The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God; Ezekiel 1:1-14

Ezekiel 1:1-14

In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.

I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings.

Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

Why?

Ezekiel saw the vision of God showed to him.

The Lord showed to Ezekiel that the Lord cares his people in exiled to Babylon, And the Lord has word to his people through Ezekiel.

Ezekiel means God is strong or God is power.

The four creatures are the Lion: power, ox: serve; man, wisdom, and the eagle: holy. The relationship to the New Testament is Lion: Mattew; Judia, Ox: Mark: servant, man: Luke, Christ; Eagle: John, son of God.

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天上的異象通常很難描述，只能用我們的經驗來描述，超過我們的經驗，則很難說明。

以西結： 耶和華使我堅固，耶和華是力量的含義。是第一批被擄的人。當三十年：當時他30歲，是作外加的年齡。

四個活動表達神的本質或是神的僕人的特質。火、光、閃電出現多次，是神的本質，讓以西結成為祭司，卻不是家族的祭司職分，給予新的服事方式。

四活物即吉路伯，牛的腳表示每一步都很實在踏在地上，一步一腳印。行走不轉身：順服神的帶領，如走直路一樣每個方向都是往前走。翅膀相接：行動一致的。順著聖靈都是最好走的。

四個臉是要以西結的僕人本質，1)尊貴的獅子，說話有權柄  2)有神的眼光如老鷹，看的清楚。3) 任勞任怨如牛一樣的服事

神愛以色列人，也愛外邦人。讓我們看見神在掌權，不要失望！

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How?

The Lord is Holy and there is no image of the Lord, so we should not worship the Lord in any image. God is a spirit beyond all of us. No one can find the Lord, but our God come to find us for the Lord love me.