Part 9 - The Throne of God and The Four Living Creatures

“The church has been negligent of one thing…
she has not prayed the power of God out of heaven.”
Bill Johnson – When heaven Invades Earth (p57)

Part 9 - The Throne of God and The Four Living Creatures


13I set My bow in the cloud,
and it shall be for a sign of a covenant
between Me and the earth.
Genesis 9:13 NASB

A rainbow comes after a storm.
In this case, the storm of God’s judgment
was coming—but there was hope.
There would be a rainbow after the storm,
providing hope for the future.

The Hebrew word translated “glory” ( kabod)
is a technical term describing God
(Ex. 16:7; 24:16; 40:34; Lev. 9:6, 23;
Num. 14:10; 16:19; 1 Kings 8:11; 2 Chron. 7:1).

His “glory” was generally
associated with either the tabernacle or the temple.
It was not seen elsewhere.
By having Ezekiel see His glory
far from the temple,
God helped the Israelites to understand
that He is not limited to one place—
specifically, the temple at Jerusalem.
Before, they would have felt
cut off from God Almighty,
but now He made them realize
that they could still have a relationship with Him.
The divine glory was not identified
with storm clouds, angelic beings, or flashes of lightning.
It was something peculiar to God Himself.
While He exhibited certain human appearances or characteristics
(1:28; 3:12, 23; 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22, 23),

God obviously is something far different than human beings.

In each vision Ezekiel was careful
to distinguish between God’s glory
and its attendant circumstances.
This is the first occurrence
of the phrase the glory of the LORD,
one of the key phrases in the book
(1:28; 3:12, 23; 10:4, 18; 11:23; 43:4, 5; 44:4).

Ezekiel seems to have
structured his book around this phrase;
the word “glory” occurs twenty-three times.
In chapter 1 the glory is described,
in 10:18 the glory departs,
and in 43:5 the glory returns.
When Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord,
he said, I fell on my face.
Why did he do this?
Death resulted if one looked upon the face of God

20But He said, "You cannot see My face,
for no man can see Me and live!"
Exodus 33:20

When Ezekiel realized who he was seeing,
he dropped to the ground and covered his face
so that he might live.
Ezekiel is one of many
who were overwhelmed by witnessing the glory of the Lord:

Jacob
30So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said,
"I have seen God face to face,
yet my life has been preserved."
Genesis. 32:30 NASB

Jeremiah
6Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth."
Jeremiah 1:6 NASB

Isaiah
5Then I said,
"Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
Isaiah 6:5 NASB

Daniel

8So I was left alone and saw this great vision;
yet no strength was left in me,
for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor,
and I retained no strength.
9But I heard the sound of his words;
and as soon as I heard the sound of his words,
I fell into a deep sleep on my face,
with my face to the ground.
Daniel. 10:8-9 NASB

and John

17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man
And He placed His right hand on me, saying,
"Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,
Revelation.1:17 NASB

all responded with similar reactions.

End Part 9
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