"Men Whose Eyes Have Seen the King" (Transcript)

by T. Austin-Sparks

Chapter 7 - The Throne - The Living Ones and the Wheels

It is not easy to resume our meditation in so large a matter without reviewing the way that we have already taken. And I shall limit myself in that matter to a very few words for the sake of those who were not with us this morning.

You will have the first chapter of the prophecies of Ezekiel open before you, we will not read the chapter again, but with a glance you will see its main features. Our general thought is this: that whenever the Lord has taken a further step, or made a new movement in relation to the fullness of His purpose, He has almost invariably prefaced that movement or that step by bringing someone or some instrument to a fresh apprehension of His glory. He has brought forth His glory and shown it; by which He has indicated that in every movement of His, in every step that He takes, He is governed by the end, the one full end, that is: glory. God's end is glory. And in all things glory is the governing matter. As the God of glory, He appeared to Abraham as one of the early, further movements, in his programme. In glory He appeared to Moses on the mount, when He was about to take a further step in that plan. And so on, and on, in the Old Testament and in the great movement at the beginning of the New Testament, the bringing in of His Son, the governing word, and idea, and feature is glory. Glory to God!

The new movement at Pentecost was a manifestation of the glory of Christ - Christ exalted. It's like that. And so, in order to be able to move with God toward His full end, it is very necessary that those concerned, an instrumental people and ministry, should ever have the glory of the Lord fully, clearly, mightily, in view. Everything, everything that is under the government of God is related to His glory - His means and His methods, His permissive and His executive will - all has glory in view.

Now, in this first chapter of Ezekiel's prophecies we have very much that is instructive and helpful in this very connection as to the movements and ways of God in relation to the glory. As we pointed out this morning, the inclusive phrase, inclusive not only of the chapter, but of the whole book, is in verse 28 of the second chapter, the second half: "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord... the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when I saw it, I fell upon my face."

That refers, as I have said, to all that is in that chapter, but it especially refers and relates to the vision of the throne in heaven, and the 'likeness as of a Man upon it above'. It is the glory of the throne of the exalted Man, the God-Man. And from that, from that everything else proceeds. All that is here, and all that comes later, right to the end of this very full book, is the expression of that throne, of that government, of the meaning of that Man being there, and where He is. That is the point at which we take things up this afternoon.

In our summary of the visions which came to Ezekiel, when he said: "I saw visions of God", we noted among the many visions (and we are, of course, not going to even attempt to touch upon all these visions) but in our summary we said that under the throne there was a two-fold symbolic medium of its expression. And that two-fold medium is the four living ones, or the cherubim, and the wheels. To both of these quite a considerable section is given.

You notice that they're not just mentioned and passed over, but they are very fully and minutely described. You have got to stop with this; you have got to take time and give attention. The prophet is giving us every detail. It's very difficult to understand; I don't suppose any of you would claim to understand it, I certainly don't, but I do see some things that I think are almost on the face of it. Nevertheless, these are things that are brought here in very clear definition, and in very full presentation; therefore, something that right at the beginning of all these prophecies and movements and visions, must be taken account of. They must have a place, and a very serious place.

So we come to look at this two-fold medium of the expression of that throne of glory. Firstly, then:

The Cherubim.

We need not describe them; their description is here. We need say very little about the detail of their composition or construction, their features; all that will be familiar to you and we are not thinking of covering all that ground again. We want, quite simply and directly, to get at their function; the real function of these living ones. Of course, I do underline that this is oriental symbolism. It is a symbolic representation of something spiritual. People in the East who would read these things would have a more ready understanding and apprehension of this way of presenting truth than perhaps we have. But God has chosen to convey His great truths in this symbolic and illustrative way, and we get through the symbolism and the illustration to what it is that is being said to us. And we can, if you like, forget the forms, forget the characteristics described, and just get right to the heart of it: what is the message? What is it that they are intended to convey?

And from a reflection upon the many appearances in the Bible of the cherubim, you can see that invariably, on every occasion, they stand related to one thing: their function is ever and always to proclaim that the throne and the government of God is that of holiness - that His throne is a holy throne; His government is a government of holiness. It will at once be seen how vital and appropriate that is, as standing right at the beginning of this history and judgment contained in this book of prophecies. For everything that follows, for the large section of judgments both in Israel and of Israel and in the nations, under this supreme throne is in relation to an unholy state and a demand that that shall be judged and put away. The glory waits for that, and waits upon that. The glory ever and always waits upon holiness, because it is a throne of glory, which is the glory of holiness. The government of that holiness is represented here in this throne, and in the Man on it.

But that is not all. These cherubim are called "living ones". Living ones; living creatures, if you like, better: "living ones". The idea of Life, of living-ness, is always associated with them. They come up again and again in that connection, you'll see this as we go on. At the moment it's this, that holiness and Life are combined in them: the Life waits on the holiness; the holiness gives rise to the Life. The Life! And you cannot separate these two things. You cannot have the Life without the holiness; you cannot have the holiness without it leading to Life. It is always working like that, to and fro. More holiness, more Life; more Life, more holiness. They, these "living ones" are, in representation, the custodians of the Divine holiness for and unto the Divine Life. The thing that is in the balances all the way through is Life and death, Life and death, through this book. That's where the battle is being fought out; in that realm: Life and death. It's a question of Life and death, or death for Israel, for the nations; but the deciding thing is this matter of holiness. Holiness.

Now, if you will briefly pass your eye over some of the instances where the cherubim are in view, you will see that that is the connection every time. When things went wrong in the Garden, when sin entered, when disobedience through pride came in and operated, when things went wrong, the man was expelled from the place of Life, where the Tree of Life was, and at the gate, at the gate to guard it, were the cherubim placed with flaming swords. Their presence there said, "That's a holy Life, and that which is corrupt, polluted, tainted, unholy, cannot have it, cannot touch it, cannot come near it, is expelled from it". The cherubim would say, "We are the custodians, not only of that Life, but of the essential holiness unto it".

Then, figures of the cherubim were interwoven on the screen, the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, and man would pass that veil in peril of his life - it would be death. They were there inscribed again in testimony of the fact that they were the guardians of what is holy, and as such, anything unholy would perish if it passed their way. They, on the veil, declared: "Things are wrong with man; things are wrong, they've gone wrong". They're a testimony against the wrong state of man, and because of that he cannot come into the presence of the glory, and the presence of the Life.

Here, of course, it's quite obvious in Ezekiel, isn't it? But then we remember Isaiah: the features, connected features, are impressive in this connection. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and seated upon a throne, and the seraphim (only another name for these, I think) were heard crying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty!" Why was it? King Uzziah. King Uzziah had forced his way into the temple, to serve unlawfully at the altar, and took the censer in his hand - man pressing in to the presence of the holy God, and touching holy things. The priests besought him, pleaded with him: "Go out! It pertaineth not unto thee, King Uzziah!" But Uzziah asserted himself there, and he was smitten with leprosy, and went out a leper to the day of his death. And he died - tainted, corrupted. And, "in the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord", and heard the seraphim saying: "Holy, holy, holy". The throne, you see, is the throne of holiness and of Life; but that means death where there is not the holiness. Death where there is not the holiness. Life is on the ground of holiness.

Jerusalem has become grievously and terribly defiled - read Jeremiah. It's a terrible, terrible book as to a spiritual condition. A terrible book: the corruption and defilement of Jerusalem. The resultant judgment: the people are carried away into captivity. And then we have Ezekiel there, with the captives of the southern kingdom of Judah, by the River Chebar. And this is a scene of desolation, a scene of death; this is a scene of judgment. They verily stand in the place of Uzziah: defiled. Judgment has come upon them, and death. And if you have any question about that, or if you want that particularly emphasized, then come to the great chapter in these prophecies about the 'valley of dry bones'. That is God's conception of this people at that time. A valley of dry bones; very many, and scattered - that's Israel's condition as in Babylon, as in captivity.

Well, are these people going to be saved from death, from judgment? How will it be? How will it be? The Lord will say that He will have to take away their unclean, polluted, stony hearts; "a new heart will I give thee, a new heart will I give thee". In other words, they will have to be cleansed from their iniquity, washed from their sin, made again God's holy people, and they will live - and they will live. The cherubim are very active in relation to that matter, tremendously busy about it. See them 'on the wing'! They are characterised by a deep concern over this matter of this people being saved from death by being delivered from the bondage of corruption.

Need I say any more about the occasions when they appear? Perhaps one glance to the end will give us a much happier, more cheerful picture.

We come over to the book of the Revelation - the marvellous fourth and fifth chapters. Here the heavens are opened again, and John says, "The heavens were opened". He saw visions of God and what did he see? Here's the great multitude; a great multitude which no man can number, of every tribe and kindred and language, before the throne of God and of the Lamb. Here are those who have come up, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, here they are around the throne, singing their song of redemption. And the four 'living ones' are there, but not feverishly, fretfully hurrying hither and thither, concerned with this matter of getting a people saved and right - their wings are let down, and they're joining in the worship. The work is done! Their work is finished, and now they can worship and join in praise with all the redeemed. That's how it ends: it is the picture of glory through holiness.

Glory and Life Through Holiness

Well, that's a message not for the days of Ezekiel only. It's an abiding message; it's truth and principle which runs from the beginning to the end of time. That throne, dear friends, we want it on our side, demands that something is done to cleanse us from our sin, to deliver us from our way of wickedness, to bring us into the 'white raiment' of His Divine righteousness, sanctified. It is to those who are thus walking with Him in fellowship, and who, as far as can be (should I say it like that?) are eschewing every evil way, are repudiating all iniquity; are having no truck with iniquity, are not dabbling, compromising, or in any way condoning what is evil, what is wrong.

I know that the whole matter of holiness can become very oppressive and it can become very legal and bring us into bondage. But the fact remains, dear friends, that God's throne, the Lord's throne, is a throne of holiness. His government is a government of holiness and Life, His Life, is holy Life. Is holy Life! We know quite well, in practical experience, that if we do, if we do voluntarily or even involuntarily, touch something that's evil, touch something that is corrupt, touch this world in spirit, the glory fades! The glory fades. We know within ourselves if we even say something that is wrong, the glory fades. We know it by the fading glory in our hearts; a shadow comes over, a cloud passes over our spirit; it stays there until we have gone and got that cleaned up in the presence of the Lord. It's like that.

Now we must pass immediately to the other side of this symbolic medium of the throne to:

The Wheels.

Because, as you notice, they are quite definitely in union with the 'living ones', or the cherubim - they move together. They are really only two aspects of one thing, but the wheels contain their own particular emphasis and message. What do they signify? Well, just read again, what is the impression that is left with you after reading verses 15 to 21? If you just sit back after reading, how do you feel? How do you feel?

Sometimes it's a good thing to put yourself into the Word, and take its temper - take its atmosphere. I venture to suggest that if you read these verses in that way, and stand back, you will heave a sigh; my word, they're moving! There is something doing here! In any case you'll not feel a quiet passive feeling when you've read that. It's the impression, is it not, the impression of tremendous energy; of motion with purpose; that's the atmosphere of the wheels.

Wheels symbolise movement, motion, going; and here the 'spirit of the living ones' is in the 'wheels'. The energy, the energy of the Spirit is here; it's energy and movement with purpose, isn't it, which characterises them, or of which they speak. They say to us clearly and simply that this throne, this throne is a very energetic and active throne in relation to the end which God is seeking. All the energies and activities contained in these prophecies are the expression of that throne, and are, as it were, the carrying out of the meaning of the wheels. The throne is on the move; the throne is not passive; the throne is governed by a tremendous energy: God is deeply and greatly concerned about this great end of His, to have everything glorious and for His glory, and filled with His glory.

It is no light thing, or easy-going thing with the Lord, to have that end. If we did know it friends, if you and I knew it, if we could only see it and understand it, we should be able to see that so many things in our lives which the Lord permits to come in, and which the Lord sometimes sends into our lives, are the workings of His energy to make a way for His glory! John, John the apostle, tells us that the whole of his gospel which he wrote, the 21 chapters as we have it, was written with one object, one object. And that object was the glory of the Lord Jesus. That governed all: the glory of the Lord Jesus. If you now take it up and see all the way through, from beginning to end, it's that.

And one fragment only - Lazarus. "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God". Strange, strange event of providence, strange ways of God, painful, causing deep sorrow, distress, perplexity. It's all a strange thing for those concerned, but quite deliberate; there is the element of deliberateness about the Lord Jesus' attitude toward that matter and His handling of it, His tarrying when He had received the news. He has got this thing in hand, and He says: "It is for the glory of God, that the Son of God should be glorified thereby". The end of this strange thing in human life, this painful thing in human life, is the glory of God!

Oh, that you and I could always look at our sufferings and our sorrows like that! Every time when some perplexing, bewildering, heart-breaking thing comes into our lives, if only we could say and believe and stand to it: "God is going to get some glory out of this! There is some glory somewhere bound up with this!" He is working to His end in all things. In all things, when Paul says: "God works in all things good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose", he means by that word 'good', glory - glory to God.

Now, I can say these things from a platform and have a very real battle I know, over them when they arise, but they're the truth which we have to face.

And so, the point is that there is an energy of God, of the throne, in things - all sorts of things, all sorts of things - an energy of God toward glory, and to glory through holiness; through holiness.

Another feature of the wheels as you'll notice, says they were "full of eyes round about". Full of eyes round about. Another symbolic representation just surely meaning that this throne is operating with perfect intelligence, with complete knowledge of everything; an utter apprehension and grasp of all the elements, of all the features, of everything that has got to be dealt with. Perfect vision; perfect knowledge: so the throne of holiness works.

That's a solemn message, as well as perhaps an encouraging one. The fact is, dear friends, that that One on the throne, whose "eyes are as a flame of fire" sees right through and knows all the hidden motives, and acts accordingly - not what we see, and not what we are willing to see, but what He sees, He knows. He knows: the eyes of His glory look us right through and they know all our self-deceptions; all our deceivings of one another. They know us so perfectly, and are acting according to their knowledge. The Lord is acting with us according to His knowledge and we are not going to get away with it. If the Lord takes in hand to deal with us in a form of judgment; if He really does act where we are concerned, it is because He has seen something, He is seeing something: that something is injurious to us; that something is limiting or hindering the glory in us, personally, individually, or in our companies. He has seen something that is against the glory, and so with energy He takes in hand, and He will judge it. He will go to great lengths in order to get that eliminated and put right, that the glory may come in, and new life may come in, and that we may go on anew in a fresh step and phase with Him in His purpose.

We perhaps would not have it otherwise; we don't want to be deceived; we don't want to lose something by some unrecognised wrong; we want to have everything open. The end, the end of the Bible sees a City which is absolutely transparent. Absolutely transparent! God is really seeking transparency in His people - no duplicity, no deception, no questionableness. Oh, how we must judge our motives! How we must keep in the presence of the Everlasting Burning! How necessary it is to keep in the light of His countenance, so that nothing is allowed to go on unconsciously with us that is limiting His glory in our life. See, it's a message of very great concern.

Oh, pray, if you will, for a 'new thing'; pray for revival; pray for God to move in some great way of power, but remember, all His movements are based upon this - a holiness that corresponds to His throne. And He cannot, He just cannot do anything, He cannot do anything until that holiness has been vindicated in His people. Just cannot!

Unanswered prayer? "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me". It is a very big principle that, covering so much, isn't it? Oh, may the Lord give us understanding in the presence of what could be a very terrible word and yet it's glory in view; give us understanding that His energies, the energies of His throne are holy energies. His goings, His goings, His continuous goings, are in this very connection, that what is consistent with the Man in the glory shall be found in us, and amongst the Lord's people.

One further glance, these wheels occupy a place between heaven and earth. They are not wholly of the earth - they don't remain earth-bound, held by an 'earth touch'. There is a kind of suspendedness; they touch the earth, but they are not of it. They bound along in their energy in relation to heaven, but also in relation to earth, as the embodiment of the Divine energies. Now, what that says, amongst other things, is this: that God's interests and God's activities, and God's throne, are not remote, remote from things here on this earth. He is not just reigning on His throne in remote isolation, away there somewhere in the undefined heavens. His energies relate to things here: His mighty interests are imminent, are near: they are concerned with this world, with this earth, and with what is on it.

He wants this world, this earth, and all that is here, to be holy. To be holy. In Isaiah's vision there is that phrase: "the whole earth is full of His glory", that's the conception; that is what the Lord desires. He is working to that. And we know, from the end, the description of the end, that is how it will be when "righteousness covers the earth as the waters cover the sea". Holiness everywhere!

And God is working down here. Now, for the moment, we cannot say more about that, perhaps we'll say a little further this evening on that very matter of how it is happening, the operation of this throne in relation to holiness. What we are stating here is the fact, the fact: God is intimately, closely, and intelligently associated with the state of things here, in the Church, and in the churches. He is cognizant of everything that we don't see, we don't realise. His eyes see it, and He is active concerning this state, to have it holy, and to be able to bring in or bring back the glory.

Have you got the message? The throne is not far away, after all - it's here, in representation. It's here. If the first chapters of the book of the Revelation mean anything at all, it means that this very God-Man, this Man of the glory, is moving amongst the churches, the lampstands. Moving amongst them; He's here. He is imminent. The throne is fully cognizant, intelligent as to everything; it is not blind, it is never deceived by anything at all. The throne is active and its activity may be found in many, if not all, of the experiences into which we come. The throne is set upon and determined to have one end, everywhere, in all things, and that is: glory. That is glory!

All this wonderful symbolism of the 'living ones' and the 'wheels' are but a declaration of this: that throne is active. That throne has not given things up because they are so bad; the throne is still pursuing its goal, to have a state that can be filled with glory. May the Lord interpret that to us, and write it deeply in our hearts, and keep it every day in our consciousness. This is not intended to be "unto death, but for the glory of God".