look upon me outside of a substitute. You look upon me without an advocate. You look upon Me without a high
priest that I accept. No man will look upon..." And
that cherubim in Isaiah, it says with two, he covered his face.
And that's what he was saying. He was expressing the character
of God. No man can look upon God. It
says that secondly, with twain, he covered his feet. He covered
his feet declaring, that in the ways of God's providence, His
path is hidden. 1 Kings 8.12 says that He dwells
in the thick darkness. Deuteronomy 29.29 says the secret
things, the hidden things, belong unto the Lord. Isaiah saw Him. He said there were seraphim.
Two wings, they covered their face. They were declaring, You
can't look upon God and live. only hath immortality dwelling
in the light or the manifestation of Himself which no man can approach
unto whom no man has seen or can see to whom be honor and
power everlasting." At Cherubim, two of them, he covered his feet
and he says, you don't know what God's doing. He does as He will
in the army of heaven. And with Twain, he did fly, declaring,
according to Isaiah 19, verse 1, Orideth, I'm sorry, upon a
swift cloud." He's swift to help his people because he is the
I Am. That's what those wings said.
He's now. I mean, he was before I could even snap. The I Am. The Seraphim were declaring the
glory of Almighty God. And then it says those Seraphims
cried one to another, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The
whole earth is full of His glory. Only the Seraphims Revelation. Only by the seraphim's revelation
did Isaiah know of the Godhead's holiness. Isaiah 6, 5. Isaiah said, I saw. I saw. I saw these seraphims. And this
is what they did. In verse 5, he said, Woe is me. I am undone, for mine eyes have
seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. And then in the last three verses,
verses 9-11, when the beast give glory and honor and thanks to
Him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the
four and twenty elders, all of God's elect, fall down before
Him that sat on the throne and worship Him that liveth forever
and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying, Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for
Thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are
and were created when the beast give glory." That is, when they
bestow, bring forth, or show the worship that is due God,
which is what they do continually. They never cease. Day and night. That means they never cease declaring
the holiness of God. Then the people of God fall down. That's when they understand or
perceive something. And they cast their crowns, the
crowns of life, glory, and righteousness which belong only to Christ who
is crowned with many glories. And they say in that last verse,
you're worthy. You're worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory. All things were made by you and
for you without you. Not anything was made that was
made. In Genesis 1-26 when the Lord said, let's make man. Let's appoint man. That word
make means appoint man in our image. You remember we dealt
with this a while back. God appointed man, all men, in His image, the
Lord Jesus Christ who is the express image of God Himself. Let us make man in our image. To some, He looked upon them
in mercy and grace and compassion. And some, He left to themselves. But He made all things. He's
done all things. I realize that the subject today
is one that I will grant you. It's one just a little bit deeper.
that I can say I perceive because I don't. But I do know that the
Scripture deals with it. And all I can say in my little
fickle mind when the Lord says no man has seen God at any time,
the only begotten Son has declared. Well, see, I had it down, Mark,
in my mind that I got that down. I understand that, Brother Scott.
I understand all there is to know about that. Well, maybe
I don't. Maybe I don't. Oh, that's a foolish
statement. You know I don't. And you don't either. Paul, who
was a man greatly taught of God, reveals some things. He's a prophet.
Had God allowed to look, they saw things that are indescribable.
And I'm telling you, God in His infinite mercy and grace, has
allowed us just to get a peek on that mountain of transfiguration. He just unveiled a portion of
His glory. Peter, James, and John fell down. Can you imagine the indescribable
glory of God that will forever, eternally be revealed to God's
people? What do you think we know? We
don't know anything. we see through a glass darkly.
I don't understand the depth of the cherubim, but I know this. Every time I find the cherubim,
they are declaring the glory of Almighty God. And in some
wonderful way that I cannot understand and perceive, God Himself has
been pleased to set forth Himself in these cherubim. I've read
where some men said, well, they were just a higher order of angels. Wow. Yeah, I'd say so. I'll tell you what, God speaks
through them. On the mercy seat speaks between
the cherubim. And I know this concerning angels.
It says that God charged them with folly. He put no trust in
them. You think God would trust a mere
angel to keep the way? for His people. To Him? Oh, no. It's going to take God Himself.
Salvations of the Lord. All of the Lord. And these cherubim,
we've just been able to just get a peek of something that
just shuts our mouths and just says, Lord, You're worthy. I cast my crown. People go through
this world and they think they're earning all kinds of crowns for
the Lord. They're going to be crowned Oh, no. When those four
beasts, it says, gave honor and glory and thanks to God, the
four and twenty elders. Lord, You're worthy. You're worthy. Well, Scott, would
you dismiss us, please, and we'll leave.

The Four Beast

What does the Bible say about the four beasts in Revelation?

How do we know that cherubim represent God in Scripture?

Why is understanding the four beasts important for Christians?

How do the four beasts in Revelation reflect the attributes of God?

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About Marvin Stalnaker

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The Four Beast

What does the Bible say about the four beasts in Revelation?

How do we know that cherubim represent God in Scripture?

Why is understanding the four beasts important for Christians?

How do the four beasts in Revelation reflect the attributes of God?

Sermon Transcript

About Marvin Stalnaker

Comments

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