The most mysterious angels in the Bible, the Ophanim, are often referenced in the Old Testament. Angels are mentioned 108 times; the Book of Genesis recounts instances of angels intervening in the lives of Abraham and Jacob. In the Book of Exodus, Moses also encountered angels during the Wilderness wandering.
In total, the word "angels" or "angel" appears in the Book of the Law and Moses' writings 32 times. The angels of God are introduced to us in the Scriptures as the hosts of Heaven. Angels are real beings; they are not mythical figures or opinions.
They are spiritual personalities that have a physical impact. Just like the demonic world, the angelic world is also hidden. We might not be able to touch them, yet angels touch people.
You cannot handle them, yet they can destroy kings. This brings us to the most mysterious angels in the Bible: the Ophanim. What are the Ophanim?
The term "Ophanim" in ancient Hebrew refers to wheels. The singular is "Ophan. " Of course, wheels are cited several times in the Old Testament, and the Ophanim can refer to normal wheels on a cart or a chariot.
But of particular interest are the wheels on the throne of God, mentioned in Ezekiel's vision. Who was Ezekiel? Who was this prophet that saw this vision?
The name Ezekiel means "God is strong," or "God strengthens," or "May God strengthen. " This prophet lived during one of the most difficult times in Judah's history, namely the Babylonian exile, which may indicate the reason for his name. During Nebuchadnezzar's conquest in 597 BC, he was one of the ten thousand prisoners captured from Jerusalem and most likely prophesied in Babylon to the exiles in settlements of Tel Aviv on the river Kibar.
The ministry of Ezekiel was absolutely necessary for the exiles. For those who believed and gave heed to his words, there was life, but for the others, certain judgment. Ezekiel's ministry showed that God was still communicating with them, even during times of harsh judgment.
Even though they would be punished, they were not abandoned. Jeremiah preached God's message in Jerusalem, while another voice preached it to the exiles in Babylon, so they would be informed about God's plans. Both voices were equally strong.
Ezekiel sees the Ophanim. Ezekiel had been in exile when God appeared to him. God used this encounter to start Ezekiel's ministry as a prophet by showing him an astounding vision.
It is hard to define the Ophanim depicted in Ezekiel's vision without considering the entirety of the revelation. God chooses to open the heavens in front of Ezekiel's temporary gaze. The description of Ezekiel's inaugural vision is one of the most difficult passages to translate in the whole Old Testament.
Ezekiel first tells where he was when he saw the vision: Ezekiel 1:1-4: "Now it came about in the 13th year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chabar among the exiles, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month, in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Kebar; and there the hand of the Lord came upon him. " As I looked, behold, a high wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it; and in its mist, something like gleaming metal in the midst of the fire.
He tried to put into words something that couldn't be explained clearly. He used similes to describe it, comparing it to other things in order to give an idea of what it was like. We read the phrase "something like gleaming metal in the midst of the fire.
" Ezekiel notices a foreboding dark cloud of lightning and fire approaching from the north. Within the cloud, there are four lighted beings that shine brightly. Although the beings have the appearance of humans, they are not human in any way.
Each possesses four different faces: one human face, one lion face, one ox face, and one eagle face. The prophet doesn't record these creatures by name in Ezekiel 1, where the recounting of his vision begins, but by chapter 10 they are identified as cherubim. Ezekiel 1:5-7: "And 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 hoof, and they sparkled like polished bronze. " What Ezekiel saw was real, but he had to describe it with familiar terms.
Before witnessing the Ophanim, Ezekiel saw creatures that were later identified as cherubim. The cherubim are a group of celestial beings created by God. They are the first of the angelic hierarchy to appear in the Bible, immediately following Adam and Eve's fall from grace.
We don't know Adam's reaction to witnessing those glorious cherubim for the first time in human history; perhaps awe, fright, and wonder will come to mind. In Exodus 25, Moses was given specific and detailed instructions on how to make several articles of furniture that would be used in the Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, where God promised to meet and commune with Moses, were the first detailed articles.
What did God want to go over or on top of the Mercy Seat? He chose representations of the cherubim in gold. What an awesome sight that must have been!
The cherubim associated with the very presence of God, and here Ezekiel sees the cherubim in the presence of God; they constantly glorify God. Though artists have painted cherubim (the plural of cherub) as chubby little angelic-looking creatures, the Bible describes them as attending the throne of God and executing His will. 8-10, under their wings on their four sides, were human hands.
As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved; each went straight forward. As for the form of their faces, each had a human face; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. Ezekiel noticed that each living creature had four faces: one human, possibly representing intelligence; one lion, representing strength; one ox, representing servitude; and one eagle, representing loftiness.
They had wings and the willingness to go wherever the Spirit went. The Lord wanted Ezekiel to understand that He is everywhere. Ezekiel may have been in a land of captivity, but he was not alone; God was with him.
As believers in God, we can find comfort in the fact that He is always with us, no matter where we are or what challenges we are facing. The idea that God is present everywhere gives us peace of mind, knowing that He is always with us (Ezekiel 1:11-14). Search where their faces; their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being and 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 burning coals of fire, like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire, and the living beings ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.
The chariot. After seeing the cherubim, Ezekiel saw the wheels, like the chariot wheels. The best object for imagining what Ezekiel saw is a gyroscope.
Ezekiel was describing something that could move in any direction without needing to turn. Keep in mind that Ezekiel was describing the indescribable (Ezekiel 1:15-21). Now, as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the ground beside the living beings for each of the four of them.
The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling topaz, 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 turning as they moved. As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were covered with eyes all around.
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, and the wheels rose just as they did. For the Spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
Whenever those went, they went; whenever those stopped, they stopped; and whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose just as they did. For the Spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Ezekiel continued to describe the constant interaction between the wheels and the cherubim.
Wherever the cherubim went, the wheels went. He reported that the Spirit of God manifested in all that was happening. Ezekiel was also seeing God's omniscience; the multiple eyes he saw represented God's complete awareness.
He sees and knows everything. This great book begins with a vision; Ezekiel receives a revelation from God of four angelic figures. In this vision, God calls the prophet to be His spokesman and watchman to the Hebrew exiles.
This vision is the first of four in the book. Ezekiel describes this first vision in vivid detail. Like all effective leaders, he spoke as clearly as possible.
A pastor once said, "If it's fuzzy in the pulpit, it's foggy in the pew. " Ezekiel provided vision by way of analogies, then applied those visions. He communicated a picture, then shared his point.
Divine visions always help a leader and the people move in the right direction. A divine vision also seems to include these components: the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels so that the creatures moved in whatever direction the wheels moved. It was indeed an awesome sight: the huge wheels, the living creatures, the unfolding fire, and the eyes in the rims of the wheels.
What an arresting picture of the Providence of God, always at work, intricately designing, never wrong, and never late. What Ezekiel saw or described in this passage is difficult to visualize in its entirety. It's presumably an image of a magnificent chariot with four wheels, thus bringing the throne of God.
The scene gives the impression of continuous motion and activity, not only on the part of the living beings themselves but also on the part of God's throne. The sense seems to be that the wheels and their workings could move in any direction, but there was no sense of chaos or disorder in their movements. A popular Bible commentator stated about this: like a ball bearing, they could move in any direction without any steering mechanism (Ezekiel 1:22-28).
Now, over the heads of the living beings, there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. Under the expanse, their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on one side and on the other. And 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 a crowd, like the sound of an army camp.
Whenever they stopped, they let down their wings, and a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads. Whenever they stood still, they let down their wings. Now, above the expanse that.
. . Was over their heads; there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance, and 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 waist and upward, something like gleaming metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of his waist and downward, I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around him like the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on 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.
Finally, Ezekiel saw the chamber in heaven and tried to describe the sights and the sounds of the creature. Then he noticed a throne occupied by someone with the appearance of a man. Ezekiel observed that the entity seated on the throne resembled a human but was more akin to flames than physical matter.
Just imagine the glory and the splendor that there was! Next, Ezekiel saw a rainbow around the throne of God. God gave Noah the rainbow of promise after the flood; John saw the rainbow before the storm.
Ezekiel witnessed a rainbow amidst the storm, which symbolized God's covenant promise and divine power. The message conveyed is about the magnificent power of God. He was comforting Ezekiel by assuring him that He is in control and there is nothing beyond His capabilities.
What does God's omnipotence mean to us? No problem or difficulty that we are going through is beyond God's power to do something about. We may not be able to handle it, but God can.
We do not have to wonder why Ezekiel fell down; he was exposed to the glory of God, the outward manifestation of His divine presence. When someone experiences the magnificence and grandeur of the Lord, the only natural response is to bow down in reverence. During the challenging times of Ezekiel's ministry, God reminded him of a vision to reassure him that He was still in control from His throne in heaven.
Despite being far from Jerusalem, He knew that God was with him. Similarly, believers today may feel like they are in exile in this age. In today's world, there is a rise in wickedness and immoral behavior; even people who attend church may refuse to accept the teachings of the Bible.
However, we can take comfort in Ezekiel's description of God's magnificence. We may not see the wheel like he did, but we know God is with us no matter where we are or what we are going through. He knows everything, and He can do anything.
More than that, He has given us His Holy Spirit to be our helper. We should keep these truths in mind and remain steadfast in our faith in Him during these challenging times, until the day we are called to join Him in heaven. It can be challenging to visualize what Ezekiel saw or expressed in this passage.
The description, “full of eyes,” was how John described the cherubim themselves (Revelation 4:6, New American Standard Bible). "And before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind"—the sense is of excellent knowledge and intelligence. The four wheels in their workings moved in step with the four cherubim; they rotated.
They were linked together in such a way that Ezekiel was able to write that “the spirits of the living creatures was in the wheels” (ofanim also mentioned similarly in Ezekiel 10). Ezekiel was meant to understand that God's chariot, or chariot throne, was on the move. The image seems bizarre to the modern reader, but one must remember that this is a visionary experience.
The surrealistic features may overwhelm realism in the passages; the throne of God is set on wheels, often being pushed by four angels. There are wheels inside of wheels at cross angles, with the effect that the throne can move in any direction without having to turn. The ofanim has been a point of fascination for many, and later Jewish apocalyptic writers gave them a life of their own.
The wheels were eventually recognized as a separate type of angel, known as the ofanim. Why do some refer to the ofanim as angels? There's not a single mention of the ofanim in the Scriptures as being angelic creatures, but apocryphal Jewish writers branded them as a class of angel and listed them in their hierarchy of angels along with the seraphim and cherubim, because of the ofanim's unique life-likeness, their supernatural power, and their close proximity to God's throne, not to mention the multitude of eyes.
Whether or not the ofanim are actually angelic beings or merely a divinely powered mechanism of multi-dimensional transport doesn’t matter. What does matter is the ofanim's function in displaying God's glory to Ezekiel and every other believer who would one day read his account and gain a renewed vision of God's kingship. What do the ofanim reveal about God, both in appearance and operation?
The ofanim that appear in Ezekiel's vision demonstrate God's absolute dominion over the entire cosmos. The omnidirectional wheels themselves serve as a constant reminder to us that the God we serve is omnipresent, meaning that He can be in all places at all times. As the Spirit of God guides the cherubim, the same Spirit indwells the ofanim, and the eyes that cover the wheels in the cherubim are symbolic of God's omniscience.
He is all-seeing, all-knowing. Why is it important for Christians to know about the supernatural realm? (Ephesians 6:11-12, New American Standard Bible) "Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the.
. . ".
Schemes of the devil; for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. In Ephesians 6:12, we're told that our struggle is not against flesh. God desires believers to be aware of the world beyond what our temporal eyes can see, so that we, in the Lord's mighty power, can be prepared to take on whatever scheme the enemy has in store.
Extremism is prevalent in today's society. On one end of the scale, there are believers who downplay the supernatural parts of their faith and insist on maintaining a naturalistic worldview, which is characterized by an exclusive reliance on the truths of doctrinal teachings for day-to-day living. On the opposite end of the spectrum are those people who are so preoccupied with the spiritual realm because of the allure it holds for them that they are of little help on earth.
We must first ensure that our eyes are open to the reality of the situation. When a servant was terrified by the surrounding enemy in 2 Kings 6:16, the prophet tells the young man, "Don't be afraid. " The world in which we live cannot be considered our home; there is a world that we cannot see, yet it is rife with conflict over our own souls.
When we make the decision to investigate the Bible and seek God's perspective on the supernatural, we move one step closer to the establishment of God's Kingdom. Ezekiel clearly laid out a vision, and God consistently provided him with unusual visions that drove him to speak in unusual ways—from hands and scrolls descending from heaven, to four abominations committed in the temple, to vines, eagles, lions, dry bones, and fires. Ezekiel trafficked in strange but memorable pictures; these pictures often arrived with a divine interpretation and instructions on how he was to communicate God's word to the people.
Ezekiel closely followed the leadership axiom on vision: see it clearly, show it creatively, and say it constantly, despite the response of the people. Ezekiel remained steadfast in his convictions and core values. We read the phrase "son of man.
" This phrase is used for Ezekiel roughly 90 times and emphasizes that he is merely a messenger of the divine Sovereign of the universe, who has planned all the events that were to take place, which could not be hindered from being accomplished. Ezekiel was a skilled communicator who encouraged people to listen to him and engage with important topics. He was known for his creativity, often incorporating visual aids and dramatic performances to convey his message.
He quickly obeyed the Lord's instructions, even when many of the symbolic actions God called him to enact looked different or embarrassing. His dynamic ministry won the respect, attention, and admiration of Judah's elders. Despite Ezekiel's efforts to cast a vision for his generation, they listened but refused to act on his words, which left him disappointed.
He took great pains to share his message, but unfortunately, no one acted upon it. According to God, Ezekiel was a watchman who was summoned to alert the people of potential danger if they didn't repent, similar to a watchman who sparks an approaching army; he advises the people to prepare themselves or face destruction. God describes Himself to Ezekiel as the one who supplies the right words.
God is the director of this great drama that Ezekiel acts out; He is the writer of the script Ezekiel is to read to the people, and He is the author who closes the curtain when the play ends—a finale in the form of the invading Babylonian army, when it is too late for the people to discover the play is no mere act. The purpose of angels: firstly, angels make the word of God come to pass. The angels of the performance—hosts of God—follow the word of God to ensure that it produces.
In the Bible, the phrase "the Lord of hosts will perform" is used often any time an outstanding prophecy is given which cannot be humanly explained. The angels of God have the performing license to carry out anything that comes out of God's mouth. Angels are the attack troops that deal with opponents; they always get the answer and are victorious after every act.
Also, they do the pleasure of God (Psalms 103:20-21). "Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word; bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His who do His pleasure. " Angels are committed to obeying God's command, so you can send them to carry out whatever God has commanded concerning you.
The word says, "Tell those who do what is right that it will go well with them; they will enjoy the results of the good things they've done. " (Isaiah 3:10) Aside from the orphanum, the angels are of different ranks. In a general sense, probably the largest group of angels is what we might call the regular angels.
Most of the time, when angels are mentioned in the Bible, it is these otherwise unidentified angels who are being referred to. To speak of ordinary angels seems a contradiction in terms; however, for how could these extraordinary created beings be considered just something routine? Yet in one sense, this designation is proper when we contrast them with the several unique classes or orders of angels that the Bible mentions: **Cherubim**: The cherubim are the first of the angelic order to appear in the scriptures.
They appear right after Adam and Eve's fall from grace. **Seraphim**: A different group of angels, specifically recognized as the seraphim. In the Hebrew language, seraphim means "burning ones.
" Isaiah chapter 6 tells us of the seraphim. **Michael**: Another angelic rank, Archangel, the position held by only one angel in. .
. The scriptural record shows that the word "Arch" means "Chief," so this Angel is the most prominent of all the Holy Angels. The archangel's name is Michael; the meaning of Michael is "Who is like God?
" Whenever you hear that name, you're hearing a question: Who is like God? Gabriel, another Angel whose name is clearly given in Scripture besides Lucifer, is Gabriel. Gabriel means "mighty one of God.
" Gabriel lives up to his name, for he does indeed do powerful things. Gabriel serves God more as a messenger. In several instances in the Book of Daniel, Gabriel appears to give major revelations concerning coming events, particularly relating to God's Kingdom.
What are the relevance of angels? The next question is: Are angels still relevant? Do we need them today as Christians filled with the Holy Ghost anointing?
A glimpse at the lives of the distinguished individuals in the Bible reveals that they all experienced angelic fellowship. There is almost no person of distinction in the Scriptures who did not have physical, real proof of angelic fellowship. God has said, "I, the Lord, do not change, so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed" (Malachi 3:6).
It follows that what He did yesterday, He’s also doing today. There is a lot at stake for this time we live in; angels are an indispensable and essential part of God's package for the redeemed. The anointing cannot replace the services of angels.
Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Ghost, and He had the Holy Ghost anointing, and yet He required the services of angels. It is great to think that Jesus believed in angels, and He enjoyed their ministry even as the Son of the Most High God. Even the Lord Jesus Christ required the assistance of angels.
Even before His birth, an angel announced His arrival. When danger appeared because of the news of His birth, the angel spoke to Joseph to move to Egypt with the baby Jesus, that the Scripture may be fulfilled. Although angels are important ministering spirits, we may limit their ministry in our lives.
The first is spiritual blindness when it comes to God's issues: you must believe it before you can experience it. Whatever is written in the Word must be seen before it can be possessed. Angels, who are the hosts of Heaven, are all around us.
Don’t let the devil mislead you about the presence of angels. Just as the demonic world is invisible, the angelic world is also invisible. We must know that angels belong to a uniquely different dimension of creation that we can hardly understand.
In this realm, the constraints are different from those God has placed on ours. God has given angels higher knowledge and mobility than humans. The Word of God lets us know that angels, like men, were also created by God.
This implies that at one time, no angels existed, as seen in Colossians 1:16. God's angels indeed are among God's invisible things, for He created all things and for Him. Hebrews 1:14 calls them "ministering spirits": "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
" (Hebrews 1:14). The empire of angels is as vast as God's creation. If you believe in the Bible, you will believe in their ministry.
They cover both the Old and New Testament, being mentioned directly or indirectly nearly 300 times. Biblical scholars believe that angels can be numbered potentially in the millions because Hebrews 12:22 speaks of an innumerable company of angels. As to their number, David described 20,000 coursing through the skyways of the stars.
Even with his limited vision, he impressively notes, "The chariots of God are twice ten thousand thousands. " We can be sure that the angels, including the orphanim, never draw attention to themselves, but ascribe God's glory and press His message upon the hearers. It is the delivering and sustaining word of the highest order.
As glorious as the angelic and heavenly beings are, they become dim beside the indescribable glory resident in our Heavenly Lamb, the Lord of Glory, to whom every power in Heaven and on Earth bow in holy worship and excited adoration. What were the wheels in Ezekiel 1? Ezekiel had a vision that portrayed God's divine nature through powerful imagery of movement and action.
God appeared on a throne that resembled a chariot, and His glory was both supreme and present everywhere in the universe. As such, the whole revelation by God in this vision to Ezekiel—the cherubim, the chariot, the spirit, and the wheels—emphasized their unity and coordination. Although the vision was terrifying, it portrayed the magnificence and splendor of God, who appeared before Ezekiel and the Israelites during the Babylonian captivity.
It reminded them of His holiness and power as the Lord of all creation. The message was clear: though His people were in exile and their nation was about to be destroyed, God was still on the throne and able to handle every situation. Today's lesson is that God, through His marvelous providence, is constantly working out His own unseen plan in the affairs of all nations.
His plan is intricately designed, always accurate, and never delayed. Romans 8:28 (New American Standard Bible) states, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. " There are several major themes in the Book of Ezekiel: God’s sovereignty.
God controls history; no matter what happens, His plans will not be thwarted. Even the waywardness of His chosen nation will not spoil His plans, which He will ultimately bring to fruition. The idea, as expressed in Ezekiel 1, with the vision of God pictured as ruling over all creation, is repeated several times throughout the book.
However, this vision is the first of four in the book. Ezekiel saw other visions in this book to watch the vision of the. .
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