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Video
Summary
The cherubim (the fourfold angelic guardians of God’s chariot-throne), have taken over some of the responsibilities Satan used to have in his duties before his rebellion, but more importantly, also serve to point to Satan’s true replacement: Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Each of the four faces that these angels possess represents a “mission” that Jesus has undertaken/will undertake as humanity’s liberator and champion.
Content
Wider introduction
Cherubim - Their number
Audio clip from Ichthys
We have discussed the cherubs in Parts 1 and 4 of the present series (and will have occasion to revisit the issue anew in Part 2B of the The Coming Tribulation Series). Several points about them should be clarified here, however:
a) Their Number: The cherubs (also called seraphim in Isaiah chapter six) are, according to the above discussion, four in number, and are almost always described as such. The one true exception to this rule is their depiction on the mercy seat. This exception is entirely understandable when it is considered that the mercy seat and the temple depictions are essentially two dimensional representations. Since the cherubim stand by the sides of God’s chariot-throne in pairs (when carrying the throne), only two cherubs are fully visible to someone viewing the scene from the direct forefront, and so it is that they are represented in this context (a point with significance for their faces as well as we shall see below).
Summary points
Biblically speaking, the cherubim and seraphim are the same creatures.
There are four cherubim, not two. The apparent contradiction in number in some passages can be explained by the idea of visual perspective: when viewed from the front of the Throne of God, only two of the Cherubim would really be visible. This doesn’t mean that there are only two, but just that from that visual perspective only two are visible.
Follow-on topics
Many of the points we will be talking about with regards to the cherubim are excellent examples of why apparent contradictions in the Bible are ultimately only ever apparent and never actual. You’ll see what I mean as we keep going in our discussion of the cherubim, but even with the single question of “well, how many of them are there exactly?” we can see the idea in action. It might be tempting upfront to cry contradiction, but when you consider that the prophets in their visions likely found themselves not with an omniscient perspective (but instead a limited perspective similar to normal human vision), it actually makes perfect sense why they would report two cherubim and not four.
Does this take some elbow grease in explaining? Sure it does. But this is not a problem at all. Bible teachers are gifted by the Holy Spirit to figure out things like this, and help the rest of us make sense of the Bible’s complex symbolism. It’s what we pay them for, so to speak.
Our job in this is to trust the Bible when we come across such things, even if we don’t understand them at present. In my opinion, we are blessed to have Ichthys, since it actually gives plausible explanations for many (perhaps even most) of these sorts of apparent biblical contradictions, rather than dodging the subject or pretending like inerrancy doesn’t matter.
I know I mentioned it in a past CrossTalk Bible Study meeting, but we need to be willing to entertain questions like this, and actually “go there”. If we do not, we risk giving the impression that inspiration and inerrancy are just a fake veneer or wishful thinking, rather than being objective reality like they actually are. And that does a good deal of damage to people’s overall confidence in the Bible.
Further discussion
Cherubim - Their wings
Audio clip from Ichthys
b) Their Wings: The wings of the cherubim are described as numbering six in Isaiah and in Revelation as well. Ezekiel’s mention of only four wings is to be accounted for by the fact he is describing the cherubs as they are in the process of transporting the chariot-throne of God (not the case in either Isaiah or Revelation where the throne is at rest). The “wheel-with-a-wheel-within-it” which Ezekiel describes as being by the side of each cherub (Ezek.1:15-18; 10:9-13) is, in actuality, the additional set of wings providing rotary locomotion to the chariot wheels (thus giving the appearance of a “wheel within a wheel” in each case; cf. Ezek. 3:13). The description of these “wing-powered wheels” overheard by Ezekiel and recorded in verse thirteen of chapter ten as the “whirlwind wheels” (Hebrew: galgal: גלגל) is most revealing in this respect, for this image (i.e., of a funnel cloud) portrays substantial three dimensional depth just as a circularly rotating pair of wings (one from each side of the cherub) would possess, but which wheels alone would not. This also explains why the wheels are “full of eyes”, a characteristic of the cherubs’ wings: the rapidly rotating wheels with the pair of wings interlocked gives the appearance that the eyes are part of the wheels (compare Ezek.1:18 and 10:12 with Rev.4:6 and 4:8).
Summary points
The apparent discrepancy between Isaiah and Ezekiel in terms of the number of wings of the cherubim can be explained by the fact that Isaiah is describing the chariot-throne “at rest” (and Revelation does the same), whereas Ezekiel is describing the chariot-throne “in motion”, wherein on pair of wings is used to power the wheels of the chariot-throne. This is why Isaiah and Revelation mention six wings = three pairs, whereas Ezekiel only mentions four wings = two pairs: because when the chariot-throne is in motion, one pair of wings is used to power the wheels, so are no longer separably visible.
It is sort of difficult to for us to visualize what this looks like, but some of the wording in Ezekiel gives us an inkling. The key point is that the “whirlwind wheels” (Hebrew: galgal: גלגל) are, in essence, wing-powered wheels, with the cherubim wings interlocked with the wheels, powering them with their motion.
Understanding this also sheds light on how the wheels are said to “have eyes”. We have no general indication that wheels mentioned here are in any way alive (unlike the angels), so how could they have eyes (which are possessed by living things)? Well, if the wings have eyes, and the wings compose part of the “wheels within wheels”, then that is how. So technically speaking, it is not the wheels themselves with eyes, but the “wheel assemblies” (i.e., the wheels with the cherubim wings interlocked to power them) that have eyes… because the living angelic creatures partially compose these wheel assemblies. If you were to remove the angels, then there would be no eyes, is the point.
Follow-on topics
Like we talked about in the last segment, all contradictions are only ever apparent contradictions, not actual contradictions. So the different number of wings (six wings vs. four wings) is completely explainable, rather than being an insoluble contradiction.
When it comes to understanding and visualizing the cherubim and wing-powered wheels, I wouldn’t sweat it if you have trouble following exactly what all this would look like in practice. The main takeaway point is that the chariot-throne’s wheels are powered by the wings of the cherubim (however exactly that works), such that the wings are “inside” the wheels when providing power to them.
We can only imagine how spectacular a sight this would be to behold. No doubt Ezekiel was left in awe by the sight… well this, and all the other heavenly things he saw. We can scarcely imagine the majesty that awaits us on the other side, but the prophets actually caught real glimpses of it through their visions.
Further discussion
Cherubim - Their symbolism
Audio clip from Ichthys
c) Their Symbolism: As described above, all four cherub-faces symbolize Jesus Christ, with each representing that aspect of His historical mission at the forefront during the age for which they stand.
- The bullock face (Gentile age) is a picture of Christ the suffering Servant. The bullock not only bears burdens (as Christ bore our sins: cf. Is.53:4), but is also the most esteemed sacrificial animal, whose blood was shed under the Old Testament economy as a symbolic representation of Christ’s promised work on our behalf (Lev.1:5ff.).<!– — –>
- The lion face (Jewish age) is a picture of Christ as the promised Messiah. The lion is the symbol of the tribe of Judah (Rev.5:5; cf. Gen.49:9-12), and has a messianic connotation throughout the Old Testament (cf. Num.23:24; 24:9). The generation of Israel to whom He came was ready to embrace the lion (the Messiah as avenging warrior), but stumbled over the bullock (the Messiah as self-sacrificing servant).<!– — –>
- The human face (Church age) is a picture of Christ as the incarnate, visible Savior of the world. He is the Son of Man (Matt.9:6), the archetypal human being who is truly human in every way apart from sin (Heb.2:14 with Heb.4:15), the last Adam (1Cor.15:45). The Church, composed of all believing Jews and gentiles, is His body here on earth, not yet glorified as indeed He was not glorified until after His work on the cross was completed (Jn.17:1-5).<!– — –>
- The eagle face (Millennial age) is a picture of Christ exalted in resurrection and victorious in battle. Glorified by the Father for His victory at the cross ( Eph.1:19b-23), following His resurrection and ascension He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father until the day of His return (Ps.110). At that time (the Second Advent), He will fulfill all the messianic prophecies recorded in the scriptures (cf. Eph.3:10-12; Col.1:20), and will rule the world in glory for a thousand years. With its connotations of forbidding majesty and awe (Deut.28:49; Jer.48:40; 49:22; Ezek.17:3; 17:7; Dan.7:4; Hos.8:1; Hab.1:8; cf. Is.46:11), the eagle is an appropriate symbol for Christ’s majestic and awe-inspiring double victory, first at the cross (with its accompanying resurrection, ascension and session at the Father’s right hand), and ultimately at the Second Advent (Matt.24:28; Lk.17:37; compare the picture of the glorified Christ at Rev.1:12-16).
Summary points
The faces possessed by the cherubim represent the respective aspects of Christ’s historical mission at the forefront during the age for which they stand:
- The bullock face (Gentile age) is a picture of Christ the suffering Servant
- The lion face (Jewish age) is a picture of Christ as the promised Messiah
- The human face (Church age) is a picture of Christ as the incarnate, visible Savior of the world
- The eagle face (Millennial age) is a picture of Christ exalted in resurrection and victorious in battle
So in each of these four divisions we have 1) a face, 2) an age the face corresponds to, and 3) a corresponding aspect of Christ’s historical mission at the forefront during that age.
Follow-on topics
If you wonder how we get from A to B here in the logic, consider how symbolic most things in the tabernacle are (for example, see here on Ichthys). Hebrews 8:1-6 says that Jesus serves as a high priest in the heavenly tabernacle, which is what the earthly tabernacle was based off of.
What significance does this have? Well, it means that it is very likely that the different faces of the cherubim are supposed to have some symbolism. Thus it is that the right question to ask is not “are the faces symbolic of something?” but “what exactly are the faces symbolic of?” I hope that makes sense.
So then it just comes down to making the correct determination there. The first big hint we have is the bullock face. There are maybe other ways you could interpret the other faces, but the bullock face pretty clearly points to some sort of symbolism relating to sacrifice.
Combining that perhaps less-ambiguous identification with the other faces is how we end up aligning the faces with missions of Jesus Christ. The Messiah being the “Lion of Judah” is well-established in scripture, so if we run with that hypothesis, it fits perfectly with the Jewish Age. So too does the human face, since it slots in perfectly with the incarnation of Jesus Christ that kicked off the Church Age. And then we line up the eagle face with the Millennial reign of Christ somewhat by process of elimination, and also because of all the symbolism that eagles have… all of which fits this identification.
So basically, none of this is particularly arbitrary. Is it “obvious”? I suppose that is somewhat in the eye of the beholder, but in my opinion, we needn’t be particularly shy about teaching these identifications, because what else would the faces represent if not this?
Further discussion
Cherubim - The number of their faces
Audio clip from Ichthys
d) The Number of their Faces: Of all human features, the face is at once one of the most memorable and expressive, making it a most effective means for the type of symbolic representation discussed above. Although their bodies are in human form (Ezek.1:5), the four faces of the cherubim are unique, and stand symbolically for the various aspects of our Lord’s earthly ministry just described. In this way, the faces of the cherubim reflect the glory of the Son of God instead of their own glory, just as, ideally, the world should see the face of Christ in us, His servants, when we walk as He commanded us to do (2Cor.3:18; cf. Matt.16:24; Jn.13:15; 1Cor.11:1; 2Cor.2:15; Gal.4:19; Eph.5:1; 1Thes.1:6; 1Pet.2:21).
All four faces of the cherubim are entirely obscured in Isaiah (Is.6:1-7), because as the cherubs hover over the throne of God, they cover their faces with one set of wings (so as not to look upon the glory of God). In Ezekiel (Ezek.1:4-26; 10:1-22; 41:18-20), the cherubs (along with their wing-wheels) are positioned under the chariot throne, so that no veiling of their faces is necessary. All four faces, as a result, were visible to Ezekiel. In Revelation (Rev.4:6-8), the cherubs encircle the throne and are part of it (i.e., in direct contact with it), but are not positioned so as to provide locomotion (i.e., they have rotated into a guardian position: see the diagram below). Here, they are roughly on the level of God’s throne (i.e., not completely below it as in Ezekiel, nor hovering above it as in Isaiah). As a result, we may surmise that they are seen by John covering all but their outward looking face (so that he can describe them as if they had only one face). In actuality, therefore, each cherub in all three passages possesses all four faces: that of a man on the front, an eagle on the back, a lion on the right and a bullock on the left (as in Ezek.1:6-9). From the viewer’s perspective, however, each cherub may seem to have only one face, since only one of the faces is generally visible at any given time (cf. Ezek.10:14, where it states literally in the Hebrew that “the face of the first one was . . . [etc.]”, although Ezekiel is previously quite clear about the fact each cherub has four faces: Ezek.1:6-9).
Summary points
Of all human features, the face is at once one of the most memorable and expressive, making it a most effective means for the type of symbolic representation discussed above. In their symbolic representation of Christ’s earthly ministry, the cherubim reflect the glory of the Son of God instead of their own glory.
The cherubim cover their faces when their “line of sight” has them facing God, so as not to look upon the glory of the LORD. So when they were flying above the chariot-throne and could see God, they used a pair of wings to cover their sight (Isaiah 6:2). On the other hand, when they are in their “locomotion position”, they are below the chariot-throne, and do not have any need to cover their faces, which is why Ezekiel could see all four faces in his description of them in Ezekiel 10 (cf. Ezekiel 10:14). But when in the “guardian position” (which we may infer has them more level with the chariot-throne, rather than completely below it), it is likely that they cover all but their “outward-directed” face, which explains why the Apostle John only describes them each with a single face in Revelation 4:6-8.
Follow-on topics
Just as with the number of cherubim and the number of wings, this is yet another cherubim-related thing where there are apparent contradictions when you compare the different prophetic descriptions of them. However, just like in those other cases, this one too is completely explainable without any real mental gymnastics or “forcing of things to fit”. Here, everything boils down to two main variables: 1) the idea that the cherubim use their wings to cover any faces directly pointing towards God, and 2) the positioning of the cherubim relative to God. These are are the three main cases we see described in scripture:
- Isaiah 6:2 - all faces covered - cherubim above throne = all faces have line-of-sight
- Ezekiel 10:14 - no faces covered - cherubim below throne = no faces have line-of-sight
- Revelation 4:2-8 - three out of four faces covered - cherubim level-ish with throne (probably) = one face directly points towards the chariot-throne, and two more for each angel are perpendicular (so could likely see the holy glory of God in their “peripheral vision”, if that’s a thing for angels)
All this explains why Ezekiel says four faces each, but John only mentions one each. Just because John did not see the other (covered) faces does not mean that they were not in fact there.
Further discussion
Cherubim - Their order
Audio clip from Ichthys
e) Their Order: Ezekiel’s initial description of the faces in verse ten of chapter one proceeds in a natural and understandable order, making mention of the forward looking face first (that of a man), then moving to the right and left sides (the lion and the bullock respectively), and finishing with the rearward-looking face (the eagle). Ezekiel 10:14, by way of contrast, is not a generic description of a single cherub, but rather an account of the entire college of four as they carry God’s chariot-throne.
Each had four faces. The face of the first [side] was [that of a] cherub; the face of the second [side was] the face of a man; the face of the third [side was] the face of a lion; the face of the fourth [side was] the face of an eagle.
In this second description, Ezekiel’s account thus moves around the chariot-throne in a clockwise fashion (left-front, front-right, right-rear, rear-left), mentioning the outward-looking face in each case. Ezekiel begins with the cherub stationed on the left-front corner of the chariot no doubt because this angel was closest to his view, for the chariot-throne is described at this point as standing south of the temple (Ezek.10:3), while Ezekiel himself was positioned near the temple’s entrance (viz., to the north of the chariot-throne: Ezek.8:16). His description of this cherub, elsewhere with the bullock face, as having “the face of a cherub” may be explained by fact that in the Hebrew culture the cherubh (cherub: Hebrew כרוב) must have generally been understood as having the appearance of a bullock, precisely the reason why Ezekiel made such a point of articulating that the genuine, heavenly cherubs had four faces, only one of which resembled a bullock.
The order of the cherubim given in Revelation 4:7 of Lion, Bullock, Man, Eagle, is thus consistent with what is found elsewhere in scripture (i.e., Is.6:1-7; Ezek.1:4-26; 10:1-22; 41:18-20). In Ezekiel’s description, the cherubs are actually in contact with the chariot-throne while flying, in Isaiah’s description, the cherubs (called seraphs) are disengaged and flying, and in Revelation, the cherubs are in contact with the throne (though they have apparently shifted positions: see the diagram immediately below), and are not flying (i.e., they are “in the midst” of the throne; Greek: en meso: ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου).
As to the order per se as given in Revelation 4:7, John lists the cherubim in the following manner right, left, front, rear. This is similar to what Ezekiel does when describing the four faces of the individual cherubim in the tenth verse of chapter one, but not identical. For while Ezekiel sandwiches the left and the right in between the front and the rear, John, on the other hand, shifts this order, giving the left and the right, followed by the front and the rear. This change of order (from the more natural order of Ezekiel) is due to the fact that, in the book of Revelation (the “unveiling of Jesus Christ”, its literal title), it was appropriate for John under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to list the faces of the cherubim so as to reflect these symbolic representations of the person and work of our Savior in respect to their specific relationship to the overall Plan of God. Therefore the ranking in Revelation 4:7 (Lion-Bullock-Man-Eagle) has the following significance:
- The symbol of the historical Age of Israel is placed first.
- The symbol of the coming Kingdom of Israel is placed last.
- These two symbols enclose the two symbols of the predominantly gentile ages, of which . . .
- The symbol of the Age of the Gentiles is placed first.
- The symbol of the Church Age (where gentiles are grafted into Israel) is placed next to it.
- Thus Israel and Kingdom Israel enclose the gentiles and the mystery gentiles (Eph.3:6).
The symbolism thus rendered of Israel enclosing the gentiles and the gentiles fulfilling Israel is at once powerful and appropriate, for Christ, whose Person and work these four ages and their corresponding cherub-faces represent, is the One who fills and completes everything in every way (Eph.1:23; cf. 1:9-10).
Summary points
In Ezekiel 1:10, Ezekiel listens in faces of a single cherub in the order front (man), right (lion), left (bullock), and rear (eagle).
In Ezekiel 10:14, Ezekiel describes the faces of the cherubim (here arranged in their “locomotion positions”) according to a clockwise order. Imagine him walking around the throne. As he “clears” a corner, the visible outward-pointing face changes. It is likely he started with the angel closest to him, which checks out with him starting at the front, since if the temple was north of the chariot-throne, then one of the front angels would be closest to him.
Since here the “cherub face” is aligned with bullock face (i.e., it has to be, by process of elimination), it must be that the Hebrew culture of the time implicitly understood this association of cherubim and bullocks. Although Ezekiel is nonetheless very clear each angel has four faces.
The order of the cherubim in Revelation is yet again different. Part of this is that the angels here have shifted to their “guardian positions” so that now each side only has one face pointing outward. But instead of listing the faces in a clockwise direction (like one might if one were walking around the chariot-throne, as explained before in discussing Ezekiel 10:14), or in mirroring the order given for the faces of single cherub (as explained before in discussing Ezekiel 1:10), John gives us a third completely new order.
Now given that the other two orders are sort of intuitively explainable:
- The order of Ezekiel 1:10 corresponds to Ezekiel listing the faces as one might for any multi-sided object, where you pick a side, then list the things to the right and left, followed by the opposite side you started with.
- The order of Ezekiel 10:14 corresponds to a clockwise circumnavigation of the chariot-throne. I suppose you might ask why not counter-clockwise instead, but regardless, this is a pretty intuitive way to list the faces.
John’s new order stands out all the more. Why start with a side? Why be different than the other places?
If nothing in scripture is accidental, there must be a reason for this. The theory is that John lists the faces of the cherubim so as to reflect the symbolic representations of the person and work of our Savior in respect to their specific relationship to the overall Plan of God: Israel and Kingdom Israel enclose the gentiles and the mystery gentiles, just as they do in the plan of God.
Follow-on topics
A picture really is worth a thousand words here. I’d be very lost without the visual representation to help us understand the arrangement of the cherubim and the order of their faces.
This whole discussion reminds me of the arrangement of the tribes of Israel in the camp and the stones on the breastplate, as gone over in CT6. What might at first glance seem completely arbitrary actually has some significance to it… even though it takes quite some effort to unpack it all and make sense of it.