We have arrived at the last lesson in our study of the cherubim. I hope you have enjoyed this discussion. We have discussed how the cherubim are protectors of God’s presence, we’ve looked at where in 3rd heaven they dwell, and we discovered what each of the four faces represent.
Today we are going to wrap up with a look at John’s vision of the cherubim from the book of Revelation. Let’s dive in!
John’s Description
In Revelation we get another glimpse of cherubim. Let’s read John’s encounter and see what other roles these fascinating creatures play in the throne room of God.
“and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,” Revelation 4:6-9 (ESV)
Notice in this vision, John sees the cherubim as one of the four faces. One is a lion, another an ox, etc. Apparently God wanted John to see each of the four presences of the cherubim because they are all different. Unlike the vision Ezekiel had where each cherubim had all four faces showing at the same time.
It would make sense that in the throne room the cherubim would have all four faces represented. After all this is where God’s image is like the face of a man. It’s where his peace and power rests. God’s swiftness and renewal is present in the throne room. This is the place where God’s perfect judgement is pronounced and executed.
Here, John sees the cherubim as standing around the throne of God, praising him. They never cease to praise the Lord saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
They have an intimate relationship with God since they stand around the throne of God. Because of this intimacy, they can’t help but worship the Lord. Their intimacy with the Lord shows in the ways they are described.
“And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.” Ezekiel 10:5 (ESV)
Their wings sound like the voice of God when he speaks. Can you imagine walking into a room and it sounding like the voice of the Lord? You don’t even have to say a word, but merely entering a room makes people think they are hearing the voice of the Lord. That is an intimacy I long to have with the Lord!
Cherubim are created beings with the purpose to stand around the throne of God. They precede the presence of the Lord, and are often seen as standing between men and God. They do not stand on the same level as God, rather God and his throne are seated above the cherubim.
Smoke and fire are often associated with the appearance of the cherubim. This smoke and fire is the presence of God as shown in many places in the Bible. Most notably the presence of God is shown as a pillar of smoke and fire in Exodus when God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
We see other places where God’s presence is seen as smoke in the physical realm. One such time is the day the Temple is dedicated. Smoke filled the Temple so much so that nobody could enter into the Temple.
They play an important role in the rule and reign of God. We can see attributes of the Lord in the different presence or faces of the cherubim. We see they are created in the image of God when seen as a man, they carry God’s peace and remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice as the ox, we see God’s justice and judgment as the lion, and finally, we see them move swiftly when told to act as the eagle.
Lesson
Everything, every creature God created, he created for a purpose. There are no such things as accidents when it comes to God and the things he does or the things he creates. You are created for a great purpose, just like the cherubim.
Because Jesus took our sins on the cross and killed sin, we now have free access to the presence of God. No longer do the cherubim need to protect us from death because we have the parasite called sin. Just because they no longer are needed to protect us from dying, does not mean they no longer have a use in the kingdom of God.
We can now look to the cherubim as teachers. We get to learn how to be in the presence of God and worship him continually like we see in John’s vision. Cherubim can teach us how to be image bearers of God, just like the cherubim do when they are seen with the face of a man. We can learn to live a sacrificial life and carry God’s peace wherever we go when we see the cherubim as an ox. We learn to carry out God’s words and commands swiftly and rest in the renewal of our minds, bodies, and souls in the shadow of God’s wings.
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