SECRETS
OF
THE CHERUBIM
(Part 5)
"And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind." (Psalm 18:10)
There is a law called circularity. We see it everywhere. The physical universe is teaming with this eternal mandate. From the tiny bubble drifting in the wind, to the wheel of a wagon, to the sun in our solar system, and on to the expanse of the universe itself, they all are relative to one thing -- circularity. Wherever a thing begins, the law declares, there will it end. (And please, let us rid ourselves from the same ignorance of Nicodemus -- our beginning was not in our mothers' womb. We go much farther back than our natural heritage.)
The field of science reports that even chaos is subject to this law. If we could draw back far enough, they say, and view the overall picture, chaos would fit into and be a harmonizing portion of the whole. Also, if the chaos continued long enough, eventually a repetitious pattern would emerge. The first chapter of Colossians touches this thought: "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." (vrs 17).
This is not to say that chaos, anarchy, sedition, crime, hatred, or evil of any kind should be promoted; but we can say that none of these things are outside the scope and control of God. They all fit into His complete plan of bringing everything to perfection and back to it origin. It is a shame how the church of this age knows nothing of this simple truth. Paul, however, the apostle who saw beyond his own time, certainly knew something of it. He stressed very clearly that not only all things consist by God, but He is also the author and center of the law of circularity: For out from Him and proceeding through Him and into Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Rom 11:36 literal). Nothing, absolutely nothing, that came out of Him, and that includes all things, shall fail to return back to its origin. And so it is with the cherubim. They came out of God, and so shall they return.
The first reference of cherubim in the Bible is when they were placed outside of God's habitation at the east of Eden's garden (Gen 3:24). But from Ezekiel 28:14 we note that there was at least one cherub in the Garden prior to this: "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God...Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee" Ezek 28:13-18).
This account portrays Adam as a covering cherub. In his perfection he was in the mountain of God, the kingdom of God, in paradise, if you please. Due to his iniquity, he (the cherub) is cast out of that mountain. In Genesis the man is cast out and in Ezekiel the cherub is said to have been cast out. The simple truth is, wherever man goes, the cherubim go, and wherever the cherubim are found, likewise man. It matters not whether they are the anointed cherubim of glory or the cherubim of the veil, they abide inseparably joined one to the other.
Oh, that glorious day when God dipped His hand into the earth and formed man in His own image. With the breath of life His glory was quickened in the creature -- and the cherubim took form. Ah, but it didn't last. Man took his companions with him on his long, infernal trip into darkness. They embarked upon a journey so far, so seemingly endless -- a journey overflowing with so much sorrow, suffering, pain, and horrid death. In their trek across the wilderness of sin, and always in the dreadful clutches of death's merciless grip, the law of circularity began its promising play. Although man and his covering thoughts (the cherubim) were continually falling short of the glory of God, they were being made ready for their return from whence they came.
Once a man hears the call to return to God, and he makes his way deep into the Holy of holies, and his gaze is fixed upon Christ's resplendent glory -- he will finally know the peace he sought. Many who come to that place are content to remain there forever; but it is not to be, for there is much more in store for the weary travelers. It is not the end of their long awaited journey, it is merely one phase of it. After a short rest, the law of circularity will continue, and when the time comes for Christ's glory to be seen and known in a greater measure, there will be a rising: "Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory. And the sound of the cherubim's wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when He speaketh" (Ezek 10:4-5).
Tremendous things will transpire when these two verses take shape in the lives of God's elect. No longer will the glory be confined within the covering wings of the cherubim -- it rises and surges like liquid fire throughout Christ's Body. Due to the glory coming forth, however, it will be impossible for the religious leaders of today's church to minister in the most Holy place, even as presently is the case. Already they stand in the outer court facing and worshiping the glory of their own imaginative reason. Men and women of the old order simply cannot minister in the glory of Christ's presence. Furthermore, they don't particularly want to, for He is completely contrary to their scheme of things. Since they are accustomed to doing everything their own way, they find no peace while in the company of the glorious cloud of witnesses. Not only do the sun worshipers lose their peace in Christ's august presence, they see the purified ones more as lepers, or toxic fumes, rather than who they are -- the white clouds of God's blue heavens. There are some, however, who desire this glory and mingle with the refined ones, and they voice their spirit-grating rhetoric whenever possible; but they are not ministering in the realm of the Holy of holies. Their voice is that of clanging cymbals rather than the sound of the Almighty God, and regardless of the company they keep, they are still in the outer court.
Nevertheless, for a little while those of God's high calling rest in the majestic glory that glows under the wings of the golden cherubim. The time is quickly approaching, however, for this glory to rise and move to the threshold and fill the whole house. The only ones to see this glory, of course, are those in whom He dwells -- which is the cloud. (If you want to be caught up in a cloud to ever be with the Lord, this cloud, dear friends, is the one.)
When His glory fills the inner house, they who minister in the outer court will see only the glory of their own rising. There slight of hand, along with much smoke, and array of mirrors shall persuade the masses that what they have is the absolute truth and glory of God. Even in this hour almost everyone's focus is upon the charisma of personalities, false lights, dead church dogmas, and lifeless rituals. Such atrocities and worldwide deception shall, no doubt, continue for a season as their attention is drawn ever closer to the flashy façades of God's so-called 'men of the hour'. With their attention diverted eastward in the outer court, they will surely miss seeing the manifestation of glory in the most Holy place. And it is little wonder, for they presently see nothing of the ever abounding glory of God. To one degree or another, the shining of the Lord is already present in His sons, but since they abide far from the inner sanctuary of God, most are oblivious to it.
Very few will see the shining of God's glory in His people when He rises; but as far removed as they may be, they will hear Him. There will be such a trumpeting of the Word of glory in the confines of that inner chamber that they can't keep from hearing something. They haven't heard anything yet, but they shall: "...And the sound of the cherubim's wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when He speaketh" (Verse 5).
What is heard shall be more than a flutter of wings, dear readers. The voice of the Almighty God is the awesome sound they shall hear. His thundering voice shall slice throughout the cloud of glory as He rides upon the wings of the cherubim! Those within that cloud will hear and know the words He speaks, but many will only hear a rumbling roar, and flee in fright.
Wings speak of things that enable heavenly flight, and in the above verse the voice of God, i.e. the wings, is that vehicle. The wings and the voice of God are one and the same. When it is time for the glory of Christ and the cherubim to lift up and fill the house, it shall commence with the unfurling of wings. This unfurling is the sounding of God's voice. It is His Word expressing and commanding life and power forevermore.
The two cherubim sound a word of great power and authority. These two represent the mind of the sons and the mind of Christ that are beaten out of pure gold and formed into one mind, and from this single mind comes the Word of the Almighty. Those with the mind of Christ shall rise and see the glory manifested in a much greater way than ever before, while the ones in the outer court of their own imaginations shall hear the voice of thundering judgment. When Israel heard it coming from mount Sinai, they trembled in fear and refused to hear His voice. Will it be any different in this hour? It is doubtful.
The filling of the inner house of the Lord, and making Himself known in the deep chambers of His corporate body, is wonderful beyond imagination. Nothing as glorious could have ever been; but even so -- there is more. Everyone in that unseen, protected sanctuary of God shall rise in glorious manifestation. What Ezekiel saw that day was, no doubt, man coming to the end of his long journey. It shall be an event unparalleled in the entire scope of man's quest for life. When this transpires, the glorious things we had known will pale in its brightness. Regardless of some men's claims, this has not yet been. It shall come when He rises and calls us to 'Come up hither'.
Not only does the voice of God resound from the lifting wings of the cherubim, we note a glorious work commencing from that heavenly Word. That work is symbolized in the hands under the cherubim's wings: "And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings." (Ezek 10:8). Hands most often in scripture denote work, so rather than the Word of God merely going forth into the airwaves of the spirit and blessing one's soul, it forms a work in the heavens that accomplishes what the Word declares. It is a word never heard before -- and it shall prosper, for it is quick and powerful, and it shall not return void.
The Voice of the Almighty God shall span the four corners of the earth, reaching, judging, enlightening, and transforming every soul of His cherished creation. This is seen in the four transformed characteristics and manifestations of the cherubim: "And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle." (Ezek 10:14).
The cherub, the soul with its imaginative mind, is renewed and transformed. The first man, the god of this world, is seen in the image of the last Adam. The lion, the physical body, the king of all beastly passions, is changed and desires only those things of the Spirit. And likewise the eagle, the power of the air, the spirit of man, is new in Christ. In these four -- spirit, soul, body, and the man himself -- we see a new creation rising forever in the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. No longer does God's glory remain hidden. What a mighty transition, the rising from the earthy to the heavenly -- the manifestation of the sons of God!
The cherubim are seen with man and ever-progressing. They were placed in him to keep the way of life. They never left him, but their purpose has changed. They are revealing God's glory together with the one they had formerly bridled and hindered.
We should note also that every aspect of the new man comes forth during the time of severe judgment upon the earth. While the world is being judged and scattered over with fire (Ezek 9:1-11, 10:1-2), the elect are coming into their own. This judgment was no doubt fulfilled in part when Jerusalem was utterly destroyed in A.D. 70; but the church and the world is just as evil and full of dead men's bones as in that perilous day. If the next few years does not bring the same sort of devastation, we will be very surprised.
Along with the cherubim are seen four wheels, which symbolize He who is ever moving and is without the beginning or ending of days. Four is also the number of creation, denoting that every aspect of the creature is changed and lifted by this eternal life and power of God: "And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a Wheel" (Ezek 10:9-10).
So much can be said about these two verses; but for brevity's sake, let us paraphrase them. Hopefully, it will be enough to inspire some pure spirits, and vault its hearers into the heavenlies where it all takes place: "And when I looked, behold the four wheels were in union with and inseparable from the cherubims, one wheel in union with one cherub, and another wheel in union with another cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness. They were all in the image of their Creator. It was as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel -- the Spirit of the Father and the spirit of the Sons were one."
With such an absolute union, wherever and whenever one moves so does the other. When the head moves, so does the body. When the thoughts rise, so does the spirit and the body. When any fashion of the creature or the Creator moves, so does the other. One cannot go without the other, for they are inseparably one: "And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the Spirit of the Living Creature was in them." (Ezek 10:16-17).
With the same purpose, the same drive, and the same Living Spirit, the entire body moves. Those in the image of the Last Adam are no longer motivated by the human spirit of the first Adam. At their journey's end, they have the mind of Christ and the fulness of the Spirit of the Living creature in them. What a perilous journey, and sometimes seemingly impossible to finish; but at the end of this age we find ourselves with renewed hope as the golden wings of the cherubim begin to spread in unpretentious glory.
When His glory fills the house, they shall rise with their Lord in whom they are one. When their Head rises, so do they. When the Alpha rises, the omega also. When the Wheel ascends, likewise the wheel within. When He goes up, so do the cherubim.
Within the eternal Wheel are the other wheels. They are in the likeness of He who is without the beginning of days or the end of life, for they are one with Him. Wherever He goes, they go. A wheel within the Wheel, and the cherubim lift up with them, for the Spirit of the Living Creature was in them (Verse 17).
These were the same cherubim (living creatures) Ezekiel saw by the river of Chebar, and John saw with the twenty-four elders while in exile on the Isle of Patmos. Chebar, we note, comes from the Hebrew word kebar and its root word is kabar. Kebar means "...an extent of time, i.e. a great while; hence long ago, formerly, hitherto." The definition for Kabar is "...to plait together...to augment (especially in number or quantity, to accumulate)" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance).
In reference to the cherubim the two words, river and Chebar, hold vital keys to unveiling this mystery. Just a little more Hebrew will help: River, from nahar, means, "to sparkle...be cheerful; hence (from the sheen of a running stream) to flow...assemble" (Strong's).
From the east of Eden to the river of Chebar, we see an extended length of time -- a flowing of long ago to this day. It actually began with four rivers flowing in all directions from the center of the Garden. In the darkness of Adam's death, the flowing continued, no longer shimmering with life but weaving its way through the ages, going to the four corners of the earth, searching for the way back home. The closer the flowing got to Jesus, the brighter it became. The first ray of light was in the outer court with the shed blood of the Lamb, and it continued until it gathered as one river in the Holy of holies. From there it proceeded from the throne of God. This river was not muddied by Adam's earth, but rushed forth with the sparkling joy of heaven's life. The ages of long ago shall find their end in the river of Chebar. The four living creatures rise in splendor, as one, to gather from the four winds the rest of humanity which is scattered throughout the earth. They too shall drink of this sparkling river, bringing cheer to their travel-worn souls. This is what we see over the river of Chebar, or rising from the mercyseat and filling the Holy of holies.
But in the glory of it all, let us not forget that glory sometimes comes in the form of heated wrath. What is so wonderful and exciting to some may be hell for others, especially where the cherubim and smoke filling the temple are involved. When they are mentioned in the Bible, judgment is generally seen. Regardless of how glorious the cloud is, or the appearance of the cherubim are with their endless worship, those in rebellion experience the firebrands of correction. The cherubim may have harps of gold, and vials full of wonderful fragrances; but they also have vials full of wrath and plagues. And they hand out the vials and send messengers of judgment upon the earth. Where one Word will be as rain to some, it can be as fire to others.
In Ezekiel, everyone who is not marked with the mark of God is destroyed; and in Revelation, the judgment falls on everyone who has the mark of the beast. Therefore, when we see such things round about us, rejoice if you abide in the inner chambers of our Lord, for you can know the wings of the cherubim are likewise sounding the call to ascend together in Him. If you dwell elsewhere, then lament, for it is not your redemption that is drawing nigh, but your judgment. Even so, it will be for your good, for proper judgment eventually brings correction unto repentance, and from repentance comes salvation.
Truthfully, if you have not finished your course, and your journey has not filled you to capacity, would it not be better to be sorely beaten than to remain half-baked, dirty-faced, and blemished forever in the image of Adam?
Again, when the glory ascended in the inner sanctuary, the wings of the cherubim were heard as the voice of the Almighty God. His voice and the wings of the anointed cherubim are in union, like His Spirit and the Word. You can't have one without the other. It is upon these that the Lord rides and is seen and heard, whether in judgment or in cheerful, sparkling blessings: "And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind" (Psa 18:10). They who have the mark of the ink horn shall survive, while the rest will perish (Ezek 9:1-11, 10:1-2); but in the end of their long journey, they too shall see the salvation of the Lord and know true glory. "And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it" (Isa 40:5).
Elwin R. Roach
To be placed on our mailing list to receive our studies in booklet form, write to:
The Pathfinder
Elwin & Margit Roach
PO Box 4004
Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004
or
go to Homepage page and subscribe by email