Like the 24 elders, the four “living creatures” worship God at his throne (Rev 4:6b-8a). The NIV places these creatures “in the center, around the throne.” This reflects the difficulty of the syntax of this line in Greek. It could mean they are simply in the immediate vicinity of the throne, near the throne.
Most scholars think John’s vision draws on the throne room vision from Ezekiel 1-2. If this is true, then these creatures in Rev 4 are cherubim. In Ezekiel the four creatures are a part of the throne of God, more or less the “wheels” of the Throne-Chariot of God. There are, however, a number of differences between these creatures and Ezekiel 1-2. The four creatures are described as having similar other-worldly features. They are “full of eyes,” or “eyes all around.” This is similar to Ezekiel 1; the cherubim are “wheels within wheels, full of eyes.” But the description is also slightly different; the faces are not quite the same in Revelation.
Thirteenth century ivory carving of Christ surrounded by the four living creatures from the Muse national du Moyen-åge
It is possible the description in Revelation recalls something of Ezekiel, but also may have been influenced by other developments in Jewish thinking about angels. One possibility is that John intended to make a reference to archangels. In the Hebrew Bible, there are no archangels, although Gabriel (Dan 8:16, 9:21, Luke 1:18, 26) and Michael (Dan 12:1, Jude 9) are two specific, named angels given that distinction in later Jewish documents. “Archangel” does appear in Jewish literature, but it is perhaps not the right designation for these angels.
It is possible these many-eyed creatures are apocalyptic “watchers.” In some apocalypses written well before the first century, there is a category of angelic being who are designed by God to “witness” everything (1 Enoch 1:5, Jubilees 4:15; 8:3; 10:5). According to 1 Enoch 6-36, some of these angels came down to earth and taught humans sinful practices (like making war and sorcery, but also medicine and cosmetics, 1 Enoch 8). They also had relations with human women and created “the giants.” Michael and Gabriel (along with Surafel or Uriel, depending on the manuscript of 1 Enoch) “observed carefully from the sky” all of this wickedness and called out to the Most High to judge these angels and to destroy the wickedness they had caused (1 Enoch 9-10). The result, of course, is the flood (and a blockbuster Hollywood film).
The Targum on Ezekiel has an expanded description of the cherubim. In Tg. Ezek. 1:6 the angelic beings face four faces, each of which have four faces, sixteen to each creature, with sixty-four faces in all. This kind of elaboration is also found in 3 Enoch 21:1-3:
R. Ishmael said: The angel Metatron, Prince of the Divine Presence, said to me: There are four creatures facing the four winds. Each single creature would fill the whole world. Each of them has four faces and every single face looks like the sunrise. 2 Each creature has four wings and every single wing would cover the world. 3 Each one of them has faces within faces and wings within wings. The size of a face is 248 faces, and the size of a wing is 365 wings. 4 Each creature is crowned with 2,000 crowns and every crown is like the rainbow; its brightness is as the brightness of the sun’s orb and the rays which shine from each separate crown are as the brightness of the morning star in the east. (P. Alexander, OTP 1: 277)
Each of the four creatures has a different appearance. Only the third is said to have the “face” of a man, but based on Ezekiel 1 it may be that only the face is in mind. A major difference between these four creatures and Ezekiel 1 is that each creature has a different face, while Ezekiel 1 describes four creatures with four faces each. These creatures have wings like the Seraphim of Isaiah 6 and they worship God is a very similar manner as the Seraphim, but other characteristics (such as the faces and eyes, etc.) are similar to Ezekiel.
Many attempts have been made to ferret out some meaning of the four faces, some more serious than others. The church fathers usually tried to find the four gospels in the faces, but never really agreed on which gospel was intended. It is probably best to agree with the majority of modern commentaries and see these faces as referring to the highest creature in four categories, wild animal, domestic animal, flying animal, and man.
We can know for certain these creatures lead worship in heaven (Rev 4:6-9; 5:8-9, 19:4) and they appear to be associated with the throne of God. In Rev 6:1-7 they will announce the coming of the four horsemen after each seal is opened, and in 15:7 one of these creatures gives the seven bowls of God’s wrath to the angels who pour them out on the earth (16:1).
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
I feel like John has been drawing from Ezekiel because he has read the Hebrew bible. Everything that we know can be taken and expounded on, this is why I think that the descriptions are different. Some people are better at describing what they see with their words than others, so maybe the perception that Ezekiel had was the same as that of John, but John just chooses to word his description differently than that of what he has read in the Hebrew texts. There are many different ways that someone can describe an object. One person may go with a base level observation, while the next person may pick out smaller details that give a description that is easier to envision for a reader.
I feel like when you begin to try to find meaning in something, such as between the 4 creatures and the 4 gospels, you tend to see far deeper into things than they were really meant. I’m sure there are many “4” numbers one could find in the bible and try to compare the 4 creatures to it. I think, with limited knowledge of what they are, and just basic descriptions, it would be best to read it as it is, take what we can from it, and wait until it is fully revealed who or what they are. I think otherwise would just be trying to find out things that really aren’t meant to be found out or see meaning in things that there isn’t any true meaning and if it was truly important to see what exactly they represent, it would have been included.
I also feel like John is drawing from the vision in Ezekiel. There is so much in Revelation that ties back to imagery in the Old Testament. These were symbols that would have been readily connected in the minds of Jewish believers, less so by Gentiles, and possibly much less by Gentiles in the modern age, without intense study. Whatever these creatures are, they are definitely representative of the immense power that God has, and embody the eternal worship that he deserves. Also, with note to the differences, there is a story that my brother and I like to tell. We were both there and we both witnessed it, yet each time we tell the story it is from our own unique perspective, and there are times where someone could swear that we were telling two different stories. Imagine that, removed by massive span of years, and different cultures. It is little wonder that the description of these creatures is different between these two men.
For me, it is extremely difficult to “ferret out” any profound meanings from the four beasts. The parallels between John’s description and the one in Ezekiel certainly make it seem like they are describing the same things, albeit in different ways. My knowledge of Revelation is not necessarily at your level, so I am hesitant to speculate on whether or not they are representative of anything. One thing that I did realize is that these beasts seem to set the standard for worship, and God most likely created them to embody his power, majesty, and glory.
I have never even had a clue what the four animals might be. I have never understood those animals to have any connection to each other or any pattern to be among them. wild animal, domestic animal, flying animal, and man. First off they all have 6 wings. So they all can fly. But i guess i can see the truth behind them being the “greatest” of the animal sections. But i certainly have no way of understanding anything beyond the English of what i find in my bible (and i suppose i understand the Greek as well). I am looking forward to learning about this as well.
I believe that this will always remain a mystery for us while we are still here on earth. There are some things that we just won’t know until we get to heaven. It is important to understand everyone’s different writing styles and the fact that some people are better with words than others. In this case, it doesn’t appear that the person describing these are good with words and thus struggle writing what truly they saw. Imagery is something that is key in the book of Revelation because a lot of what is described hasn’t been seen by human eye. Acknowledging the fact that we don’t know, requires us to put our trust in God and know that someday we will receive answers when we are in heaven with God.
I find it interesting that 3 of the 4 Living Creatures closest to the Throne of the True and Living God are what we humans (created in God’s image) would call “animals.” What in the world are the implications of this?!
It is quite interesting to read the book of Revelation and see a lot of parallels to the book of Ezekiel and Isaiah. With these different animals, there is no doubt that they will be as described in the book of Revelation. I can’t help but realize that the four living creatures most likely are symbolized. The “Lion” referring to Isa. 11:7, the “ox” in the same verse, the “Eagle” in Isa 40:31, and the “Human” most likely referring to Jesus on this earth. Again, these are based off of the passage in scripture, but it seems as if these creatures will look entirely covered in eye’s. Not quite sure how the eyes will relate to anything, but there is a great deal of described attributes that will be really cool. Nobody will never really know what the creatures will look like, but if the passage has them described in previous books of the Bible, I believe that is the best and most accurate description.
It can be quite surreal reading the book of Revelation and seeing how similar it feels to tales of fantasy, and of creatures that you would find in series such as Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings. The book of Revelation has quite a distinct and different tone than the rest of the bible, and adds a lot of mystery to the end times, such as the mystery of these creatures of many faces and of different varying looks. They sit at the throne of God, and brings the question of whether the book of Revelation is an extended metaphor, or if the details and creatures discussed are literal. Nonetheless, if literal, then these four creatures are definitely quite fascinating.
Similar to what Sean said, it’s very easy to read Revelation with a point of view that is very fantasy oriented. I’ve always head the saying “nobody is going to have perfect end times theology” because the events haven’t happened yet. A lot of the book of Revelation is referring to Old Testament, therefore I believe it is possible that we can make reference to the living creatures talked in Revelation 4:6-8. The big question that I got out of reading this article was, are the living creatures mentioned just metaphors or references toward Old Testament prophecy.
I liked the saying that you referred to and I would agree with it as well. No one will truly know what to say and what to do, all because nothing has happened yet. There is no way anyone could predict the future except God since he has a plan already made out and ready to go for everyones lives.
John pulling from Ezekiel or the Old Testament is not only unsurprising, but should be expected. It ties things together in many ways. However, with the literature and attempts at understanding certain imagery, we are still left somewhat clueless. Perhaps these four creatures are ambiguous to our understanding, or John’s, but it’s yet another reinforcement of intimidating imagery in apocalyptic literature. The Four Horsemen get some bad wraps — even in modern culture such as Pride and Prejudice & Zombies (I assure you, Jane mentioned none of the sort). But to picture these creatures in heaven literally at the feet of God who have the job of announcing them — I feel like that gives us some concrete imagery of their importance. So whatever it may be, that is an understanding we can have.
The word “living creatures” is Zôon (Gk: Zoon = dzo’-on ). It simply means “Alive” or “Living ones.” It is also our word for animal or organism – originating from an egg and is used 23 times in Scripture.
An important thing to recognize is the vast creativity of God that reaches beyond our fallen world. Zôon are real, created beings full of life. They are not symbols. They are not earthly animals. They are four very complex, gifted and dedicated creatures closest to the One on the Heavenly Throne with one on each side and in the center ceaselessly declaring the holiness of God. I’m in awe just thinking about it!
The four living creatures found in Revelation 4 are the same four living creatures found in Ezekiel 1. Although they have different faces when they are described in Revelation 4, that does not mean they are not the same beings. There is a key point that was missed within this article. The cherubim found in Ezekiel 1 go through and appearance change within the book of Ezekiel itself. When these four creatures are sent from heaven to earth to remove YHWH’s glory from the temple in Jerusalem (Ezek 10), all four creatures have lost their ox face and have obtained an cherubim face (Ezek 10:14). This is also where we find the description of these four creatures being “covered in eyes” (Ezek 10:12). Therefore, from the book of Ezekiel alone we know that these cherubim go through appearance changes depending on their current job or mission. This shows that although the four living creatures found in Revelation 4 have appearance differences that those in Ezekiel, they are still the same creatures. The fact that these four living creatures cannot go through appearance changes is personifying them and not a correct way to approach trying to understand angles.
The Four Living Creatures are an interesting topic to discuss. Several different passages in the Bible have talked about them but they all don’t hold the same view of what they look like. It appears that because they are not anything that we would see on this earth according to their descriptions, nobody has been able to figure out exactly what they are supposed to be. The idea that they are cherubim as described in Ezekiel makes sense as they share similar traits or even archangels as they are described to be closest to God’s throne as seen in Revelation 4. Whatever they are, it is consistent that they are a more important sect of angel as they are given different tasks during the end times. The Testament of Levi also makes a mention of angles having different levels of authority as well with four heavens that focus on God sitting on a throne. It is said that “in the intervening heavens, Levi sees various angelic orders” (DeSilva, p.54). With the idea that these angles are all worshiping God and that there are some angels who are closer to the throne than others, it ties in some to the thinking that there are angels that have higher rankings than others. Those who are closer to the throne then according to the canonical scriptures are the Four Living Creatures. However, in the end, we see that no matter what passage is talking about the Four Living Creatures, they are always pointing the worship back to God. Their appearance and stature might not have any significance to us other than making us aware that they are great beings that are not of this world. Their main purpose is to glorify God wherever they are mentioned.
The Four Living Creatures are probably one of the more well known images from the Book of Revelation. I previously knew very little about Revelation, but I had heard about these creatures and the throne room scene. As with much of the book, I think this is another one of those things that has a specific meaning, but not one that is obvious to us right now. It’s something we probably won’t ever understand until it actually happens, and that’s okay. That being said, we can see some places where the image could be drawn from based off of some similarities. David DeSilva (Reading Revelation) supports that these creatures are based off of Ezekiel 1, but also references church leaders that found these creatures to be referencing the four gospels or even four faces of Jesus. Whatever they are, DeSilva maintains that they are in the group of angelic beings that surround the heavenly throne. I think it’s less important to focus on what they are or what the imagery is based off of as it is to look at what role they play in the greater picture of John’s vision. These beings were in the throne room worshipping the Lord. We see another instance where at the end of the world, God is glorified for his power and holiness.
The 4 beasts are the 4 masters of this realm
Lord Krishna from Hinduism, Lord Christ from Christianity, Lord Sanat Kumara And Buddha w Buddism
The four living creatures are significant beings with very important roles in heaven. I grew up not knowing a lot about them, well, that is because reading revelation used to bore me. But it is indeed an eye opening when I truly dig deep and try to understand them. The truth is, I still do not understand them, I think they are weird and creepy living creatures based on the description given to them. They have faces within faces, wings within wings, that is very hard to wrap my mind around. Although they seem to change a lot, firm ezekiel to revelation, this only shows how great and mighty and glorious God is.
I am a planner, but as a Christian, we often do not get to know the whole plan. Our minds cannot comprehend God’s full creation, let alone try to figure out end times. Revelation specifically has a lot of unknowns. We know what it says, some context, but the deeper meaning can be hard to balance when just reading it and going too deep in filling in the gaps of meaning. When looking at the four creatures in Revelation four, we see the different external views. There are several possibilities of meaning behind them. Several commentaries recognize it as four categories: wild animal, domestic animal, flying animal, and man. This comes from studying and observing the facts. Revelation is intriguing to me because readers often swing on the pendulum of literal and figurative and looking at past books to help make sense of it. This carries throughout the book of revelation. This was not something I ever learned growing up, Sunday school shy’s away from telling children these types of stories. I continually grow in understanding, just like any great scholar.
I have always wondered what in the world are these four creatures and why are they in the Bible. When I was younger, I always thought they were super cool and it reminded me of the superhero comics I was reading. I remember it making me a little weirded out but also excited and I thought that, because of these cool creatures, that heaven was a super cool place. I like however, that you have introduced a more practical idea as to the purpose and role of the four creatures in the book of Revelation. I like that you brought up the idea of them being watchers to witness all that has and will transpire. While, God knows all and sees all, it is as if they are the guys that sit up in the towers of a castle with bows and arrows making sure all around them is good. I wonder, however, why they are watching. Is it to take account of what is going on, or is it for some other reason? Are they monitoring or seeing a realm that is not visible to us? That last one is a little sci-fi, but I am genuinely curious as to what their purpose is.
Read “The Ark of the Covenant and the Four Faces of the Living Creatures” This teaching is found on the website, TheLordsSupper.org This gives a very credible teaching on the meaning of the four faces.
In Revelation 4:6-11 talks about four living creatures who are near the throne. It says that the four creatures have eyes in the front and in the back, the first creature is like a lion. The second one is like an ox, the first one is like a creature with a man’s face on it and the last creature is like an eagle. The creatures include having features of “cherubim” and the six wings’ “seraphim”. The book of Revelation confuses me a lot because it seems like it contradicts with other passages in the Bible. One thing that I tends to come across my mind a lot is questions I have either about stuff that happens in the Bible or questions about Heaven, or Jesus. One thing I have told myself many times though is that we won’t know all of the details about God’s creation. There are a lot of unknowns in life and those are planned unknowns by God for us. When I was growing up I felt like my Sunday School didn’t really talk about the book of Revelation because it can be very confusing and also bring a lot of questions. I do remember though in high school freshman year Bible class our teacher had us get out a piece of paper to draw what we are hearing and imagining when this passage is read. It was crazy to see how creative we all are and have our own ideas of what the creatures might look like based off of the information we have been given. Seeing all of these different creatures and thinking just how creative our minds can be, I couldn’t imagine what God’s creativity looks like especially with all of the things and people He has created already.
I really thought that this blog post is very mind boggling and scary because of the image that is being portrayed of these four creatures. The description of these creatures is left unanswered, and I think it is because God intended them to be powerful and mysterious. I personally think that it is up to our personal imagination as to what these creatures will really look like and not one person will perceive them the same way. Hence, P.Long states that “It is probably best to agree with the majority of modern commentaries and see these faces as referring to the highest creature in four categories, wild animal, domestic animal, flying animal, and man” (P.Long). I do not fully agree with this statement because these creatures are the highest of Gods angels that are sworn to oversee everything on Earth. “There is a category of angelic beings who are designed by God to “witness” everything” (P.Long). These angels are designed by God making them masters at what they were called to do, which is keeping an eye on Mankind; I believe that these creature-like angels are designed to make sure mankind is living a life in imitation of Christ; which is a life pleasing to God. “The first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight” (Revelation 4:7). Revelation 4 is an important chapter because it gives us a relatable understanding of what these creatures are to look like stating that they are of wild animal, domesticated animal, flying animal and mankind. I find this to be a key point because if God were to create these creatures in a way that was completely indistinguishable to mankind the message would not be understood or translated easily in regard to mankind.
God is above all and he knows all but nevermind he will do all
The comparison of Revelation 4 and Ezkiel’s vision of the throne room is very interesting as it talks about the similarities and differences in the accounts. The creatures in Revelation share the characteristics of the figures in Ezekiel, but there are some major differences in the descriptions and roles. This encourages that John’s vision may have had many sources and traditions, which include apocalyptic literature and Jewish angelology to talk about his message. The thing that I found interesting about the creatures having multiple faces and eyes, but what was very interesting was that the early church fathers were trying to identify them with the four gospels. The interpretations reflect the richness of comparisons in Revelation and the many ways that readers have tried to understand these mysteries. The importance of worship and service of the creatures in heaven that are talked about as a big role in the drama of Revelation. These creatures could be identified as archangels or apocalyptic watchers, these Four Living creatures are identified as inspiring and are the glory of God’s presence.
I really like the connection made in the article between the throne room vision and Ezekiel 1-2. There are slight differences in description between these creatures in Rev. 4 and the ones in Ezekiel. I find it interesting that in the article it concludes that the heavenly beings are probably cherubim, while Reading Revelation in Context (2019) seems to think that these creatures are symbolic. Blackwell et al., also mentions that the Testament of Levi has some similar imagery as this vision from John, but John’s are even stranger. I didn’t know that there are no archangels in the Hebrew Bible, that was interesting to learn. The connection between these creatures and the Nephilim is interesting as well, intellectually, and biblically, as these creatures introduced evil things to the earth that God would ultimately rid the earth of via the flood. As scholars have tried to figure out what (or who) these creatures are, there hasn’t been one main consensus. Some have tried to conclude that the four faces represent the four gospels, but no one can agree on which face to assign to which gospel. Many now just deem the four faces as being the superior beast in some category, some kind of animal, or man. We know for sure from Scripture that they are a part of some heavenly worship band (sort of) and they have something to do with God’s throne. As people continue to speculate what (or who) exactly they are, I think it is most important to not allow things like this in Scripture to cause divisions, but to come to conversations like this humbly, ready to learn from others.
Starting at the beginning, the four beasts are an ox, lion, man, and an eagle. These four beasts sit by God’s throne and it is interesting that they are considered at the center of the throne. Each of the four beasts has its own appearance and I think it is important that each of the beasts represents something different. It is interesting that in Ezekiel 1, that the third creature has a face of a man, something that the other three beasts have. The archangels are something that stood out to me very largely because I had not a lot of knowledge about them. I also had no clue that the archangels never appeared in the Hebrew Bible but the Jewish Bible they did. Angels in general appear a lot in the Bible so to see these archangels appear is something that doesn’t surprise me. What people often get mixed up in as what these four beasts are and what they represent, but at the end of the day it represents God and what He believes in and what He wants us to worship. God is our ultimate savior so it is important to worship and care what God has created in the four beasts.
The descriptions of four living creatures are some of the most fascinating descriptions in the entire Bible. The imagery is very vivid and very strange. The images that appear in my mind after I read these descriptions most likely does not come close to the reality of what these creatures look like. The designation that these creatures are “living” is interesting (Rev. 4:6). There is the possibility that the reason they are called four “living” creatures is because Ezekiel 1:5 uses the same terminology to refer to those creatures. A couple of questions still remain. How similar is the Hebrew word in Ezekiel 1:5 and the Greek word in Revelation 4:6? Why make the distinction that these creature are living in the first place? Is it to say they are real creatures, or perhaps it is a reference to God being the God who gives life. Whatever the reasons may be, it is important not to get to caught up in the details or the possibilities and miss the real purpose of these creatures, and this chapter as a whole, and that is worship (Rev 4:8). There are many different interpretations assigned to these creatures. That they represent the four gospels is a common interpretation among the early church. “During the third and second centuries, Christians interpreted the heavenly beings…as symbolic representations of what was of concern to them as they gave shape to their faith and canon” (deSilva, 2019, p. 52). Though there are many different interpretations surrounding the four living creatures that should not distract us from the main theme of Revelation and this chapter.
The depiction of the four living creatures in Revelation 4 is a fascinating tapestry woven from various strands of biblical and apocalyptic imagery. Drawing from sources like Ezekiel’s vision and other Jewish literature like 1 Enoch, these beings emerge as enigmatic figures embodying the amazing majesty of God’s heavenly court. I really like the connection of the throne room in Revelation 4 to the throne of God in Ezekiel 1-2. This is not something that I had really thought about in the past. The angle’s multiple eyes, wings, and faces evoke a sense of transcendence and mystery, hinting at their celestial nature and their intimate proximity to the divine throne. Could this closeness be hinting at something further than just their proximity? Perhaps it means that they were more purposeful and therefore John felt the need to mention it. The interpretation of their faces as representing different facets of divine attributes adds depth to their symbolism, inviting contemplation on the diverse manifestations of God’s power and authority. Ultimately, the imagery of the four living creatures serves as a reminder of the ineffable sovereignty of God, inviting readers to peer into the mysteries of the heavenly realm and contemplate the purpose of God’s working of end times. God uses things in ways no one could ever understand fully, and this is something that we should praise Him all the more for.
The four creatures that are mentioned in Revelation are listed as an ox, lion, man, and an eagle. It is important to note that each of these for beast are different in appearance and are different in what they represent. I find it fascinating that these four beasts are noted to be at the center of the throne. I also liked the connection of these four beasts written about in Revelations to what was written in Ezekiel 1. It is noted in Ezekiel 1, that the third creature has the face of a man. These are just the few of the things I found fascinating as reading this article and when I read Ezekiel 1. I think that these few things open up a door for speculation and for people to figure out what they think all of this means. People can often get caught up in their own ideas about things like this in the Bible and not except or even listen to what others may have found. These things should not be the cause of division between people. These are things that we can look forward to finding the correct reasoning about in heaven.
By looking at the four creatures in Revelation 4, one can describe a whole host of interesting ideas, looking at these creatures. There are a few interpretations one can take from this, the first being drawn from the throne room in Ezekiel 1-2. However, as similar as the creatures are Revelation 4 to the passages in Ezekiel 1-2, there are also some differences as well, and they do not quite line up (Long, 2018).
The other interpretation, is that while Revelation 4 does draw from Ezekiel 1-2, it also draws from other Jewish books, such as the Book of Enoch, as well as other literature (Long, 2018). In some ways, this makes the most sense. John perhaps is grabbing and drawing from other Jewish books he has other heard of, or otherwise to potentially describe the creatures in Revelation 4.
I have found these descriptions interesting, and learning about the Book of Revelation itself is interesting as well, particularly these four creatures in Revelation 4. No matter what viewpoint one holds though, knowing these creatures hold power is also interesting as well, especially in the ways that is described with them, from Revelation 4:6-9, Revelation 6:1-7, and more in the Book of Revelation (Long, 2018).