Christ as King and Redeemer. JOHN IS RESURRECTED IN VISION. CHRIST IS PROCLAIMED WORTHY BECAUSE HE IS CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE AND REDEEMER OF THE EARTH.

Let me apologise for the lack of the representation of the six wings in my graphic. The six wings are critical and I do deal with that but my limited abilities with regard to artistic expression reduced my concept down to what you see. It is also missing some of the 24 elders and the eyes all over the creatures here but we can also work with that. One thing that you might think is misrepresented is His colour. It is actually a rather accurate representation. People tend to remember when Christ is pictured as white but they never seem to remember when He is black, as in Revelation 4. A touchstone is a dull dark stone. A sardine stone is blood red. All of these colours are symbolic. God is neither a black God or a white God.

HISTORY AS SEEN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE RESURRECTED (MEN) - In the Holy Place

In Revelation 4 we see those resurrected from various perspectives. Christ is there with the Church any how you look at it, He is introduced as worthy of being King and Saviour. The Day of the Lord is when they are resurrected and hence it had to have come in order for John to see this. That is why his perspective is the Day of the Lord. In chapter 1 John tells us it is the Lord's day and in chapter 4 John shows us that it is the Day of the Lord and then he fills in some background.

In my house there are many Mansions

Christ made a promise to his disciples.

The Greek for mansion is monē, or more simply mone, and it also means abode . He explained that the temple is God's house first in Matthew,

and it is confirmed by Mark and Luke (Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46). These statements would have conjured two images to the Jewish mind. In general a house of the father was the ancestral home but specifically the house of God was the temple. The original tabernacle was a tent but from the time of David's Temple we have booths attached to the outside of the Temple, 1 Kings 6:5-10 and Ezekiel 41:7-11 and we find that there will be even more in the millennial temple. What were the rooms in the temple for?

According to the verses above the chief of the Levites remained in the temple always and stayed in rooms or these abodes i.e. ever with the Lord. The practice of sleeping in the temple area existed from the time of the portable Tabernacle.

And possibly from the time of the Exodus:

When we combine the other promises made to the saints, e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord , it is evident that these live in the temple. So some of God's children live at the ancestral home and they are precious to Him. Many of the rooms of the temple were storage rooms but some were used for abodes. The combination of the treasure and the abodes picture the saints.

Based on Exodus 35-38 and in particular Exodus 38:21-30, we can obtain the values of precious metals given to the original temple. At the time of preparing this paper (October 2015) the price of gold was US $1,160.80 per ounce and silver was US $15.94 per ounce.

On leaving Egypt it would be reasonable to expect that the Hebrews used the Egyptian talent. An Egyptian talent was 27 kilograms (60 lb). The talent was subdivided into 60 mina, each of which was subdivided into 60 shekels. Using this information we can derive the table below. Everything on the first row equals 1 talent. Everything written on the next row equals 1 shekel. Columns with no heading is just a formula for calculation.

From exodus 38:24 All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

(39 talents x 960 = 27,840 oz ) + ( 730 shekels x 0.266666667 oz. = 195) i.e. 27840 oz. + 195 oz. = 28,035 ounces

The value of the gold works out to be:

2,803.5 ounces x $1,160.80 = $32,543,028

Since the tabernacle was holy when it was decommissioned it would have become temple treasure. The Tabernacle survived the period of the judges (1 Samuel 1:3). The Tabernacle and its treasures survived the capture of the Ark by the Philistines (1 Samuel 5 & 6), as is recorded in 1 Kings 8.

David had been accumulating gold for the temple all along and had accomplished all that was needed by the pattern, but in addition he personally gave so that inside of the houses could be overlayed in gold or silver.

3,000 talents x 960 for ounces = 2,880,000 @ $1,160.80 = $3,343,104,000

On top of this the princes gave and there was no direct use for that.

Since I don't know how much a dram is I will leave them out.

5,000 talents x 960 for ounces = 4,800,000 @ $1,160.80 = $5,571,840,000

This had to remain as temple treasure. It was extraordinary and shut up. Notice that I did not bother with the other precious metals or stones that would further increase the value. The point is that we are called a peculiar treasure Hebrew cgullah,

Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries

Peculiar treasure cgullah

 H5459 wealth (as closely shut up)

[feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to shut up]

KJV: jewel, peculiar (treasure), proper good, special.

The treasure kept in God's eternal temple is not silver and Gold it is His saints. In the same way that the precious metals and gems were looked after in the material temple we have it ordained in the spiritual one. This treasure was looked after by the four chief porters.

This means that we are the peculiar treasure or the closely shut up treasure in the temple but that is not all.

So another concept is that only the children live in the house. We are God's children, but it goes even further.

In the temples of this age there would have been very few leaders to stay at the temple, but Christ is indicating that in the future there will be many. By reading 1 Chronicles 23:24-32 we understand that the rooms also indicated shared responsibilities because various Levites were assigned responsibilities for what was in the rooms. The disciples would have been familiar with the temple and so would understand the meaning.

God sees His plan as He has it spelled out in the Tabernacle. It is the affairs of man from the perspective of heaven. In Revelation 11:12 we are told that there will be a great shout of come up here at the Resurrection. If John hears that great shout then he should be in the Holy Place and resurrected before the throne of God where he can see the plan from God's perspective since there would not longer be a veil. In Revelation 1:10 John actually heard a great voice, as of a trumpet on the Day of the Lord. It must be the same as the shout of 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 and Revelation 11:12 when it said come up here and hence is the Resurrection. As is expected there is no curtain blocking the Most Holy Place. Also one would expect a representation of the candlestick and the showbread and the altar of incense, and this is what we find going through the book of Revelation.

The plan shows that the Levites were the only tribe allowed to approach the holy things but this was not the original intention, the priests were originally intended to be from all Israel and this is how it will be in the in the Kingdom. The first people to present offerings were just young men. Priests will be from all of Israel's tribes, hence the number 12 and multiples of it. The number four is also represented in the temple.

So there were four chief porters representing the four corners of the compass (everywhere) who worked with priests that were divided into twenty-four courses representing the twelve tribes of Israel. We are going to see this 24, 4, and 12 repeatedly used in Revelation. When Christ said that in His Father's house there were many mansions He was talking about these abodes that held peculiar treasure that turns out to be the resurrected saints portrayed as priest and precious treasure in the Temple.

Twelve Stones

Now before we go any further it is useful to consider the meanings of the twelve sons and stones on the breastplate of the High Priest. God calls His people peculiar treasure and to me that is represented in the stones of the breastplate. The breastplate jewels listed in Exodus 28:17-20 and 39:10-13 do not identify the tribal names. Ezekiel 48:31-34 only creates a correspondence between the tribes and the gates. Revelation 21 does not even identify the city gates by tribe although it lists both the tribes and the stones.

The first challenge that we face is the conflict between Ezekiel and Numbers.

Numbers 2

EAST

 Judah,  Issachar, Zebulun

SOUTH

 Reuben, Simeon, Gad

WEST

Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin

NORTH

Dan, Asher, Naphtali

Exodus 28:17-20 [KJV]/Exodus 39:10-13 [KJV]

FIRST ROW

a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle

SECOND ROW

an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

THIRD ROW

a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

FOURTH ROW

a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper.

It seems pretty obvious that they should match but that is not recorded in scripture. We can SPECULATE that east is the first row and so on but that is all it is. We can choose between Numbers and Ezekiel to complete the list but again it is speculation.

Then some people choose to order them largely by birth I Chronicles 2:1-2 [KJV], These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, Dan,Joseph, Benyamin, Naphtali, Gad, andAsher.

Jacob had thirteen children, twelve sons and one daughter, by four different women. The account of the birth of Jacob’s children is found in Genesis 29-30, 35.
They are given below in order of birth:

1. REUBEN, mother Leah.
2. SIMEON, mother Leah.
3. LEVI, mother Leah.
4. JUDAH, mother Leah. After Judah, Leah had no more children for a time.
5. DAN, mother Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid.
   
6. NAPHTALI, mother Bilhah,
7. GAD, mother Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah.
8. ASHER, mother Zilpah.
9. ISSACHAR, mother Leah.
10. ZEBULUN, mother Leah.
11. Dinah was Jacob’s only daughter, and her mother was Leah.
12. JOSEPH, mother Rachel.
13. BENJAMIN, mother Rachel.

The other problem is that nobody can with absolute certainty proclaim which order to use with the jewels or what the jewels actually are. So while it is true that the breastplate represents Israel and it is a peculiar treasure, we have no way of knowing any further details. Since I do not have anything to add to the speculation I will just leave you with some links that go further than I.

• http://www.eifiles.cn/js-en.htm
• https://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2005/12stones.html

I found some tables at http://www.biblestudy101.org/Lists/12tribes.html and http://www.fisheaters.com/preciousstones.html. They have not given why their approach is to be considered authoritative.

Christ represented in stones

While I have not found anything especially interesting while connecting the stones with the tribes of Israel that is not true for Christ. This person looked like two stones: jasper and sardine stone. Why jasper? You can check Britannica.com. At my last check,  Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. jasper. Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/science/jasper-mineral. Accessed 15 January 2022. . . . For thousands of years, black jasper (and also black slate) was used to test gold-silver alloys for their gold content. Rubbing the alloys on the stone, called a touchstone, produces a streak the colour of which determines the gold content within one part in one hundred.

Chalcedony's standard chemical structure is SiO₂ (silicon dioxide). It comes in an assortment of sizes and colours. Popular examples of chalcedony include carnelian, agate, bloodstone, flint, and jasper. The structure of chalcedony is classified as microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline, meaning that the crystalline structure of the rock is so fine that it is not readily visible to the naked eye. This makes the stone durable and easy to work with. We can see that the jasper has to do with testing for gold. It is one of the most durable materials used for that purpose. Christ turned Himself into a giant touchstone. Significantly, this stone comes in red.

What about Sardine stone? I got some information many years ago from www.sacred-texts.com/bib/ebd/ebd322.htm

(Rev 4:3, RV, "sardius;" Heb. 'odhem ; LXX., Gr. sardion , from a root meaning "red"), a gem of a blood-red colour. It was called "sardius" because obtained from Sardis in Lydia. It is enumerated among the precious stones in the high priest's breastplate (Exo 28:17; Exo 39:10).

That information is readily available from other places however for me the most significant information that we discover about Sardine is that it was blood red. So whatever other range of colours was displayed on this person one had to be blood red.

Why are the two mentioned together?

Jasper and sardius are both in the breastplate, the sardius was first and the jasper last.

The colour of Sardius is red like blood symbolic of Christ's sacrifice. Tying the stones to the names of their corresponding sons of Israel by order of birth we get Benjamin for the Sardius (son of the right hand [right hand man, indispensable, cannot and will not do without Him]) and Reuben for the jasper (see, a son or behold, a son [I have an heir]). These two children were the first and the last or the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:10).

Seven Churches

The seven Churches (Revelation 1:4,11,20) are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea to whom the letter is sent. This seven means the complete Church. When you think about it, it is amazing that the candlestick which was pictured in the tabernacle thousands of years before would be so well represented.

The 7 stars (light bringers)

The 7 stars = 7 angels (messengers) to these Churches, Revelation 1:20. Stars are light bringers or light bearers. They are the ones that turn many to righteousness.

They shine in the darkness and give direction to mariners. Stars work collectively in constellations to give direction. The only star that can work alone is Christ. His star did not need a constellation to point the way.

So the stars work as a team. When we look at the messages to the Churches we are able to compare and contrast and learn. The light bearer to each Church gives us the same picture from a different angle. God has this process firmly in His grip. The symbolism shows that God has had powerful control over the message that each Church received and it is accurate and reliable.

The 7 candlesticks (joined as one)

The 7 candlesticks (actually lampstands) = 7 churches Revelation 1:20. A lampstand holds the lamp and so one supports the other and connects the whole together. The design of these lampstands are such that they are joined to form one candelabra or branched lampstand.

The lampstand shows that the seven Churches are one device or tool. It works together to form one Church made up of parts. Remember that church means the group called or separated, and so the parts called at different locations form one called group.

The 7 lamps or 7 spirits or 7 horns or 7 eyes

In Exodus 25:31-37 noted above, there is a distinction between the candlestick and the lamp (verse 37). The same distinction is maintained in Revelation. The candlestick is the lampstand and the lamp is the container with oil and a wick that was lit to produce flame.

7 lamps = 7 spirits of God, Revelation 4:5

7 horns and 7 eyes = 7 spirits of God, Revelation 5:6

Since it is the same seven spirits, then from Revelation 4:5 and Revelation 5:6

7 lamps = 7 spirits = 7 horns = 7 eyes.

The seven lamps (light of the world)

The seven lamps relate to the Church being the light of the world.

We have one great light that combines all of the lights. Christ was the light of the world when He was here and He left that responsibility to the Church.

We each play our part acting as individuals to produce one light.

The seven spirits (apostolic)

The seven spirits are not explained in Revelation 4 but in Revelation 5. Spirits represent the apostolic work in the Church. In general spirit relates to God acting through His Church or even in the world, and in this case it most likely also refers to the earnest of the Spirit then fully formed i.e. the resurrected Church. In Revelation 5:6 it says that these are seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. The word for sent forth is apostello and is clearly the source of apostle. By this time the Gospel would have been preached to all the world as a witness. Since there were not seven apostles, this seven refers to the function of spreading the Gospel by the seven churches done perfectly and completely.

The seven horns (power)

The seven horns are another view of the Church. Even though the Church is harmless the church is not always docile. Horns represent power (e.g. government, army) and strength and scattering or pushing. Horns grow out when animals are reaching maturity and indicate the power of the male and in that sense they are symbolic to others of the strength that lies behind the animal. Horns are not intended for killing, they are not for predatory animals but can unleash tremendous power when necessary. Bulls don't devour people but they scatter them. Some may die but they are not devoured. A hungry lion generally kills one animal and stops but an angry bull will scatter everything. The body of Christ portrays God's power, it represents His Kingdom on earth. This will be particularly obvious in the end time with the two witnesses.

The eyes (sight beyond eyesight)

The eyes represent perception. The Church is backed by God's perfect vision. God's eyes (like superhot fires) strip away the dross and the stubble to get to the truth and purity. Through the Church the world sees things as God does and God sees and understands all that the Church sees.

Omri did evil in God's eyes 1 Kings 16:25-26; God's eyes always see and He always hears the righteous, Psalms 34:15; God's eyes analyse human behaviour Proverbs 5:21; He watches sinful nations to destroy them Amos 9:8; God's eyes dart across the whole earth.

God first explains that the bowls on the candlestick are His eyes in Zechariah 4:1-10. Note this excerpt from Zechariah 4:1-10 [KJV]  [1] And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,  [2] And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:  . . .  [10] For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. God repeats it in Revelation. His eyes i.e. the bowls, produce and contain the fire. The bowls contain oil (the Holy Spirit) to sustain the fire and through the fire God sees all related to the Church. God does not explain the exact nature of how it works, we know that through what is revealed by the light of the fire to the Church, God will either condemn or bless.

Seven is the number of completeness and perfection. In summary you have God saying that the Church has been given a complete and perfect message through the 7 stars (His messengers and guides). The lampstand shows that the message is connected and although it is given in pieces it is seven (complete and perfect). 7 lamps show that this message and hence the Church is the one complete and perfect light of the world. 7 spirits shows that this one message was sent to the world by His apostles that are complete and whole as a group. 7 horns show that His complete and perfect power (government and strength) is demonstrated by His Church and the 7 eyes show that He will perform complete and perfect judgement based on complete and perfect insight. This is all embodied in the saints, the resurrected Church, perfect and complete to rule because of their crowns.

God gives a first understanding of the function of the eyes in Ezekiel. Ezekiel had four wheels just like the ones in the laver but very much larger, actually reaching up to heaven. The wheels represent the covenant with God from Deuteronomy 11:26-32, where the phrase o wheel (from Ezekiel 10:13) is translated as Gilgal. There were four living creatures just as they are four in Revelation 4. In Ezekiel the eyes were in the wheels, which was the covenant, but by the time of Revelation these eyes cover the living creatures (they are part of them) and the wheels are gone. The creatures had cloven hooves in Ezekiel indicating that they were clean sacrifices. In Revelation it makes it clear that those present represent people that were redeemed, i.e. made clean by the blood of their baptism in Christ. In Ezekiel they were redeemed from a terrible fire-storm but by now the literal fire-storm has passed and they are redeemed from the martyrdoms and evils of this age. In Ezekiel the wheels were operated by the Spirit and the creatures drew on that Spirit (Ezekiel 1:20-21). The wheels therefore had to do with service and sacrificing to God according to the covenant through which God saw it. That old covenant is now gone. What about now? Where are the eyes?

Service and sacrifice are now according to a new covenant and is done in our bodies. There is no external covenant i.e. wheel. The eyes are still in the covenant but today the covenant is a part of us and the eyes are all over us.

God is going to judge according to the covenant that is written in our hearts not the external wheel. The eyes examine us more minutely and from every vantage point.

Four Living Creatures and Twenty-four Elders (distribution of responsibilities and authority)

The Bible says that the four living creatures and the 24 elders are definitely symbolic, they represent people who are now redeemed, see Revelation 5:8-9. Actually Revelation 5:8-9 seems to explain that the four indicates that they are from all the world (four corners) and the twenty-four indicates that they are kings and priests responsible for God's treasure. The seven angels are also people if you compare Revelation 17:1 with Revelation 22:8. All of these represent the Church viewed from different perspectives.

The four chief porters were assigned the responsibilities of the temple. The details of the responsibilities are given in 1 Chronicles 26-28 but are summarised in I Chronicles 9.

Levi had three sons, Gershoh, Kehath and Merari. We know more of Kehath because he was the grandfather of Aaron, Miriam and Moses. Kehath (Hebrew: קְהָת, Qəhāṯ) or Kohath, was one of the four main divisions under four porters of the Levites, formed of the descendants of the three sons. Each porter was responsible for gates according to the compass. These four dealt with those who are worthy from every point of the compass.

They also had responsibility for the treasures.

Both the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures demonstrate submission to the one on the throne. 24 elders had crowns and white clothes (Revelation 4:4) showing kingship and priestly righteousness. Twenty-four and four both deal with division. Twenty-four has to do with division of responsibility and four has to do with division of area. Twenty-four immediately suggests Israel (i.e. a multiple of 12). Two could have to do with certainty and corroboration or support, one being a witness and a backup to the other. It is however more likely that twenty-four, in this case, relates to division of responsibilities in the Kingdom of God where the kings will be priests. King David divided those responsible for temple services into twenty-four groups (1Chronicles 23 - 24). When a particular course of priests served they usually divided their work amongst themselves by lot, meaning that God was in control of their actions. This may be telling us that we will share in the work. David divided the courses into twenty-four but God had originally divided them into twelve, symbolised by the twelve loaves of shewbread. At first the responsibilities were to be shared by the whole nation so the twenty-four is the twelve x 2. The twenty-four represent all who are given responsibilities for the Kingdom under the High Priest, i.e. kings and priests.

I just said that 1 Chronicles 9:23-26 shows that there were four chief porters representing the four corners of the compass. This also relates to the four horns of the altar of incense. Four is associated with both the seasons and the corners but reference is usually made to four corners, as for example with the altars. The Garden of Eden had a river which parted into the four other rivers. These rivers were the Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel and the Euphrates (Genesis 2:10 14). These flowed out and divided the earth. After Jesus was crucified Roman soldiers divided up his clothes into four parts, one part per soldier - John 19:23. In the book of Ezekiel we are told that an end is coming upon the four corners of the land (Ezekiel 7:2). The Bible account of Jesus' ministry is divided into four Gospels showing four unique perspectives of our saviour. So together the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders represent the division of the kingdom into responsibilities and spatial allotments but generally both four and twenty-four have to do with dividing something.

The Remnant

It is my contention that these four creatures represent the redeemed. In Isaiah the beings had six wings. Wings appear to indicate speed of destiny. In Daniel the symbol of wings is used to show the swiftness with which the Greeks conquered under Alexander: Daniel 7:6 [KJV] After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. Getting back to Isaiah, two wings covered the feet so that we do not know where they went, and two cover their faces so that we cannot recognise them. Isaiah saw the quick demise of the northern tribes from their prominence under Jeroboam II into deportation and obscurity following king Hoshea. They became lost but will produce a remnant. Here in Revelation (chapter 4:8) there are four individual living creatures full of eyes, each with six wings. The eyes represent the covenant and righteousness by its standard. The six wings link back to Isaiah and the lost tribes. In Isaiah the creatures are called Seraphims, Isaiah 6:2 [KJV], Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. We are not told about any faces. In Isaiah they were to become lost and hidden but now in Revelation they are delivered.

In Ezekiel 1 the four creatures had 4 wings and Ezekiel says that they were the same looking creatures in chapter 10 and in chapter 10 he says that he knew that they were cherubim.That should trigger something in our thinking. Would not just seeing them require that they were cherubim?

They do not represent the standards of Israel

In Numbers chapter 2 God records that Israel camped under four standards or banners.

I cannot corroborate this but I find it easy to accept that the standard of Judah was a lion.

Similarly I can accept the standard of Reuben as a man, a firstborn.

But I find it difficult to accept Dan as anything except a serpent or a scale.

And similarly, I do not see the evidence that Ephraim was either an eagle or an ox. Consequently I do not believe that the four faces represent the camp of Israel.

Rationalizing the creatures in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel

I have done an article on the imagery of angels and I have condensed some of the details here. I maintain this basic understanding, that the creatures with the four faces in Revelation and Ezekiel represent the remnant, but I now have to deal with some challenges.

Focus on the ox

Ezekiel said that one face was like that of a cherub, and hence assumed that the face of a cherub was so familiar that everyone would understand.

That being the case Isaiah would have recognised a cherub but he called his seraphim. Ezekiel then shows that the whole thing was a cherub.

So it was a cherub, but they (cherubim) apparently only had one face normally, this one had three more and if you look at Ezekiel 41:18, those have two faces. In Ezekiel chapter 10 three of the four faces are the same as in chapter 1 (man, lion and eagle) but where chapter 1 has the face of an ox, Ezekiel 10:14 says face of a cherub. This means that Ezekiel 10 is not the norm, but it can't be Ezekiel 1 either because there it was called a living creature, indicating that he was not sure at first what it was. By a process of elimination comparing Ezekiel 1:10 (man, lion, ox and eagle) with Ezekiel 10:14 (cherub, man, lion, eagle), the face of the familiar cherub must have been that of an ox since it is the one replaced by cherub.

The interpretation of what is in Ezekiel must correspond to what is in Revelation: no private interpretation and all that. Ezekiel chapter 1 and Ezekiel chapter 10 are two separate visions with similarities. In chapter 1 they are called living creatures but the ones in chapter 10 are called cherubim and he goes on to say in that chapter that they were the same (Ezekiel 10:20).

Wings appear to indicate speed of destiny. In Daniel the symbol of wings is used to show the swiftness with which the Greeks conquer under Alexander, Daniel 7:6 [KJV] After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

Focus on the eagle

Ezekiel chapter 1 pictures the destruction of Jerusalem and a remnant being saved and the creatures there are not called cherubim. Chapter 10 pictures God's Spirit leaving the Temple, evidently to protect the ark. I also now propose to resolve the problem with the ox-face. The feet in Ezekiel 1 were the feet of a clean animal which represents an acceptable sacrifice, and a first-born was redeemed by an acceptable sacrifice. Now we also see that one face is the same as the typical or familiar cherub. Since the whole creature was a cherub and yet only one face was previously known to be that of a cherub, this leads to the inescapable conclusion that cherub is a function not a creature. A cherub is what a cherub does, not what it looks like. Cherubim are found in the Most Holy Place where they are concerned with guarding the mercy seat (which itself protected a covenant in the Ark) and in the Garden of Eden where they protected the tree of life (which is another covenant that if you eat it you live forever). The Tabernacle is made after a pattern of things currently in heaven which would require that cherub does not apply to a specific person but to a role. From Ezekiel the ox-face is the one equated with cherubim. I propose that the key thing the ox represents is service. Ox = king of food/prosperity (king of servants or bondage) from Revelation 4 especially. That would tell us a lot about what cherubim are. They are servants who would sacrifice everything for the mercy seat, which is Christ, who is the Tree of Life. There is evidence that the word means ones close to God. In chapter 1 I understand it to mean that the ones that remain close to God in His service will be restored to serve Him.

In Ezekiel 1 the creatures were accompanied by the wheels and came out of a firestorm but here in Revelation they have independent movement and there is no fire. The fire was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The wheels in Ezekiel are linked by the phrase o wheel to Gilgal where they laid out the twelve stones that were brought out from the Jordan as a demonstration of God keeping His covenant. In that case the wheels represent a covenant from earth to heaven and the four corners of the earth. It follows them wherever they go. We have not reached there yet but these four faces correspond to the first four seals of Revelation 6 and therefore the first four horses. Man = deception, lion=war, lions attack as an organised army whereas bears, for example, hunt alone. Ox = scarcity. Vulture = death. These creatures represent opposing concepts so that lion = war/peace, vulture= death/life etc. The animals (with the exception of the vulture) were all found UNDER the small lavers that washed the animal parts for sacrifice, 1 Kings 7:27-29, but oxen only were under the bronze sea. There is also no face of a man or vulture anywhere so this must be represented in the cherubim somehow. From the Garden of Eden cherubim represent life/death from the consequences of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but prevented from ever reaching the tree of life. All of these creatures appear to also have the form of a man so with the addition of the vulture for death and the likeness of a man the cherubim complete the imagery at the laver. At the Bronze Sea If the bulls represent (firstborn-redeemed) Israel then by their arrangement under the bronze sea we have the depiction of the elect. This is not the winged bull of Babylon. In addition to representing prosperity/scarcity, the oxen represent Israel which is the nation that God chose to reveal his truth through and also to protect His covenant. Israel has the oracles of God with which we can keep that covenant without deception. The Holy Spirit, like the water, removes the spots and blemishes that are carefully looked for at the laver or Bronze Sea during the washing process. In other words, during the washing process war was changed to peace, death was changed to life, deception was changed to truth and scarcity changed to plenty. All sacrifices to God had to be without spot or blemish. The washing at the laver represents preparation for death and sacrifice as a sweet savour instead of the stench of urine. The washing at the bronze sea represents being prepared for life and service in God's Holy Place. The priest represented Israel and carried the burden of the Holy Spirit.

The water in the lavers and bronze sea conforms to the word of God and the Holy Spirit. Just look at some of the key scriptures that point this out.

The priests were washed at the bronze sea the weight or burden of which was held up by the oxen (Israel/the Church) just as the Church and Israel upholds the weight or burden of the word of God/Holy Spirit.

The word of God which contains the Law of God is actually not burdensome on its own but is turned into a burden by this age.

Animals were washed at the laver.

These (washing at the laver and washing at the Bronze Sea) are essentially the same washing and represent baptism in service to God. The animals are baptised to God's service. Baptism is symbolic of death. They were cleansed of their stench and filth by the washing to become a sweet savour. The priest's is in preparation for service in the priesthood. Oxen are the greatest servants. They work in service to the master ploughing and so on and then they die as food, leather and containers for oil. All of their life is service.

Scarcity is represented by the oxen but oxen also represent service, because the scarcity is removed by service. An ox works to plough the field and sire more oxen and when it is old is killed for skin and meat. Even in death the ox serves and is the biggest such animal. In the pattern the oxen are actually serving by holding up the sea while the other animals are on the bases with no information to suggest that they do anything. To me this suggests that the purpose, where the ox is concerned, is to be prepared for a life of service. The combination of the lavers and the Bronze Sea show death and cleansing (with the animals at the laver) plus death and service (with the bulls under the Bronze Sea). The death imagery of baptism is by being under the water. This makes our sacrifice a sweet savour and prepares us for service as priests. Those who were once depicted as under the sea will one day be over it in triumph.

So the washing represents death in service and sacrifice. The representation in Revelation is of the Temple as a whole while Ezekiel and Isaiah are warnings about specific events, captivity. The cherubim (ones close to God typically represented with ox faces according to Ezekiel) in Eden had flaming swords as offensive weapons, but in Ezekiel and Isaiah 6:1-8 the creatures themselves are ablaze. The protection of the cherubim was targeting the East which correlates to the return of Christ, For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matthew 24:27 [KJV]); And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south (Zechariah 14:4 [KJV]). The ones with the sword only protected the tree of life from those who took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but when they are represented with other faces they do more things. There is a big difference between two cherubim and four living creatures. Two are about protecting the tree of life. Four are the redeemed i.e. from the four corners of the earth.

The following scene appears to be set just outside the Holy Place. The Lamb would have to come from the altar and passed the laver on the right side of the entrance to enter the Holy Place and reach the throne. The Lamb will appear in Chapter 5.

One more thing to remember is that from the perspective of heaven the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. As a matter of fact from heaven's perspective lots of things are there from the foundation of the world:

• The kingdom was prepared Matthew 25:34
• The blood of the prophets was spilled Luke 11:50
• The works were finished Hebrews 4:3
• Christ was foreordained 1 Peter 1:19-20
• Christ was slain Revelation 13:8

I will summarise it here.

The original Laver (Exodus 30: 17-21; 38:8; 40:30-32) is unique as an item of the Tabernacle because we are not given its size, shape, weight or method of transport but it was of course light enough to be portable. The Hebrew kiyor translated laver means something round (as excavated or bored), bowl-shaped object. It was used for the priests to wash their hands and feet (Exodus 30:17-21; 40:30-32), had a base or foot (Exodus 30:28), was made from the bronze-plate mirrors of women (Exodus 38:8), was posted between the Tabernacle and the Altar (Exodus 40:7), and was anointed and consecrated in the same way as the Altar (Exodus 40:11).

At their consecration the priests were washed from head to toe at the laver before being clothed with priestly garments and anointed (Exodus.29:4-7). They were not permitted to wash themselves at their consecration (Leviticus 8:6). This was done once (represented in the New Testament by baptism) but later they only needed to wash their hands and feet (now represented by Lord's Supper). The laver was made of bronze mirrors offered freely by women (Exodus 38:8) and enabled the priests to see their reflection. The water or sea then has implications of the word of God and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:26, Titus 3:5, James 1:25).

All of these deal with a transformation as would be necessary to enter the true Holy Place

The bronze laver used in the wilderness was succeeded by David's huge Sea of Bronze set up by Solomon. It appears as though David was given directions to maintain its obscurity, because even though some dimensions are given in the description of the second Temple they do not resolve the size. As a matter of fact, the size is ridiculous if the intention was solely to wash the priests hands and feet and to bathe the High Priest three times on atonement and once at consecration. This object reveals further meaning. The twelve bulls under the sea are arranged the same as the twelve tribes around the tabernacle suggesting that it is their representation and hence preserving the representation of the face of a man. Presently (outside the holy place) the word of the Lord etc. is their burden.

If it is true that the laver represents the Holy Spirit and God's word then the reason for the obscurity is clear. We do not know these things (size, shape, weight or method of transport) about the Holy Spirit or God's word either. Furthermore if the laver and the sea of glass in Revelation represent the same thing, then we can see why all of the activity is taking place under the laver. That sea is what separates us from God and also the water is so pure that it is clear like glass and washes us clean.

Each laver was constructed with its own base (Exodus 30:28, 1 Kings 7:27-39). The cherubim were in the bases which supported and protected the water and the water represented the Holy Spirit which comes from the tree of life. If you examine it carefully there are several inferences that can be drawn but the laver, later represented in all ten lavers and the Bronze Sea, which contained the water for washing was made from mirrors. The indication is that you were to always examine yourself for uncleanness and be transformed to the perfect heart that God required by the washing. This concept of looking for every spot or wrinkle and seeking perfection is transferred to the eyes (1 Kings 9:3, 2 Chronicles 16:9) that cover the creatures in Revelation and Ezekiel. These eyes were at the tabernacle constantly but also roamed the earth looking for those whose hearts are perfect.

The ten wheeled lavers in Solomon's Temple were not used for washing the priests but for washing the sacrifices. Sacrifices were to be without spot or blemish (Exodus 12:5, Leviticus 1:3, Deuteronomy 15:21) but also a sweet savour (Exodus 29:18). These wheels may represent God roaming the earth for those with a pure heart. Sacrifices are made by those who seek eternal life and the cherubim always take note in order to protect the tree of life from the unworthy.

I would have spoken about the olygodynamic effect when I was talking about Christ's feet earlier in Revelation. As a reminder from Wikipedia (2015-10-31)

And under the heading applications:

Applications
Certain metals, such as silver, copper and copper alloys, are known to be far more poisonous to bacteria than others, such as stainless steel and aluminium, which is why they are used in mineral sanitizers for swimming pools and spas.

Brass is the common name for Bronze nowadays and is typically an alloy of 90% copper and 10% zinc. Some bronze alloys range from 88% to 95% copper and may contain up to 12% tin instead of zinc but in the biblical times it would have been zinc. The use of an oligodynamic metal was deliberate.

Beasts (creatures) typically represent kings.

Eagle

actually griffon vulture = king of life and safety as in high in the air (also king of death)

lion

king of freedom or peace (also king of predators/war)

man

king of choice by association Israel, Kingdom of God on earth (good vs evil. the only one that becomes immortal i.e. attains a perfect heart)

ox

king of food/prosperity (king of servants or bondage) – has to do with overcoming worry Luke 12:22-40)

The Greek word used for ox in Revelation 4 is Moschos. It is the type of animal that would be used to redeem a firstborn. It represents an animal in its prime. The The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon has

The The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon has

Moschos:

a tender juicy shoot

    a sprout, of a plant or tree

offspring

    of men: a boy or a girl, esp. if fresh and delicate

    of animals:a young one

a calf, a bullock, a heifer

God's four factors of life in this age are revealed around the throne and as with the four cherubim from Ezekiel probably signify a remnant.

These all have dual implications. In Revelation 6 they are identified with war, death, prosperity and deception. Logically Lion=peace and security/war, vulture=death/life and escape from harm, ox=prosperity/need, man= choice i.e. truth/deception, having been deceived by Satan but saved in Christ.

This helps us to understand why the cherubim in general, may have the head of an ox while the ones in the most holy place may have vulture heads. The ox represents their devotion to God but the vultures are an omen of death. If you see them it may well be the last thing that you see.

The 24 and the 4 are together representing saints that were once groaning under the burden of the word of God in this world now washed of their iniquity and freed (Romans 8:22-23) to serve God alone and lead the rest of mankind as kings and priests. The creatures may represent that God has roamed the whole earth and picked out those with a perfect heart. In any case they are redeemed from the spectrum of evils of the world and now stand around the holy throne.

The Number two

Earlier we looked at 24, 4 and 12 and now I want to take a look at 2. Two means unity. A man and woman, though two in number, are made one in marriage (Genesis 2:23 - 24). There is also the union between Christ and the church (1Corinthians 12), two, God the Father and God the Son (Jesus Christ) comprise a single Godhead.

Two means the corroboration of facts by witnesses. At the minimum, the testimony of at least 2 people were needed in the Old Testament to convict someone of a crime or sin (Deuteronomy 17:6). This was confirmed by Christ (Matthew 18:16). Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs to establish that the gospel had gone to Israel (Mark 6:7-11). In the End Time, two witnesses will testify God's truth against Satan's servants (Revelation 11:3-5). Two can work together only if there is agreement (Amos 3:3). So David set out the courses of the priests as 2x12 thereby ensuring the work of the temple and confirming that the whole year was covered.

Two can compare and contrast i.e. male vs. female (Genesis 1:27). The Old Covenant was based on physical blessings for obedience while the New is based on those that are spiritual. In the Old Testament physical circumcision was required while the New requires circumcision of the heart. At Creation God made two great lights, one to rule the day (sun) and a lesser one to rule the night (moon - Genesis 1:16).

God's agreements with mankind are divided into Old and New Covenants and the second one is final. Those who refuse to repent and obey God will be put to death in the SECOND death (Revelation 21:8). The first Adam was mortal and sinned and brought death into the world. The second and final Adam restores the hope of eternal life (1Corinthians 15:45). At Sinai there were two stone tablets and there are two ways to live (Matthew 7:13-14).

Two can also represent the unclean as in Noah's ark (Genesis 7:2). This type of unclean means not fit for consumption and hence not fit for sacrifice or presentation to God as opposed to SEVEN which represents rest as in the Sabbath. The two in that case was presented in a comparison and cannot be viewed on its own.  In addition to the practical application of the two and the seven it appears to show that some were fit for Him as would those who live to enter His rest while some would be cut off early.

Generally the 24 elders can be seen as 2x12 so that you compare, contrast and confirm and unite God's will forever. They are not placed in comparison to a seven.

The Presence of God

In Psalm 18 David describes how God responds to prayers when his servants are in trouble.

In psalm 29 David describes the presence of God and again we have thunder, lightning and the earth shaking but He does not have to be like that and is not when talking to His servants

Lightning

Lightning represents one element of the presence of God. Lightning illuminates the whole world symbolically. A flash of lightning quickly illuminates and then the light goes when the presence is gone, The sun also illuminates but it is not fleeting as if God is passing by.

Thunder

Thunder represents the voice of God when He is upset. This is better understood in a modern version like NET Bible.

Earthquake

We would have already seen from the other verses that God shakes the earth with His presence.

Lightning, thunder and earthquake

Even though these may represent God, that may not always be the case. There are several places where these occur in Revelation and they are critical junctures to come. They may represent imminent trouble in the earth but not always directly a result of the presence of God.

When the sixth seal is opened (heavenly signs), people become so scared that they hid themselves in caves.

When the angel throws the fire into the earth. It corresponds to the beginning of the seventh seal which begins at the final 3½ years in end-time fulfilment. At this time the Church has to flee because of Satans wrath. This first earthquake may indicate the window of opportunity to go to the place of safety.

The activity at the Resurrection will cause a violent earthquake killing many.

At the Seventh Angel there is a real doozy of an earthquake.

The resurrection occurs at the seventh trump or seventh angel but the seventh angel also introduces a plague. The earthquake at the resurrection seems to be separate from the plague because the one at the plague is described as the worst earthquake in history and may occur at the end of the day of the Lord i.e. It is done. At the time of the resurrection there is hail (Revelation 11:19 ) but at the end of the day of the Lord there is hail the weight of a talent (Revelation 16:21).