The Study of Revelation, Part 62

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Revelation Chapter 4

VERSE 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.”

It is important that these four are numbered. When the study of the first four Seals is undertaken, these are referred to only by number and can, thus, only be identified by referring back to this verse.

While brethren differ on which attributes the lion and the calf represent, the difference however does not (to this scribe) seem very consequential (Nevertheless for the sake of those who may see things differently we will present both views for comparisons).

(1) LION:

First view:The most obvious symbology of the King of Beasts seems to be POWER. Thus the powerful adversary is also symbolized as a Lion.”

A lion would represent power very aptly in the Old Testament scriptures, as lions were used to represent nations (Ezek 19:1-14). A lion makes a very good symbol of power, since a lion is very powerful and no man is able to stand before a lion. Christ was to be a lion of the tribe of Judah, which we know was a symbol of power or the right to rule (Rev 5:5).”

Second view: “Throughout Scripture the lion is used to denote power or strength. For example, when Samson proposed a riddle to the Philistines, “Out of the strong came forth sweetness,” the key to the enigma was the honey (sweetness) that the bees stored in the carcass of the dead lion (the strong one) (Judges 14:14,18). Another example is 2 Sam 1:23. In the Apocalypse Jesus is referred to as “the Lion of the tribe of Juda . . . [who] hath prevailed,” and accordingly, he is acclaimed as the strong or worthy One who overcame (Rev. 5:5, 12).

However, in spite of these and other Scriptures that correlate the lion with power, the lion face represents the attribute of JUSTICE whenever it is associated with the living creatures, as evidenced by the following citations:

The Lord shall roar [as a lion, that is, voice His displeasure or indignation] from on high” (Jer. 25:30; Joel 3:16; Amos 3:8). “The lion [the King of Babylon, the instrument of God’s judgment] is come up from his thicket” (Jer. 4:7—compare 1 Kings 13:24, 26; 20:36).

The Adversary is also an unwitting agent of destruction, i.e., God’s executioner. “As a roaring lion, [Satan] walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8); and the prayer of the righteous is that they may be saved “from the lion’s mouth” (Psa. 22:21).

The hearth, or platform, of the brazen altar that will stand in the court of Ezekiel’s Temple in the future, upon which the fire and sacrifices will be offered, is called the Ariel (Hebrew), meaning the lion of God (Ezek. 43:15,16). In times past, Solomon’s ivory throne was conspicuously ornamented with brazen lions, representing messengers or agents of judgment (2 Chron. 9:17–19).

(2) OX (or calf, i.e. a young bull):

First view:JUSTICE seems the best reference here since the calf satisfied justice in all of the typical offerings.”

The ox is a very fitting symbol for justice, in that oxen were used in sacrifices in the tabernacle. The word ox means a young bullock Strong's #3448, which was the actual type of animal sacrificed on the altar. In a sense, the symbol of an ox is again pointing to Christ, who satisfied justice for all of us.”

Second view:It is appropriate that the ox face portrays God’s attribute of POWER, for the ox is universally recognized as a symbol of power. A person may have the “strength of an ox” or be as “strong as a bull.” Oxen or water buffalo, prized in the Eastern World for plowing, possess much more strength and stamina than the horse that is employed in the Western Hemisphere. The dread behemoth, a derivative of the word behemah, is translated over fifty times by the term “cattle” (Job 40:15, 16). The steer horn also denotes power. As the bull’s weapon of offense, the horn itself, a part of the animal, is emblematic of the whole.

Continued with next post.

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