The Four Living Creatures

In Revelation 4 the Lord is taking us from what can be known concerning His Church (a compilation of seven churches and their problems or trials), to what He wants to show us about the spirit realm; specifically, what we can see and know about those spiritual forces and beings that help the Church. I previously wrote about the mind of God, the “eyes that are everywhere”. Now we will begin looking at the rest of the attributes of the four living creatures.

God opened a door in heaven and invites us to “see” spiritual things. These things are spiritual images regarding a change in heaven. The death and resurrection of Jesus did more than redeem those that believe in Him; it gave all believers the Holy Spirit. Before this, God’s relationship was mostly through leaders upon whom the Holy Spirit rested, such as His prophets or kings. After Jesus rose from the dead, we were invited to be as Him; sons and daughters of God in whom His Spirit dwells. This is a major change, and is the reason why John’s vision of the four living creatures (Rev 4:6-9) varies from Ezekiel’s vision of the four living creatures (Ez 1:4-25).

In Ezekiel’s vision of the creatures their spirits were in their wheels, which were covered with eyes and followed the Spirit of God. In John’s vision, the creatures had no wheels, but they themselves were covered with eyes. God’s leading had come from an external source, which rested upon the human spirit. Now God’s leading rests upon His believers, covering them with the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). This change in the four living creatures gives us a glimpse of the “imperishable” clothing that will come upon believers who are “of heaven” (see 1 Cor 15:48-55).

We see another change, which concerns the positioning of the living creatures. In Ezekiel’s vision, the creatures were below the sea of glass and the throne. The sea of glass was like a ceiling above them, towards which they reached their wings. In John’s vision the creatures are positioned “in the center, around the throne” which rests upon the sea of glass. Their proximity to the throne shows God’s inclusion of man into His own life. “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus . . .”(Eph 2:6) Because of the creature’s position change, they hear the Lord directly instead of listening below the ceiling to His voice above.

Another change is that Ezekiel saw each living creature as having four faces; man, ox, lion and eagle. Each of the four creatures had the same four faces. These represent facets of God’s ministry to Man, for the four living creatures came with God to Ezekiel. In John’s vision each of the living creatures had their own face; that of the man, ox, lion and eagle. They were “differentiated”. Some would say each creature specialized. Before Christ, God’s words to men were “packaged” to contain that which He would give men individually as gifts after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In reading God’s words in the Old Testament we see Truth, Wisdom, Revelation, and Prophecy intermingled. Now they are individual gifts to those that follow Christ.

God is showing us the four living creatures so that we would see those spirits which will help us from heaven, and which are intended to reside on God’s ministers on earth. Facets illustrate aspects of the nature of someone or something. We are seeing parts of God’s nature in the four living creatures; parts that He wants to share with His believers. His Spirit is weakened when men’s ministries do not rely on what is imparted by God because men’s hearts do not contain His full council.

Because the creatures are now before the throne, they receive from the Lord, and give to men. So we see that when the creatures speak, the elder’s reaction is to lay their lives down and worship God, submitting themselves to their Creator. There is relationship between the creatures and the elders, not seen in Ezekiel’s vision. When these spirits minister to men, they are taking from heaven and giving to men, each creature according to the spirit he represents.

Tomorrow I will write about the faces of the lion, ox, man, and eagle.