Now it came about when I was in my 1thirtieth year of life, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles beside the aRiver Chebar in Babylonia, the bheavens were opened and I saw cvisions of God.If he had not been in exile in Babylonia Ezekiel would have formally begun his service to God as a Levitical priest at the age of thirty. Instead God anointed him to serve as a prophet.Ezek 3:23; 10:15, 20Matt 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21; Acts 7:56; 10:11; Rev 4:1; 19:11Ex 24:10; Num 12:6; Is 1:1; 6:1; Ezek 8:3; 11:24; 40:2; Dan 8:1, 2 2 (On the fifth of the month, which was in the afifth year of 1King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 2+@Kin 24:12-14Jehoiachin the king of Judah was taken captive when Nebuchadnezzar and his army invaded Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar II of the Chaldean Dynasty, more commonly known as Nebuchadnezzar the Great, ruled Babylon from 605-562 B.C. He conquered Jerusalem in 597 B.C.2 Kin 24:12-15; Ezek 8:1; 20:1 3 the aword of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the bland of the 1Chaldeans by the River 2Chebar; and cthe hand of the LORD came upon him there.) 1+@Kin 18:46; 2+@Kin 3:15The Chaldeans dominated and ruled Babylonia from 625 B.C., until their empire fell in 539 B.C., but they were known as early as 1000 B.C. as an aggressive, tribal people in the southern region of Babylonia. They were highly skilled in both the science of astronomy and the pseudo-science of astrology. They kept meticulous records of celestial motion and correctly calculated the length of a year to within just a few minutes. Babylon, their capital city, was the center of trade and learning in the western part of Asia. The classical literature of the Chaldeans was written in cuneiform, but the common language, both written and spoken in Babylon, was Akkadian increasingly influenced by Aramaic.A canal off the Euphrates, south of Babylon.2 Pet 1:21Ezek 12:131 Kin 18:46; 2 Kin 3:15; Ezek 3:14, 22
4 As I looked, I saw a astormy wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with fire flashing continually from it; and a brightness was around it, and in its core there was bsomething like glowing amber-colored metal in the midst of the fire.Is 21:1; Jer 23:19; Ezek 13:11, 13Ezek 1:27; 8:2 5 Within it there were figures resembling 1afour living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human bform.These four angelic beings are identified as cherubim in ch 10. In Scripture, the cherubim seem to be related to the affirmation of God’s perfection and holiness standing in stark contrast to the debased character of godless mankind. They are extremely intelligent, powerful, expeditious servants of God.Ezek 10:15, 17, 20; Rev 4:6-8Ezek 1:26 6 Each one had afour faces and bfour wings.Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21Ezek 1:23 7 Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled and gleamed like ashiny bronze.Dan 10:6; Rev 1:15 8 Under their wings on their afour sides they had human bhands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,Ezek 1:17; 10:11Ezek 10:8, 21 9 their wings touched one another; their faces did anot turn when they moved, each bwent straight forward.Ezek 1:17Ezek 1:12; 10:22 10 Regarding the 1aform and appearance of their faces: they each had the bface of a man in front, and each had the face of a lion on the right side, and the face of an ox on the left side; all four also had the face of an eagle at the back of their heads. Rev 4:7Various interpretations have been ascribed to the symbolism of the four heavenly beings. The four faces may be regarded as symbolic of “the four portraits of Jesus” as given in the four Gospels (king, servant, man, and God). Another proposes that they represent the four qualities of the angels (intelligent, strong, servile, and swift). Another interpretation identifies them with the four Gospels, and another with the four corners of the earth, implying that the angels serve God throughout the earth. In ch 10 these beings are identified as cherubim.Rev 4:7Ezek 10:14 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were stretched out upward; two wings of each one were touching another the wings of the beings on either side of it, and the remaining atwo wings of each being were covering their bodies.Is 6:2; Ezek 1:23 12 And aeach went straight forward; bwherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.Ezek 1:9Ezek 1:20 13 Among the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of afire, like torches moving back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire.Ps 104:4; Rev 4:5 14 And the living beings amoved rapidly back and forth like flashes of blightning.Zech 4:10Matt 24:27; Luke 17:24
15 Now as I looked at the living beings, I saw one awheel on the ground beside the living beings, for each of the four of them.Ezek 1:19-21; 10:9 16 Regarding the aappearance of the wheels and their construction: they gleamed like bchrysolite ; and the four were made alike. Their appearance and construction were a wheel set at a right angle within a wheel.Ezek 10:9-11Ezek 10:9; Dan 10:6 17 Whenever they moved, they went in any one of their four directions without aturning as they moved.Ezek 1:9, 12; 10:11 18 Regarding their rims: they were so high that they were awesome and dreadful, and the rims of all four of them were afull of eyes all around.Ezek 10:12; Rev 4:6, 8 19 aWhenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them; and when the living beings brose from the earth, the wheels rose also.Ezek 10:16Ezek 10:19 20 aWherever the spirit went, the beings went in that direction. And the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit or life of the living beings was in the wheels.Ezek 1:12 21 aWhenever those went, these went; and whenever those came to a stop, these came to a stop; and whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.Ezek 10:17
22 Now stretched aover the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, looking like the terrible and awesome shimmer of icy crystal.Ezek 10:1 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. Every living being had atwo wings which covered its body on one side and on the other side.Ezek 1:6, 11 24 As they moved, I also heard the sound of their wings like the asound of great rushing waters, like the bvoice of 1the Almighty, the sound of tumult like the cnoise of an army camp. Whenever they came to a stop, they lowered their wings.Heb Shaddai.Ezek 43:2; Rev 1:15; 19:6Ezek 10:52 Kin 7:6; Dan 10:6 25 And there was a voice above the aexpanse that was over their heads; whenever they stopped, they lowered their wings.Ezek 1:22; 10:1
26 Now aabove the expanse that was over their heads there was something bresembling a throne, it appeared like it was made of csapphire or lapis lazuli; and seated on that which looked like a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a dman. Phil 2:5-8Ezek 1:22; 10:1Is 6:1; Ezek 10:1; Dan 7:9Ex 24:10; Is 54:11Ezek 43:6, 7; Rev 1:13 27 Now upward, from that which appeared to be His waist, I saw something alike glowing metal that looked like it was filled with fire all around it; and downward, from that which appeared to be His waist, I saw something like fire; and there was a brightness and a remarkable radiance like a halo around Him.Ezek 1:4; 8:2 28 As the appearance of the arainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. This was the appearance of the likeness of the bglory and brilliance of the LORD. And when I saw it, I cfell face downward and I heard a voice of One speaking. Rev 4:3Gen 9:13; Rev 4:3; 10:1Ex 24:16; Ezek 8:4; 11:22, 23; 43:4, 5Gen 17:3; Ezek 3:23; Dan 8:17; Rev 1:17