Today I would like to spend some time looking at the throne of God, specifically in the book of Ezekiel. So this is kind of a chapter or topic that can be really challenging for sure to study and therefore to reach about. So I'll do my best to keep it to the point and simple, sweet, and maybe it'll be something new because it's not used often. I don't know if I've ever heard a sermon about these passages.
So before we start, let's pray and ask God to bless our looking at the word. Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us life, Lord, and thank you for the Lord Jesus and for the family and closeness to you that we can have. I pray that you bless our evening and bless this message and I pray that you would help me to deliver this and pray in Jesus' name. Great.
So if you want to turn to 2 Corinthians 6, that's where we're going to get started. Just to get thinking about the right kinds of things. I had some introductory stuff. I was going to show you some pictures of different human thrones of different people and how kind of quaint they are.
They're just chairs made out of wood. That's really going to contrast with when we see God's throne in Ezekiel. So we'll skip those. So 2 Corinthians 16 to 18.
Let me read this. It says, or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said. I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Therefore come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean, and I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters. You shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. So this is a really amazing series of three verses. It is totally packed with tons and tons of Old Testament references.
If you have a chain reference, you can kind of look and see that verse 16, 17 and 18 are very dense. I mean, Paul, he's writing to the church in Corinth, and he's really displaying his in-depth knowledge of the Old Testament here. He's got like a doctor of the Old Testament, right? He knows it.
And so for example, in verse 1, I will walk among you. That's like God talking about in Leviticus 26, kind of like the conditions and terms of God and the people of Israel. And what is all these references, they're all about Israel, God's people, and God. So Leviticus 26, I say 52, Jeremiah 31, and it's really amazing.
And so what we need to think about is that Israel, that's God's covenant people. And when this was written at the time, they didn't have this same idea that we do about how God dwells with man. They had a different system. They had tabernacle, they had temple, they had sacrifice, they had a whole different system.
But they're God's covenant people still are. And this is written to Corinthians though. So if you think about it, this is kind of, it shows the new covenant and the new covenant people, and that's us. And this is wide enough to include the Gentiles now.
Before Christ, thank the Lord for his grace and his mercy, because before Christ, we were far off as Gentiles. We kind of had no place in their system. So, and this is important when we go back and we're going to look at the throne of God. So this is preparing us basically, thinking about the right things.
And the main thrust of it is, you know, no idolatry basically. Bro, Gabriel gave a message that I appreciated recently and it was mentioned like the first of the Ten Commandments. Why is that commandment first? You know, have no other gods.
I think it's really important. An idolatry is something that's a creeping thing that can creep into, in between God and his subjects. God is divine, God is holy, God is king. Powerful king, perfect king.
And this is an invitation to dwell between king and subject, you know, to be in God's kingdom. And God as king, you know, not needs, but should have subjects. That's kind of just how it is, you know, the king with no subjects whatsoever. You wonder where's the kingdom, right?
What's he ruling? Well, that's us. And so it's an invitation to be close to God, to have closeness with God, and that's great. So this is an awesome three verses.
And so now since in kind of New Covenant New Testament, where God's people, and we're part of this now, we have a part of this, God's majesty is relevant to us. God's throne is relevant to us. And let's all just preparation, preparation to look at the throne of God, kind of speeding through this, I don't know. Maybe I need power points in my life.
So, yeah, I mean, whoever you are, whatever nationality, whatever ethnicity, we all need Christ. And without that, whether you're a Jewish Jew and the Jewish system, Christ is still needed to be with God, or Jewish Christian, or Gentile Christian, or whatever, everyone still needs Christ. And so we kind of have this enlightened picture of God's will, but back in Ezekiel, if you want to turn back, in Ezekiel, like I said, it's kind of an older system, and Corinthians is very clear about that. So let me try and find this.
Corinthians is very clear about Old Covenant New Covenant. Alright, so what we're going to start in Ezekiel chapter 8, and we're going to read this. It's not going to take too long. And this is going to be about basically, we're in Israel, and it's during, it's kind of, it's before Ezekiel 1, and it's going to set the story.
It's going to start the story for us. So Ezekiel 8, it came about in the sixth year on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord fell on me there, and I looked and behold, a likeness as the appearance of a man, and from his loins downward there was the appearance of fire, and from his loins upward the appearance of brightness, like the appearance of glowing metal. He stretched out the form of a hand and caught me by a hair on my head, or a lock of my hair, and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where sat the seat of the idol of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy where this was located. So there's a statue in the court of the temple of Jerusalem.
And behold, the glory of God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain, or eventually going to get to the appearance of God in the plain. Then he said to me, Son of Man, raise your eyes now towards the north. So I raise my eyes towards the north and behold, to the north of the altar gate was this idol of jealousy at the entrance, sat you. And he said to me, Son of Man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations which the House of Israel committing here?
So that I would be far from my sanctuary, but yet you will still see greater abominations than this. So that's the first time that God uses this, yet you will see even greater abominations. So without, you know, you can read this at another time if you want, but there is a statue in the temple court of another God, the temple when you read on in verse the past first where we are. There's the decorations on the walls of the temples are kind of like beasts of the world and creaking things like insects, I guess, and basically decorated with idol images on the walls.
That's an abomination. And then there's 70 elders, Ezekiel like digs through the wall in this vision, and there's 70 elders in the burning incense, and this is like a adulterous ritual. And then there's women crying morning over the death of, imagine, I guess, death of some idolatrous God, and that's another, around verse 15, it says even greater abominations again. And then after that there's men worshiping the sun, bowing down to the east.
So it's a dark day in history for God's people. The temple is, should be basically God's home, and it should be really a holy place. And God set himself that he's pushed out from his sanctuary because of the presence of all this sin. So how does this play out?
Well, we can keep reading, we can find out how does this play out? How does this story play out? In verse 9, which we won't cover, you could read it another time if you wanted, God's judgment is dispensed because of the sin. In chapter 10, then even later, is the first chronological description of God's majestic, glorious, awesome, mighty, throne chariot.
Okay, here's the slides. I don't want those. I think I go faster without them. So I guess we can just move through them.
That is in the UK, that's the coronation chair I guess, hasn't been used for a long time because Queen Elizabeth II was hanging on. That slot in the bottom is for a stone called the Stone of Stone, which super-stitiously imparts some powers to the... But I think it was just like stolen and I think broken at some point, maybe. But anyways, it's just a rock.
This one's my personal favorite. I think it's cool, is the Denmark Danish throne. And it's made out of narwhal horns, not unicorns, as they would report in the day. And it's guarded by four statues of lion, kind of cool.
This one's in India somewhere. I like how it looks kind of comfy, and accessibility is always a good thing. And this one's in China, it's the Dragon Throne. I probably saw this in the food.
So, you know, quaint, funny little things. They talked about that. I had this picture of Deagon breaking and bowing to God because really there's only one God in all this idolatry is just soon creeping into parts of men. And the whole thing was the throne of God.
It's like God is holy. God is infinite in power. God is mighty and awesome. And this invitation to be part of his kingdom is really great for us, really great for everyone who has a chance to be in God's kingdom to have closeness to God because it's a good king, an infinitely powerful king who has love.
And it's a real, it's important to us to have in our hearts kind of this knowledge that God is our king in fact, in a practical sense. So yeah, we're in Ezekiel 10 now. And so this is the first chronological description that we see of God's throne chariot. Why is it a chariot?
Because sadly it doesn't need wheels, but it has wheels because God's presence is moving and leaving and going away from the temple, going somewhere else. So after this point, the religious system was a shell. It had no connection to God personally because his presence had moved on and left. Where did it go?
We get to the main passage that I wanted to deal with, but you can't just read it because it's too crazy. So I gave a lot of context. But Ezekiel 1 is the first in the Bible, not chronologically. This happens 24 years later after Ezekiel 10, but the first and the biggest description of God's royal throne chariot that there is in the Bible.
And in this event, it's in the chariot configuration I guess, and in Revelation later we see a very similar consistent vision, but it's no longer having wheels. And yeah, so let's look at it. Let's hold on to your hats, shift into low gear. This is really awesome.
I love this description of God's glory and majesty. I think it's really important and I think it has affected me as how I view God's majesty because there's nothing like this on earth. And no picture could possibly do it justice, but it is pretty intense. So let's give it up a shot.
Now in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was on the river Chabar among the exiles, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth month, in the fifth year of King, Jehovah James, exile, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel, Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, and the land of the child against by the river, Chabar, and the hand of the Lord came upon him. As I looked to behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst, something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. Within it, there were figures resembling four living beings, and this was their appearance.
They had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's huff, also straight, and they gleamed like burnished bronze under their wings on their foresides were human hands, and for the faces and wings of the fourth, as for the faces and the wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another, and their faces did not turn as they moved, each went straight forward. As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man, all four of them also had a face of a lion on the right, the face of the bull on the left, and the face of an eagle.
Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above, each had two touching another being, each two had two covering their bodies, each had two covering their bodies, and each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go without turning as they went. In the midst of the living beings, there was something that looked like coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings.
The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire, and the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning. Now, as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside each of the living beings, for each of the four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling barrel, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions without moving as they turned.
As for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them, and whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. The wheels rose close beside them, that the living beings was in the wheels.
Wherever those went, these went, and whenever those stood still, these stood still. Whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them, that the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Now, over the heads of the living beings, there was something like an expanse, I think King James has a firmament, like the awesome gleam of crystal out over their heads, a crystal, a sea of crystal if you want, like under the expanse, their wings were stretched out straight, and one towards the other, each one also had two wings covering its body on one side, and one on the other. I also heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult, like the sound of an army camp.
Whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings, and there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads, whenever they stood still, they dropped. Now above the expanse that was over their heads, there was something resembling a throne, like way past Lizzoulli an appearance, or an on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of his lines and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around, fire all around within it, and from the appearance of his lines downward, I saw something like fire, and there was radiance around him, as the appearance of the rainbow, the clouds of a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance, such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Awesome majesty, glorious, majestic holy.
There's nothing quite like a very striking description Ezekiel never forgot it, I'm sure. And why did he, instead of arranging the book chronologically, why would he start with that? Probably because it's so impactful and was so impactful in his life, and so this is God's word, why is it in God's word? This definitely has some application to us, right?
So to complete the picture, God's presence leaves the temple, goes to where his people are, in exile. So, and then in chapter 43, it talks about God's presence returning to the temple, probably not until the Millennial Kingdom, and it looks, and Ezekiel all it says, is like the vision I had in the plain. So I like this vision, it only gives it once, but it's referenced many times in the book of Ezekiel. So really cool, right?
Don't get ahead of it. I read this, I just like, I've read this a lot in my life, but I don't think that there's any hidden theological secrets like tucked away in the design of this chariot, that's not the point. God in reality is everywhere all the time, and his omnipotent omniscient, he's not bound by some form, but this vision that Ezekiel had has meaning still. God is not bound by it, but it still has meaning.
So I did have another kind of picture artist rendition of it, but it really doesn't matter. It has wheels, it's kind of square. There's four pillars, pillars kind of have some details. It's more than any artist could ever draw, so however, when you read that, you imagine it, it's probably fine.
So what's the point? What is important about this? Why is this good? Okay, well, first of all, Ezekiel was being equipped for his, he was being commissioned or equipped for his role.
If you read the rest of Ezekiel and study that book, really difficult career as a prophet, had to do some interesting things to try and reach people, speak to people. Probably Jeremiah also had a comparatively difficult time being a prophet, but yeah, a lot of God servants have had a specific impactful event that happens before their men in ministry or their role begins like Jesus or, well, I mean, that's God himself, but to the man Jesus, I guess, the baptism before he starts his public ministry, or for example, the king saw the way he was anointed was a really specific way and it was unrecognized really orchestrated by God. So Ezekiel, he's like permanently changed by this vision. Changes life forever.
Okay, what else? Two, God is sovereign and on his throne under all circumstances. Absolutely, so I mean, the temple is important, but God is above that even. What he really was interested in was the hearts of people.
And so when the people left in their exile, God went with his people, he was still faithful to his people, and he's still on his throne and he's still in control, and the exile, God said it was coming. So God is still sovereign and in control, and that's true for us, you know, difficulty comes, but this throne, the fact of this throne, the fact of God's throne, not this picture of it, will never change. God has always been king, king, king, king, king, like king of the universe, and that'll never change. His power is always the greatest, infinite.
Okay, three, this is a limited glimpse of God's majesty and glory for us. It is impactful in words enough to impact us, and it must have been that much more impactful for Ezekiel, but when I read about just the glory and power, I think that that helps in my mind in a finite way to have a better picture of God's majesty and glory, the throne of God, some amazing thing that's beyond comprehension. And in it, you know, I said there's no hidden, I don't think there's any hidden things, but there are some signs of God's character in it. For example, omniscience, you know, those eyes, the wheels being with eyes all around, God sees everything, or God's all powerful and wisdom.
You know, he always, this throne always goes straight forward, wherever it's going, whatever direction it always goes straight, unswervingly, and how that works, I don't really get, but God knows where he's going and he goes there in a straight line. He doesn't swerve in any way. He's an unswerving God. He is all powerful, all, has all wisdom.
So there's never any, there's no shadow of turning with God. So you can see that in this throne, it never turns. And then there's probably some significance in the cherub. So these living creatures, these are cherubs, and the purpose of a cherub, that's something that covers.
So the mercy seat in the arkle covenant that had some cherubs and they covered, and the veil had some cherubs broidered, or the image of cherubs on it, because that veil covered, and it's covering God's glory. And so if God's full glory was perceivable to us, we would just explode or something. But these cherubs, I think some people think like, oh, they're the four evangelists of the New Testament, Matthew Markman, and these faces of these four cherubs. I think I'm with Warren Wierzby on this one.
I think he has a good take on it. These could point to the no way of covenant, and this would make sense with what the role of a cherub is to kind of be a covering of God's glory, and with the situation of God's people being in a state of sin, and how God promised to never again destroy the earth by flood. He made a promise to man, he made a promise to the domestic beasts, the birds, and the wild animals, and all four of those are represented in the face of the cherubs. And honestly, at that point in time, the people of God were in exile.
God was dealing very harshly with them. We weren't in the picture. Christ hadn't come yet. So what was stopping God from just being like, well, there's nothing left on the earth that I want to save.
So start again, again, while it's the no way of covenant. Because it was really a dark time. There was no other light of Christ that I would know on the earth at that time. It was the Jews.
That was God's people. And who else is there at that time? Okay. Anyway, so the cherubs probably have some significance.
And then four, even in exile, even when discipline is taking place, God is still faithful. God is still working for their good. He's still talking to Ezekiel. He's still talking through Ezekiel.
Still speaking to his people. And Ezekiel is a contemporary of Jeremiah. So God is still working, speaking, trying to get a hold of his people. And it's so visible that God's love is even above the law and even above the temple system.
Because God's presence, God's glory literally leaves the temple. Now it's here over in Shabar. It's not where God's glory belongs, but he's there for his people. I think that's significant.
So what about us today? I read that those verses in 2 Corinthians because it says we are the God's living temple. And the living temple is more important than the temple structure. The temple structure has importance, but it's the living temple that God is interested in.
What's our hearts going on in our hearts with our hearts? And how important it is to keep our hearts holy with respect to God. It's something that creeps in. And I think overall the book of Ezekiel, that's probably what it speaks to most strongly.
We've looked at chapter 8, chapter 10, chapter 9. At least the first half just speaks really strongly about that. And that was Israel's main problem that they needed to be disciplined for. So it's good to examine our hearts.
I mean, I'm not trying to accuse anyone or anything at all. But I find in myself, my heart can be deceitful, tricky, impulsive, difficult to have the reins on at times. And so I find Ezekiel a helpful book to learn about the heart of mankind, the heart of mankind, the heart of humanity, and also God's faithfulness, God's love. So yeah, like I said, Ezekiel can be, I don't know, it's not used very much I guess, probably for good reason.
Yeah, there it is. So thanks for listening. Thanks for listening.