Revelation Chapter 4
VERSE 7 continued, “The 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.”
(3) MAN:
“God is love,” says the apostle (1 John 4:8, 16). That the face of a man denotes the attribute of LOVE is more easily discerned after the symbolism's of at least two of the other faces have been identified. Several pertinent observations follow.
Man was originally made in the likeness or image of God. Of all the animal creation, only man possesses the unique quality of love—the ability to reverence and worship the unseen Creator.
Compassion for one another and responsiveness to God’s leading's are scripturally designated “a heart of flesh”; contrariwise, coldness of demeanor and callousness of feeling are considered “a heart of stone” (Ezek. 36:26).
Three or four centuries ago the word humane was merely a variant spelling of human; gradually it became more associated with mental sensitivity and moral quality, which emphasize kindness or benevolence—other forms of love.
Both God’s face and the face of man, made in God’s image are used in Scripture to denote favor. “The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee” (Num. 6:25). “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10). God’s presence symbolizes His care and His sympathetic interest on behalf of His people. “My presence [Hebrew panim, face] shall go with thee, and I will give you rest” (Exod. 33:14). Also, the choice food, representing the promises of God on behalf of His called priesthood, is emblemized by the loaves of bread placed on the table in the Holy of Israel’s Tabernacle. “And thou shalt set upon the table showbread [that is, bread of ‘presence’ or ‘faces’ (plural)] before me always” (Exod. 25:30; Num. 4:7).
(4) EAGLE:
That the eagle represents the attribute of WISDOM presents no difficulty, as this bird is noted for its keenness of vision and its voracious appetite. No doubt its wondrous ability to behold afar off is a natural development and result of its vigilant search for food to satisfy its hunger. There is a spiritual parallelism here: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). Moreover, “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwells and abides on the rock [Christ—see 1 Cor. 10:4], upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeks the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood [John 6:54–56; Matt. 26:27, 28]: and where the slain are, there is she” (Job 39:27–30).
This association of the eagle with wisdom and the Christian’s search for more of Christ, the Wisdom of God, is what the Master meant when he said,
“For wheresoever the carcass is [that is, the core of the gospel, the dead humanity of Christ given for man’s justification], there will the eagles be gathered together [in mental communion and spiritual fellowship, feeding upon Christ and his Word]” (Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37).
A person possessing either exceptional vision or mental alertness is sometimes spoken of as having “an eagle’s eye.”
Wisdom will be seen as the architect of God’s finished plan of redemption . . . when all its glory is revealed, following the complete removal of the rough scaffolding of sin. Until that time, Wisdom is satisfied to remain in the background lest it unduly prejudice the freewill offerings of man, interfere with the work of faith in the past or the present age, or mitigate the test of obedience at the close of the Millennium.
It is a strange fact, but true, that Wisdom’s unfathomable depth is not comprehended until maturity. “Wisdom is justified of her children,” said the Master (Matt. 11:19). In all three listings—Rev 4:7 and Ezek 1:10 and 10:14—the hoary head of Wisdom is the last attribute to be identified. Though last to be perceived, Wisdom is ever operative, ever active; hence it is portrayed as a “flying eagle”. (The Keys of Revelation)
We will move on to Verse 8 in our next post.
VERSE 7 continued, “The 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.”
(3) MAN:
“God is love,” says the apostle (1 John 4:8, 16). That the face of a man denotes the attribute of LOVE is more easily discerned after the symbolism's of at least two of the other faces have been identified. Several pertinent observations follow.
Man was originally made in the likeness or image of God. Of all the animal creation, only man possesses the unique quality of love—the ability to reverence and worship the unseen Creator.
Compassion for one another and responsiveness to God’s leading's are scripturally designated “a heart of flesh”; contrariwise, coldness of demeanor and callousness of feeling are considered “a heart of stone” (Ezek. 36:26).
Three or four centuries ago the word humane was merely a variant spelling of human; gradually it became more associated with mental sensitivity and moral quality, which emphasize kindness or benevolence—other forms of love.
Both God’s face and the face of man, made in God’s image are used in Scripture to denote favor. “The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee” (Num. 6:25). “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10). God’s presence symbolizes His care and His sympathetic interest on behalf of His people. “My presence [Hebrew panim, face] shall go with thee, and I will give you rest” (Exod. 33:14). Also, the choice food, representing the promises of God on behalf of His called priesthood, is emblemized by the loaves of bread placed on the table in the Holy of Israel’s Tabernacle. “And thou shalt set upon the table showbread [that is, bread of ‘presence’ or ‘faces’ (plural)] before me always” (Exod. 25:30; Num. 4:7).
(4) EAGLE:
That the eagle represents the attribute of WISDOM presents no difficulty, as this bird is noted for its keenness of vision and its voracious appetite. No doubt its wondrous ability to behold afar off is a natural development and result of its vigilant search for food to satisfy its hunger. There is a spiritual parallelism here: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). Moreover, “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwells and abides on the rock [Christ—see 1 Cor. 10:4], upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeks the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood [John 6:54–56; Matt. 26:27, 28]: and where the slain are, there is she” (Job 39:27–30).
This association of the eagle with wisdom and the Christian’s search for more of Christ, the Wisdom of God, is what the Master meant when he said,
“For wheresoever the carcass is [that is, the core of the gospel, the dead humanity of Christ given for man’s justification], there will the eagles be gathered together [in mental communion and spiritual fellowship, feeding upon Christ and his Word]” (Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37).
A person possessing either exceptional vision or mental alertness is sometimes spoken of as having “an eagle’s eye.”
Wisdom will be seen as the architect of God’s finished plan of redemption . . . when all its glory is revealed, following the complete removal of the rough scaffolding of sin. Until that time, Wisdom is satisfied to remain in the background lest it unduly prejudice the freewill offerings of man, interfere with the work of faith in the past or the present age, or mitigate the test of obedience at the close of the Millennium.
It is a strange fact, but true, that Wisdom’s unfathomable depth is not comprehended until maturity. “Wisdom is justified of her children,” said the Master (Matt. 11:19). In all three listings—Rev 4:7 and Ezek 1:10 and 10:14—the hoary head of Wisdom is the last attribute to be identified. Though last to be perceived, Wisdom is ever operative, ever active; hence it is portrayed as a “flying eagle”. (The Keys of Revelation)
We will move on to Verse 8 in our next post.
