They come from the north, which is traditionally the direction from which Israel's
and Judah's enemies come. The irony is that YHWH on his throne and the 4 creatures is
what comes this time. This shows that YHWH is actually behind the recent defeat of
Judah; he is the one who has directed the defeat. However, the fact that YHWH comes
from the north indicates that there is hope in defeat for Judah. Either YHWH is
coming in judgment for the wicked, or he is coming in hope for the righteous.
The fact that these four creatures accompany YHWH, and their peculiar attributes and
habits shows that YHWH is director of every living thing on the face of the earth
(derived from the concept of the number Four as symbolic of entirety), whether it be
man or beast of any quality. Nothing escapes his directorship. But these are also
ideal creatures - they are in God's presence and do whatever the Spirit wants of
them. In this aspect, they are symbolic of Ezekiel himself whom YHWH commisions to do
his bidding. The Spirit which moves the creatures is the Spirit which enters Ezekiel
and sets him on his feet. He is then told to do exactly what YHWH wills him to do.
The creatures' wheels touch the ground, sort of like the divine meeting the
mundane/profane. Ezekiel is like this - he is the mediator of YHWH's divine word to
mundane humanity - in this case, the wayward children of Israel. The ultimate purpose
of the creatures in all their symblism is to give glory to YHWH (Eze 3:12-13).
Now, when we see this, we can see the image in Revelation in a clearer light. The
four ZWA are representative of God's rulership over every created thing, but they are
also especially symbolic of God's chosen representatives of earth. They are an image
of judgment to the wicked, but of hope to the righteous. God's direction of all
creation is focused on bringing glory to himself. So, in the judgment of the wicked
and in the vindication of the righteous, God is glorified. Christ (the Lamb) is then
seen taking the scroll of God's will, just like Ezekiel take's the scroll of God's
will, and the images continue on.
Best regards to all!
George Athas
PhD (Cand.), University of Sydney
Tutor of Hebrew, Moore Theological College
Phone: 0414 839 964 ICQ#: 5866591
Email: gathas@mail.usyd.edu.au
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