Lion, Eagle, Ox and Man part 1

In John’s vision each of the living creatures had their own face; that of the man, ox, lion or eagle. 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.

It is important that we do not look at the creatures with our own understanding. God has His purposes for the symbolism He chooses, each representing God’s ministry to Man. Also of note, they are not called angels. Though they are spiritual beings, the creatures embody aspects of God’s ministry to Man and their faces are visual representations of each distinct part of God’s nature which He imparts to His believers.

Ezekiel saw flashes of fire that traveled between each beast (Ez 1:13). This represented the One Spirit of God which communicated between each of the Living Creatures. It is difficult to write about the distinct faces of each Living Creature separately because their ministries interact with each other. What the Spirit of Prophecy builds up in us, the Spirit of Wisdom builds upon, and so it goes. Our nature becomes transformed each time the Holy Spirit ministers to us. In like manner, when we receive the ministry of the Spirit of Prophecy, Wisdom, Truth, and Revelation, our minds are changed. We begin to think more like God thinks, and to understand deeply what is the inheritance of the saints (Eph 1:18).

Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would take that which is His and give it to us (Jn 16:14). God purposed that we should be given ministry for our benefit, and to equip us for the works of the Kingdom of God. Paul’s prayer to the Christians at Ephesus was that they be given the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation so that they might know God better (Eph 1:17). The Lion symbolizes the inherent right to the knowledge the believer will rule by: Revelation. The saint with the Spirit of Revelation will learn and understand God’s nature and His ways.

We can understand the symbolism of the Lion by looking at Jesus being called the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” (Rev 5:5). When Jacob prophesied to Judah concerning his inheritance, or what he had a right to, Jacob called Judah the “lion’s cub” (Gen 49:8-10). Therefore we know that the Lion has to do with inherited right. This was fulfilled in Jesus, who came from the lineage of Judah, revealed knowledge about His Father to Man, and Who now rules. One with the Spirit of Revelation knows the Father and is included in His family. Without knowing the Father’s ways and nature, revelation is mere imagination.

Revelation takes those pieces that are known in part and combines them into a whole (1 Cor 14:29-30). The Spirit of Revelation brings deep understanding into what God’s purposes are for speaking, for with the revelation comes the part of God’s nature that is being imparted. It is not a gift of interpretation, but a gift of revealing to men the heart of God behind the symbols. The more the Spirit of Revelation is at work in a believer, the more he will know God. However, if a man seeks to serve himself and not God, his works will be rejected (Mt 7:21-23).