We see cherubims with their description in Exodus 25, 1 King 6 & 2 Chr 3, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1 & 10 & Revelation 4. The description mentioned vary and while traditionalists would say that these are angelic beings in their highest order which is a partial truth but they are not able to decode their appearances in visions to the nebim/prophets which we will look at closely in this note with some pictures which I downloaded from the net and worked on putting them together on paint and power point to show the description in the passages mentioned.
Yahuah is said to be the One who dwells between the cherubim
Psa 80:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
Psa 99:1 יהוה shall reign; Peoples tremble! He is enthroned in between the keruḇim; The earth shakes!
It is also said of Yahuah that He rode upon a cherub
Psa 18:10 And He rode upon a keruḇ, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind.
The first time cherubs is mentioned is in Gen 3:24 to guard the way to the tree of life.
Gen 3:24 and He drove the man out. And He placed keruḇim at the east of the garden of Ěḏen, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Yaaqob (Jacob) had seen a ladder and above the ladder stood Yahuah and the angels of Alahym ascended and descended on that ladder. The messengers that ascended and descended the ladder (who is Messiah) were appointed/commanded to guard the law as ministering to the saints/judgment to the unsaved.
Ge 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the messengers of Aluahym ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, Aluahym stood above it, and said, I am Yahuah Aluahym of Abraham thy father, and the Aluahym of Yitsaq (Isaac): the land whereon thou lay, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gal 3:19 Why the Torah then? It was added because of transgressions, having been arranged or planned (arukah) through messengers by the hand of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.
arukah is a Hebrew word equivalent to the Greek word 'deeatasso' which also means arrange/institute/ordain/prescribe
The Aramaic uses the word b'yad for both 'messengers' as well as the 'mediator' which means 'in the hand of'
Job 38:6 Upon what were its foundations sunk? Or who laid its corner-stone,
Job 38:7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Elohim shouted for joy?
Yahuah questions Ayob/Job whether he was there when He made the foundations of the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Aluahym shouted for joy?
Traditionalists teach that these were angels but the language is metaphorical as Aluahym sees things as though they were before even they are. The sons of Aluahym or morning stars mentioned here are all the elect of Yahuah in Yahusha ha Mashiyach who appeared or came to a form as Messenger of Yahuah before the creation of this world.
Gal 3:19 should be read in the light of this. The Torah portions was arranged or planned through Messengers (the different forms Yahuah appeared in of which one was cherubim, seraphim, living creatures) in the hand of a mediator. Doesn't Psalm 18:10 say He rode upon a cherub?
The mediators were the nebim. It says that this continued until the seed Mashiyach would come in the flesh to whom the promise had been made. The cherubims, seraphims, living creatures were all imageries the nebim/prophets saw in visions. The Bright and Morning Star is Yahusha and He promises us who overcome the morning star. We have to be consistent with the interpretation of scriptures comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Stephen in his witness also mentions but in detail says what didn't make sense to the Yerushalim council back then but I pray to Yahuah it makes sense to the readers.
Acts 7:53 (In Hebrew) ‘atem ‘asher qibal’tem ‘eth-haTorah `al-y’dey mal’akoth hamal’akim w’lo’ sh’mar’tem ‘othah.
Acts7:53 “you who received the law by the hand of the Messenger/malakoth of messengers/malakim, and have not kept it.”
With this background now lets see the portions where the cherubims, seraphims & living creatures are seen in visions and their imagery
The Torah portion:
Exo 25:8 “And they shall make Me a Set-apart Place, and I shall dwell in their midst.
Exo 25:9 “According to all that I show you – the pattern of the Dwelling Place and the pattern of all its furnishings – make it exactly so.
Masha/Moshe was shown the pattern of the Tabernacle and the things that are within and outside in the courtyard. He is reminded to make everything as per the pattern shown to him on the mount. Its interesting to see that the size of the wings and size of the cherubs are not mentioned in Torah but Masha as a faithful servant would have made it in the same way as per the pattern he saw on Mount Sinai.
While Masha records the size of the ark of the covenant, he doesn't mention the size of the cherubs overshadowing the mercy seat.
Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exo 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
While there are many places in scripture where cherubims are mentioned as carvings, we will only look at direct scriptures where they are mentioned in an imagery and what Yahuah is revealing to us through these apperances.
The cherubims Masha made were on the ark of the covenant with their heads bowed down to the mercy seat and their wings touched one an another as seen in the image above.
Exo 37:7 And he made two keruḇim of beaten gold. He made them from the two ends of the lid of atonement,
Exo 37:8 one keruḇ at one end on this side, and the other keruḇ at the other end on that side. He made the keruḇim from the lid of atonement, from the two ends.
Exo 37:9 And the keruḇim spread out their wings above, and covered the lid of atonement with their wings, with their faces toward each other, the faces of the keruḇim were turned toward the lid of atonement.
We have scripture recording that Yahuah spoke with Masha as told to him from above the mercy seat.
Num 7:89 And when Mosheh went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the lid of atonement that was on the ark of the Witness, from between the two keruḇim. Thus He spoke to him.
The cherubims overshadowing the mercy seat or lid of the atonement with their wings touching each other on the ark of the covenant was the only pattern displayed as Yasharal was in the wilderness sojourning and the ark of the covenant had not come to rest.
Num 10:35 And it came to be, whenever the ark set out, that Mosheh said, “Rise up, O יהוה! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.”
Num 10:36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O יהוה, to the countless thousands of Yisra’ĕl.
When the ark of the covenant came to rest Daud/David desired to built it a house and look what the answer came from Yahuah
2Sa 7:4 And it came to be that night that the word of יהוה came to Nathan, saying,
2Sa 7:5 “Go and say to My servant Dawiḏ, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?
2Sa 7:6 “For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Yisra’ĕl up from Mitsrayim, even to this day, but have moved about in a Tent and in a Dwelling Place.
2Sa 7:7 “Wherever I have walked with all the children of Yisra’ĕl, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’
The ark came to rest in Yerushalayim and that's when David desired to build a house for it but was built by his son Shelemoh.
We have only one place where the size of the cherubs are mentioned in addition to the size not revealed cherubs which were above the mercy seat. The following picture will depict the sizes as made by Shelemoh when he built the temple as the ark came to rest.
Qiyr is also the place of the city where the elders meet.
 Matthew Luke | |
Yeḵonyah | Addi |
Meleḵi | |
Neri | |
She’alti’ĕl | She’alti’ĕl |
Zerubbaḇel | Zerubbaḇel |
Jer 39:6 And the sovereign of Baḇel slew the sons of Tsiḏqiyahu before his eyes in Riḇlah. The sovereign of Baḇel also slew all the nobles of Yehuḏah.
Jer 39:7 And he put out the eyes of Tsiḏqiyahu, and bound him with bronze shackles to bring him to Baḇel.
With this background we can now understand why YashaYahu 6:1 says
Isa 6:1 In the year that Sovereign Uzziyahu died, I saw יהוה sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the Hĕḵal.
And who was this Yahuah?
Joh 12:39 Because of this they were unable to believe, because again Yeshayahu said:
Joh 12:40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they should not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn, and I should heal them.”
Joh 12:41 Yeshayahu said this when he saw His (Yahusha's) esteem and spoke of Him.
See the parallel verses of YashaYahu 6 quoted by Yahuchanan when tying it to Yahusha
Isa 6:8 And I heard the voice of יהוה, saying, “Whom do I send, and who would go for Us?” And I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Isa 6:9 And He said, “Go, and you shall say to this people, ‘Hearing, you hear, but do not understand; and seeing, you see, but do not know.’
Isa 6:10 “Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and shall turn and be healed.”
While the promise was to David that on his throne would be seated a Ruler who was from everlasting, when the royal physical lineage was on the verge of obliteration to the physical eye, here was Yahusha the King of kings whose hem or robe/shul H7757 filled the temple.
This vision was sealed up as the seraphim's seen by YashaYahu in the vision had six wings and with two they covered their face, with two they covered their feet and with two they flew. So their exposition was concealed and the mystery hidden, which would be revealed at a later time. Its so beautiful if we understand these things.
Isa 6:2 Above it stood seraphim. Each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Isa 6:3 And one cried to another and said, “Set-apart, set-apart, set-apart is יהוה of hosts; all the earth is filled with His esteem!”
Isa 6:4 And the posts/amuth H520 of the door/saphim H5592 were shaken/nuah H5128 by the voice/qol of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
amuth H520: root words are
am: Mother H517
amah: A cubit H520
amath: truth H571
saphim H5592: root words are
saph or sapaph: a dish/bowl/basin for holding blood
sapah: lip/language/speech/brink/bank/shore (something that stands at the lip of the door)
nuah H5128: to and fro/move away/sift/wag wandered
Hence, when one seraph cried out to another with his voice/qol, the picture is of a change in measurements (spiritual dimensions)/amah, change in mother/am (earthly Yerushalayim to Heavenly Yerushalayim by being born from above), change from physical to spiritual truth/amath, change of blood in bowls/saph or sapaph of sheep & goats to the blood of Mashiyach, change of words of the carnal Torah to spiritual Torah.
And what did they cry out?
Isa 6:3 And one called out to another and said, Set-Apart, Set-Apart, Set-Apart, is Yahuah of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.
Yahuah of armies is going to move away from one place and enter into another, to fulfill everything He spoke in His Covenant. That is being Set-Apart, three times is the the affirmation
He would bow His head/qad into the door/dalet to thresh/dash the grain and bind them/qash to Himself.
The quph is the sun on the horizon with its sunlight entering the door or window/dalet to give light,warmth & energy to those inside the covevant/shan. And when He would come, there would be a change in the perspective of the way the Torah was understood by carnal flesh. This is what the paleo Hebrew language shows us.
The seraphim's had six wings. The word seraph means 'fiery/burn/kindle' H8313 & H8316
Its amazing to see that these same seraphs termed as living creatures were seen by Yahuchanan the emissary and shown how they looked. How do we know these were seraphim's? Its because elsewhere where Ezekiel saw in vision, he saw 4 cherubims with 4 wings whereas YashaYahu mentions the seraphs with 6 wings.
Isa 6:2 Above it stood seraphim. Each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Isa 6:3 And one cried to another and said, “Set-apart, set-apart, set-apart is יהוה of hosts; all the earth/land (arets) is filled with His esteem!”
Eze 1:6 And each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.
Rev 4:8 And the four living creatures, each having six wings, were covered with eyes around and within. And they do not cease, day or night, saying, “Set-apart, set-apart, set-apart, יהוה Ěl Shaddai, who was, and who is, and who is coming!”
Whereas, YashaYahu saw the seraphim's, their number is not mentioned and hence, we decode them from Rev 4 that they were 4 living creatures
In comparison with YashaYahu 6 vision where the seraphs covered their faces and their feet, here in Revelation 4 their wings are opened up and now their faces and bodies are seen. They are also described to have eyes all around which show a complete revelation of who Yahuah is. Their cry was similar to as stated in Rev 4:8 but with a complete revelation of who He is as here in Revelation they cry out “Set-apart, set-apart, set-apart, יהוה Ěl Shaddai, who was, and who is, and who is coming!
We will also see a context to each of the appearances in visions a bit later!
Rev 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and in back.
Rev 4:7 And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
Rev 4:8 And the four living creatures, each having six wings, were covered with eyes around and within. And they do not cease, day or night, saying, “Set-apart, set-apart, set-apart, יהוה Ěl Shaddai, who was, and who is, and who is coming!”
I have shared this before, these 4 living creatures are around the throne and the one seated on the throne had appearance as of a jasper and ruby stone.
Rev 4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a ruby stone in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
Ruby is the first stone in the high priest breast plate and Jasper is the last stone in the high priest breast plate. The imagery shows that this is Yahusha the High Priest who is Yahuah Himself seated on the throne to whom the 4 living creatures are testifying. In YashaYahu the revelation was concealed (the seraphs covered their faces and their feet) but now its open for everyone called to hear his qol/voice to hear and understand (the living creatures had six wings with eyes all around).
Exo 28:17 “And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row is a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
Exo 28:18 and the second row is a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
Exo 28:19 and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
Exo 28:20 and the fourth row is a beryl, and a shoham, and a jasper. They are set in gold settings.
In Revelation 4 the jasper is mentioned first and ruby as last as seen in a mirror, through the sea of glass before the throne.
Rev 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and in back.
Rev 4:7 And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
Its interesting to see Yahuchanan/John is seeing a singular face of each living creature i.e. a single dimension as he must have seen through the sea of glass which was before the throne, whereas Ezekiel saw each living creature had 4 faces.
Ezekiel 1:5-6, 10 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. [6] And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. [10] As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.[11] Such were their faces. Their wings were spread upward, two of each touched one another, and two covered their bodies.
Below is a picture I have tried to put together to show the imagery of the vision of Ezekiel.
Eze 1:24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army. And when they stood still, they let down their wings.
Eze 1:25 And a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads. When they stood, they dropped their wings.
Eze 1:26 And above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone. And on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man high above it.
Eze 1:27 And from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw what looked like glowing metal with the appearance of fire all around within it. And from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw what looked like fire, and brightness all around.
Eze 1:28 As the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the esteem of יהוה. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
Eze 10:12 And their entire bodies, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were covered with eyes all around.
Eze 10:13 The wheels were called in my hearing, “Wheel.”
These four/arbah faces reveal Mashiyach as he came as the Son of man, the Lion of Yahudah, the ox/calf that was slain and the strength of the eagle which shows his resurrection, the eagle also shows as Yahuah told Yasharal that He had brought them on eagles wings out of Mitsrayim.
Exo 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Mitsrites, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Yahuchanan saw a flash of each face in a single dimension i.e. the single face of each seraph/living creature as revealed through the sea of glass just as he saw Mashiyach seated on the throne as Yahuah with appearance as jasper and ruby, whereas Ezekiel saw a round about the throne dimension. We can decode this from Ezekiel 1:14 where he mentions of the living creatures going back and forth as flashes of lightning.
Eze 1:14 And the living creatures ran back and forth, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
In Ezekiel's vision the face of a man was front facing, face of lion was on the right side & face of an ox/calf on the left & the face of the eagle was behind
Eze 10:11 When they went, they went on their four sides; they did not turn aside when they went, but went in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went.
Eze 1:17 When they went, they went in any one of four directions, they did not turn aside when they went.
Ezekiel lets the reader know how he saw each of the 4 faces of the 4 living creatures, they went on their four sides and did not turn aside when they went and when they went they went in any one of the four directions, but they appeared as a flash of lightning back and forth. (Ezek 1:14)
In chapter 1 Ezekiel terms the creatures as living creatures and in chapter 10 terms them as 'cherubims'
Eze 10:1 And I looked and saw in the expanse that was above the head of the keruḇim, like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
Eze 10:2 And He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the keruḇ, and fill your hands with coals of fire from among the keruḇim, and scatter over the city.” And he went in before my eyes.
The wheel within the wheel imagery:
Eze 1:16 The appearance of the wheels/aphan H212 and their works was like the appearance of beryl/tarshiysh (תַּרְשִׁישׁ)H658, and all four had the same form. The appearance of their works was, as it were, a wheel/aphan H212 in the middle/tavek H8432 of a wheel/aphan H212.
Eze 1:17 When they went, they went in any one of four directions, they did not turn aside when they went.
Eze 1:18 And their rims/gab H1354 were high /gabah H1363 and awesome/yarah H3374, and their rims/gab H1354 were covered with eyes, all around the four of them
Eze 1:19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Eze 1:20 Wherever the spirit was to go, they went, because there the spirit went. And the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit/ruach H7307 of the living creatures was in the wheels/aphanayam H212.
2Ch 9:21 For the sovereign’s ships went to Tarshish (תַּרְשִׁישׁ) with the servants of Ḥuram. Once in three years the ships of Tarshish came, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, apes, and baboons.
Isa 60:9 “Because the coastlands wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish (תַּרְשִׁישׁ) first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, to the Name of יהוה your Elohim, and to the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, because He has adorned you.
Eze 1:18 And their rims/gab H1354 were high /gabah H1363 and awesome/yarah H3374, and their rims/gab H1354 were covered with eyes, all around the four of them
The Abary word for rim (of the wheels) is 'gab' which means 'body/back/ring'
The rims of the wheels had eyes all around. The imagery shows that the one seated on the throne as a man (Ezekiel 1:26) is exalted in his body (resurrection) and fills the empty space of all creation.
Eze 1:26 And above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone. And on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man high above it.
Eze 1:27 And from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw what looked like glowing metal with the appearance of fire all around within it. And from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw what looked like fire, and brightness all around.
Eze 1:28 As the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the esteem of יהוה. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
Eze 10:12 And their entire bodies, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were covered with eyes all around.
Eze 10:13 The wheels/aphan H212 were called in my hearing, “Wheel/galgal H1534.”
We saw the ruach/spirit of the cherubs were in their wheels. The imagery shows the ruach of the cherubs with their breath/aph searching for a fruitful resting place /An (as for the ark of the covenant) and their faces turn/pan in that direction. The appearance of the wheels was as tarshiysh/beryl. This same word 'Tarshiysh' is symbolically used as 'ships of Tarshisyh' which carry the basharah. The wheel was in the midst of a wheel & shows breath of lives. The wheels find the rest place for the ark of the covenant as it was called in Eekiel's hearling 'GALGAL' Where was Yahusha impaled? Galgaltha which is called the place of the skull.In Conclusion, the different scriptural views of the cherubims:
1. Masha was told to make cherubims over the ark with their wings touching each other. The ark of the covenant was kept in the tabernacle and was in a journey/soujourn
Num 10:35 And it came to be, whenever the ark set out, that Mosheh said, “Rise up, O יהוה! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.”
Num 10:36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O יהוה, to the countless thousands of Yisra’ĕl.”
Heb 8:5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly, as Mosheh was warned when he was about to make the Tent. For He said, “See that you make all according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
2. Shelemoh was given the pattern handed over to him by his father king David
1Ch 28:11 And Dawiḏ gave his son Shelomoh the plans for the porch, and its houses, and its treasuries, and its upper rooms, and its inner rooms, and the place of atonement;
1Ch 28:12 and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courtyards of the House of יהוה, and of all the rooms all around, and of the treasuries of the House of Elohim, and of the treasuries for the set-apart gifts;
1Ch 28:13 and for the divisions of the priests and the Lĕwites, and for all the work of the service of the House of יהוה, and for all the vessels of service in the House of יהוה;
1Ch 28:14 even gold by weight for utensils of gold, for all utensils used in every kind of service; for silver for all utensils of silver by weight, for all utensils used in every kind of service;
1Ch 28:15 and by weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand;
1Ch 28:16 and by weight gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver;
1Ch 28:17 and clean gold for the forks, and the basins, and the jars of clean gold, and the golden bowls, by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl;
1Ch 28:18 and refined gold by weight for the altar of incense, and for the pattern of the chariot of the gold keruḥim, spreading out their wings and covering over the ark of the covenant of יהוה.
1Ch 28:19 “יהוה made me (David) understand all this in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans.”
Hence, the two cherubs with 20 cubits in length with one of their wings touching the wall/qiyr of the temple and one wing touching the wing of each other was a pattern revealed to David.We saw the qiyr has the root work 'qar' which means call & qiyr was also a place where all elders met. The dimensions 5 x 4 =20 shows the promise of the Torah to go to the ends of the world to bring the lost sheep of the house of Yasharal to the Most Set Apart place through the pure 22 letters of Abary which combined form the words, the words the sentences and the sentences the language.
Zep 3:9 “For then I shall turn unto the peoples a clean lip, so that they all call on the Name of יהוה, to serve Him with one shoulder.
The cherubs still remained confined within physical Yerushalayim overshadowing the ark of the covenant which came to rest, and remember this was the earthly pattern of the heavenly.
Heb 9:23 It was necessary, then, that the copies of the heavenly ones should be cleansed with these, but the heavenly ones themselves with better slaughter offerings than these.
3. YashaYahu's vision was a final call with the death of UzziYahu, that 7 kings and then the end of earthly monarchy of David and the transition to the Heavenly King of kings i.e. Yahusha who would spring forth from the lineage of David. The living creatures/seraphs were concealed in their appearance, to be revealed at a latter time as the temple still stood within physical Yerushalayim. But the Yahuah of hosts is revealed who was HIGH and lifted up and whose shul/hem filled the temple. John testifies in the basharah 12:41 "These things YashaYahu spoke of when he saw His (Yahusha's) esteem"
The cry of the seraphim's show that Yahuah is ready to move out and enter in (Set-Apart) and the whole land (arets: can mean earth of land or country) was filled with His esteem. And when they had cried the posts of the door moved (ie.the transition to the intended heavenly pattern would happen)
4. Ezekiel 1 & 10 vision was of the 4 cherubims with 4 wings and 4 faces, face of a man in the front, face of a lion on the right, face of the ox/calf on the left and the face of the eagle behind which show a revelation of the 4 basharah's going to the ends of the earth as the number 4 (arabah) shows the 4 ends of the earth from where the lost sons of Yasharal would be brought back. The four faces are the faces depicting the redemption and attributes of Yahusha ha Mashiyach
Eze 10:14 And each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a keruḇ, and the second face the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
In Chapter 1 Ezekiel mentions the face of an ox/calf but in chapter 10 replaces it with the face of a cherub, which shows the face of the cherub was the face of an ox or alaph (א). Alaph is the Heavenly Supremacy.
The 4 cherubs were on wheels in the midst of the wheels whose ruach/spirit was in the wheels and were searching for the a place of rest for the ark of the covenant. Their rims/body/back/rings were exalted and had eyes all around.. The imagery shows that the one seated on the throne as a man (Ezekiel 1:26) is exalted in his body (resurrection) and fills the empty space (bah) of all creation.
Eph 4:8 That is why it says, “When He went up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
Eph 4:9 But what does “He went up” mean, except that He also first went down into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He who went down is also the One who went up far above all the heavens, to fill all.
The search for REST to the ark of the covenant ends as the wheels/aphan were called in Ezekiel's hearing 'galgal'. Hence, Galgaltha was the place of REST. Amazing. Yahuah revealed as Yahusha!
Ezekiel was in captivity when he saw these visions.
Eze 1:1 And it came to be in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, as I was among the exiles by the River Keḇar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of Elohim.
Eze 1:2 On the fifth of the month, in the fifth year of Sovereign Yehoyaḵin’s /YekonYah's exile,
Eze 1:3 the word of יהוה came expressly to Yeḥezqĕl the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Keḇar. And the hand of יהוה came upon him there.
Eze 10:20 It was the living creature I saw under the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl by the River Keḇar, and I knew they were keruḇim.
The living creatures are named by Ezekiel as cherubim where he saw their vision away from the land when the temple in Yerushalayim stood destroyed.
5. Yahuchanan/John was on the island Patmos, away from the land, when probably the temple in Yerushalayim was destroyed and was told not to seal the words of this prophecy
Rev 1:9 I, Yoḥanan, both your brother and co-sharer in pressure, and in the reign and endurance of יהושע Messiah, came to be on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of Elohim and for the witness of יהושע Messiah.
Rev 22:10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.
Yahuchanan is shown the living creatures called seraphims whose faces, body, wings are revealed and their cry to the same EL SHADAY Yahusha whom he sees through the sea of glass (mirror effect) as jasper and ruby (opposite stones in the breastplate of the high priest) who was, who is and who is to come, just as he sees one face of each living creature in a single dimension.
The 4 dimensions are also circular (dor) just as the earth is depicted to be as 4 ends, and He who sits on the circle/dor of the earth. Ezekiel gives a description of the entire 4 dimension view, whereas Yahuchanan gives a single dimension view of the throne of Yahuah & the 4 living creatures the 24 elders, front facing
Rev 4:4 And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white robes. And they had crowns of gold on their heads.
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne came lightnings, and thunders, and voices. And seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of Elohim.
Rev 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and in back.
Summary of the Note on Cherubim, Seraphim, and Living Creatures:
The note explores the biblical descriptions and spiritual significance of cherubim, seraphim, and living creatures as seen in various visions across scripture, emphasizing their connection to Yahuah (God) and Yahusha (Jesus) as divine manifestations. Key points include:
- Biblical Appearances:
- Cherubim: First mentioned in Genesis 3:24, guarding the Tree of Life. In Exodus 25, they are crafted on the Ark of the Covenant, with wings touching and faces bowed toward the mercy seat, symbolizing Yahuah’s presence (Exodus 25:18-22). In 1 Kings 6 and 2 Chronicles 3, Solomon’s temple includes larger cherubim (20 cubits wingspan), symbolizing the Torah’s outreach to the four corners of the earth.
- Seraphim: Described in Isaiah 6 with six wings, covering their faces and feet, symbolizing concealed divine revelation. They proclaim Yahuah’s holiness, linked to Yahusha (John 12:41).
- Living Creatures: Seen in Ezekiel 1 and 10 (cherubim) and Revelation 4 (seraphim), with four faces (man, lion, ox, eagle) in Ezekiel, representing Yahusha’s attributes (Son of Man, Lion of Judah, sacrificial ox, resurrected eagle). Revelation’s creatures have six wings, eyes all around, and proclaim Yahuah’s eternal nature.
- Yahuah’s Presence:
- Yahuah is described as dwelling between the cherubim (Psalms 80:1, 99:1) and riding upon a cherub (Psalm 18:10), signifying His divine authority and mobility. The cherubim’s wings and wheels (Ezekiel 1, 10) symbolize the spread of His word, likened to the “voice of the Almighty” (Ezekiel 1:24, 10:5).
- Symbolism and Spiritual Meaning:
- The cherubim, seraphim, and living creatures are not merely angelic beings but prophetic representations of Yahusha’s divine roles. Their imagery (e.g., four faces, wheels within wheels) reflects the gospel’s reach to the “four ends of the earth” and the spiritual transition from earthly to heavenly Jerusalem.
- The wheels (Ezekiel 1:16-20) symbolize the Spirit’s movement, with “eyes” indicating divine omniscience and the search for a resting place (fulfilled at Golgotha, Matthew 27:33).
- The number 20 (wingspan) and 40 (cherubim dimensions) carry spiritual significance, representing the Torah’s global mission and testing periods, respectively.
- Visions in Context:
- Moses (Exodus): Cherubim on the Ark reflect the temporary, earthly tabernacle.
- Solomon (1 Kings, 2 Chronicles): Larger cherubim in the temple signify a more permanent dwelling, with wings touching the walls (qiyr, meaning “call”), inviting the elect to the Most Holy Place.
- Isaiah: Seraphim’s vision (Isaiah 6) during King Uzziah’s death signals the transition from earthly kingship to Yahusha’s eternal reign, with concealed revelation.
- Ezekiel: During exile, cherubim with four faces and wheels signify Yahusha’s redemptive work and the gospel’s global mission.
- John (Revelation): The living creatures’ unveiled faces and six wings reflect the full revelation of Yahusha as Yahuah, seen through a “sea of glass” (Revelation 4:6).
- Genealogical Context:
- The note ties the visions to the Davidic lineage, particularly addressing the curse on Yekonyah (Jeremiah 22:30), whose line could not produce the Messiah. Shealtiel, a “borrowed son” from Neri (Luke 3:27), breaks the curse, enabling Yahusha’s lineage through Nathan, not Solomon.
- Conclusion:
- The cherubim, seraphim, and living creatures are unified as reflections of Yahusha’s divine attributes, transitioning from concealed (earthly) to revealed (heavenly) patterns. Their imagery points to Yahusha as Yahuah, the eternal King, whose gospel reaches all creation, culminating at Golgotha, the ultimate “resting place” for the Ark’s testimony.
The note uses scriptural cross-references, Hebrew word studies (e.g., qiyr, galgal), and imagery to argue that these beings prophetically depict Yahusha’s redemptive mission and divine identity.
