Ezekiel's Vision of the Shekinah Glory 

1:1  Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 

Ezekiel had been a captive in Babylon for five years. The Chebar Canal was in Babylon. It was called the Grand Canal. It was a man-made canal which came out of the Euphrates River.

The skilled workman of Judah were transported to this canal during the second Babylonian deportation. As all of the Jews were crying and weeping at the Chebar Canal during the Babylonian Captivity, Ezekiel was seeing visions from God.

The Hebrew for “visions of God” is מַרְאֹ֥ות אֱלֹהִֽים (marot elohim), meaning mirror vision. This vision was like looking into a mirror and seeing visions of God.

1:2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, 

King Jehoiachin was an evil king of Judah who rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon by refusing to pay tribute. Judah went through three different deportations to Babylon. The royal family and nobles, including Daniel, were a part of the first deportation. The skilled workers, including Ezekiel, were a part of the second deportation. The poor and unskilled people were a part of the third deportation. Jeremiah was taken to Egypt during the third deportation. Therefore, Daniel was a prophet to the Babylonian court and the international nations which paid tribe to Babylon. Ezekiel was a prophet to those Jews who were living in the man-made canals of Babylon. Jeremiah was a prophet to those who were destined for destruction in Egypt.

1:3 the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him. 

In Hebrew, Ezekiel means “God strengthens.” He was a priest, meaning that he was from the tribe of Levi. He was out of the land of Judah, so he could not serve in his priestly capacity. However, the Word of God came to Ezekiel emphatically, making him a prophet. He became a prophet on his 30th birthday. If he was still living in Jerusalem, then he would have been ordained for priesthood on his 30th birthday.

1:4 And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire. 

The stormy wind was a tremendous thunder storm. Babylon came out of the east. Jeremiah 1:14 predicted that the enemy of Judah would come out of the north. Judah had made herself the enemy of God.

The great cloud, the enfolding fire, the surrounding brightness, and the glowing metal in the midst of the storm were all present at Mount Sinai during the days of Moses. The “glowing metal” in Hebrew is הַחַשְׁמַ֖ל (ha-hashmal). The exact meaning is unclear. Many English Bibles translate it as “glowing metal.” In modern Hebrew, it means electricity. The rabbi translated it as “the glowing of God.” Ezekiel, like Moses, was seeing firsthand the Shekinah Glory of God.

1:5 And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

Four cherubim came out of the Shekinah Glory. These four angels possessed the appearance of a man.

1:6 And every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings.

Common angels possess no wings. The Seraphim possess six wings. The cherubim possess four wings.

1:7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass.

The legs and feet of the cherubim were straight like a man. However, they had feet similar to that of cattle. Their body sparkled like burnished brass, meaning that they were coming in judgment. Many angels, like demons, share physical traits that are similar to both humans and animals.

1:8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus:

The cherubim possessed human-like hands. Each cherubim possessed four different faces,

1:9 their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

Two of their wings were connected to another cherubim, meaning that the cherubim was a four-in-one personality. This is similar to God, who is a three-in-one personality.

1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle.

Humans are the kings of creation. Lions are the kings of the beasts. Oxen were known in the Middle Eastern culture as kings of the servant animals. Eagles were known as the kings of the birds. The cherubim were the kings of the angels.

1:11 And their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

Two wings were connected to the other cherubim. The other two wings were located upon each individual cherubim.

1:12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.

The movement of the cherubim was completely controlled by the Spirit of God.

1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

The burning coals of fire speak of judgment. In Genesis 15, the Shekinah Glory appeared to Abraham as a torch of fire. The fire went up and down the cherubim. Lightning came out of the cherubim.

1:14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

The cherubim moved at great speed.

1:15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces thereof.

These wheels were not the wheels of flying saucers, as many claim. Seven times in the Book of Ezekiel, the identity of these descriptions were revealed as the Shekinah Glory.

1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto a beryl: and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel.

These wheels were simple descriptions of the cherubim. They were not flying saucers.

1:17 When they went, they went in their four directions: they turned not when they went.

Since the cherubim possessed a head in each direction, there was no need for the angel to turn. They could see in all four directions at once.

1:18 As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

Many eyes possibly speak of omnipresence and omniscience.

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.

The wheels followed the movement of the angel. Ezekiel used both the singular and plural adjectives interchangeably to describe the angel.

1:20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; thither was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

The Spirit of God was completely guiding the angels.

1:21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

The movement expresses the unity of the four-in-one angel.

1:22 And over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the terrible crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above.

The cherubim were holding over their heads an icy-crystal looking platform.

1:23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side, their bodies.

Two of the wings of each cherubim were holding up the icy-crystal platform. The other two wings were covering the faces of the cherubim, because they were in the presence of God.

1:24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

The wings of the cherubim were making loud noises. Ezekiel gave three metaphors to describe the noise of the wings. The wings sounded like a great and mighty rushing river. The wings sounded like the voice of God. The wings sounded like the noise of a huge army on the move.

1:25 And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.

This was the voice of God. The exact words of God were recorded in the next chapter.

1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.

One verse in the Bible, Psalm 18, described God riding across the heavens on the firmament of a cherubim.

1:27 And I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him.

These are the same manifestations of the glory of God that was witnessed by Moses at Mount Sinai.

1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.

This description was not a flying saucer. Ezekiel identified this vision as the Shekinah Glory of God. He would repeat this identity six more times throughout his book.