God's Deliverance: Order/Organization (Ezek 1), Power (Ezek 10) & Timing (cf. Ezek 43)
In prior postings in this “Theological Views” Blog, the Bible’s and SOP’s promise and delineation of the evidence that God has plans to ‘Deliver His Faithful People’ (GC 635ff = Rev 16:10ff -discussed in here). The “Power” (see e.g. in this post) and “Timing” (see e.g. here), as well as both of them combined (see e.g. here), have indeed been presented throughout this Blog. But the Bible and SOP also reveals that God has a very deliberate “Order” (=Organization), and that in seeming chaos and disarray, which He will also keyly involve in this Deliverance event and process. By now, not really surprising to me, this understanding is merely a confirmation of what had long been pursued, indeed essentially from the very beginning of, this Biblical research and tangible projects work, culminating in the launching of its NJK Project (ca. 2003ff).
The Biblical exposition and understanding of Ezek 10 is the pivotal passage is what presents/confirms this “Order” aspect in God’s plans here, and as also seen with many passages, this is an understanding that EGW also somewhat nebulously had through manifestly various SOP revelations that she may not have “fully” understood.
God’s Deliverance: Order/Organization: (=5MR 228.4)
First of all, by reason of foundational introduction, it is key to see and understand, as it was pointed out in prior studies, -especially during this study, that the prophetic chapters of Ezekiel 10, Daniel 10 and Revelation 10 share way more than just the same chapter number in common, -which is actually merely by coincidence....they actually all delve, but from different perspective, into a common and pivotal theme and prophetic event/development. And that is one which is speaking about a “New Thing/Movement” that God would then be engaged in doing. And furthermore, -but without going into the full/deep exegetical detailing and exposition in this post (see summary overview later below), it can also be seen and understood that the surrounding chapters to these “10's Chapters”, are also key/contextual parts of the event and development taking place here: namely Ezek 8-11 (The Shaking); Dan 8-11 (God’s Israel’s Religious/Theological then Civil Warring); Rev 8-11 (=The 7 Trumpets = The 7 Plagues). It has so technically worked out that each chapter number from those 3 prophetic books actually does thematically correspond to each other (e.g. Ezek 11 here = Dan 11 here = Rev 11 here).
This is all from the prophetic realism through which God works where he has had to repackage these prophecies as various elements had further developed and become more entrenched as His prior prophetic plans (Isa 46:9-11) had not met the conditions for timely and literalistic fulfillment by the original generation for which it was intended. Namely:
-Ezek 8-11 was intended to be fulfilled by the Advent of the Messiah by the Babylonian Captivity Returning-stemmed generation;
-Dan 8-11 was intended to find its fulfillment in and by the First Century Christian Church generation
-Rev 8-11 was intended to be fulfilled in and by the Church History-capping generation right through the Second Advent Movement of 1840-1844, and, as discussed here, at most, not beyond the SDA Pioneers generation up to 1908.
But none of these “originally intended” generations met the required conditions to have these prophetic plans fulfilled with and by/through them, so God has had to prolong time and go back to the prophetic drawing board, but yet, in His Great and Infallible Wisdom, His prior plannings are still, at the very least, Spiritually applicable to the present generation capable of, according to similar conditions-parameters, fulfilling them. So e.g., while Ezek 8-11 may have seen a different, indeed more local-literalistic fulfillment if it was fully fulfilled by that Return-stemmed generation which was supposed to see the establishment of the Messianic Temple and Era, it still applicably speaks, -and according to similar elements, to God’s Israel/People today.
As a summary overview of the ‘chapters-corresponding thematic parallels’ that exists with Ezek-Dan-Rev : 8-9-10-11:
Ezek 8=Dan 8=Rev 8 - In Ezek 8, God reveals to Ezekiel the festering detrimental issues in the socio-religious communities of His professes people to make evident exactly why He is about to enter into decisive/unwavering, thorough and stern judgement against them (Ezek 8:17-18; 7:1-4ff). Similarly in Dan 8, you’d think that the prophetic exposition in Dan 7 which had revealed the AntiChrist persecutive activities (Dan 7:25) of the power which was going to almost seamlessly take over for the Roman Empire, namely the “Holy/Papal Roman Empire” was enough detailing to substantiate God’s judgement against it (see Dan 7:26), but in Dan 8, God then go over the same time period and prophetic actors of Dan 7, but this time in religious (=Sanctuary) terms and implications, now showing the pointed detriments to God’s Theological and Doctrinal Truths that this (North-situated) and (rest of the) world-spreading (i.e.: ‘East, South and =West’-ward) “Little Horn” power will be doing. (Dan 8:9ff). In Rev 8, the attempted Heavenly Sanctuary Ministering in behalf of the Earthly Church is suddenly and drastically impeded and thus halted (Rev 8:2-5; =Dan 8:10-12) and so the First Four Trumpets announcing and effectuating God’s Warring Judgments, also against the world-swaying religious entity standing in His way. During the Historical Wave of fulfillment in Church History it was the Roman Catholic Church and its Holy Roman Empire, now in the Eschatological Wave of fulfillment, it is the also and further (Fallen) Protestant Church (=Rev 14:8; 18:2) and its (quasi-religious) Capitalistic American Empire. This First Wave of Campaign culminates in the ending of the growth/spread of those Prominent Misleading Powers, but with promises of more destructions to come. (Rev 8:13)
Ezek 9=Dan 9=Rev 9 - In Ezek 9, God walks Ezekiel, in vision, through His the Sifting/Shaking phase of His judgement where the righteous ones will be Sealed by God in order to survive the upcoming execution of His judgement. In Dan 9 a key prophetic information is reveal which provides insight in regards to the timing for the overturning judgement announced in Dan 8:13-14. Later on it would be those who would come to understand this sealed up time & event of this judgement who would come to escape from the detriment of the Medieval Church and thus have the chance to escape the judgements which God will be outpouring on that, by then expanded and entrenched “Babylonian power” (Rev 14:6-13; 18:4ff). The Messianic “70 Weeks” Prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 indeed serves, when Rightly/Biblically interpreted and understood, as an unmoveable cornerstone for the Christian Faith, Biblical Truths and Prophetic Understanding of God. So it itself is indeed a key “sealing” element that serves to protect again falling away from/out of God’s Will. Relatedly to what has been ‘sealingly’ and ‘setting apartly’ done in Ezek 9 and by Dan 9, starting from Rev 9:1-12's Fifth Trumpet on, in Church History, God had been working to found, uphold/protect, in order to establish, His Protestant Church Movement, then making physical use of (Militant) Islam against the ‘unsealed’ (=Rev 9:4) Holy Roman Empire’s (unsuccessful) efforts to try to squash this Protestant Movement in its bud. In the Eschatological Wave of this Rev 9 prophecy, God now has turned to same Islamic Jihad implements now against the ensuing Daughter Babylon power, namely the (Socio-Capitalistic) American Empire. (E.g. for 9/11 & for the upcoming Sixth Trumpet’s 9/11 II (cf. Rev 11:14)).
Ezek 10=Dan 10=Rev 10 - In the light of the above prophesied judgement and utter destruction of World-Influencing Powers that had initially been a movement of God, and upon this completed “Sealing” action by God, He now is working to coalesce these sealed and saved ones and re-organize them into a movement of His which will take over for and in the critical vacuum for a Biblical People, Church and Movement of God that has been left by the priorly deposed Apostasied Movements (cf. LDE 59-61). This is what is being done in the ‘Prophetic Chapter 10s’ here. Ezek 10 will be discussed in detail in the exegetical/Biblical exposition below. The manifestation in Dan 10, pointedly Dan10:5-6 (discussed here), -which actually parallels the apparition of a ministering “one like unto a Son of Man” in Rev 1:12-16; -including the symbolism (i.e. Rev 1:20) which is re-utilized when God is later working to establish His superceding/replacing Protestant Movement during the Fifth Church Era (Rev 3:1-6 cf. this post)..and in a similar manner Ezek 8-13 is actually a rehashing of the opening/initiating/preparatory/calling chapters of Ezek 1-7 (cf. Ezek 10:20-22 = Ezek 1:4ff), serves as establishing and validating prelude for the key prophetic outline which is going to be given in Israel of God Civil Warring of Dan 11. Rev 10 (discussed in detail here) also serves to introduce a new movement of God, the one which will be God’s Righteous, but fiercely assailed ones during the judgement execution events of Rev 11; -as sequiturly seen in the Eschatological Wave fulfillment of that prophecy.
Ezek 11=Dan 11=Rev 11 - In the ‘Prophetic Chapter 11s’, -now that God has openly and clearly exposed the faults of his prior, now fallen/apostasied Movements in the ‘Prophetic Chapter 8s’; now that He has sealed and separated his truly Righteous ones in the Sealing&Shaking actions in the ‘Prophetic Chapter 9s’; and now that he has in the ‘Prophetic Chapter 10s’; prepared the reorganization of His New Movement which will immediately step in to take over this vacuum. Ezekiel’s prophesied Shaking Judgement of Ezek 9 is drastically executed in Ezek 11. Likewise it would be the ones enduringly by the Messiah and His Gospel Truth, fulfilling Dan 9, which would be the movement opposed when God would be executing His judgements in the unrolling of the Dan 11 scroll. (The similar development took place in the present, Eschatological Fulfillment of Dan 11, as it was directly derived from the Biblical Research efforts to have a most accurate understanding of the 70 Week Prophecy of Dan 9.) Students of (Historical) Bible Prophecy will see how the judgement on the unsealed ones in Rev 9 was related to the judgement events which transpired during the Rev 11 fulfilling French Revolution where the “Word of God” triumphed over the (Catholic Church-borne/caused) Globalized, Atheistic Apostasy/Opposition (cf. this presentation). In fact it can be argued that it was the achieved success of Militant Islam against the Roman Catholic Church, -which served to allow Protestantism to take root and flourish, is what inspired and emboldened the rise of an Atheistic Opposition to the Catholic Church....And, as discussed here, it was the (success of the) American Revolution which galvanized the similar (Republic-Democracy and (more extreme) ‘Religion Freedom’) Revolution in France. In the Eschatological Wave, Rev 9 is intrinsically linked to Rev 11 by being “First (Rev 9:12) and Second (Rev 11:14) Woes”.
Interestingly enough, it is only after these ‘Chapters 11’ judgements have transpired that the adjudged apostasied former movement of God people will then thus: “...know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes nor have you executed My ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you.” (=Ezek 11:12)...And then, following this Reformatory Judgement segments of the Prophetic Chapter 11's (Ezek 11:14-21; Rev 11:13; Dan 11:44), -which is to duly/naturally produce a wider-spread “Remnant”, God will then be able to move ahead with His Ultimate Global Influential (cf. Num 14:21; Hab 2:14) Hegemony(-Retaking) Zion-Kingdom Objective!!! (=Ezek 11:22-25; Dan 11:45; Rev 11:14, 15-18, 19 =Mic 4:1-8ff).
Ezekiel 10's Exegetical Exposition/Interpretation/Application
So with all that contextually stated, the exegetical exposition of Ezekiel 10 will now be done, with the paralleling details from the similar Ezekiel 1 vision mixed in, and with the various elucidating light from God’s SOP also being mentioned where applicable.
EGW/Spirit of Prophecy Understanding of Ezek 10
That said however, I normatively would first start by doing the Bible exposition and then corroborating it with what has been revealed/stated in the Spirit of Prophecy, but here, -and as it is actually warranted in certain instances of Biblical Understanding, as God does at times reveal through the SOP a prior concealed Biblical understanding, particularly in regards to deciphering His purposefully encrypted/symbolized prophecies, here, the direct revelations and applied understandings about Ezek 10 by EGW will first be summarily cited. Most apparently God revealed a key, and, as typical for such Divine (hinting) Indications/Revelations, somewhat offbeat, understanding to her about this passage, namely for the: ‘(four) “whirling” wheel within another wheel’ of Ezek 10:9-13 = Ezek 1:15-17; as well as the: ‘man’s hand beneath (each of the four) Being’s wing’ (Ezek 10:8, 21b = Ezek 1:8).
As a point of reference, here is a (chronological) listing of the (original/initial) applied mentions or allusions to the Ezekiel 1 & 10 imagery by EGW that I found in her writings:
#1 - (1880) PM 332.2 = Lt 2, 1880
#2 - (1880) RH, June 10, 1880 par. 12
#3 - (1887) 4BC 1161.1-2 = RH Jan. 11, 1887 par. 18-19
#4 - (1894) 1888 1303.1
#5 - (1895) TM 213.2-214.2 = SpTA03 46.1-48.1ff
#6 - (1896) FE 408.2-409.2 = SpTEd 7.1-9.1
#7 - (1897) SpTA10 36.3 = Ev 93.1
#8 - (1897) MM 201.1-2 = MS. 162, 1897
#9 - (1898) 4BC 1161.3 = MS 13, 1898
#10 - (1898) DA 822.4 = RH, October 9, 1913 par. 7
#11 - (~1899) 5T 751.1-754.2
#12 - (1902) Ev 65.1-2 = 21MR 151.1-5 = Manuscript 118, 1902
#13 - (1903) PK 535.1-536.1 = Ed 177.3-178.1
#14 - (1913) PK 176.1 = RH, October 30, 1913 par. 14
So the earliest two the were made in 1880, one in a letter, and the other in the SDA Denominational periodical:
#1 - (1880) PM 332.2 = Lt 2, 1880
I have felt a very deep interest in tract and missionary work, and it may be my strong and urgent appeals have done much to mold matters as they now exist. But the last view, as I read what I wrote last fall, shows me that there is great danger of running everything into the tract and missionary work. This vigilant missionary work is as a wheel within a wheel, but at the same time it must not swallow up other interests. {PM 332.2}
#2 - (1880) RH, June 10, 1880 par. 12
Our ministers should not give all their powers to preaching discourses, and let the work end there. They should instruct the members of the church how to take hold of and successfully carry forward this branch of the work, which is to our tract and missionary society like a wheel within a wheel. The movement of this inner wheel keeps in healthful, powerful action the outer wheel. Let this inner wheel cease its action, and the result will be seen in diminished life and activity in the tract and missionary society. {RH, June 10, 1880 par. 12}
It may seem plausible to claim here that she was here merely expressing mere gear work as an illustration, namely as ‘the cooperation of (sub)tasks to produce a greater work’, and was not making any, not even Spiritual, allusion to the symbolism of Ezek 1 & 10. But in 1887 she expressed the very same ideas and this time by making explicit reference to the Ezekiel vision (The italicized first paragraph will be discussed in more detail later at the #11 [5T 754.1-2] Citation entry):
#3 - (1887) 4BC 1161.1-2 = RH Jan. 11, 1887 par. 18-19
8 (Ezekiel 10:8, 21). Divine Power Gives Success.--In Ezekiel's vision, God had His hand beneath the wings of the cherubim. This is to teach His servants that it is divine power that gives them success. He will work with them if they will put away iniquity, and become pure in heart and life. The heavenly messengers seen by Ezekiel, like a bright light going among the living creatures with the swiftness of lightning, represent the speed with which this work will finally go forward to completion. He who slumbers not, who is continually at work for the accomplishment of His designs, can carry forward His great work harmoniously. That which appears to finite minds entangled and complicated, the Lord's hand can keep in perfect order. He can devise ways and means to thwart the purposes of wicked counselors, and those who plot out mischief. {4BC 1161.1}
Those who are called to responsible positions in the work of God often feel that they are carrying heavy burdens, when they may have the satisfaction of knowing that Jesus carries them all. We permit ourselves to feel altogether too much care, trouble, and perplexity in the Lord's work. We need to trust Him, believe in Him, and go forward. The tireless vigilance of the heavenly messengers, their unceasing employment in their ministry in connection with the beings of earth, show us how God's hand is guiding the wheel within a wheel. The divine Instructor is saying to every actor in His work, as He said to Cyrus of old, "I girded thee, though thou hast not known me" (RH Jan. 11, 1887 par. 18-19). {4BC 1161.2}
So manifestly, EGW already had an understanding of what the vision/imagery of Ezek 1&10 stood for by her first comment in 1880. (Not sure then why she would not have made the explicit citation in, especially, her R&H article.) The key understanding to see for now is how EGW saw that this vision was to teach how God is actively guiding His work on Earth and is keenly working to, and that “swiftly” and “harmoniously”, accomplish His (prophetic) plans/designs.
#4 - (1894) 1888 1303.1
God’s Hand Working Through His Instrumentalities
The Lord reads the heart as an open book. The men who are not connected with God have done many things after the imagination of their own evil hearts. The Lord declares concerning them, "They have turned unto Me their back, and not the face, though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them; yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction." We are amid the perils of the last days, the time will soon come when the prophecy of Ezekiel 9 will be fulfilled; that prophecy should be carefully studied, for it will be fulfilled to the very letter. Study also the tenth chapter which represents the hand of God as at work to bring perfect method and harmonious working into all the operations of his prepared instrumentalities. The eleventh and twelfth chapters also should receive critical, thoughtful attention. Let these prophecies be studied on your knees before God; unless you take up the stumbling-blocks which by your own perverse spirit you have laid in the way of many who have been connected with you, God will turn His face utterly from you and your associates. {1888 1303.1}
In this 1894 statement, EGW goes into deeper detail as to how God is going about to accomplish His prophetic plans and designs. Tough He is in Chief Command of the work and is responsible for carrying it through, He still is working through cooperating and active people: i.e. “the operations of his prepared instrumentalities”. And ‘God’s guiding hand’ is seeing that this work is done according to “perfect method and harmonious working”.
#5 - (1895) TM 213.2-214.2 = SpTA03 46.1-48.1; 48.2
God's Organization
Let God's workmen study the sixth chapter of Isaiah, and the first and second chapters of Ezekiel. {TM 213.2}
To the prophet the wheel within a wheel, the appearances of living creatures connected with them, all seemed intricate and unexplainable. But the hand of Infinite Wisdom is seen among the wheels, and perfect order is the result of its work. Every wheel works in perfect harmony with every other. {TM 213.3} =9T 259.3a
I have been shown that human instrumentalities seek after too much power and try to control the work themselves. They leave the Lord God, the Mighty Worker, too much out of their methods and plans, and do not trust everything to Him in regard to the advancement of the work. No one should fancy that he is able to manage these things which belong to the great I AM. God in His providence is preparing a way so that the work may be done by human agents. Then let every man stand at his post of duty, to act his part for this time, and know that God is his instructor. {TM 213.4} =9T 259.3b
In the taking of Jericho the Lord God of hosts was the general of the army. He made the plan for the battle and united heavenly and human agencies to act a part in the work, but no human hand touched the walls of Jericho. God so arranged the plan that man could take no credit to himself for achieving the victory. God alone is to be glorified. So it shall be in the work in which we are engaged. The glory is not to be given to human agencies; the Lord alone is to be magnified. Please read carefully the third chapter of Ezekiel. We must learn to put our entire dependence upon God, and yet we must ever bear in mind that the Lord God has need of every agency that holds the truth in righteousness. As workers for Christ we are to stand in view of the cross of Calvary, proclaiming to the world, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." We are to proclaim the third angel's message with our human voices, and it is to go to the world with power and glory. {TM 214.1}
When men cease to depend upon men, when they make God their efficiency, then there will be more confidence manifested one in another. Our faith in God is altogether too feeble and our confidence in one another altogether too meager. {TM 214.2}
-(TM 214.1a): The example of the sacking of Jericho indeed clearly shows how the collaboration between God and Man is supposed to work. Man’s duty is to be obedient to all that God has said, and God’s responsibility is to take care of any Stronger Opposition and/or Super-Natural obstacle in the way of His Faithful people.
-(TM 214.1b): Interesting that, (along with Isa 6 & Ezek 1& 2 =TM 213.2), the SOP is seeing a relation to Ezek 3 {Ezekiel’s Commission) with Ezek 10; -with Ezek 3 also involving the vision (Ezek 3:13); as, as discussed in this post, Ezek 3 is the OT basis for the Rev 10 passage (see Rev 10:7-11), and, as shown earlier, Rev 10 thematically parallels the revelation in Ezek 10.
#6 - (1896) FE 408.2-409.2 [Dan 2 = FE 410.1-415.1] = SpTEd 7.1-9.1 (1896) [Dan 2 = SpTEd 9.2-15.2 (1896)]
Life of Christ and Ezekiel’s Wheel
Jesus brought into His teaching none of the science of men. His teaching is full of grand, ennobling, saving truth, to which man's highest ambitions and proudest inventions can bear no comparison; and yet things of minor consequence engross the minds of men. The great plan of the redemption of a fallen race was wrought out in the life of Christ in human flesh. This scheme of restoring the moral image of God in debased humanity entered into every purpose of the life and character of Christ. His majesty could not mingle with human science, which will disconnect from the great source of all wisdom in a day. The topic of human science never escaped His hallowed lips. By believing in and doing the words of God, He was severing the human family from Satan's chariot-car. He was alive to the terrible ruin hanging over the human race, and He came to save souls by His own righteousness, bringing to the world definite assurance of hope and complete relief. The knowledge current in the world may be acquired; for all men are God's property, and are worked by God to fulfill His will in certain lines, even when they refuse the man Christ Jesus as their Saviour. The way in which God uses men is not always discerned, but He does use them. God intrusts men with talents and inventive genius, in order that His great work in our world may be accomplished. The inventions of human minds are supposed to spring from humanity, but God is behind all. He has caused that the means of rapid traveling shall have been invented, for the great day of His preparation. {FE 408.2}
The use which men have made of their capabilities, by misusing and abusing their God-given talents, has brought confusion into the world. They have left the guardianship of Christ for the guardianship of the great rebel, the prince of darkness. Man alone is accountable for the strange fire which has been mingled with the sacred. The accumulation of many things which minister to lust and ambition has brought upon the world the judgment of God. When in difficulty, philosophers and the great men of earth desire to satisfy their minds without appealing to God. They ventilate their philosophy in regard to the heavens and the earth, accounting for plagues, pestilences, epidemics, earthquakes, and famines, by their supposed science. Hundreds of questions relating to creation and providence, they will attempt to solve by saying. This is a law of nature. {FE 409.1}
There are laws of nature, but they are harmonious, and conform with all God's working; but when the lords many and gods many set themselves to explain God's own principles and providences, presenting to the world strange fire in the place of divine, there is confusion. The machinery of earth and heaven needs many faces to every wheel in order to see the Hand beneath the wheels, bringing perfect order from confusion. The living and true God is a necessity everywhere. {FE 409.2}
-(FE 408.2a): Interesting how the example of God working out His grand plans through the (faithful) human flesh of Christ is cited here as a related theme. Christ indeed is the perfect model of how man is to cooperate with God in accomplishing His Redemptive Work and Plans.
-(FE 408.2b): Along with this striking statement of how has given men their genius and intellect (=Dan 2:21-22) is how God actually allows for even non-believing men to develop the technological means which he will use, “in the day of His preparation”, to rapidly advance and accomplish his Gospel Work. This is all along the lines of what was stated in Eccl 2:26 of how God burdens non-Believers/“sinners” with such painstaking innovating developmental work pointedly for the ultimate benefit of His People doing His work. God’s People meanwhile have the duty to ‘”seek/strive to advance” their knowledge and insight, and thus understanding in/about God’s Word/Prophecies’ (=Dan 12:4, 9-10). They then can use the technological means developed by others to proclaim their message throughout the world.
-(FE 409.1-2a): “Strange Fire”, i.e. man’s principles/spirit is not be mixed in. Only God’s Latter Rain Fire/Spirit is to be followed.
-(FE 409.2b): the statement “man faces to every wheel” is what ties this whole passage to the Ezek 1 & 10 vision/imagery as it alludes to the ‘4 faces of the 4 Living Creatures’
-(FE 410.1-415.1): With ensuing passages on Daniel 2 (prophecy expounded here), EGW continues her theme here that it is the “True Education” from God which trumps the ideas and plans of even the most powerful of men/rulers and their stately entities. Nebuchadnezzar futile tried to oppose the Daniel 2 plan of God (Dan 3), which is presented (i.e. PK 512.1-513.1) as a typological background of what will take place as the “Image of the Beast” Final Conflict in the end.
#7 - (1897) SpTA10 36.3 = Ev 93.1
The Work of the Holy Spirit. (cf. Zech 4:6)
The striking feature of divine operations is the accomplishment of the greatest work that can be done in our world, by very simple means. It is God's plan that every part of his government shall depend on every other part, the whole as a wheel within a wheel, working with entire harmony. He moves upon human forces, causing his Spirit to touch invisible chords, and the vibration rings to the extremity of the universe. {SpTA10 36.3} = Ev 93.1
The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. {SpTA10 37.1}
-As it likewise is at the pivotal core of the Rev 11 presently-(eschatologically)-fulfilling prophecy, God’s Spirit is what is leading to the ‘Powerful’ Deliverance outcome that He has planned, and is so orchestrating. (Rev 11:4 = Zech 4:6). As Eph 6:12 says, this battle is indeed way beyond mere “flesh and blood”....And in the part that Man himself is supposed to do in cooperation with God of: “putting on the whole armor of God” (Eph 6:11-17), wielding the “Sword of the Spirit”, namely: “the Word of God” (Eph 6:17b) is manifestly the one, indeed lone offensive, armor piece which puts them over the top in this climatic warring. (=Rev 19:15)
#8 - (1897) MM 201.1-2 = MS. 162, 1897
The Training of Nurses
In the training of nurses there must be an organized plan. They are learning a most valuable trade; and many temptations will come to them through offers of large wages and of places where they will have a better chance to earn money, if they will go with some patient. This point must be guarded, or there will surely be trouble. . . . {MM 201.1}
Each one must have the spirit of self-sacrifice and self-denial, of which Christ has given us an example in His life. We are to feel our obligation to do the very best we can. Those who have many talents and those who have few are to work unitedly, as a wheel within a wheel. And if all feel their responsibility and accountability to God, they will do His will, acting their part according to His appointment.--MS. 162, 1897. {MM 201.2}
-Interesting to see from the SOP the Biblical socio-economic principles involved in the “wheel within a wheel” understanding, and furthermore, -and as a preview of the later-expounded present-day fulfillment of this Ezek 1 & 10 vision, that these have all indeed been at the founding and operating foundation of the NJK Project!! Only those who are truly/actually Sabbatically-sealed will ever want to live this way, and Theologically know and understand exactly why.
#9 - (1898) 4BC 1161.3 = MS 13, 1898
15-28. Individual Freedom, Yet Complete Harmony.--God is acquainted with every man. Could our eyes be opened we would see that eternal justice is at work in our world. A powerful influence, not under man's control, is working. Man may fancy that he is directing matters, but there are higher than human influences at work. The servants of God know that He is working to counteract Satan's plans. Those who know not God cannot comprehend His movements. There is at work a wheel within a wheel. Apparently the complication of machinery is so intricate that man can see only a complete entanglement. But the divine hand, as seen by the prophet Ezekiel, is placed upon the wheels, and every part moves in complete harmony, each doing its specified work, yet with individual freedom of action (MS 13, 1898). {4BC 1161.3}
-Generally speaking, this statement shows how indeed the “Foreplanning” understanding about God and the Future (=Isa 46:9-11) is the Biblical one, where God is actively acting to bring about the Future that He had planned and said would happen.
-It is important to not that EGW also was speaking of the 4 Wheels of Ezekiel i.e. “each doing its specified work” when she made her “yet with individual freedom of action” statement. But the same principle does indeed apply to how God is dealing with those who are not explicitly involved in doing His work.....However the actual understanding here from the SOP may be that all things that are taking place in this world, whether, -respectively as per the 4 Faces of 4 Living Creatures: Politically (Lion); Religiously/Culturally (Cherub/Ox); Socio-Economically (Man); Technologically (Eagle), are all being overseen by God in order to accomplish His ultimate Triumphant end....Which is actually why, as later discussed, by Ezek 10:20, all of the 4 Living Creatures are clearly known to be Cherubs, with moreover each having all 4 Faces (Ezek 10:21), as these Four Main areas involved in the ordering of life on this Earth are all inter-workingly being done according to God’s Religious Will. (=5T 752.2; =Rev 19:15)
#10 - (1898) DA 822.4 = RH, October 9, 1913 par. 7
Gospel Fulfillment
God often uses the simplest means to accomplish the greatest results. It is His plan that every part of His work shall depend on every other part, as a wheel within a wheel, all acting in harmony. The humblest worker, moved by the Holy Spirit, will touch invisible chords, whose vibrations will ring to the ends of the earth, and make melody through eternal ages. {DA 822.4}
-Again here, the concept of gearwork is alluded to, but this is all in the manifest light of the meaning of the Ezekiel 1 & 10 vision. However, as the Four Wheels in Ezekiel would seem to all be of the same size, it would be difficult to determine which of them would be the ‘‘smallest’ wheel’ which is still indispensable and valuable in contributing to the greater output work.’ But, as later discussed in more detail, given how Ezekiel emphasized the imagery that he was shown of ‘each wheel moving the entire chariot in a direction despite merely moving individually’ (Ezek 1:9, 12, 15-17; 10:11), then it manifestly is that ‘smallness’ of the action of a single moving wheel that is nonetheless capable of moving the entire chariot that is being as: ‘the simplest means to accomplishing the greatest results’.
In this next SOP statement written in 5T 751-754, EGW extensively brings together all of her prior understandings about what is involved in Ezek 1 & 10 and applies it to an eschatological exposition about final events. She thus showed that the Ezekiel Vision is quite crucial to God’s People in the end, indeed as a template of ‘how to keep up with God and get through that all-out persecutive crisis’. This transitioning, or expanding, from principles for/of faith into eschatological guide/template on how to survive the Final Conflict is key as God’s principles do indeed serve as the foundation blocks for having the proper, and thus saving, prophetic view.
#11 - (~1899) 5T 751.1-754.2
What though earthly powers should be arrayed against Judah? [1st Tribe Sealed Rev 7:4] What though Isaiah should meet with opposition and resistance in his mission? He had seen the King, the Lord of hosts; he had heard the song of the seraphim, "The whole earth is full of His glory;" and the prophet was nerved for the work before him. The memory of this vision was carried with him throughout his long and arduous mission. {5T 751.1} [Isa 6 Vision = My First Vision = Rev 3:7; 4:1ff Opened Door]
Ezekiel, the mourning exile prophet, in the land of the Chaldeans, was given a vision teaching the same lesson of faith in the mighty God of Israel. As he was upon the banks of the river Chebar, a whirlwind seemed to come from the north, "a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber." A number of wheels of strange appearance, intersecting one another, were moved by four living creatures. High above all these was "the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it." "As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire [=‘Merciful/Goodness “Vengeance”’ Isa 6:5-7; Rom 12:20], and like the appearance of lamps [2 Pet 1:19; Psa 119:105; Rev 4:5; Matt 5:14-16; = ‘Prophetically Guiding Word|Spirit|City of God] it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire [Latter Rain] was bright [Rev 18:1; cf. Ezek 43:1-4ff], and out of the fire went forth lightning [=judgements]." "And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings." [=‘(One like unto a) Son of Man, Divinely-Guided (DA 668.2-4) “means of doing/outworking things’ Plan] {5T 751.2}
There were wheels within wheels in an arrangement so complicated that at first sight they appeared to Ezekiel to be all in confusion. But when they moved, it was with beautiful exactness and in perfect harmony. [=Four Faces Plans & Work] Heavenly beings were impelling these wheels, and, above all, upon the glorious sapphire throne, was the Eternal One [Actually an appearance as a (Son of) Man (Ezek 1:26; 43:6)]; while round about the throne was the encircling rainbow, emblem of grace and love. Overpowered by the terrible glory of the scene, Ezekiel fell upon his face, when a voice bade him arise and hear the word of the Lord. Then there was given him a message of warning for Israel. [=Ezek 2; 3; 4-7ff] {5T 751.3}
This vision was given to Ezekiel at a time when his mind was filled with gloomy forebodings. He saw the land of his fathers lying desolate. The city that was once full of people was no longer inhabited. The voice of mirth and the song of praise were no more heard within her walls. The prophet himself was a stranger in a strange land, where boundless ambition and savage cruelty reigned supreme. That which he saw and heard of human tyranny and wrong distressed his soul, and he mourned bitterly day and night. But the wonderful symbols presented before him beside the river Chebar revealed an overruling power mightier than that of earthly rulers. Above the proud and cruel monarchs of Assyria and Babylon the God of mercy and truth was enthroned. [Fall of Babylon context (Dan 3 & 5) Eschatologically = Rev 18] {5T 752.1}
The wheellike complications that appeared to the prophet to be involved in such confusion were under the guidance of an infinite hand. The Spirit of God, revealed to him as moving and directing these wheels, brought harmony out of confusion; so the whole world was under His control. Myriads of glorified beings were ready at His word to overrule the power and policy of evil men, and bring good to His faithful ones. {5T 752.2}
In like manner, when God was about to open to the beloved John the history of the church for future ages, He gave him an assurance of the Saviour's interest and care for His people by revealing to him "One like unto the Son of man," walking among the candlesticks, [4 Creatures stood as those ‘lamps’ (Ezek 1:13 KJV)] which symbolized the seven churches. While John was shown the last great struggles of the church with earthly powers, he was also permitted to behold the final victory and deliverance of the faithful. He saw the church brought into deadly conflict with the beast and his image, and the worship of that beast enforced on pain of death. But looking beyond the smoke and din of the battle, he beheld a company upon Mount Zion with the Lamb, having, instead of the mark of the beast, the "Father's name written in their foreheads." And again he saw "them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God" and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. {5T 752.3}
These lessons are for our benefit. We need to stay our faith upon God, for there is just before us a time that will try men's souls. Christ, upon the Mount of Olives, rehearsed the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars." "Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." While these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application to the last days. {5T 753.1}
We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Prophecy is fast fulfilling. The Lord is at the door. There is soon to open before us a period of overwhelming interest to all living. The controversies of the past are to be revived; new controversies will arise. The scenes to be enacted in our world are not yet even dreamed of. Satan is at work through human agencies. Those who are making an effort to change the Constitution and secure a law enforcing Sunday observance little realize what will be the result. A crisis is just upon us. {5T 753.2}
But God's servants are not to trust to themselves in this great emergency. In the visions given to Isaiah, to Ezekiel, and to John we see how closely heaven is connected with the events taking place upon the earth and how great is the care of God for those who are loyal to Him. The world is not without a ruler. The program of coming events is in the hands of the Lord. The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations, as well as the concerns of His church, in His own charge. {5T 753.3}
We permit ourselves to feel altogether too much care, trouble, and perplexity in the Lord's work. Finite men are not left to carry the burden of responsibility. We need to trust in God, believe in Him, and go forward. The tireless vigilance of the heavenly messengers, and their unceasing employment in their ministry in connection with the beings of earth, show us how God's hand is guiding the wheel within a wheel. The divine Instructor is saying to every actor in His work, as He said to Cyrus of old: "I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me." [=Isa 45:5] {5T 753.4}
Hand Beneath Wing & Lightning
In Ezekiel's vision God had His hand beneath the wings of the cherubim. This is to teach His servants that it is divine power that gives them success. He will work with them if they will put away iniquity and become pure in heart and life. {5T 754.1}
The bright light going among the living creatures with the swiftness of lightning [= judgement(s)-impelled] represents the speed with which this work will finally go forward to completion. He who slumbers not, who is continually at work for the accomplishment of His designs, can carry forward His great work harmoniously. That which appears to finite minds entangled and complicated, the Lord's hand can keep in perfect order. He can devise ways and means to thwart the purposes of wicked men, and He will bring to confusion the counsels of them that plot mischief against His people. {5T 754.2}
#12 - (1902) Ev 65.1-2 = 21MR 151.1-5 = Manuscript 118, 1902
God's Hand on Wheel.--Fearful perils are before those who bear responsibilities in the cause of God-- perils the thought of which make me tremble. But the word comes, "My hand is upon the wheel, and I will not allow men to control My work for these last days. My hand is turning the wheel, and My providence will continue to work out the divine plans, irrespective of human inventions.". . . {Ev 65.1}
In the great closing work we shall meet with perplexities that we know not how to deal with, but let us not forget that the three great powers of heaven are working, that a divine hand is on the wheel, and that God will bring His purposes to pass.--Manuscript 118, 1902. {Ev 65.2}
The power of God has been placed at the disposal of the church. There is power for every one who holds the beginning of his confidence firm unto the end. "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God." It is by complying with Christ's invitation, "Come unto Me," by wearing gladly His yoke of restraint, that we find rest. Thus haughty self-sufficiency is expelled, and the meekness and lowliness of Christ find a place in the daily life. When a man gives himself to God, Christ controls every part and fiber of the being, making that man a power for good. {21MR 151.1}
No human plans or arrangements can cure the church of its coldness and hardness of heart. In the pride of worldly wisdom and worldly ambition to be first, may be found the reason that the work of the gospel, notwithstanding its boundless resources, meets with so little success, comparatively. Our Saviour rejoiced in spirit and offered thanks to God as He thought of how the value of truth, though hidden from the wise and prudent, is revealed to babes --those who realize their weakness and feel their dependence on Him. {21MR 151.2}
God declares that He will spue out of His mouth those who exalt themselves, extolling their own wisdom. They have not in their characters the fragrance of Christ's character. So well-satisfied are they that they would bind men up with agreements as a remedy for all the evils that exist. {21MR 151.3}
Those who are but babes in Christ will exert a far stronger influence for good than those who, filled with self-sufficiency, refuse to receive the light and knowledge that God offers them, saying, "I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." But the words and works of these self-exalted ones are disgusting to the self-denying Redeemer. The One who knows all things says to them, "I will not hear thy prayers, neither will I commend thy service." [Revelation 3:15-19, quoted]. {21MR 151.4}
God's Hand on Wheel.--Fearful perils are before those who bear responsibilities in the cause of God-- perils the thought of which make me tremble. But the word comes, "My hand is upon the wheel, and I will not allow men to control My work for these last days. My hand is turning the wheel [i.e. a forward/advancing “turning” of wheel], and My providence will continue to work out the divine plans, irrespective of human inventions. Man's plans will be overthrown, and the Lord God of heaven will reveal His glory. [=Num 14:20-21; Rev 18:1] The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will work out Heaven's law. These three great Powers have pledged themselves to bring to nought the inventions of idolatrous human minds. They have put the infinite treasures of heaven at the command of God's struggling people. As the wheel is turned by a divine hand, the philosophy of the wisest men who are working contrary to My purposes will become intricate and confused." [while philosophy (=theology) working with God becomes clear] {21MR 151.5} = {Ev 65.1} Read also 21MR 152.1-6
In the great closing work we shall meet with perplexities that we know not how to deal with, but let us not forget that the three great powers of heaven are working, that a divine hand is on the wheel [= to advance, more than ‘to steer’...i.e. “advance” to full end], and that God will bring His purposes to pass.--Manuscript 118, 1902. {Ev 65.2}
-An applicable and counsel of this message to the Laodicean Age Church is indeed very pertinent. (=21MR 151.1-4)
-As seen from the first (italicized) paragraph above, the EGW Estate editors decided to leave out parts of a whole statement, manifestly directly from God for Ev 65.1...That never is a good “editorial” idea... The full statement is made/given in 21MR 151.5. That is indeed not a good idea here as that full statement which EGW introduced with “But the word comes”, seems to be words that she verbatimly heard in vision from God. From these statements themselves quoted above and variously emphasized, which can be found in parts in every statement prior to this 1902 one that EGW has made in relation to the Ezek 1 & 10 vision/symbol/imagery, it can be claimed that here EGW is revealing what had all along been her underlying SOP source/basis for the commentary on the Ezekiel passage that she had been making. That would mean that before the 1880 statement, she had seen/heard God Himself say these words and gradually came to see that, and how, they relate/apply to Ezek 1 & 10.....
...Or: God may have shown her that direct link also back then. OR....God here in 1902, made a compiled statement in relation to the Ezek 1 & 10 passage which He had priorly only been indicating to EGW in a piecemeal way, a little at a time, as it was then pertinently needed in her ministering. But given how EGW’s 1887 commentary in RH Jan. 11, 1887 par. 18-19 (=4BC 1161.1-2) is quite comprehensive of all that she would say about this symbolism/imagery, the view that she had heard those words in 21MR 151.5 from God prior to 1880 is more likely....Perhaps God had instructed her not to make verbatim mention of this Direct Revelation sourcing until later, here in 1902
#13 - (1903) PK 535.1-536.1 = Ed 177.3-178.1
=Daniel 2
Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that the fact might be determined whether it would fulfill the purposes of the Watcher and the Holy One. Prophecy has traced the rise and progress of the world's great empires--Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each of these, as with the nations of less power, history has repeated itself. Each has had its period of test; each has failed, its glory faded, its power departed. {PK 535.1}
While nations have rejected God's principles, and in this rejection have wrought their own ruin, yet a divine, overruling purpose has manifestly been at work throughout the ages. It was this that the prophet Ezekiel saw in the wonderful representation given him during his exile in the land of the Chaldeans, when before his astonished gaze were portrayed the symbols that revealed an overruling Power that has to do with the affairs of earthly rulers. {PK 535.2}
Upon the banks of the river Chebar, Ezekiel beheld a whirlwind [God’s SDA Judgement] seeming to come from the north [King of the North territory = wider/exiled Israel, rescued from Babylon (Ezek 11:14-25 brethren)], "a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber." A number of wheels intersecting one another were moved by four living beings. High above all these "was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it." "And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings." Ezekiel 1:4, 26; 10:8. The wheels were so complicated in arrangement that at first sight they appeared to be in confusion; yet they moved in perfect harmony. Heavenly beings, sustained and guided by the hand [Mighty Angel lift hand] beneath the wings of the cherubim [present speed of message], were impelling those wheels; above them, upon the sapphire throne, was the Eternal One; and round about the throne was a rainbow, the emblem of divine mercy. {PK 535.3}
As the wheellike complications were under the guidance of the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, so the complicated play of human events is under divine control. Amidst the strife and tumult of nations He that sitteth above the cherubim still guides the affairs of this earth. {PK 536.1} ={Ed 177.3-178.1}
-The SOP statement made at the end of PK 535.1 (in bold) is Theologically r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n--a-r-y!!! See more on this in the exposition on Dan 2 at the ending section of its verse 39a commentary.
-Having by then, by 1903, Eschatologically applied the Ezek 1 & 10 elements, it is further interesting to see EGW applying it to the prophecy of Daniel 2, pointed as, as discussed in this post, that prophecy culminates in a Final, Temporal-Terrestial Kingdom of God establishment. So, as long understood about the 4 Living Creatures, they are representative of God’s endeavor to establish His throne, thus Kingdom, on this Earth. The revelations given to EGW about Ezek 1 & 10 show the inner workings of the man-cooperative model and Spiritual Process/Power that God is actively injecting in this work....
#14 - (1913) PK 176.1 = RH, October 30, 1913 par. 14 (~ to 1899 5T 751-754)
In the vision of the prophet Ezekiel there was the appearance of a hand beneath the wings of the cherubim. This is to teach God's servants that it is divine power that gives success. Those whom God employs as His messengers are not to feel that His work is dependent on them. Finite beings are not left to carry this burden of responsibility. He who slumbers not, who is continually at work for the accomplishment of His designs, will carry forward His work. He will thwart the purposes of wicked men and will bring to confusion the counsels of those who plot mischief against His people. He who is the King, the Lord of hosts, sitteth between the cherubim, and amidst the strife and tumult of nations He guards His children still. When the strongholds of kings shall be overthrown, when the arrows of wrath shall strike through the hearts of His enemies, His people will be safe in His hands. {PK 176.1}
-Probably non-coincidentally, this 1913 (originally R&H) expression, just 2 years before EGW passed away, and which was incorporated in her last published book, is a nice summation of what EGW has had to say about what the vision of Ezekiel 1 & 10 speaks of, which is why the entire appended commenting of that paragraph has been bolded. It is not only a summation, but also a forward-looking promise given what is to prophetically come.
Summary of SOP Applications
Some major indications to key foremost in mind here from the SOP’s interpreting and applying of Ezek 1 & 10 is how it has seen that this vision represented a process by an approaching throne of God when He would be doing Spiritual hand to hand battle, mainly through the “Sword of the Holy Spirit”, against an array of opposition by men through their human philosophies. For EGW, the Light that she had been given on this vision revealed the inner workings of God battling, and really: allowing Himself and His cause, to be battled by, men as a representation of his throne is endeavoring to touch down and position itself on Earth....thus to establish His Kingdom Rule on this Earth (=Rev 19:11-16; 11:15-18). The opposition against this move by God is surely directly backed and impelled by Satan and his demon-possessing angels...
...Producing the Final Conflict against ‘tyrannical men transformed into demons’ (GC 638.2)...because, as history has by now amply shown, when the “Mammon”/sinful lifestyle anchored in greed, covetousness and selfishness of men, especially Capitalists is “threatened”, then they no longer are champions of “Freedom”. There is an unwritten Law in the present World Order, led by the West and spearheaded by the United States of America, that peoples of the world must operate according to Capitalistic dogma or else they cannot be free to engage in trade, commerce...i.e. “buy or sell”...or even live (=Rev 13:15-17). Well fittingly enough, the NJK Project has, in/with each of its “Four Faces”, potent, i.e. lucrative, establishment plans which, as actually thus far actionably manifested, Capitalists, who do have the Mark of the Beast, can only stand against by engaging in lawless, criminal and tortious, even torturous, persecutive and detrimental activity. So they have indeed engage in warring against God’s Kingdom Establishment plans....but the overarching message of Ezek 1 & 10 is that God has overruling and overthrowing plans to defeat this Satan-inspired opposition....
Ezekiel 1 Exposition
As the vision of Ezek 10 is a redux of what Ezekiel had been shown at the very start of his calling in Ezek 1, and is an underlying vision for all of the developments in the prophecies of Ezekiel, from God’s judgement of Israel to His reestablishment action (Ezek 43:1-5), an exposition of that key first/initiating Chapter is duly firstly made here. As the Biblical, Theological and Spiritual exposition of what the Four Living Creatures themselves are and Prophetic stand for was done in this earlier, other post, this topic will not be rediscussed in detail here.
Ezekiel 1:1 - Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw a vision of God.
-thirtieth year - This specific datum is given without any reference starting point, but since the person who later arranged the prophecies of Ezekiel into a book manifestly provided a more datable date in the (parenthetical) next verse, Ezek 1:2, then it can be plausibly understood what Ezekiel himself was dating from here. The “fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile” is known to be (with inclusive reckoning) ca. 593/592 B.C. as Jehoiachin was exiled in 597 B.C. (See SDABC 4:575).
So as the SDABC also explain (4:574), the “thirtieth year” here manifestly is going back to ca 622 B.C., which was the 18th year of the reign of King Josiah, who in that year had re-discovered the Book of Moses’s Law (2 Kgs 22:3ff) and from there began major Reforms in Israel...So it is quite plausible that, since dating back then was reference according to major events, that Ezekiel, who himself was a priest (Ezek 1:3), was reckoning time from the pivotal, and here pertinent, Israel Reformation launching event.
-by the River Chebar - (Cf. Ezek 3:15) Evidently this was a location south of Babylon where a settlement (cf. SDABC 4:574) of then Babylonian Captivity-exiled, yet still Religious, Jews had gathered. Perhaps this was to try to physically differentiate themselves from the actually, in 592 B.C. still hostile Jews who were still left in Judah and Jerusalem. In fact, King Nebuchadnezzar would send yet another military expedition in 586 B.C. to Jerusalem to quell that hostility, and it was then that the Temple was completely sacked. And it was that most devastating Babylonian assault that the prophesies of Ezek 8-11 addressed. It is quite telling that those who were then in Jerusalem and officiating in the Temple thought themselves to be right with God, while, as revealed to Ezekiel, their worship was utterly corrupt (Ezek 8 -see here). Apparently it was these exiles “in the land of the Chaldeans” (Ezek 1:3), by the River Chebar, who had established a proper Religious Community that God could honor and work with (Ezek 11:14-23)
-the heavens were opened - not every prophet who receives a vision from God has this notion of seeing “the heavens open”. This is typically done to allow the prophet to “look into” something, patently counterintuitive to what is being seen on Earth, that is then taking place in Heaven and in some relation to a Judgement action/decision. See this distinct depiction for:
+John for the Rev 11:19 segment of Revelation which signaled the start of the Investigative judgement in Heaven on the heels of The Great Disappointment (=Dan 7:10, 13-14);
+the dying First Christian Martyr Stephen being approved of by Jesus (Acts 7:56) which marked the Judicial ending of the 490 Years (=70 Prophetic Weeks) of Probation that God had granted to Ethnic Israel.
+as cited as an example in here from DA 111.3-112-3; God Himself deciding to give a special confirming sign to the fervently praying Jesus while on the banks of the Jordan right after His Baptism. (Matt 3:16|Mar 1:10|Luke 3:21), manifestly to officially/personally confirm to Jesus Himself (versus the revelation given to Mary herself (Luke 1:32, 35)), likely for the very first time in His ca. 35 years then, that He indeed was the “Son of God” (Matt 3:17|Mar 1:11|Luke 3:22) Cf. a similar response by God in John 12:27-36, now at the ending of Christ’s ministry and upon another passionate prayer of His, which related that: ‘judgement was to come on the world and on Satan’.
+the sign of sustenance and accompaniment given to the fleeing deceiver Jacob showing that God had judicially forgiven him and he was accepted (Gen 28:12-15; cf. John 1:51 versus Matt 27:46)
+the equivalent “opened door in Heaven” of Rev 4:1 -reveals something new (cf. here) that God was going to do upon the failing (=Rev 2&3) of the First Century AD Christian Church (cf. Rev 5:1-6ff -discussed here)
+like Rev 15:5ff which initiates the 7 Last Plagues Judgement; Rev 19:11ff also initiates a Judgement, here the Second Coming’s Final Judgement (=Rev 6:14ff; cf. 2 Thess 2:8) -which has present, Typological Application.
So given how such “opened heaven” events/revelations in the Bible do indeed involve God showing something new to someone on Earth, and something which is countercurrent to what is then going on or status quo perceived on Earth, and also in some context or relation to an effectuated or upcoming Judgement, then it is not surprising to see that this is also what is involved here in Ezekiel 1, and also his subsequent, further/related substantiating revelations, where God is now coming in ‘whirlwind judgement against His apostate people to destroy them (Ezek 9) and their City (Ezek 43:3).
-visions versus a vision - Some ancient manuscripts and versions have the singular “a vision” instead of the plural “visions”. Since (1) this is Ezekiel’s 1st Person account testimony and (2) his visions throughout the book were not given in one sitting (as for John for Revelation, then the singular “a vision”, -referring pointedly to what Ezekiel saw in Chapter 1, seems to be the correct reading.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:1
It is interesting, -even prophetic/pertinent, to me that the sermon that launched my own present and ongoing ministry in 1997 which, by 2003, would fully evolve into the NJK Project was the first sermon I preached which was on Josiah’s Reform. -(as related in my bio-post -(see the “...But Frankly Speaking... (Isa 58:1|Ev 32.4)” section). As related there, it suddenly came to me as my preaching topic a couple of days before the sermon, after I “blankingly” had not being able to find/decide what to preach on for a ca. a week before then.
Relatedly, as also recounted in my bio-post, my First & Calling-Confirming Vision in June 1999, like Ezekiel’s, also involved an ‘opened Heaven’ theme which for me immediately reminded me of the Rev 4:1 “Opened Door” -(which, as presented here, is related to the ‘Philadelphian Davidic Door’ of Rev 3:7ff), which opened up into the throne room of God (Rev 4:2-5) where the 4 Living Being were also found (Rev 4:6-9ff).
Ezekiel 1:2 - (On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile,
-fifth year - (explained above in Ezek 1:1)
Ezekiel 1:3 - In order to come, the word of the LORD came [...] to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.)
--In order to come....came [expressly] - - In the underlying Hebrew the term for “come” (Hebrew: hayah {Strongs #01961}) is repeatingly doubled. As seen with other such duplicate occurrences of this term in the OT, this is to express: “surely come” (Gen 18:18; 1 Kgs 13:32; also Jer 15:18). This is not at all done in the rest of the Bible when that (single) term is used to ‘simply’ say that: ‘the Word of the Lord came to [a prophet].’* So it would seems that the composer of his book for/on Ezekiel, -(himself under his own special Divine inspiration for that composing task), was finding it necessary to so emphasize the Divine source veracity of this prophetic calling and revelation to Ezekiel with an expression that could be understood as “surely came”. But actually a deeper and further Theological understanding can be seen here from more accurate exegesis.
* E.g. for Abraham: Gen 15:1; Samuel: 1 Sam 15:10; Nathan: 2 Sam 7:4; Solomon: 1 Kgs 6:11; Jehu: 1 Kgs 16:1; Elijah: 1 Kgs 17:2, 8; Jeremiah: Jer 1:4, 11, 13, etc.
Ezekiel’s Special Calling: The specially repeated/doubled “come” term that is used here is in the Infinitive Absolute form. Summarily stated: From my study of this limitedly rare and special form, it is seen that it is used to express something that is supposed/expected to happen. So when it is expressed by a doubling of the term itself, it is actually literalistically saying: ‘what was supposed/expected to happen, happened’. Hence the common translation of this expression/idiom as ‘surely happened’, but the underlying thought is much more involved than just a mere expression of certainty. It is actually saying that: ‘in order for something to happen (=infinitive absolute term) something was done/happened (=repeated conjugated term)’. So here, this is saying that this prophetic calling and revelation to Ezekiel was supposed to happen, and that when God saw that the time was right for this priorly planned/prepared thing to happen, He made it happen. In other words, the calling and revelation to Ezekiel (who, by the way, his name means: “strengthened by God”), was not a last minute injuctive decision, as it can actually be seen to be the case with almost every other (especially OT) prophet, but actually a long planned event.
Now this exegetical implication perfectly substantiates/corroborates a working theological thesis that I have long had about the prophet Ezekiel. To merely summarize it here, this thesis is that the prophet Ezekiel himself, who is specially and outside of Jesus Christ himself only, is called a “Son of Man” (+91x) which is an expression which does not merely mean “someone who is a descendant of men”, as then every single human born could, and would have been so addressed in the Bible, but it rather more loadedly, theologically means and involves “a heavenly being who has been incarnated and born as a man”, thus for a special and crucial Divine Mission on Earth. Ezekiel’s crucial mission would have been to be God’s last chance to get Judah to avoid undergoing the entire Babylonian destruction, and even if that failed, then to restore themselves (Ezek 37) according to God’s Messianic preparation plans as seen in the rest of the book of Ezekiel (Ezek 40-48).
So I am exegetically and theologically seeing that Ezekiel was actually, and completely unknown to him, an incarnated heavenly being/angel and that when the time came for him to be “activated”, -upon the special missions of the likewise specially pre-prepared and then called King Josiah and Prophet Jeremiah not having produced the full reformation in Judah that it should have: ‘the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, in order to fulfill his planned calling’.[1]1
-hand of the LORD came upon him - This expression and notion of “God’s hand coming upon a prophet” is one that has specific connotation. It occurred with Elisha (2 Kgs 3:15) and caused him to instantly prophesy the word of the Lord (2 Kgs 3:16ff). It had priorly occurred with Elijah and caused him to supernaturally outrun Ahab’s chariot (1 Kgs 18:46). It seems like the “hand of the Lord” upon someone empowers them to do something prophetic and/or superhuman and which is beyond their own control/volition; literally becoming God’s “sock puppet”. This is an experience that recurred with Ezekiel whenever ‘the hand of the Lord was strong on him’ (Ezek 3:14)
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:3
With the advantage of a transpired time history, I now can look back on my calling and ministry experience for the NJK Project, and can see that, as with Ezekiel, that ‘it was actually supposed to happen’ (cf. this post). Meaning that I know see that God always had in mind for me to do this ministry (which can easily be “proven” by how no one else, -SDA or non-SDA, i.e. Laodicean or Babylonian, (together =the “SofS” (Rev 3:9)) is (voluntarily) interested in (fully or hastily) doing such life-bettering&saving things. However, as I do not Theologically see that the Classical View of Foreknowledge is valid where (effectively: ‘whatever one does was because they were always meant to do it, as their future has (effectively) already been lived’), but rather that the Foreplanning View is Biblical, where God drafts a Wise plan and then looks for a person/people on Earth to cooperate with Him to execute it (=Isa 46:9-11; cf. 2 Chr 16:9).
So I can now see that not only was God has been able to start fulfilling these 4 Living Beings Entity plans through this started NJK Project Ministry, -plans that He has Himself guaranteed to bring to full fruition, but that God both expected, -from similar shortcoming under similar, and even lesser, challenges in the past, everyone else to pass up on doing such things, i.e. at that “fullest” level, but that, as with Jeremiah (Jer 1:5 -see here), God had set forth, even before my birth, (or even years before my conception (cf. my father’s vision 4 years before I was born, which came to indirectly greatly influence my Spirituality), that I, i.e. (‘my father’s son’) would be the one who would be task with carrying out these (“prolonged time” =Rev 7:1-3|15MR 292.3-4) Four Living Being Kingdom plans. So even unlike, or possibly actually just like, King David who would come to be the template for these long-sought for Zionistic Rule plans of God (e.g. Isa 11:1-10; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25), who, as seen from 1 Sam 13-13-14, would (probably) never have even become a King in Israel if God’s first choice for a king, Saul, had remained faithful, I would say on one possible hand that God had always intended for me to do this work, but I can actually also easily see that I would have never even have been called to do this, or even in ministry, if the SDA Church had been faithful in carrying out it long, and clearly, revealed “Full Sabbath Mandate”. But God anticipated, even long expected, (i.e. as seen in long given Bible and SOP prophecies), that they, the Laodicean Age Church (Rev 3:14-22, would not, and so prepared me to engage in this supplanting and surpassing work (=LDE 59-61), indeed setting things up for me before my birth, in the live of my parents, and even before they met, towards this end.
All this to say that, as with was is revealed to be involved in Ezekiel’s calling in this verse i.e. that God was surely going to eventually call him to that prophetic ministry, I can see that God likewise had set me up for this ministering end long before he started calling me starting in ca. 1995, when it then was becoming clear that this also planned alternative “Temporal Jubilee Millennium” prophetic scenario was going to have to be effectuated given the on-course-to-fail path the SDA Church opted to start to take then.....
....And given that effective, even literal, “eggs-in-one-basket”, last gasp, option for God (=Mal 4:5-6), -again because no one has, despite being aware now, through the NJK Website and this Blog of what God fully is expecting for His people to be doing, manifested any interest of ‘shaking free’ (=Ezek 9:8-11|EW 270-273) from the unrighteousness shackle of Capitalism (=EW 266-269) and instead doing God’s Socialistic Will. (Isa 58), I then can understand why, in my inceptive calling-initiating experience with God, and at some key/vital other points/instances, God’s voice has (formatively/“discipliningly”) been so “forceful”, even “angry/shouting” (=Heb 12:5-11)...
Ezekiel 1:4 - As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire.
a great cloud - As consistently seen throughout the Bible, a cloud in itself is tangibly the transportation method for displacing people and accompanying things between Heaven and Earth. (e.g. Rev 11:11-12; EW 16.2a) Sort of God’s Space Shuttle. Even the Son of Man (Acts 1:9, 11), also seated on His throne (Rev 14:14-16; EW 31.2; 35.1), would need a cloud to make that journey. As such, the cloud itself has come to be almost defaultly seen as a/the symbol of the Second Coming (cf. Rev 1:7*), but really it is the symbol of a tangible Earth-to-Heaven (and/or vice-versa) displacement. A prophetic approaching cloud is therefore indeed “a sign of the Son of Man” (LDE 274.1-3)
* This verse is assumed to be meaning that: “the Son of Man will come with angels”, but it rather literally means that the Son of Man will be coming with clouds in order to displace both Him (Matt 24:30; 26:64), and those who He will be redeeming and taking back with Him to Heaven (1 Thess 4:17b; EW 16.2a)
storm wind - There are tow main uses of a “storm wind” (Heb.: searah+ruach Strongs #05591b+#07307) from God in the Bible: one is for transportation assistance/power: 2 Kgs 2:1, 11 and the other for Divine destruction: Psa 107:25; Isa 29:6; 40:24; 41:16; Jer 23:19; 30:23; Ezek 13:11, 13. The manifestation in Job 38:1; 40:6 also involve a degree of an angered answering by God. As Ezekiel understood that this Ezek 1 vision was God approaching to destroy Jerusalem (Ezek 43:3), then it is easy to see that the “storm wind” here was for destruction.
But given how the Four Living Beings are coming while inside of a “great cloud”, the this probably involved the same flying power method that was used to propel and ascend Elijah’s ‘chariot and horses of fire’ to Heaven (2 Kgs 2:1, 11).
wind = The symbol of wind itself ultimately is a person’s (influenced) “spirit” (cf. John 3:8) and passion, which therefore can manifest itself hostilely, thus, most broadly and collectively, as human strife and warring (=Dan 7:2; Rev 7:1|LDE 239.1-3; 20MR 269.2).
from the north - For Israel the Cardinal position was loaded with commonly well-understood meanings as are e.g. the mentions of “West Coast”, “East Coast”, “Southern Border”, “Northern Border” to Americans. First of all, the North was the vast region which was promised to Israel as part of their Promised Land, but that they never conquered due to their unfaithfulness and unbelief. Their Promised territory was supposed to extend as far as the River Euphrates and put them right up against the borders of the land of Chaldea and its Kingdom Babylon. (See e.g. Gen 15:18; Deut 1:7-8; Jos 1:4; Num 34:3) Now, given the vast and effectively impassable Arabian desert to the East of Israel, any Eastern enemy of theirs such as Babylon, would make their attacking invasion of Israel from the North by having contoured the Arabian desert through the more negotiable and established northern route. So a “storm wind from the north” was easily recognizable code for an approaching Babylonian enemy (see Jer 1:13-16), which is indeed what happened to Judah here in Ezekiel’s day for this destruction of Jerusalem. (e.g. Ezek 24:1-2)
So this symbolism here is speaking of a destructive force coming from the region of Babylon to destroy Judah/Israel.
fire flashing forth continually - Again, such a mention may actually be out of tangible technical necessity than Spiritual/symbolic significance, by being the technical means by which God propels this great cloud and the 4 Living Being in it (who by the way, as discussed below, have 4 wings each (Ezek 1:6)). The ‘propelling technical necessity” that I would be seeing here is for the flying mechanism (video) for an hot air balloon transportation type. In that, the continually flashing fire (as also seen for/with a hot air balloon) would be used to warm up the air above the great cloud, thus allowing it to have lift (or else it would “drop like a led balloon”), and the storm wind is used to move it forward toward its intended landing spot on earth, just like, a hot air balloon is really at the whim of the blowing direction of the prevailing winds and air currents once it lifts up in the air. (In fact: “Since the balloon moves with the wind, you don't feel any breeze at all.”)
Indeed, the great cloud evidently had a special and distinct atmosphere just above it, underneath its ceiling/heaven “expanse” (Ezek 1:22; 10:1) which was a special atmosphere (cf. Gen 1:6-8, 14-15, 17, 20) and also whose heated air could have been contained therein by the ‘touching’ enclosing wings of the 4 Living Beings (Ezek 1:9, 23a) (producing something like the panels of/for the envelope for a hot air balloon), while they shielded their bodies themselves from this heated air with their remaining two free wings (Ezek 1:23b).
It would seem strange that God would be using such technical means to effectuate such a displacement, -and again, not to forget that the Living Creatures had wings, but this manifestly is to show how this whole process is basically not a Divinely Supernatural one, but one which involves the feasible contribution of God’s created beings. In other words, in this cause, which is for establishing a, here also transported (Ezek 1:26; 10:1), (replica) Throne/Rule of God within His People on this Earth (Ezek 43:7), God will not be doing here what His Created Beings can do themselves.
a bright light around it - Obviously to Ezekiel, this was not the habitual light from fires that he was used to seeing. The fire itself was manifestly of higher intensity, and thus produced a bright(er) light. (Some modern rockets produce a different booster burn output than typically seen and which does look like more light than burn/fire. See e.g. Russia’s Proton M Rockets (cf. here) which, unlike typical rockets, uses non-cryogenic fuel.)
glowing metal in the midst of the fire - Of course in Ezekiel’s day, he is used to seeing a fire being produced by burning wood or coal, -which is indeed how he referentially describes what this fire/energy source seems to be like. (see Ezek 1:13). So here seeing a fire that is instead being produced by ‘glowing (thus not burning/combusting) metal’ (Greek: “electron”), was surely a novelty for him. Manifestly this technological utilization was the best, as in most efficient and sustainable means by which these Four Living Creatures could make their heavy lifting trip from before God’s Presence and Throne Room (Rev 4:6) to Earth.
Again, this is manifestly to reflect what God is expecting from His Created Beings in their collaboration and contribution to His Kingdom Establishing work: They are to use the most efficient, advanced, sustainable means that they can procure/produce. This is in harmony with what the SOP was shown about this vision of Ezekiel in regards to having careful planning and order in doing God’s work.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:4
My bio-post which recounts key events in my life leadingly preparing me for my First Vision, ends around my life’s timeline of early 2000 events. These “NJK Project Application/Fulfilment” (NJKP) sections at the end of verses in this commentary pick up that history from there and relate my Ministering History since then. One of the closing sections for the timeline in my bio-post (i.e. before the Commenting on that Vision), is one entitled: “Moving “North” (Dan 11:9b ff)”, while the move north there literally geographically north, i.e. from the U.S. to Montreal, Canada, the real meaning in that titling was in regards to the Spiritual North, which is understood to be the “North” of Dan 11's North vs. South prophecy. The King of the North indeed eventually invades the Kingdom of the King of the South and overruns, and overtakes it. And this is all prophetically related to the “north” mention here in Ezek 1:4. As Jerusalem and its Temple were located in the (2 Tribe) Southern Kingdom called Judah, something coming from “the North” could “Domestically” represent/be coming from the (10 tribe) Northern Kingdom of Israel. It could also, more widely Regionally be the northern lands which God had said that Israel should fully possess right up to the borders of Chaldea/Babylon. And ultimately, it could be coming from Babylon itself. Given that “northern” relatedness, that is why the “King of the North” is thought to be an Anti-God figure, where indeed the Southern Kingdom looks with disdain at anything that comes from any extent of these Northern regions. (See e.g. Ezek 11:14-17ff; cf. John 1:46; 7:41, 52 -Nazareth/Galilee were in the old Northern Kingdom’s territory.)
So here with the “South”/Judah being applicable today to the SDA Church, and the “North” to the rest of the Christian Church, most of which are still even residing in (Spiritual) Babylon (hence: Rev 14:8; 18:4), it is not surprising that a ministry/movement that is, as has been the NJK Project since its start, been endeavoring to raise a remnant people of God from these ‘10+ other tribes of Israel’ (=Rev 7:5-8) and thus form the supplanting and surpassing Full/Triumphant Remnant Church of God (=LDE 59-61), would be (vexatiously) deemed by those in the South/Judah to be as an invading opposition from the “North”. Therefore, that is why the NJK Project’s 4 Living Beings entity has indeed come across as ‘stormingly coming from the North”, and all in order to “destroy the present standing “Jerusalem” (Ezek 43:3)
Ezekiel 1:5 - Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form.
Four Living Beings - This is a matter-of-fact statement which is stating that the four entities here were existent and alive beings and not some esoteric or inanimate forms.
As a very significant general note, as it was explained here in more detail, given that Israelites/Jews would know and understand that these 4 Living Creatures, through their facial identifications (Ezek 1:10) were associated to the Numbers 2 banners of the Establishing Wilderness Camp for the entire Nation of Israel, then the overarching and pervasive understanding here is that this 4 Living Being Entity is a representation of the Nation of Israel, and pointedly at its Establishment phase.
they had human form - Despite 3 of the 4 Beings being non-human, they manifestly all had a (bodily) human form. This represents that the effectuation of what they symbolized about the projects of God would be manifested in tangible human form; thus tangibly recognizable and observable by other people. So, despite God here injunctively working to establish His Temporal Jubilee Millennium Kingdom, it outwardly will seem to merely be through “human” means, but God is indeed behind the scene guiding and sustaining His Faithful People.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:5
(The ensuing account is the expansion of the succinctly and summarizingly related account in the “Walking Through the Opened Door” section of my bio-post.):
My realization that my ministry work was actually fulfilling the 4 Living Being entity in Ezek 1 & 10 came to me both naturally and gradually.[2]2 While at Andrews University, my work leading up to my ‘move “North”’ in late February 2000, culminatingly was on doing some initial/feasibility studies into the viability of creating a ‘Biblical Research Center’(=WBSC) which would do all of the various many more indepth Biblical Studies which I had discovered still needed to be done while I was researching & writing my book on the ‘Seventy Weeks of Daniel’. Originally I had first thought that I could do this work by myself however this would take time and money. So my first solution was to move back (“North”) to the Montreal, Canada area where my parents still own a home, and which I could live for free in its basement section, and thus I would be able to save on the current ca. $400/month of rent that I was paying for my off-campus Andrews University apartment. My main reason for staying near Andrews was in order to be able to use its Seminary Library for my research, but by now, after over two years of in depth scholarly studies, I had “figured” out how scholarly studies worked, and seen that it was really a matter of quality over quantity. So I figured that I could use my save rent money to purchase any key/quality Biblical books [e.g. I subscribed to the CBD] and resources [e.g. I later bought Bibleworks (4.0)] that I needed for my work. Also I had seen only that the McGill University Library in Montreal had a very vast section for Biblical Studies which I could make the downtown commute to if I needed its resources. So that was my plan as I left Andrews and moved North.
Although I didn’t know, or see it as such then, there, in those WBSC plans, was my arrival at the Ox/Cherub-Face Living Being.
One of the lingering ideas that remained at the forefront of my mind was, and based on the Ezek 8-related (first) vision that I had had in June 1999, that given that the Biblical Research work that as I was working on would result in various ministry projects and as these were things that the SDA Church was not doing, and frankly obviously not interested in doing, -pointedly because it would involve a socialistic (vs. Capitalistic) collaboration that clearly, unlike its foundational history, had now become anathema by this generation of the SDA Church, I decided to also expand and fully launch the Thy Word Is Truth Ministry (T.W.I.T.) that I been working on at Andrews. I had plans to expand it to jointly an Evangelistic as well as a Humanitarian Ministry. Therein actually was, and had long been, the foundation of the Man-Face Living Being.
Then my trip to, -as related in my bio-post at its “Jerusalem D.C.” section, Washington D.C. and the nearby SDA General Conference and the Review and Herald Building all served to inspire me about planning a T.W.I.T. ministry headquarters campus where the various administrative and ministry building would be located.
So I saw that the first item on my WBSC plans agenda was to prepare that campus location. So I arrived in Montreal on Friday Feb. 25, 2000 and started to work on that campus planning by Sunday the 27th, when I sketched out, see below, what it would look like: which turned out to be deemed and themed as a “Jerusalem City”.
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| Initial ‘Jerusalem mini-city’ Sketch |
Then on Tuesday Feb 29, and for the next week, I was driving around looking for an ideal property where it could be located, even visiting local Real Estate offices. I also bought that day a QuickCAD software to produce (engineering) quality drawings of my sketch. By Monday March 6, 2000, I had settled on a (wooded and farmland) site, which had the added locational perk of being near a large, effectively vacant (i.e. except for a sparsely few perimeter residence) island where I was planning to build a “Bible’s World” theme park (which would be connected by (private) subway to the Jerusalem City campus). I then spent a solid week (Mar 6-10, 2000) visiting my City Hall’s property section figuring out and specifying exactly which parcels of property I would need to purchase and then researching the information about the owners of these parcels (and also tabulating the potential costs from their taxable property value.) So, though I also did not know or understand it then, therein was the genesis of the Lion-Face Living Being.
But by March 27, 2000 I had realized that my projects would require much funding just to get off the ground. I was confident that the various work that would be done, -pointedly from commercialized productions based on the studies produced by its WBSC Biblical Research Center, so I then decided to pursue an idea that I had had for an alternative automobile engine.[3]3 I got together with two of my friends to try to together launch this innovative project. Give my prior studies in Electrical Engineering, I would be responsible for the the science and engineering studies; given that one of my friends was then working as a trained mechanic, then he, as well as my other friend who was then working in a technical repairs job, would (jointly) be responsible for the mechanical as well as tooling aspects. They however did not seem to be too enthused/dedicated, at least, as much as I was, -especially given the plans that I had for the money from this invention, so by the end of the meeting, I told them that I was going to start up the feasibility work on my own and they could join later...which actually was quite a generous offer on my part since I was going to be doing most, if not all of the establishing groundwork and its risks, as well as costs.
So over the next 3 days I sketched out all of the details that I could figure out about the invention. Then on the third day, Thursday March 30, 2000, I decided to “go for it”. Given that a family friend was selling a used (1984) Dodge minivan that he had for $150, I decide to buy it, (narrowly convincing him to sell it to me instead of a friend of his that he had already promised it to), in order to use it for the test vehicle for the model of that alternative motor. (I, in the next month, removed all of its gas-powered engine related parts, including the engine block itself, to prepare it for my alternative energy engine invention).
Then later that night (Mar 30), I decided to go to the McGill University Library, to its Engineering Library, -which was located in its distinct Engineering Hall across the campus (see in map) from its Main Library Building [i.e. rear-adjacent to its Computer/Electrical Engineering Department’s McConnell Hall], in order to do scientific/engineering studies about my written out concept for that motor. And when there I experienced what I saw as a sign from God in regards to this invention, particularly because it reminded me by being almost exactly the same thing, of the sign experience that I had on April 5, 1998 when I saw and bought my minivan which I was needing then to do my TWIT itinerant (effectively: colporteuring) ministry. (cf. 7T 140.3|CM 4.1) (Do (first) see the account of that 1998 experience in my bio-post in the “From ‘Coup de Grace’ to Favor Coup” section.) I spent a couple of hours in the McGill Engineering Library doing that scientific/engineering research on my envisioned concept, but actually had not come across anything that corroborated those ideas. -And I actually can’t recall for sure now, but I am pretty sure that my deciding to go to the McGill Library late that night was at an impression that I had felt I had gotten from God to do so once I had finished storing my newly bought test car in my garage. So, frustrated, I finally decided to call it a night then (the McGill libraries closed really late then (ca. midnight...it must have been end of term finals time)) and come back another day to do more research. So I made my way downstairs to go out of the building; -all the while while “surely”, -(as I am pretty sure I had felt a Divine impression to go to the Library) brooding about: “why would God make me come here for nothing”.
As I was about to go out through the same entrance doors that I had entered in, as I was approaching them I suddenly had a voicing impression, which I immediately recognized/knew that it was God telling me to instead take a left into a corridor, which was actually adjacent to the doors in front of me, that led to a side exit from the building [through the attached Macdonald Hall =Civil, Mechanical, Bio- etc Engineering]. That didn’t at all make sense to me as I had parked close by to this main entrance/exit and actually off to the right [on University St.], so exiting here at the left side of the building was quite a circuitous walk around which I would have to do to get back to my parked car. But knowing/trusting that this was God’s voice and therefore his will/leading, I obeyed and turned into that side corridor. As I was walking down that corridor, I thought that maybe this was God’s way of telling me to go to the main library on the campus [McLennan Hall], which was exactly in that direction, and do my research there. As that made sense out of this, I concluded that this is ‘evidently’ what I must then do.
I got to the exit door at the end of that corridor and pushed its bar lever to open it and go through....but the door wouldn’t open...I then pushed again, but, and though the doors would give a little, they still wouldn’t open....I was so sure that God had led/told me to exit by these doors that it didn’t occur to me that these doors could be locked...but they actually were. But then I found it strange that the door were giving a little when I pushed on them, yet still not opening. It clearly wasn’t locked, so I looked about to see what was preventing it from opening it, and then I noticed, and also then heard, at its top, the buzzing of an electro-magnet locking device which I knew from having seem them at the side exit doors in the Andrews University (Meier) Dorm Hall [though they actually were never used while I was there], as a system for remote locking and unlocking/releasing of doors. I then (frustratedly) could not believe that God had led me down this detouring way only to literally run into a, and that figurative, “closed/locked door”. I tried one more time to push the door open, but clearly it was not meant to, nor going to, open....and then it suddenly hit me....That locking mechanism resembled almost exactly the main component concept that I had come up with for my alternative energy engine....So I then excitedly made my way back into the Engineering library and looked up on the book search terminals for books about that type of locking device. I found several books on it, but it was in doing added related searching in the section of those books that I then came up with exactly the solution which, in collaboration with other supporting means, has made that invention idea of mine a scientifically very feasible/possible concept!! [I came to consider this experience as my “Newton’s Apple Incident”] [4]4
Propelled by that Divine-led confirming discovery, I would then spend the whole next month (April 2000) working on building a wooden proto-type model for my engine, which cost me about $700 in terms of money for materials, on top of the hours of work, and physical effort, and by the end of the month, I had built a (propped up) waist-high, ca. 2.5 feet long model engine block [-I later interestingly found many corroborating specs and applicable symbology in the Whirlwind-Shaking prophetic (see EW 48-49ff) vision that William Miller had (see EW 81-83)], which I set up on propping up, (wooden) subfloor-screwed leg stands, in an empty room in my basement. That block itself was quite a model, but I it was kind of putting the oxen before the cart because I had yet to finalize the scientific studies for my concept, having seen that the concept could actually be proven in a working demonstration rather than by scientific calculations or on paper sketchings. But I was so sure of God’s leading in it, from that sign/experience that I had not problem with moving right along with it until everything would fall into place. (One of my friends even rejoined the project, paying up his tier of my lone-incurred expenses thus far.)
So therein, and also although I neither knew or understood it as such then, I had the genesis of the Eagle-Face Living Being.
Therefore, summarizing things here about what these 4 Living Being/Creatures represent, and as I would only later understand them to be, -which succinctly restates what has already been expounded in this earlier post:
Lion: the establishment of a New (Leading/Superpower) Christian Country for the Cause and People of God.
Ox/Cherub: An exhaustive Biblical Research Entity which will endeavor to arriving at the full, accurate and concrete/documented Truth and thus help inform a Biblical Culture and Society
Man: A Godly Outreach Entity which works to Biblically resolving humanitarian issues. E.g., not providing abortion services for women who have had an unwanted pregnancy.
Eagle: A (advanced) Technology Entity which supplies this organization with the tools is needs to properly and speedily accomplish its goals. As the Bible attests, God of course is still in the business of Supernaturally doing, -including through Spiritual Gifts (e.g. Acts 2:14-16ff)), what His Faithful People, -at least at that point/stage, genuinely cannot do for themselves.
More on the story/history of how I came to realize and identify those 4 major ministry tasks that I was pursuing and working on were fulfilling the Four Living Creatures/Beings of Ezekiel and elsewhere in the Bible will be given at later interspersed verses in relation to pertinent details then stated in Ezekiel about them. (E.g. at Ezek 1:10)
Ezekiel 1:6 - Each of them had four faces and four wings.
each...four faces - It is readily conceivable to understand that ‘each of the 4 Living Being had 4 wings’, but the statement is also specific here (as also at Ezek 10:14, cf. Ezek 1:10) that each of them also had 4 faces. Manifestly on each of 4 sides all around a single head; as (symmetrically) arranged and depicted in this illustration {page} below [i.e. versus e.g. this one].
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| 4 Faces Each of Living Creatures |
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:6
As it has in recent times been observed and concretely studied out (Google: “multitasking efficiency fallacy”), when one “multi-tasks” the actually do not really, as the one (or more) other task ends up being neglected, even tuned out, while only one task get focused on...i.e. by the brain. One still may intake input from the other simultaneous tasks, but the brain only actually processes one of them at a time. Multi-tasking is however efficient if the tasks are not requiring/involving the same responses. E.g. talking on the phone while doing the dishes.
All this prefacing to say that as I soon found myself with 4 major ministry task to do, each of them important, and pressing, in themselves: Namely, to recap from NJKP 1:5 (=at Ezek 1:5) above:
Ox/Cherub: Establishing a Biblical Research Center.
Lion: Setting up a full-functional self-support/-ing Ministry HQ campus.
Man: Accomplishing Evangelistic and Outreach Ministries.
Eagle: Inventing an Alternative Power/Energy Device.
I quickly found out that to pursue one of those major ministry tasks, I had to put another one, indeed all three others, on the “back burner(s)”. But actually to my “relief”, I also quickly found out that work on any of these 4 major works ended up contributing is some degree to each other one.
So therein I came to (later) see fulfilled the “each of them had four faces”, which, as later stated in Ezek 1:10 was ‘each of the Living Being having all of the same four faces’. So it became heartening for me that the setting aside of one major task in order to pursue and advance another was not in any way a step backwards. In fact it then became expected that I would be make this switching of tasks after I had advanced one as far as I then could. (More on this “feature” at Ezek 1:12a)
Ezekiel 1:7 - Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze.
legs were straight - Though the Hebrew word here is commonly used to characteristically speak of “rightness/uprightness”, the meaning here is surely non-figurative, but speaking of indeed of the “straightness” of their legs. This however is probably in a sense of them being extended outward, instead of being bent or folded and tucked underneath them, as Ezekiel is able to see underneath their feet, i.e. “the sole of their feet”.
soles of their feet - Indeed the soles is literally/specifically what the Hebrew is pointing to in this statement. Ironically enough in those days, (and as still seen today in Middle East countries), the soles of one’s feet was a dishonorable area of the body from it being so dirty from all of the walking about either barefoot or in (flimsy) sandal. So this would make it even more odd to Ezekiel that this area was here being so deliberately and noticeably displayed by the Living Creatures ‘straightly extending their legs.’
feet - As seen from the understanding of “Advanced Prophetic Symbology”, the usage/reference to “feet” in encrypted/signified prophecy is to represent the “means of going places and/or means of standing established.” A similar interpretive significance of the feet was seen in the prophecy of the Mighty Angel of Rev 10:2b. So here a indication is being made about the nature and implication of the identical means by which each of these 4 Living Beings will be using to “stand established and go places”, i.e.: ‘found themselves and operate’.
calf - The Hebrew word here is “egel” {Strongs #05695} and refers to a “young calf” (e.g. Jer 31:18; Isa 11:6; 27:10; Psa 29:6; Mal 4:2). The Young Calf however is most commonly cited in reference to the infamous idolatrous Golden Calf debacle that Israel, led by Aaron (Exod 32:21-22), took part in the Wilderness while Moses was up on the Mountain getting their Covenant from God (Exod 32:1-10ff; cf. Deut 9:7-21; Psa 106:19; Neh 9:18).
The Young Calf was also to be used as a Sin Offering by Aaron/the High Priest (Lev 9:2; cf. Deut 9:20) and also a Burnt Offering for the People (Lev 9:3, 8; cf. Deut 9:21). It very well may be that the calf was included in the Levitical sacrifices pointedly because of the Golden Calf incident.
hoof - Again, this has pointed reference to the bottom portion, even underside, of the feet.
gleamed like burnished bronze - As presented in this post, “bronze” was, unlike for gold and silver, primarily a most functionally valuable. It however could be made to seem to have lusterly value by it being burnished, yet it may value was in its functional strength.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:7
Upon seeing and considering the NJK Project plans one can be somewhat questioning as to how it plans to be and use a technologically and developmentally highly advanced entity, while not espousing a Capitalistic approach. That is of course because people today have been literally brainwashed to think on one hand that people can only be highly productive and innovative if they have some personal financial reward in this endeavor. And on the other hand, people are also conditioned to think that things must only be done according to Capitalistic methods, and any other approach is cheating and even thievery. Well of course, there is no “Law” (at least not yet) which mandates so. People, whether rich or poor, have just willfully or tacitly agreed to, and worshipfully so, play the Capitalism game. But the fact is that there not only are ample resources in the world to produce the NJK, but there is also no fact or reason that a non-Capitalistic approach cannot be just as, and actually even more, productive Socio-Economic system. What is needed are people with Godly hearts and mind and thus non-selfish disposition.
That is pointedly what the symbolism here with the 4 Living Creatures is depicting. In short, the represent the making of functional use of something that most other people would, like Ancient Israel and present day Capitalists (even Christians), literally idolatrously make a god out of, to which they likewise declare: “This is our god who brought us up from the land of Egypt”. Christians today indeed blasphemously say the same thing about Capitalism, to the point where they are easily more willing to obey the dictates of their god than do the will of God. The NJK itself will instead be an entity which despite being highly advanced, will continually known who is their only God and obey him. (Luke 16:13)
It is also pertinent to see that Capitalist people today are indeed treating such socio-economic things as if it is a god, as pointedly seen in how they staunchly believe that people can and will only innovate and improve their lives if only there is personal financial profit to be made. The real truth is rather that all innovation is inceptive borne our of a particular need, e.g. a need to be able to do something better, easier and/or faster. “Necessity is indeed the mother of invention”. What has come to happen is that that conceived idea/desire for innovating is then turned over to the capricious and self-serving whims of those who have the capital. Case in point, when one has an innovative idea, their next step is trying to find financing/investing capital to get it off the ground. In fact, one cannot even contact, e.g. a company which is already involve in that sector and share this innovating idea with them because companies now don’t dare take in unsolicited innovation ideas so that they can’t/won’t be held judicially responsible/liable for stealing that idea. So the inventor is then left to fend on his own to try to produce the idea. And so there is this most duplicating, redundant and wastefulness in the Capitalistic system. The NJK won’t be hampered by such selfishness rooted practices. Instead the general population will freely suggest innovation ideas to those involved in that products industry. And the rapid and efficient development of new and innovating things will equally benefit all. So no need in the NJK to ‘craft a nest egg for oneself’ as everyone there will be involved in having, sustaining and advancing the collective good.
And so, as depicted here in Ezek 1:7, though the NJK will be making use of the products which Capitalists have developed to upbuild and establish itself (=“feet”) in/for all of its 4 Main Entities (=“4 Living Beings”), it will neither be out of reverence or worship to it/them (=“soles of calf’s hoof”), but for functional (=“bronze”) purposes. (=Dan 11:36-38)...In fact, all along, that was the purpose of Capitalists (=Eccl 2:26; See FE 408.2b above).
In summary here, a very simple and fool-proof “rule of thumb” to see/determine if one and/or a Christian ministry is operating according to a worshipful Capitalistic means or instead worshipfully/obediently to God’s Will, -which can be a deceptively fine line, is to see what happens when, pointedly the profits, or even the operating funds, aren’t present. If the person/ministry then no longer seeks to continue ministering, thus then in faith, then they are indeed being Capitalistically worshipful.
A prime example of this in the Christian world is in its Book publishing industry, -books which by inherent responsibility are trying to share the light of God’s Truth and Gospel to the World. The (currently popular and prevalent) Capitalistic approach has individual authors competitively fending for themselves in trying to prepare a work that will be publish. That then produces a mountain of individualistic subjective and opining works which only cause confusion in the readership, but thus ends up stifling the ‘Message Sharing’ objective and mission. A much better approach would be a Systematic Socialistic one, -which is the model and template that is used for all of the NJK Project’s Endeavors, where people with book/works ideas and topics would automatically be put in collaboration with dedicated experts in the field (e.g. in WBSC).
In the Christian World today the 1.3+ billion Roman Catholic Church way more than less operates on such a harmonized template, and thus their teaching/theology are homogenous throughout their Global Congregation. On the flip side, you have the Protestant Individualistic/Capitalistic approach where (untrained) authors/writers express their (limited) views and opinions which result in the mass fragmentation of Protestantism (e.g. 33,000 Denominations, including within individual Denominations themselves). A collaborative approach, stemming from a humble desire, and dedication, to learn and express concrete Truth would be infinitely better (John 17:17) - That indeed was the foundational motto at the founding of the NJK Project (see e.g. here) starting with its initiating Thy Word Is Truth ministry.
Also, have a systematized payment for published books, -(which in today’s, now most advanced, digital age can easily all be released in ebook format instead of the merely income guaranteeing/checking preeminent hard copy method), where members of a denomination fund in advance the book writing/publishing work, covering merely costs, would serve to get the, always-claimed “Divine/Biblical message” before, and most readily so, as many people as possible, including in as many languages as possible. But both publishers and readers have preferred to let sales determine what is Biblical or not rather than determinative Biblical examination. So the work of God is being limited by the love of money (=Mammon Luke 16:13; 1 Tim 6:10).....But it ironically is quite fitting that this self-limiting model is actually serving to prevent the widespreading of (through the more trusted published works route) not really or not fully, true, or outrightly wrong, writings and views.
“Selfishness” (Phil 2:3ff) is indeed the actual opposite of “Love” (John 13:34-35; 1 Cor 13:6) and is what is at the anchoring root [=4T 384.3] of this pervasive, “Spiritualistic”, Anti-(True)-Christianity Capitalistic deception/delusion. (=EW 263-266ff; 4T 385.1; cf. Luke 18:20, 25|DA 519.4|)
Ezekiel 1:8 - Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,
under wings...human hands - As seen earlier from several SOP statements, this was a key symbol which the SOP saw as meaning that: “This is to teach His servants that it is divine power that gives them success” (5T 754.1).
Looking at this from an Biblical exegesis perspective and see if that revelation checks out by being supported Biblically: the wings are clearly symbols of speed, thus moving about/forward faster. The symbol of the hand represents “the means of doing things”. Now, through logical observation, ‘a hand under a wing’ would impeded the movement of the wings, thus preventing them from fulfilling their flying capability, thus from ‘speedily moving forward and advancing this chariot. In fact, as discussed above at Ezek 1:3, God instead had to make use of a “storm wind” to propel this great cloud chariot in its descending flight from Heaven to Earth. So it can be understood here that: ‘the human hands are impeding the speedy approach, advance and forward progress’ of this ‘throne of God (=Kingdom Rule) Earthly Establishment’. But given how this symbol in entrenchedly inclusive in this imagery, it can be seen that this delaying development has been “baked into” this all along.
Now this Bible symbols interpreting understanding may seem to be in contradiction to what the SOP has said that this symbolism means in regards to ‘God’s power given success’, along with EGW’s additional statements, including from seeing direct revelations (i.e. in Ev. 65.1/21MR 151.5 = “My hand is turning the wheels”), that: ‘that hand, was actually God’s own hand’.* The Bible however explicitly says “human hands”. Well that harmonizing fact here is that the SOP also consistently saw that ‘hand of God’ as having and overarching correcting and overruling function in order to “bring perfect order and harmony” (e.g. FE 409.2; 5T 754.2) into ‘His prophesied glorious Earth-Ruling Kingdom plans and purposes to pass’ here (e.g. EV 65.2; cf. Isa 46:11)...Indeed God can even “summon” and make successful use of a pagan King to accomplish His prophetic will as He did with Cyrus (=5T 753.4 =Isa 45:5)!!
* See above at: 4BC 1161.1-3; 1888 1303.1; TM 213.3; FE 409.2; 5T 752.2; 753.4; 754.1-2; Ev 65.2; PK 535.3-536.1; 176.1.
So the full understanding here is that this hand under the wings is indeed a human hand which is impeding the speedy fulfillment, advancement and establishment of the Temporal Kingdom of God Plans which He has through this Divine Throne-transferring approach 4 Living Being on their Great Cloud... -(an ‘advent’ which is itself actually typologically related to the advent of the Son of Man in Rev 14:14-16), but ‘God’s own hand is overseeing, overruling and overturning’ (=21MR 151.5) all of the developments here, and He is actively working to keep that Divine Plan “advancing”, and that to a perfect and harmonious order and glorious success. As he says: “My providence will continue to work out the divine plans, irrespective of human inventions.”
And the further fact of the matter is that God’s hand is also doing this corrective and guiding thing when it is His own people who are working to turn those wheels forward once that great cloud has touched down on the Earth.
But, as mentioned earlier, prior to making that touch down on Earth, God had to use a “storm wind from the north” to propel that great cloud from Heaven to Earth as those hands were still impeding the wings of the Living Beings. Then when it has touched down and can make use of its wheels, this is when the human hands act their own part to try to move that great cloud chariot forward to where it ought to go on the Earth. Indeed ‘these Four Heavenly Beings are then being guided by those humans hands’ (=PK 535.3), but which are in turn being over-seen/guided by God’s own hand.
Now combine this fact that, as shown above in Ezek 1:4, the “storm wind coming from the north’ was ‘a Babylonian destructive force’, it can be deduced that God would be literally ‘riding the winds (=strife) of a Babylonian destructive force’ to both destroy His rebellious Judah and Jerusalem and move His Great Cloud with the Four Living Beings and His Throne from Heaven to Earth. And evidently, once it touches down, then it is then up to those ‘(impeding/delaying) human hands underneath the wings’ to move about and forward this Plan of God, and all overseen by God’s own hand.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:8
Interpreting the symbolism in “wings”, they are inherently meant to make its owner fly. As seen with birds and aircraft, “flight” allows for both faster, as well as unimpeded (by obstacles), displacement, and also helps to provide a more comprehensive perspective of things. So ‘the 4 Living Beings having wings’ in relation to the NJK Project’s applications of them, meant/means to me that God would be providing such facilitating assistance to these 4 Major Works. Thus the work of the 4 Main NJK Works would be “Supernaturally Assisted”. However, as seen in the Ezek 1:8, this Supernatural Assistance was impeded/negated by the presence of human hands underneath each of those wings. And later on in Ezek 1:9, 24, the wings are shown to be used in other ways, but ways which end up doing what they could and would have directly done themselves if those, albeit still “God-guided”, human hands were not present.
Over the course of the planning and endeavoring of the NJK Project works, I have certainly experienced the supernatural direction and guidance from God, literally in the several hundreds of instances from prophetic dreams (187 thus far), visions (98+), voicing/inspirations/revelations, etc. However nothing (yet?) to (supernaturally) provide the literally single missing “component” which would unlock each, any and all of these 4 NJK Project Works. But all of those revelations have served to advance each of these Projects to their envisioned end (cf. Ezek 1:24). So rather than “taking off”, and “supernaturally” so, these works have instead been protracted and laborious “ground works”, and according to human development/implementation of the Divine objective and barebone template.
Ezekiel 1:9 - their wings ‘touched one another’; with their faces not being turned in them going, each one went straight ahead of its face.
wings ‘touched one another’.... - the underlying Hebrew idiom here, (and which also repeated in Ezek 1:23; 3:13), literally says that ‘the wings joined/allied/united together (as a wife towards her sister)’. This would be somewhat vulgarly be describing a deliberate ‘side-by-side, but not overlapping/interlocking, alignment joining.’ As seen earlier at Ezek 1:4, there evidently was a technological method for producing lift power in this cloud chariot similar to what is done for hot air balloons. So the wings coming together here enclosed and trap the air between them and thus create the needed separated atmosphere in the middle of the Cloud Chariot, which, when heated by its ‘glowing metal fire’ served to provide lift power. It therefore seems that the description by Ezekiel of the wings joining here as “as a wife towards a sister” was because it was being careful here that the wings do not overlapping in their joining, and this was manifestly in order to create as large a volume of heatable air space in between the Living Beings as possible. So the volume here would be reduced if the wings were overlapping instead of carefully coming together merely side by side.
Manifestly, -as even forward ground-rolling motion also has to displace the weight of this chariot, manifestly lift was produced to help in this regards, and then the human hands merely turned the wheels according to their capable strength to move the entire, and indeed surely overall heavy, cloud chariot.
Clouds in themselves, though formed of lighter-than-air liquid particles, can collectively be extremely heavy. And as the use of a cloud in itself would be sufficient to provide lift here, but would be then entirely dependent on externally acting blowing winds to just be lifted, the inclusion of the lift mechanism from the wings of these Living Beings, was manifestly for this Chariot to: (1) structurally be as compact as possible (still a “great cloud” was needed); and also (2) functionally able to fully operate and move whenever it wanted to, independent of how, or if, the wind (which symbolizes strife) was blowing around it.
So effectively, through this wings assistance, angelic assistance was being given to help, and keep, this Great Cloud Chariot both compact despite the weight it was bearing; and also independently mobile despite any adverse condition about it. (Cf. EW 269.2 where angels likewise use their wings to sustain and assist God’s people, providing them light due to the imposed darkness by wicked people all about them.)
From the alternative, more advanced technological means and uses thus far seen/for in this Great Cloud Chariot, -including the use of glowing metal instead of coal for the power source (Ezek 1:4, 13), it is evident that God had prepared it to be as structurally compact, and as independently functional as possible and all within humanly possible capabilities, with the assistance of angelic capabilities being kept at a bare and most extremely necessary minimum.
with their faces not being turned in them going - The underlying Hebrew here is somewhat complex but the notion being expressed is that the faces [this (masculine plural) antecedent from Ezek 1:8] of the Four Living Beings were evidently designed to be turned even as they went on the move. Each Being was supposed to keep looking straight forward irrespective of which direction the cloud chariot was then actually moving.
each went straight forward - Given that they were not supposed/designed to turn, each being was however designed to move straight forward in one of the four possible directions here, So the cloud chariot was thus capable of covering any ground even if it would be one of them going and looking forward at that/a time.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:9
Two things had been introduced in this verse about the Cloud Chariot. (1) With the wings being present, but not used for flight, as stated above at Ezek 1:4, they were used for a technological vs. supernatural capability to achieve lift force; (2) There movement was seemingly distinct/Individualistic but yet it manifestly, collectively got the job done.
I saw this in my work on my 4 Main NJK Project Works. Though each were Spiritual Works, and I had experienced Divine Signs, Guidance and Confirmation for, and in doing, each of them, I was, still am, left with the technical slog of preparing them and figuring out how to, pun intended: “getting them off the ground”. Unlike for Noah and the building of the Ark where/when: “God gave Noah the exact dimensions of the ark and explicit directions in regard to its construction in every particular. Human wisdom could not have devised a structure of so great strength and durability.” (PP 92.3a), I myself was/have been left to research, study and find out for myself, from various available information, -which is actually quite accessible via the internet, the details of how to get these various works done. So, though, as with the presence, even partial assistance, of the angel wings for the Cloud Chariots, God has indeed initiated and guided where genuinely needed in these Major Works, the Supernatural Assistance does not do what I myself can achieve.
About the peculiar movement of the Living Beings, as state at NJKP 1:6, even I myself initially thought/feared that the abandoning of one main work, to dedicatedly focus and work on another would hinder my “forward advance” in these works, however even when pursuing one course of main work at a time, and thus moving forward only in that one direction, I saw how the other three works also were indirectly aided and advanced even while moving in that ‘one work’s direction’. In fact, their own contribution when they themselves had been individually dedicatedly advanced now assisted in the main task work that I was then working on. So even in this rotating lone advance movement, forward progress in each and collectively all of my 4 Main NJK Works was still being done, and the collective “4 Entity Cloud Chariot” was being advanced towards its ultimate end goal/objective/destination.
Ezekiel 1:10 - As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right [=South] and the face of a ox on the left [=North], and all four had the face of an eagle.
-faces of (1) Man...(2) Lion....(3) Ox... (4) Eagle - In Ezek 1:6, Ezekiel had stated that the 4 Living Being had 4 Faces each. Here he goes into describing the likeness of these faces. Manifestly, as depicted in the illustration below, the direction of each of the Living Beings’ Four Faces all identically pointed towards the same directions, so Ezekiel tells about all of them in this combined statement. And as the Four Living Being were Facing Four different directions, then each distinct face likeness came to face a specific direction.
Specific cardinal points location is given for two of the faces: For the face which faces the (in the Hebrew) South* [=“right”] and the opposite face to this one, the one facing North, and on the “left”**. For the specific location of the remaining two, it can be deduced/assume that Ezekiel was starting his identification first from the face that was most closely facing, and then worked his way around, in the order he cites them in this verse which results in the order/numbering in the illustration below.
* See: Jos 17:7; 1 Sam 23:14, 19; 1 Kgs 7:39; Psa 89:12; Ezek 16:46.
** See: Gen 14:15; Jos 19:27; Ezek 16:46.
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| Four Faces Directional Diagram |
So (1) the Face nearest to him and directly facing him, was evidently that of a Man. (2) Then Ezekiel looks to his right [=Southward] and sees the Lion Face pointing that way. (3) Then he looks over to the left [=Northward] and sees a Ox Face. And lastly (4) Ezekiel looks at the face furthest away from him and which, by cardinal point directions necessity, is therefore facing Eastward, and this is an Eagle Face. Meaning also that the first face, the Man had been looking Westward.
Furthermore, the “glowing metal fire” center (=Ezek 1:4, 13), which Ezekiel actually crosses over when going from the (2) South Point/Face to the (3) North Point/Face, and where he later picks up fire (Ezek 10:6-8) as if these are burning pebbles of coal (=Ezek 10:2a) from an altar’s fire (=Isa 6:6) for casting the destructions on the city (Ezek 10:2b = Rev 8:3-5ff) clearly is precisely/orderly functioning as the equivalent Holy “Priests/Sanctuary” portion which is always cited/placed in between the orderly citing of the 4 Camps of Israel which are matched to these 4 Faces. (See in the illustrations provided in this post).
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:10
Back in my earlier post on these 4 Living Creatures, I had come to match the Faces with the Four cardinal points (see illustrations there) based directly on a November 4, 2000 vision that I had had where the content observed at each Cardinal Point had led me to make the matching with my already (Spiritually-experientially) arrived at understanding about what each of the 4 Living Creatures tangibly stood for (See also the earlier summary statement above at Ezek 1:5), Well, the understanding here about Ezek 1:10 just arrived at today [=August 15, 2016] comes to applicably match that prior Faces=Directions matching, however as it then applies to a Remnant Establishment (=Southern Kingdom of Judah then), which up until recently (ca. 1996) had application in the SDA Church. But now, as this present former Remnant (of Israel) is likewise (cf. LDE 59.1-2ff) to be “whirlwindly judged” (=Ezek 1:4) and be gloriously superceded (=15MR 292.3-4). So this Biblical corroboration conclusively confirming that Spiritually-experiential understanding!! (cf. DA 668.3)
My Four Living Being Vision - As I have made repeated allusions to that vision which, actually coalesced my understanding about how my 4 Major NJK Project works were identifying as, and fulfilling, the 4 Living Beings, I share here the pertinent part/details which led me to that understanding.
First of all, as stated at NJKP 1:5's Note #2, I’ve put the range of my full understanding of the understanding of the symbolism of those 4 Living Beings, and their fulfilment in the 4 NJK Works that I was engaged in, to sometime withing the range of July 19, 2000 to May 19, 2001. I’ll have to do detailed researched into my earlier writings and saved documents to find for sure the exact date, however I think that I can assume that when I sat down in January 2001, (when then staying for 3 Weeks at Walla Walla College (now University), while trying to get expert/professional Engineering Assistance there for the development of my Alternative Energy Power Supply Innovation), to transpose my up to then handwritten recording of the (23) Visions and Dreams that I had had up to then, that it is then that I sketched out on a note card the following representation of that 19th vision.
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| Notecard Sketch of my 4 Living Being Vision |
As seen for that quick sketching, I indeed had by then seen how that dream related to the 4 Living Being. On April 17, 2010, I drew a larger and more detailing representation of that sketch in the following:
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| Larger Sketch of my 4 Living Being Vision |
To succinctly relate exactly how I came to first my “4 Cardinal Points” understanding, and then my “4 Major NJK Works” application understanding in this vision, to me, based on the SOP vision in EW 15.2; cf. Matt 24:27, 30, the cloud standing over an industrial park of Earthen Toned-Nuclear Power Reactors to which I twice was saying at the ending of my vision (and which awoken me) that: “This was the Sign of the Son of Man” was clearly the “East”. So by logical correlation, the directly opposite side/direction, where there was a fuming volcano in the middle of vast waters [=Rev 8:8-9], and from which that cloud had originated, was the “West”. So only the North or the South was left to figure out, and based on my understanding then on Dan 11 about the King of the North vs. South’s, since in the vision I had made my way to the “East” via a side door which other SDAs had gone through before me to go around towards the East and gaze at that cloud, I went with the understanding that the side door opened towards the “Kingdom of the South” which I knew to be representative of the SDA Church Area. And so the opposite direction was of course, the North. It all seemed like a perfect fit to me. Even the “West” region where the fuming, mid-sea volcano was fit in with the understanding that Jesus’s cloud would go from the East to the West (though it had moved in the opposite direction in my vision), and so that must be representing the “final destination” of Christ’s approach. [=Dan 2:34-35, 44-45 -commentingly explained in here]
Now from that “directional” understanding, I came to assayingly plug in my 4 NJK Works along with the 4 Living Beings which I by then may have already been associating:
-The (Natural = Earthen-Toned) Nuclear Power Plant Park in the East seemed to me to be surely related to the Alternative Energy Innovation that I was working on.
-The South direction where I understood the SDA Church territory to be (=Judah), I came to see my own New Country (=Kingdom) NJK Project Plans as being supercedingly related to it. And this to me was related to the Lion.
-The North seemed clearly to me to be related to my WBSC work which was being done help Christians in other Denominations conclusively arrive at and understanding proper, accurate and full Biblical Truth, and I understood this to be related to the religio-cultural symbol of the Ox/Cherub.
That here actually then left me with two leftover choices for associations for the Eagle and Man faces, and given how the Eagle was “foreign”, even most unclean to me, and also how an eagle symbolized/contained “speed and power”, I deemed that it was probably best associated with my Innovations Work. So I associated it with the East Direction.
-So then only the West direction and the Man face were left, as well as my Thy Word Is Truth Evangelistic and Outreach Ministry Work, so they would have to be related....And their association did indeed make sense to me as: such Christian Gospel & Humanitarian ministering did indeed minister to “man” (cf. Luke 4:15; Acts 10:38) and all should indeed be the end goal/work (=West) of a Christlike person, i.e. before the Second Coming, which I impressedly understood during the vision the fuming Volcano to be representative of.
Now, as seen in the supplied charting/diagraming illustration in this (prior) posting (captioned as: “Four Living Creatures & Camp Location”) on this topic, the above Faces & Directions identifying came to harmonize with how I was seeing that SDAs were understanding them. However in the vision, given how I had may my way out of the Side door in order to go to what I knew as the East, I then understood that I myself had a different “orientation” than that SDA one. So while the side door to them opened into their Kingdom Realm, thus the South, to me, it was the East. And from just that lone divergent identifying, I was easy to orient myself for the other 3 diverging cardinal points where then: Their East was My North; Their North was My West; and Their West was My South.
My diverging orientation and cardinal point heading made substantive sense to me with the details of the vision, and when I later, in 2010, saw that my orientation was, from Jewish documentation, just like that of Temporal Israel in their Head Tribe Banners, I came to see that this was the Literalistic view, one for implementing a Temporal Jubilee-Millennial Kingdom of God through a Typological Second Coming (-which ‘gathers God’s (Christian) Elect’ cf. Matt 24:31 =West via the work of WBSC), while the SDA Church orientation was Spiritualistic in terms of the realization of the Kingdom of God in this world culminating in Antitype the (Pre-Millennial) Second Coming.[5]5
Ezekiel 1:11 - Such were their faces. Their wings having been divided. Spread out above, each being had two wings touching/uniting to another being, and two wings covering their bodies.
Their wings having been divided - This speaks of a calculated/designed arrangement which divided, in pairs, the functions of each being’s 4 Wings.
Spread out above...two wings - Two wings of each being were used to spread out above them as in the form of a canopy.
beings’ wings touching/uniting - Those “canopy wings” were “touching/uniting” with the other beings’ wings, purposefully like what was described above in Ezek 1:9: -to create the volumetric space to provide the cloud with lift.
Two wings covering their bodies - This was probably functionally done to shield their bodies (cf. Ezek 1:23) from the emanating heat coming from the glowing fiery core that was in the midst of the chariot cloud. (Ezek 1:4, 13).
Relatedly here, it is common to think that angels using their wings to cover their bodies when in the immediate/close presence of God is something that is merely done out of worshiping reverence (cf. Isa 6:2), but, along the increasingly validated overarching thesis for this entire “Theological Views” Blog, there is actually a tangible, realistic and (ultimately) vital reason for every single thing that God says, commands/legislates and does. Though God has, -and again for another vital reason, chosen not to reveal most of these reasons in advance, but rather lets people come to, in faith and love, come to realize those reasons on their own, His will based on those reasons is indeed still to be heeded.
So here, the depictions of these angels covering their bodies is, as stated above, to physically shield themselves from the (atomic/nuclear, or greater) radiation that is emanating from that energizing core. And the surmise relation to God is that His “Unapproachable Light” (1 Tim 6:16), and even by most angelic beings, is manifestly tangibly produced by His innate “physical” composition. I.e. God purposefully created humans out of tangible flesh and bones....which therefore, purposely, actually can self-degrade and cease to exist (i.e. if, as they did, sinned/rebelled against Him). He had similarly purposely and purposefully created angels out of photon materials so that they can be His swift and powerful, =‘wind and fire like ministers’ (Heb 1:7) throughout His Universe. (“Angels that excel in strength”, as repeatedly inspiredly noted in the SOP, (e.g. PP 100.1|TA 70.3; TA 151.2) may actually be of a more tangible matter composition, even also flesh and bone themselves in order to be able to exert physical force on tangible things.) Various other type of Heavenly Beings (I.e. Cherubim, Seraphim, etc) are surely composed of other types of matter, all depending on what their purpose and task is. But God Himself probably does contain in His “Form” (cf. EW 54.2) an ever-energizing atomic/nuclear, or greater “core” from which that Light of His is produced, and which thematically is reflective of His Eternity and His Warranted/Unimpeached Right to Rule as God (=His “Glory” -See related issue in Ezek 1:27-28)
So this energizing core in between the Living Being may be materially related to God and thus requires this ‘tangible/protective reverence’ from also these Living Beings.[6]6
Ezekiel 1:12 - And each went straight forward; wherever the Spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they would go.
each went straight forward - That is “straight forward” towards the direction that their face was distinctly facing....So the 4 Beings would have to take turns going, =leading, in/towards a direction.
wherever the Spirit was about to go - (Cf. Ezek 1:20a) To key things here: (1) the living Beings were acting according to God’s Spirit;* and (2) their movement, and also their changes of direction were (anticipatingly) always in agreement with ‘where the Holy Spirit itself was intending to go’.
* While this “wind” could be claimed as the storm wind of Ezek 1:4 it would seem that if it was that wind which was being referenced here, then the qualifying word “storm” would have also been stated. The Hebrew word for “wind” is indeed simply used elsewhere by Ezekiel in his book to clearly be referring to the Holy Spirit. (E.g. Ezek 2:2; 3:12, 14, 24; 8:3; 11:1)
without turning as they would go - The Living Creatures did not turn the chariot as they were heading towards another direction. The Being facing the direction where they wanted to move to/towards then just led all of them.
It is significant to see from the illustration supplied above at Ezek 1:10, that each being, who all had four of the same faces each, also all had the same directional setup for their faces. So when the being with its (main) face took the lead to move the chariot in a certain direction, it can be seen that all of the other Beings also had the matching face of theirs also looking at that direction. So while it was one being leading the way, the other 3 Beings were, through their matching and similarly facing face, contributing their “insight”/guiding part in advancing towards that direction, or to a location. So even in these seemingly uniquely led moves, the 4 Being were still acting and cooperating in like-mindedness.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 1:12
As related above in NJKP 1:6, the work on the 4 Major Task of the NJK Project has been done in in turn dedicated focuses of one Major Task at a time. The shifting from one task to another was mainly done “merely” out of “endeavoring to do the right thing at/for that time”, yet everytime in retrospect, it was seen by me that that was indeed the best “Spiritual” pursuit that could and should have indeed been done then, which properly advance the collective objectives and task of this NJK Project. So I here experienced this ‘movement where the (Holy) Spirit was about to go’ (=DA 668.3)
Ezekiel 1:13 - As the likeness of the living beings, there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire.
As the likeness of the living beings - The NASB has gone with the reading of some ancient version of “In the midst of the living beings”, but the underlying, Hebrew, though surfacely seemingly non-relevant/sequitur should be followed, and it reads as: “As the likeness of the living beings”. The meaning of this latter, “stranger” expression maybe that Ezekiel, upon having completed his description of the 4 Living Being themselves, is here/now making a transition to describing the ‘equally fascinating, and manifestly also meaningful, “visionary appearance” that was also seen in the cloud, in between the Living Beings:
something like burning coals of fire - Again this was not actually burning coals of fire, but a distinct, and new-to-Ezekiel, method of producing a fire. It was “glowing metal” (Ezek 1:4)
like torches darting back and forth - It was quite an active mechanism, thus manifestly showing that it involved a self-energizing system rather than a mere stored-energy system. A torch itself was seen as the original source of light/energy.
fire was bright - Again, this is evidently from high intensity fire, similarly to what can be produced today by high voltage energy vs. high current energy. But this was not a fire the merely produced light, but very hot heat, as seen by the manifest need for the beings to shield their bodies from this heat. (This resembles a sparkplug action and product today which does produce high-voltage heat through bright sparks.)
lightning was flashing from the fire - the end product of this energy mechanism was manifestly bolts of lightning, which indeed produces great light and heat from high voltage and current discharges.
Now while all this may merely seem to be Ezekiel’s unfamiliar description of an advanced technological mechanism used to heat up the air within the canopy made by the beings’ wing to provide lift for this Cloud Chariot, as Ezekiel is later instructed to take as it were coals from this fire to scattered them in destructive judgement over the rebellious city Jerusalem (Ezek 10:2, 6), then, with, as later seen, Ezek 10 being the chapter which hones in on the Spiritual meaning of this Ezek 1 vision, (and Ezek 43:1-5ff) revealing it tangible Kingdom Restoration implication/extent), then it can be seen here that this energy mechanism involves more than a technological aspect. -Much like Noah’s Ark which was a, Divinely inspired/instructed (Gen 6:14-16), most advanced technological innovation, also had great Spiritual meaning and implication (cf. Heb 11:7; 1 Pet 3:20) as well as tangible Earth/Life Preserving & Restoring Function. (Gen 9:1ff). So this could likewise be God providing a necessary tangible advanced technological, but also Spiritual significant, means by which His faithful people can make it through an upcoming major hardship on the Earth. As seen in Jdg 1:19 (cf. Jos 17:16; Jdg 4:3), God does allow for technological advancements to come in the way of the progress of His People, -an obstacle that He does not Supernaturally overcome for them.
So here in Ezekiel, God, in this simultaneously supplied technological implement, would be giving his discerning people a great innovation advantage over their enemies if/when they manage to figure out how this potent (non-coal) energy mechanism/supply works and if/how they themselves can reproduce it. In fact, given how Ezekiel vision and ministry was supposed to work to usher in the Messianic Kingdom of Israel, it would seem to me that a Faithful Israel would indeed have (even through “reverse-engineering”), figured out and reproduced this advanced energy source and also applied to a means of transportation, thus being a nation which, most strikingly, would have produced a likewise cloud-like: “flying chariot”...as evidently prophesied in the Triumphant Zion prophecy of Isa 60:8 = (Isa 60:1-3ff)!!!
But seeing/knowing how material advancement and gain can lead people into a type of idolatry (as seen today with the supposed “Christian Nation”, the United States), God first wanted His people to first get right their Spirituality and Faithfulness to Him, before He would grant them such material blessings.
Ezekiel 1:14 - And the living beings could move to and back like bolts of lightning.
could move to and back - Given the manifest grandness, cumbersomeness and heaviness of the Great Cloud Chariot, it would be easy to assume that its movements would be slow and deliberate, but evidently, they had sufficient energy and power ‘to be able to go about like bolts of lightning’ if they so chose. The statements here are expressed as ‘intended/possible action’ to reflect the infinitive absolute verbal forms which are used for “to and fro” (lit. run top and return). So Ezekiel was relating that the Living Beings had the means to go to a location and return from there at lightning speed.
A “Flying Cloud Chariot” would seem to have slow motion instead, but this advanced technology vehicle had to capability to move about at lightning fast speeds....Therefore for it would move about more as a super/hyper-sonic Jet Fighter, than as a hot air balloon....perhaps even as the “speed of light-ning”!!!
bolts of lightning - As presented here, in Bible prophecy, lightning represents ‘visibly effectuated judgement’, and not the mere ‘(naturally subsequent) sound of it’ =thunder. So interpretively here, this was indicating that the 4 Living Being’s chariot, -approaching in a “context” of “(destructive) storm winds”, “could” , i.e. ‘had the (even more destructive) capability’ to swiftly move it/them about throughout the Earth, with visibly judgements being effectuated.....And yet, as seen in the next verse, this Cloud Chariot and its 4 Living Being onboard instead decided to gently touch down.... -(It must be what the overall rainbow radiance for this whole entity and its vision is all about (Ezek 1:28; cf. Rev 4:3; 10:1 -discussed in here) as the Divine Mercy symbol (PK 535.3) for the withholding of “interim” (cf. 2 Pet 3:6-7, 10) Earth/Life-destruction judgement(s). (Gen 9:8-16)...But clearly this mercy did not apply to “Judah and Jerusalem” (=today the SDA Church) which were about to be destroyed, or actually that they had spurned that offered and available mercy...and/or the thorough and quasi-Apocalyptic destruction of this now blasphemous apostate entity was for the salvific/object lesson greater good of the world in general...)
Ezekiel 1:15 - Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for [...] the four faces of them.
as I looked...wheel(s) - Given all of the above seen (in Ezek 1:14): ‘“lightning-like” potential displacement power and speed” for this flying cloud chariot, it surely was counterintuitive for Ezekiel to notice and see that this Great Cloud also included wheels, -one beside each Living Being, when it touched down on the Earth and/to move about. (see Ezek 1:21).
Corresponding to the symbol in feet which are ‘the means by which a person stands established or moves about to be established somewhere’, wheels have the same symbolic meaning but in regards to entity that they are transporting, here the Great Cloud Chariot which is moving about the Four Living Beings from God’s Throne room and also a likeness of God’s Throne (Ezek 1:26ff))
for the four faces of them - There manifestly was not merely a single wheel for each of the Living Beings, but, as each Being itself had 4 Faces, there manifestly was a wheel for each of their own Four Faces. Thus 16 wheels in all (4x4). If/Since the Living Being wouldn’t turn as they went, then that arrangement/distribution would make functional sense as each Living Being could keep on the ground whichever wheel was already turned in the forward direction where the overall chariot was headed. The other 3 wheels would then be picked up off the ground, -including the one which, manifestly unacceptably, would have to turned in the opposite direction than its face was looking at. So that would mean that the ground-rolling Cloud Chariot would always have 4 wheels, at its four corners/sides on the ground, thus always have balanced stability and smooth mobility.
Given how much detail Ezekiel goes on about describing the wheels and what they do, they clearly have great significance in the vision.
Ezekiel 1:16 - The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship had the look of beryl, and all four of them [i.e. the wheels] had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if the wheel was in the midst of the other wheel (or: one wheel were within another).
the wheels - One key understanding for/about Biblical Prophetic Revelations, (as also seen with/in the (post-Bible Canon) SOP, including personal experience), is that God does particularly highlight/emphasize elements in a prophetic revelation that is loaded with meaning. So, as stated above, the fact that Ezekiel’s attention is drawn to the wheels of this, most amazing/captivating in itself: “Great Cloud Chariot” and its intriguing Four Living Creatures, and also before Ezekiel’s attention is directed to the Throne of God and its Son of Man occupant, shows that God does have a very special symbolized meaning in these wheels.
This would be as non-sequiturly striking as: someone waking up and noticing a flying version of an also exquisite/luxurious, a multi-million dollar, automobile in his driveway, and after looking at the exterior and its nuclear-reactor flying power source, and before taking a look at the electronically high tech and luxurious interior, his attention is: ‘captivated by its (landing) wheels/gear!???’
-Comparatively, it seems to me in our day that the last thing that one notices, if at all, about, e.g. the F-22 Raptor Stealth Jet Fighter, is its, actually quite visibly and constitutionally minimal, bordering on seemingly flimsy, landing gear and (quite small) wheels....But not so for/with Ezekiel in this vision...So there self-evidently is a Divinely planned, and very significant, reason and purpose for this and these wheels here...
Also, as seen earlier in the introductory SOP quotes/comments listing, particular attention and meaning was indeed given to these wheels. Here the details that were already also provided in the Biblical text are examined.
their appearance and workmanship - Ezekiel is (caused to be) fascinated by the ‘visual’ aspect of the wheels as well as its ‘constitutional design’. These are two distinct aspects. The “appearance” is how the wheels look, while the “workmanship” is what can be seen to have been manually involved in the design and crafting.
the look of beryl - It is key to distinguish that this is not saying that ‘the wheel were made of beryl’, but merely that “they had the look of beryl”. It indeed also is interesting to see that Ezekiel is saying that both ‘the look of the wheels’ (= “their appearance”), as well as ‘their design’ (= “their workmanship”) both had the same ‘beryl look’ as, as stated above, these are two substantively distinct aspects.
This is like when a car commercial highlight the “stunning look” of a car and also speaks of is “superior engineering”, with that latter characteristic mainly being defaultly understood to be focusing on the car’s mechanical features and driving performance, but which can also be pointedly actually speaking of the various features in the car frame and body which are contributive to, e.g. its high aerodynamic capability. Still it wouldn’t make any comprehensible or substantive sense to similarly describe the visual look of that car and its superior aerodynamic body/frame as either: “beautiful” or “rigid”. The first “beautiful” description wouldn’t make any substantive sense in regards to the body’s aerodynamics feature; and the second “rigid” adjective would make no visual sense....However the use of a descriptive word like “sleek” could be readily seen and understood to be applicable to both....
And, as this is the whole point with the description of these two distinct aspects in Ezekiel’s vision as “the look of beryl”. For that descriptive term to make any sense, both the visual traits as well as technical properties of beryl.
Pertinent/Applicable Properties of Beryl - Reading up on the properties of the mineral Beryl, all in the light that it is being used here in reference to wheels of what is effectively, at least in the knowledge of Ezekiel’s day, a chariot, and given the fact, as discussed before at Ezek 1:13 that in Israel’s History, having strong/performant chariot wheels was a huge deal to them (see Jdg 1:19; cf. Jos 17:16; Jdg 4:3) as not having such capabilities resulted in them not being able to accomplish what God evidently had left up to their feasible human capability to do in the their Divinely mandated task to conquer and occupy all of their Promised Land (Gen 15:18; Exod 23:31; Deut 1:7; 11:24), then, given the fact that Beryl has a Hardness (Mohs) number of 7.5-8, and that is on the same level a today-known extreme strength minerals/materials such as “hardened steel” and “tungsten”, -which is ca. 2X stronger than iron (hardness = #4), which is the material that the certain armies in Canaan had in their chariot wheels, which produced the hindering of Israel’s advance and success (Jdg 1:19), then it is quite understandable why Ezekiel would take such notice of this, i.e. ‘these super strong chariot wheels’..... -(Yet, it must be underlined that: these are for wheels on a chariot that could fly...and ‘at lightning speed’ (Ezek 1:14))....
So this all was indicating that, this Chariot transporting a throne like God’s was not supposed to ‘fly about like lightning’, =“effectuating swift destructive judgements”, but instead merely to touch down on the Earth....manifestly just, in this portentous sight of theirs, doing exactly what the ominous “flying eagle” in Rev 8:13 had been dispatched to warn about in regard to the coming 3 woes, on the heels of God having just had “signaled” through the first 4 Trumpets (Rev 8:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12) the 4 pointed ways in which the, as here in Ezekiel 1ff, prior, but now apostate, People of His, and their achieved and established Institutional Entities, would be destroyed...ending up in the Divinely-pursued, launching of the Kingdom & World-Influential Rule of God throughout this Earth. (Rev 11:15-18).
So for the alternative “landing” of this Great Cloud, Throne Chariot, God had given it a “super strong” set of wheels upon which it would thus then: ‘undefeatably move about the Earth’ matching and “literally” running over any natural or man-laid obstacles that may be found/placed in its way.
Another pertinent property of, or more precisely, derived from Beryl, is in the derived Beryllium materials, not only because beryllium metal is desirable for aircraft and aerospace application, but if, as likely, the “glowing metal” energy source in the center of the living beings is actually charged nuclear fuel rod, -from which sparking electrostatic charges are produced to create a safer heating flame for the hot air balloon like lift measure, then, it may be necessary to also have the clearly vital/pivotal/necessary wheels on this chariot be able to performantly also (i.e. in addition to the Living Being using two of their wings to shield their bodies*) withstand the nuclear radiation emanating from that atomically-energized metal core....SO since Beryllium has properties which make it an ideal for use as a shielding material in nuclear reactors then, this may be a, actually the, “added/joint” reason why the wheels ‘looked like they were made of Beryl.’ So that would be “visually” noticeable about them.
* It is a Theological understanding of this blog that the glory of God is actually/really, tangibly, composed of atomic energy, perhaps from an element still unknown to humans. In fact, as per that understanding, the present atomic energy that humans presently know, and make use, of originally came from the converted Divine Glory that was bestowed for the Creation of all things by God the Son. So here, for this trip and mission by this Great Cloud Chariot carry the 4 Living Creatures, who priorly had been posted about the Throne of God (Rev 4:6-8), God had supplied them with a nuclear fuel transportation energy source, perhaps of the same type/level of element of what composes His own Glory, and from which they therefore had to shield themselves. And any other component in that Chariot that was not made out of a gemlike substance, also needed to be so shielded to prevent radioactive decay, and so the wheels for the Chariot could not be made up merely of mere, or a weak, metal, and so a Beryl-based metal was used, e.g. Beryllium.
So in summary here, ‘these wheels having the noticeable appearance and perceived workmanship of beryl’ was out of the functional necessity for this Cloud Chariot as it was not permitted to fly about and effectuate swift destructive Divine judgements, but instead had to fulfill the Earth mandate that it had been given by formidably and strongly moving about the Earth.
all four of wheels had the same likeness - Again, the understanding here is that each living being had four Wheels, one for each of their faces, thus for a grand total of 16 wheels, however there was only one of their four wheels each that touched the ground at a time, -all depending on which cardinal point direction they were they heading in since they would not be doing any turning to head in a certain direction. So here, when Ezekiel relates that “all four wheels had the same likeness/similitude/form”, he was referring to the 4 wheels overall which he could see touching down on the ground at that time.
their appearance and workmanship - this is manifestly Ezekiel’s way of likewise expressing that, ‘on top of the wheels looking like beryl in appearance and workmanship’, the also had a distinct, -(but likewise joint), “appearance and workmanship” aspect in regards to their assembly. So beyond their initially observed textual and compositional “likeness” aspect, but, as seen next, also in regards to their arrangement and functional features.
the wheel was in the midst of the other wheel - This wooden, literalistic translation is more smoothly rendered as “one wheel were within another”. That arrangement in itself is simplisticly easy to visually conceptualize, i.e. as possibly four wheels of different/decreasing sizes, fitted together concentricly....however when one then factors in the actual location of each wheel: at the four, perpendicular, sides of the Cloud Chariot, -beside each Living Being, and then even the non-touching down, thus unseen, three other wheels likewise being at the four perpendicular sides of the four faces of each Living Being; then this “wheel with a wheel” arrangement becomes greatly complex....That then would explain/harmonize with how the SOP kept on stating that: “the wheels were so complicated in arrangement that at first sight they appeared to be in confusion” (e.g. 5T 751.3; PK 535.3), as that is not actually an initial observation/notion that is explicitly expressed by the prophet in the text of Scripture, but can certainly be seen to be a very likely (unstated) reaction at his first sighting...before he saw them at their ‘perfectly harmonious’ work (Ezek 1:17ff).
Additionally each wheel, at all 4 sides, and 16 in total, would have to be of the same size/diameter so that the chariot would be level/stable and move about properly. So the wheels could not be concentric for their “wheel within a wheel arrangement. They would rather have to be in crossing-wise intersecting relation to each other. Such an interlocking arrangement of same sized wheels would be mechanically possibly if the wheels were actually like perpendicular gears interlocking at their (outer) rims. Evidently, (as later discussed, it is those spoken of below in Ezek 1:18), which are (lit.) ““raised” and “fearful”” (versus: ““lofty” and “awesome””). If these outer rims were gear like in nature, thus having gear meshes and groves, or “teeth”, where this interlocking takes places, then that would indeed seem as if they were raised, in visible appearance, fearful, -like a tires with thick metallic spikes.
So in such perpendicular angles, -with the gear-teethed rims meeting at their outer edges, not only could the turning wheels assist each other turning, but as only one of those 4 wheels at the side of each living being would be touching down at the time, all 4 heading and turning in the same direction, the other three, then lifted up, wheels, could still act on their motion wheel through this gear like connection, -and even if these three gear wheels are slightly tilted/shifted to continue to have a solid gear connection.
Of course then, in such an arrangement and connection for these gear wheels, the “midst” description of their interlocking would be in regards to all 4 wheels meeting together at the central edges of their outer (geared) rims.
Also, it needs to be emphasized that in the same manner that each of the 4 Wheels of each Living Creature where so “gearedly” interlocking, the same arrangement manifestly also applied more widely for the entire Cloud Chariot I regards to each ‘lone touching down wheel’ beside each Living Creature. This would then involve that these gear wheels not only produce mobile motion (=traction) at each of their sides, but would simultaneously be providing turning power (=torque) to the other wheels. This also can mechanically be done, particularly given the fact that each Wheel Hub (i.e. the 4 Wheels at each Living Creature) all had the same directional layout arrangement, as seen in the illustration above at Ezek 1:10). Such a torque and traction interdependent action between the wheels of a vehicle is, as seen with both Four/All Wheel Drive/Power vehicles, and also the added Anti-Slip feature which varies/adjusts the torque at each wheel in response to the detected quality of traction at any given wheel is all in order to keep a vehicle in steady motion and stable control when moving. (e.g. if/when one wheel differentially/uniquely goes over an slick mud/wet spot, a black ice patch, or a raised bump, etc on the road).
Such powertrain and driving features is particularly helpful for vehicles which are, safety-wise, traveling at high speed, and performance-wise, for when driving “off road”... So if the Great Cloud Chariot was able to move at high speeds, and also cover grounds which (especially in the tangible context of Ezekiel’s day), were not the paved roads/highways of our day, thus effectively all “off roads”, or chaotic ways at best, then such dual features were indeed very necessary for the movements of this Cloud Chariot.
So such an individually/sectionally, and then, recursively, collectively, complex, arrangement of these wheels would indeed seem very “complicated”, and thus ‘confusing’, to Ezekiel at first...until he saw how they worked well together and efficiently produced their intended motion. Indeed such a “highly complex” but most efficient arrangement would indeed show to Ezekiel that: ‘God bringing perfect order from confusion.’ (FE 409.2; cf. 5T 751.3)
Wheel’s “Torque” Source - However, all of this perfect arrangement would be functionally impotent and performantly incompetent, without the actual turning force “torque” here. Back in Ezek 1:8, it was seen that it was a “human hand”, -‘overseen, overmastered and/or overpowered as needed by God’s Own Hand’, which was providing this turning power, and thus mobility power at each of the Great Cloud Chariot’s wheels. Though, -as those hands were manifestly attached to the bodies of the Four Living Beings, manifestly, -as it was done with/for the “Son of Man” Jesus Christ for His miraculous/Supernatural work: ‘through the tangible work of angelic beings’ (DA 143.1); here: these Four Living Creatures (=5T 751.3/PK 535.3) Therefore, an overall Spiritually symbiotic harmony, from God, to/through Heavenly/Angelic Beings, to/through a cooperating human/“son of man” (=DA 668.2-4; =5T 574.1/4BC 1161.1), was in effect here for this torque work by that “hand”. (=John 1:51 = DA 143.1a = see Ezek 1:1b comments earlier about the meaning of the “opened heaven”)
Ezekiel 1:17 - Upon any of the four wheels going to move in their direction, they went without being turned in their moving.
Upon any of the four wheels - This is speaking of the wheels moving ‘in the direction that they are facing’, thus their dedication cardinal point direction.
going to move - Granted the translating here is rather wooden, but this is to try to accurately reflect the underlying (especially verbal) Hebrew grammar and syntax. Most notably here are the uses of infinitives, which do not actually relate an action in progress, but indicate an action that is intended. These infinitives are highlighted here as the red verbal expression. So, -and probably after having observed the movement pattern of this Cloud Chariot, Ezekiel now summarizes how he has seen that it/they (i.e. its Four (ground touching) Wheels) patently will be moving about.
went without being turned - The description here is verbally clear, but it is most puzzingly to imagine as a wheeled-chariot changing direction normatively requires that its wheels be turned to the intended direction. And mind you, this was in a day where “steering” of wheels, i.e. wheels on an axle being capable of being turned, was not at all an reality....indeed for hundreds of years to come. (Horse-drawn/Wheeled) chariots, and even wagon through to the days when they would be superceded by the “powered wagon” a.k.a the automobile, relied on the horse(s) pulling them being steered in order to effectuate this change of direction. So Ezekiel is here seeing a wheeled wagon that could (smoothly) go in any of the four cardinal directions without any of its four wheels being steeringly turned.
And notice that only “four directions” are said to be involved. Namely North, East, South, West. This therefore implies that the four ordinal/intercardinal points, (namely Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest) were not also achieved as this would involve straightaway diagonal movement which would necessitate the steering of the wheels.
This all said to further substantiate the observation made earlier at Ezek 1:15 that such a motion logically/realistically required that: (1) Four Wheels be on the ground and (2) that all of these Four Wheels on the ground be facing, and being turned, in the same targeted direction. Hence therefore the plausibly inferred prophetic detail that there were 4 wheels with Each Living Beings, but only 1 of the 4 was on the ground at a time. And when not on the ground, the other 3 wheels were acting as assistive gear wheels to power the wheel that was on the ground.
The reason why God may not have highlighted this detail to Ezekiel in his vision, -(pertinently keeping in mind that through God’s SOP, EGW was, -as seen in the quotings above, also given added interpretive and understandings insight into this Ezekiel prophecy -and the same thing occurred fro the SOP with the prophets Daniel and John and the prophecies they recorded in Scripture) may be for the Spiritual reason/lesson that he, as well others who would later try to understand his prophecy, were not to focus on how all of this mechanical inner working actually worked, but instead, and in Faith (~Heb 11:5), seeing most tangibly that they Cloud Chariot is indeed able to make such motions, then it was to be understood and trusted that the arrangement and working of the wheels was in God’s perfect order. (Cf. 2T 596.3)
So the manifest lesson in this aspect of Ezekiel’s vision was to show that this entire Great Cloud Chariot was assured to make steady and forward progress, and that to wherever point/location it wanted/needed to go, and even as it would be just one of the 4 Living Beings leading the movement at a/that time.
Ezekiel 1:18 - As for their rims they were raised in themselves, and “fearful” in themselves, and the rims, they were full of eyes round about towards all four of them.
their rims - As seen from 1 Kgs 7:33 which cites in detail the various parts of a chariot wheel, it can be seen that also in Bible times, the “rim” was indeed identified as a specific part, distinct from the wheel’s: “axle”, “hub” and “spokes”. But a valid question of even more specificity that can be posed here is: ‘whether these “rims” are the outer edge/ring of the wheel, or are they, (as more commonly/colloquially identified today given its decorative purposes): the side, covering/shielding, face of a wheel. It manifestly is that latter assumption/understanding that has led the NASB to render the description of the rims here as “lofty” and “awesome”, i.e. in decoration,* An accurate answer can be arrived at from how the word for “rim” (Hebrew: gab - Strongs #01354), said to basically mean: “back” [=LXX/NT Greek: notos - Strongs #3577], is used in the rest of the Bible. (10 other occurrences)
* Which can simultaneously bring to mind a built-in contraption like the infamous decoratively/artistically ‘pronounced’, but ‘destructive’ ones projecting from the center of the side wall of the “Scyhted chariot”’s wheels in (1959) Ben-Hur movie’s climatic chariot race.
Bible’s Uses of & Meaning for gab:
-In Lev 14:9 the word is used in reference to the “eyebrows”. As the “eyebrow” serves as an outer rim for the eye, (and also as a “brow” is known as the (rounding) peak of a hill), it is manifest that the applicable notion here is that this was ‘an outer ring of/for the eye’.
-The occurrence in 1 Kgs 7:33 where a distinct term is used for “hubs” (#02840)) [i.e. as from the related/parent Hebrew term #02841: ‘the place where the spokes (#02839) ‘amassed’ together’ (cf. 2 Sam 22:12)] straightly shows that “gab” is not referring to that wheel’s center portion, but, as being examined here, the plausible argument can still be made that it instead referred to something that covered the wheel’s hub, i.e. a “hub cap”.
-In Job 13:12, the word is used for “(figurative) militaristic defenses” (which are said to be useless ‘because they are made of clay’). This can be understood to be alluding to an outer/front protective surrounding ring/line/walling of defense for a town or city. So here too, the basic notion of “an outer ring” is also seen.
-The occurrence in Job 15:26 was left untranslated in the NASB, but most other major English versions have rendered it with some form of: “embossed”; “bossed/-es”; (thick-)bossed. As the shield here is manifestly used in an offensive way, rather than merely a defensive/shielding one, then it is manifest that this shield was indeed covered up with some degrees of deadly spikes. Any smooth-back surface, as was a shield normatively, can be made to have traction, by affixing such spikes (or even merely (bead) studs) to it. Spikes of course were also used as traction on wheels, and perhaps this was also common in Ezekiel’s day, (cf. here) when chariots had to cross slick terrain. So projecting spikes added to an otherwise/normatively smooth surface can be seen as the use and meaning here.
-Psa 129:3 & Ezek 10:12 clearly refer to the a person’s “back”. The back however is the part of one’s body which has the load-bearing task for the whole body. Hence an overall “strong back” was seen as a physical characteristic for load bearing though the back itself actually contributes very little muscular force when a load is placed on it. It is other muscles, such as in the arms and in the legs which actually do the work of moving that back-loaded weight. The back’s muscular contribution is just in regards to being a (ideally broad) receptive surface for the load. This resembles the contribution that is made by a wheel’s tire in regards to bearing the load of a vehicle.
The (nowadays inflated) tire provides both the pounds-per-square-inch (PSI) force and also traction to make the bearing and displacing of the vehicles load possible. E.g. an even empty vehicle is hard to move if its tires are deflated...or, given how much heavier vehicles are today, if it has no tires and is riding on its rims. So the associated understanding here is in regards to a load-bearing and load-affixing-traction-providing part for load moving. And for this work purpose, the “back” of a wheel, -i.e. the ground-contacting area where its traction, or a tire, is found/placed, is indeed key.
-Similar to the usage just above, Ezek 43:13 uses “gab” to speak of: the base of an altar. This is the footing area upon which the altar is built/place and which is mainly used for this “pedestal” purpose. So here the height of this base/footing/pedestal for an altar is being specified. So this has similar meaning and notion as the “back” and “load-bearing/-affixing” one above.
The thickness of a vehicle’s wheel’s traction/tire portion is also key in how successfully it bears/moves its load. The heavier the load the thick the tire (or with today’s technology, the greater the tire pressure) should be; as well as the longer/stronger its embossed traction should be.
-Ezek 16:24, 31, 34 speak of “(cultic) shrines”, -which in Israel were idolatrously built by an apostasied people. Such shrines however were typically built at and around, the outer edges of a city/community, and on elevated spots (see Ezek 16:24). Ezek 16:31 shows how they indeed were placed ‘at the beginning of the streets leading into the city’. With streets then typically leading all towards the city center and/or to or through a public square in the city, it can be seen how these erected shrines both surrounded a city in a sort of ‘outer rim of a spoke wheel’. They thus also were seen as a sort of protective ring around the city. So the notion of an outer ring/rim and one of strength purposes, is also involved here.
So from all of these uses and meanings of gab in the rest the Bible, it can be concluded that rather than referring to a “hub cap/covering” like element, this term was instead used to refer to the surrounding outer rim/ring of a wheel, -the one/side which made direct contact with the ground, and was key to the bearing of the load in its vehicles as well as the traction needed to properly displace that load. Therefore it is seen that the “rim” here is referring to the tire-like portion of a wheel, which in Ezekiel’s day, -which of course didn’t have rubber tires, was a bare structural frame. However that frame could be, as discussed/seen next, thickened and/or spiked to provided better load-bearing and load/vehicle-displacement performance.
the rims were raised in themselves - This here is speaking of a “height” element involved in the design of the rims. The term “in themselves” is seen from the explicit accompanying preposition that is included in the Hebrew to say that this “height” was in regards to the rims themselves, i.e. not in regards to their position in relation to the ground. Thus they were not ‘hoveringly floating high above the ground’, but were structurally raised/elevated in themselves.
the rims were “fearful” in themselves - Ezekiel adds that the appearance of the rims induced fear in/of themselves. This was evidently in regards to how they looked. Combining that with the notion that they were “raised”, the understanding of them being to be “spiked” is the most natural view which would be seen to project such a fearful image. If the rims simply had a great and fully-uniform thickness all around, then the notion of “fear” would not seem to be a natural reaction. But if this high raising up and elevation is due to a high spikes design, then that would indeed produce such a awing fear. Spiked wheels or pronounced traction tires do indeed have such an effect on an observer, and furthermore, in regards to the vehicle overall which is sporting these wheels (cf. this (model car) photo)....I.e. You certainly do not want to be in the way of, and be run over by, such a spiked wheeled vehicle.
So this here is all speaking of the traction aspect of these (tires-functioning) outer rims...And so, as stated earlier at Ezek 1:16, in regards to the manifest “gear-wheels like” interworking,* and thus design of these wheels, Ezekiel was likely seeing pronounced grooved-peaks all around these wheel’s rim for their function gear wheels, thus the “teeth” of/for gears. The “teeth” also had the added benefit of providing ground traction whenever their wheel was made to come into direct contact with the ground while the other three wheels continued to provide geared assistance through their interlocking gear teeth.
* -as also understood by, and spoke of, in the SOP: see above in e.g. PM 332.2; RH, June 10, 1880 par. 12
eyes all around - (=Ezek 10:12). Given all of the technicality involved in the wheels so far, this comparatively off-beat, seemingly non-sequitur mention and inclusion of (live/functioning/organic, i.e. instead of mere pictures of) “eyes”, would seem to not make much sense here. But, summarily explained here, this was God’s way of showing that their was a ‘live brain/mind’ involved in all of this technicalities, and with the “eyes” being in prophecy a symbol of a spirit, indeed a prophetic one when it is used in relation to God (see. Rev 5:6; 1:4). So this here is a symbol of God’s Spirit being involved in the working and interworking of these wheels, pointedly at their gear-like teethed outer rim area.
In this validate context of “gear work”, and also traction, being the function of these wheels, it is enlightening to see today that in applications for gears which crucially require rigorous synchronization and timing, engineers include location indicating sensors which effectively “see” where the gearing is and what adjustments need to be made to maintain the synchronization. Likewise in traction control systems, (effectively) “sighting” sensors are used to see if the rotating wheel is in the location that it should be. So similarly applicably here in Ezekiel’s revelation, if/since the accurate synchronization of these gear-like wheels is manifestly crucial to the overall proper displacement of the Cloud Chariot, it seems that they functional eyes were placed all around the rim of the wheels to continually make sure that they are always working in perfect synchronization, and thus providing adequate power, and also traction, for the movements of the Chariot. Hence the purpose, function and pertinent location of these eyes....
And as these eyes are “prophetically” (with a prophet (literalistically) known in Hebrew as a “seer”) , and ultimately, related to the Spirit of God, then this all shows, as repeatedly emphasized in the SOP’s understanding about the wheels, that this is God actively working (through the torque providing hand) to provide and ensure the perfect outworking of these seemingly confused interlocking wheels. And towards this end of a “perfectly harmonious” output, God has evidently placed these guiding “prophetic” eyes right where they are keyly needed: right at the interlocking gear teeth of the wheels.
So here, as also involved in the SOP’s understanding about the wheels (see e.g. 5T 574.2-3), the cooperation of God and man is seen in the harmonious outworking of this complex gear-work system. This also shows that despite having Supernatural power, God actually requires and provides systematic designs to properly effectuate His plans. The reason clearly is that such systematic efficiency allows God to unnecessarily and repetitively expend His crucial Divine Energy, even in regards to carrying out His Plans and Purposes.
And so, more broadly here, the cumulative understanding to this point about: the Great Cloud Chariot and its 4 Living Beings is that: when this dispatched Heavenly Concept/Purpose, Throne, =Rule/Kingdom of God, entity, (deliberately, -as it could fly), “touches down” on the Earth, and moves about on its pointedly well-prepared wheels, its movements then will be according to a systematic technical procedure, but one that is prophetically/Divine overseen by God Himself to ensure its harmonious function and proper working out..
Ezekiel 1:19 - Whenever the living beings were going to move, the wheels would move beside them. And whenever the living beings were going to be lifted up high above the earth, the wheels would be lifted up.
were going to move - Again this wooden translation is used to emphasize the infinitive verbal form that Ezekiel is using here, which again is manifestly because he is summarizing what he had been seen in regards to the movements of the Cloud Chariots. So he saw/observed this patent initiating occurrence and responding enjoining by the wheels: ‘whenever the living being were going to move’ and also when they ‘were going to be lifted up’.
would move/would be lifted up - For people today, it would seem very odd for Ezekiel to be emphasizing how the Cloud Chariot and the Wheels moved about together, because we are “no-brainerly” accustomed to knowing/seeing that an aircraft defaultly has its own landing gear and wheels which indeed do ‘move about with it when it is taxi, and take off with the aircraft (even mostly, retracting into the body of the aircraft) when the aircraft takes off from the ground (and of course, also (re-)deploy for landing). But this all seemed strange to Ezekiel....
This manifestly was because Ezekiel had not seen any wheels at all as the Cloud Chariot was initially approaching the Earth/Ground, and then ‘suddenly’, i.e. “Behold” (Ezek 1:15) he later saw (complex) wheels underneath the Chariot, one beside each Living Being, once it was at/on ground level. Perhaps they had even been able to priorly make the (probably wheel-less, thus hovering) ‘lightning-like moves related in Ezek 1:12-14, but only afterwards did they become outfitted with these wheels. But like the typical personal hovercraft vehicles (clip) in the fictional Star Wars it would seem most logical that an vehicle which could (a) fly, indeed all the way from heaven, and (b) manifestly have the capability to hoveringly move about as fast as lightning when just above the ground, wouldn’t need any sort of landing gear or rolling wheels, even when just staying stationary as it then just hovers. So this landing gear and wheels were clearly only supplied/manifested after, or exactly for when, that Cloud Chariot was going to actually touch down on the Earth.
The only question then is: was the landing gear all along incorporated within the Cloud Chariot and, as seen in Jet Aircrafts today, only deployed itself from being dissimulated within the body of the aircraft for its touching down. The other view would be that God had made these wheels to suddenly appear from upon the Earth, and the Cloud Chariot then landed on it, and then went on to also affix itself permanently to this landing gear/wheels so that it would then move around and lift itself up, with it.
From my personal Spiritual Experience (cf. 1SM 25.4), pertinently recounted step-by-step thus far in this commentary in the appended NJK Project Application/Fulfilment Section with every applicable verse, I would say that it is the first view which is applicable: I.e. that the landing gear/wheels were always present and only deployingly manifested themselves afterward....However to Ezekiel, i.e., from his human perspective/view/comprehension, it would seem to him that the wheels had been affixed onto the chariot after they suddenly appeared underneath it.
Now the Spiritual/Interpretive meaning in this is that, -as already explained: the Living Being and their Throne-Carrying Cloud Chariot, represent God’s Kingdom-Rule Plan dispatched from Heaven to be concretely and fully effectuated upon the Earth. Now, as initially demonstrated by the Cloud Chariot, this all could have been done with the ‘striking visibility, rapid speed and powerful discharged’ of “lightning-like judgement”, thus with “Power and Great Glory” (=Matt 24:30), but instead God has, in great mercy (= “rainbow” Ezek 1:28), has opted to, literally, retard the deployment of these Plans here by making this Cloud Chariot Entity be moved about on the Earth by and on the slower method of ground-rolling wheels. Those wheels represent the tangible means by which this Plan of God will actually be “rolled out” to its full fulfillment on this Earth and in the context of the then-existing: Political (=Lion), Socio-Economical (=Man), Cultural/Religious (=Ox/Cherub) and Technological (=Eagle) Geo-conditions in/of the World!!
This all is actually related to how the Mighty Angel of Rev 18:1 comes with “Great Authority”{Greek: exousia - Strongs #1849} instead of the “Great Power”{Greek: dunamis - Strongs #1411}...and yet, in either case, the Great Glory of God comes to be manifested as God goes on to still effectuate his judgements of the usurping Babylon Entity (=Rev 18:8-24) which has been defiantly/pompously (Rev 18:7) standing in the way (cf. Rev 16:19) of His Earthly Kingdom of God establishment and (Millennial) Rule. So either by direct/striking or, -through involving pardoning mercy: indirect/influence judgements, God will indeed get His Glorious Will and Objectives done on the Earth (=Num 14:20-21ff), -this (lone) Planet in Rebellion!!
Now, the possible/apparent perspective of Ezekiel that: ‘those wheels had suddenly appeared from upon the Earth’, thus that they had been detached from the body of the Cloud chariot and had been supplied, and then affixed, itself to it, here Spiritually is akin to people seeing these Plans of God being “rolled out” in the Earth, but in such seemingly mere (outwardly) Technical and Temporal ways versus the Spiritual and Heavenly way they had expected (i.e. (first) a Typological/Spiritual Second Coming instead of the (nonetheless, still to come) Anti-Type/Literal One), would, at worst, consider this “rolling out” means (=the wheels) to be merely/entirely of human source....But the actual Truth here is that, though these approaches/methods/means used to make the Great Cloud and its Entity Plan a reality may seem to be of Earthly/Human devisings, these are approaches/methods/means which are actually of both:
-Divine Source (i.e. this landing gear and wheels, and also although “wheels” were already invented and being used by men, was always, but dissimulatedly so, on/within the Cloud Chariot); and also
-Divine Guidance and Control as expressed in the (Ultimately Overseeing) Divine Hand turning and guiding these wheels through the (also) “human hands” next to each of the Four Living Beings (see above at Ezek 1:8a).
This is all reflected in how this “roll out” Plan & Template for this tangible effectuation of God’s Kingdom Rule on Earth (=Rev 11:15-18) is actually/indeed, as presented, explained and expounded throughout this blog, in pointedly, the Spiritually Deeper (=2 Cor 3:) understanding of Biblical Theology & Doctrines, as well as the understanding of the Eschatological Application/Fulfillment of the Bible’s (and SOP’s) Apocalyptic Prophecies. This understanding Spiritual comes from God’s People ‘seeking to advance in the knowledge of His Word, Prophecies and Truth, and simultaneously also ‘seeking to advance’ into practicing righteousness’ (=Dan 12:4, 9-10)!! Many professing Christians today, including the SDA’s, -(see also e.g. here), are making the pivotally crucial mistake of past failed Israel of God Generations, of, at best, merely seeking to know of/about God’s Word, Prophecies and Truth, and then not put it into practice, pointedly in regards to its “practical godliness/righteousness (i.e. right-doing)’, =Full Gospel, mandate. (=Isa 29:9-16|Matt 15:6-9; cf. Amos 5:18-20, 21-24ff; Isa 58:1-8ff; Ezek 16:48-50; Zech 7:8-14).
So, in summary/conclusion here, this in not at all ‘man crafting his own plans to try to do this Will of God’, but rather ‘Spirit-led men harmoniously tapping into mind of God, through His (Comprehended) Word, and extracting and applying the Godly template, methods and principles contained/concealed therein in regards to how to “perfectly” bring this whole cataclysmic development about!!! (=DA 668.2-4; cf. 5T 574.1)
be lifted up...be lifted up - Just as the Living Beings were (evidently) fully dependent on the lifting capability of the Cloud Chariot to “be lifted up” (=passive verbal form (Heb. Niphal), -(with, as discussed earlier at Ezek 1:8, evidently that human hand always found under their wings preventing their wings to function as possible to make them fly on their own), the wheels likewise had to “be lifted up”. Now if/since the wheels themselves have been figured out to incorporatedly already be a component part of the Cloud Chariot (i.e. its (retractable) landing and rolling gear), it would seen unnecessary to “passively” point out that ‘they too would “be lifted up”, i.e. by (the ability/power of) something else, but it can here be harmonizingly seen/understood that, just like a landing gear for today’s aircraft is typically built in a separate manufacturing plant than where the fuselage of the aircraft is built, and furthermore, these two, and other major, parts may then in turn be all assembled together at a different, now “Final Assembly” plant, -(as seen with how Airbus produces its aircraft from/through plants located throughout the European Union), it manifestly is here that for these two parts, -the Cloud Chariot and its Four Wheels, (= respectively: Second Coming Event and God’s Universal Ways and Principles for Godly Man, -as revealed in His Word/Prophecies (=2 Pet 1:19-21)), God had distinctly “built” them, but then assembled them together, and then, upon having placed the 4 Living Being, and His Throne (=Tangible Entity’s for God’s Kingdom Rule), He dispatched this fully assembled craft to the Earth of be established there as planned. So all of the components affixed onto, and load upon, the “fuselage”/mainframe which is the Great Cloud, were effectively or inherently dependent upon this Cloud capability to fly in order to move itself in the air; -first for the displacement from Heaven to Earth, and then, in certain instances, after it has touched down on the Earth.
As the cloud can be ultimately applied as a symbol of the Second Coming, this therefore all represents that this entire effectuation of a Kingdom//Rule of God on the Earth is concretely couched in the context of the Second Coming Event (=Rev 19:11-16ff); -and here as a Typological Application of it for this purposeful Millennially-interim, judiciously injunctive, Divine-development. (=Rev 7:1-3, 4-8ff|15MR 292.3-4).
Ezekiel 1:20 - To whichever height to which the Spirit moved, they moved in regards to going where the Spirit was. And the wheels were lifted close beside them, -for the spirit of each living being was in the wheels.
To whichever height....Spirit moved.... - Ezek 1:19 has just finished relating of how the Cloud Chariot had lifted off of the ground. And now in Ezek 1:20, Ezekiel relates just how high the Chariot was able and willing to go. It would seem odd to be speaking of ‘a height’ at all since this Cloud Chariot had literally come down from the greatest of heights: out from Heaven itself, and even Spiritually speaking as it also came from the very presence and throne room of God Himself. But here/now, after the Cloud Chariot had completed this extreme trip and had touched down with wheels on the Earth, Ezekiel relates that it was not just capable of relaunching itself into the air, but was able and willing to go to whatever height they would see God’s Spirit had gone to. The “extent” notion of/for this “height” was therefore in relation to the Earth.
...where the Spirit was - Now if the object of this (re-)raising off of the ground by the Cloud Chariot had been in order to then be able to fly about, -even “like lightning”, instead of rolling around on its set of wheels, then the notion of ‘degrees of height’ would not be pertinent. The Cloud Chariot would just have to hover a few inches over whatever terrain it was flying over. Of course, it then would have to rise higher in the air when it came to going over elevated terrain like mountains, but that still would not be ‘in relation to God’s Spirit’, but merely in relation to the ground’s relief.
But, as seen with high-rise structures, towers and buildings, and also with various forms of flying objects, -from hot air balloons, to air ships, to planes, to satellites, to, nowadays, drones, it can be seen that rising into the air over above the ground allows one to get a better and more comprehensive perspective. And with/from that “better” vantage point, one can then take much better decision, make better plans and better execute them. Now as this “better perspective height” is in relation to God’s Spirit, then this comes to me that in this, God is desiring that this Cloud Chariot Entity, its Wheels and the Four Living Being inside all have a “better Spiritual perspective”, and that pointedly: over./into the affairs going on on the ground/Earth. And since the Cloud Chariot is rising higher into the Heavens, to whichever height God’s Spirit sees best, then this “better Spiritual perspective” is found in having a “Heavenly Perspective”. (This is similarly seen in the affairs of man today in how the best intelligence agencies/services of Law Enforcement, Government and/or Military all rely greatly on information obtained from, and through/in the air, -wherewhich there is virtually no enforceable defense, with various forms of technologies and crafts.) And of course, the higher one rises into that Heavenly Perspective, the more they naturally come to share insight into “Heavenly Intelligence”.
So, to recap: the purpose of the Cloud Chariot (re-)launching itself into the air, is not actually to fly about like lightning, but gain a better Spiritual vantage point and insight in regards to actions and features on the ground. And from the “Heavenly Perspective/Intelligence” vantage point, the Living Beings (pointedly their, as seen next: “Spiritually-alive wheels”), can map a better course of terrain/terrestrial movement and advance in regards to where they are intending to go on the Earth, from what they are able to see and anticipate from such Spiritual Heights.
Also, clearly, since the Cloud Chariot came from as high as Heaven itself, from which, -as simply seen in images of our Planet from Space crafts and the Space Station, its Higher Intelligence was not dependent on a one time snapshot of the Earth, as such information would long have been captured once and for all. It manifestly has to repeatedly get such an overview of the surround terrain which would be due to things shifting around than what was originally or previously seen. Other than the terrain upheaval and shifting that can be done by massive natural disaster, such periodic and/or injunctive shiftings can only be achieved through the movements of people, and even in regards to “the lay of the land” through the structures that man can erect or even what he can “landscapingly” destroy or reconfigure. So, in making its movements about the Earth on its wheels, all in relation to practically concretely/tangibly spreading and establishing (i.e. versus the ‘preparatory work of preaching of the gospel’ Eph 6:15; cf. Isa 52:7/Rom 10:15) its Kingdom Rule of God mandate, the Living Being in their Cloud Chariot repeatedly have to reassess and recalculate its course of action and advanced, clearly in regards and response to the actions and activities of people. Either these are people who are variously going about their business and/or these are people inherently or pointedly oppositionally assembled and arrayed against these movements and advances by these Four Living Beings. (=Rev 16:12-14, 16) Again, evidently the countering option here by the Living Beings is not to just fly over these people/obstacles and “airbomb” them into submission or destruction, but, almost like the conquest of Jericho -(which the SOP, perhaps by direct inspiration, cites as an example in relation to this vision (TM 214.1a)), conquer the (oppositioned) fortified places of the Earthy by merely, here rolling/moving (versus walking) about the Earth. (=Dan 11:15).
However here, unlike the implement of conquest that Israel was instructed to use which were “7 Trumpets” (Jos 6:4), the implements now are not merely to ‘sound the alarm of coming war’ but be as tangible as are the repackaged 7 Trumpets for their apocalyptic application in Revelation. (Rev 8:6ff). And so, as it will be later seen and discussed at Ezek 10:6-8, the Living Being contain some functional fiery elements in between them which, -also through a Divine/Spiritual effectuation (=4BC 1161.1a), can be used to achieve tangible/physical destruction on entity which stand in its intended movement and establishment [=Wilderness Israel’s Num 2's Military Order & National Encampment] course and extent. (cf. Dan 11:6b)
“Swiftness of Lightning” - It must be pointed out here, in relation to what the SOP has said in 4BC 1161.1b, that though the Living Beings are restricted to advance and achieve their course by, at best “rolling” around vs. flying (like lightning) about, when, and in, accomplishing this work of God, it will still have gone forth in the “swiftness of lightning”. With lightning symbolizing “judgement”, achieving that judgement of God is the actual end goal of this whole endeavor. And to be properly done, it must be just, both in regards to being merciful and punishing however warranted. As the saying goes, there are two ways of doing something: doing it fast, or doing it right. Typically when one rushes a work it is not done right and later has to be corrected or even entirely redone. So if one takes the necessary time to do that job right, then they would actually have completed it “faster” than one who had rushed it, but then had to, even entirely, rework it. So in this work of judgement, God has opted to effectuated at the speed that best ‘completes’ it once and for all. And even if the “speed” is not visibly as swift as lightning, it still will have that effect when finished. The achieved speed here is all “God’s Speed” as it is His Hand that is ultimately guiding and overseeing the movements and actions here (Ezek 10:8|4BC 1161.1; cf. DA 32.1a). And thus a lasting victory, and the desired enduring “peace” (=Dan 11:17) will be achieved!! (cf. Eccl 9:11)
wheels close beside them - As seen next, this specification is not actually in terms of mere proximal location, but vital and functional association....
spirit of each living being was in the wheels - First of all, some translators have found it odd, and thus thought it a mistake that in the Hebrew “living being” is in the singular, but “wheels” is in the plural. However this can be understood by the earlier interpretation at Ezek 1:16 which strongly suggests that each living being indeed had 4 wheels each. This then makes harmonious sense. So this statement is saying that the spirit of each living being was in all of the four wheels that they each had for their functioning, again, with one acting on the ground at a time, while the remaining three provide geared-mechanical power/torque.
Now, two interpretive references immediate come to mind upon reading this statement:
(1) Ezekiel has already related in that Ezek 1:18 ‘the rims of the wheels “were full of eyes round about”’, so here stating that the wheels had a spirit in it can Biblically, from the association in Rev 5:6, only point to those eyes being a distributed part of the Spirit of God’, and these have likewise come right from the throne room of God (Rev 1:4) and, through the sending of the Cloud Chariot, have likewise also been ‘send out throughout the Earth’, -wherever the Cloud Chariot will have rolled to.
(2) In Rev 4:8, the Four Living Creatures then, which, -as introductorily presented in this related post, are manifestly four former 6-winged Seraphim Beings/Angels (Rev 4:6-7) which have been promoted to their present “Four Living Being position in the throne room of God, before His presence”, themselves also have “eyes all around and within”. So manifestly this component of having many eyes, which can be Biblically compoundingly-interpreted as having: ‘many sources of/for the enlightening entrance of God’s quickening Spirit into one’s body through the intaking/ingesting of God’s Word’ (=Matt 6:22, 23-24; John 6:63; Psa 119:130; Matt 4:4; Eph 6:17b|Heb 4:12-13; Psa 119:105), was crucial to the life and bodily function of the 4 Living Being. And when on Earth, this component had been transferred to (or was always found in) the wheels for each of the 4 Living Beings...So no wonder they ‘kept those wheels close to/beside them’ when they were not in practical displacing use for moving about the ground, -manifestly their very life and well being depended on those wheels, but pointedly on the eyes/spirit in those wheels given that these ‘beryl-like’ (Ezek 1:16) wheels were themselves inanimate (cf. Zech 3:9) objects. (=John 6:63; Rev 11:11)
The great care that the Living Being are indicated to have for those “vital” wheels can be better understood by the relationship between the mind and the brain. If a person’s vital organs located in their body are not functioning, then even if that person has a perfectly healthy/functional brain, they will not be able to live. If a person’s bodily vital organs work fine, but it is their arms and legs which do not function, then that person with a perfectly healthy/functional brain will not be able to physically do much. When one speaks/thinks of the Spirit of God acting on/with one’s own spirit (as in John 3:3-8), it is easy to merely think that this involves the brain/mind. However, as seen in the illustrations above, without a vitally functional body or working limbs all of the “head knowledge/influence” that one can obtain from, -in regards to Spiritual things: reading the Bible and being influence by the Holy Spirit won’t result in either any personally effectuated work, or in anything at all. So it is self-evident why the Four Living Beings were so “protective/possessive ” of their wheels as their physical functionality and mobile viability, -particularly given that they couldn’t make use of their wings to move about, as well as their Spiritual Life, in those eyes, depended on it...
Exact location/position of the eyes - I would venture to interpretingly infer here that, since the Four Living Beings in Heaven had not only eyes “all around”, but also “within”, but the 4 Living Beings here on Earth only had ‘eyes all around’, but ‘towards all four of them’ (Ezek 1:18), which, as seen there was for having precise gear timing/synchronization, then I would sequiturly say that the precise location of these “eyes all around”, was “all around” the wheel’s rim itself, but not along the outer wall/strip/side of the rim, (like for a tire’s “whitewall”), nor on the inner wall/strip/side, but around the face/underside of the rim itself: namely the ‘tread”, the part which would roll over the ground, and in between each of its gear grooves. In that position, the eyes could do their work of maintaining precise synchronization with another one of the 4 geared wheel of that Living Being.
Also in that location, position which both “sees” things at ground level as wheel as things and conditions on the very ground itself, these eyes can “sensorily” do the priorly seen task of theirs for the wheels of the Cloud Chariot having optimal traction when moving about on the ground....Not to mention, from some of those passages of the Spiritual association of the eyes and the S/spirit as “light/lamps” (i.e. Matt 6:22; Psa 119:105, 130; plus Rev 1:14; 2:18; 19:12) of probingly/projectingly “lightening up the path of/for the cloud chariot”.
And through merely their most conventional “seeing” functions, the eyes/spirit in these wheels are seeing/perceiving what needs to be done in order to advance this Cloud Chariot entity and relay that information to the Four Living Being to exert the adequate torque force, rotational speed and/or directional steering from the powerful, quick and/or timely interplay of their ‘hands on the wheels’, along with the, -as later discussed more in Ezek 1:24b, assistive lift force, in the conditions created by their wings.
All in all, on the “overseeing” level which God is working with this Earth-roving* Cloud Chariot, it can be indeed seen how God is variously overarchingly acting, pointedly through timely and adequate “prophetic guidance”, to ensure the proper movement (=Ezek 1:12) of this Purposeful Entity of His. (=5T 752.2)
*Divine-Earth Expedition - And speaking of “roving” earlier, doesn’t this whole activity of a Wheeled-Cloud Chariot with 4 Living Being, and as later seen, stopping and going, while “recalculating in between”, not only physically resemble the interplanetary ground rovers that have been sent from Earth to explore other planet, but also having similarities in terms of expedition and purpose. E.g. the Mars Mission Rovers were launched and deployed from Earth across part of this galaxy to Mars to both check out, if any, life there and also see if/how Mars can be a viable place for “Earthling” to colonize it and move there. Well, Spiritually, as well as most tangibly, God’s Cloud Chariot was sent in a “manned-mission” of agents from His very Throne Room to determine if and how He can (‘finally’, as first long sought through Ethnic Israel (Num 14:20-21; cf. Matt 6:9) tangibly and permanently establish His Heavenly Rule and Kingdom on this Lone Planet in Rebellion. (Psa 2; Rev 2:26-29; 11:15-18; 19:15; 5T 752.1)
And so, in pertinent conclusion here, it can be seen that this “eyes = S/spirits” theme here is indeed related to the 7 Eyes-Spirits + 7 Horns of Rev 5:6 which, as discussed in those links, is likewise based on the ‘Earth (Overruling) Righteousness Kingdom (~2 Pet 3:13) plan & purposes of God’ long-revealed in Isa 11:1-5!! So it can indeed be seen/deduced that the Cloud Chariot with the Four Living Being, which is also transporting a ‘Son of Man’ throne of God (cf. Rev 3:21) is on an Future-Further Mission exploration, trailblazing and appropriating endeavor, one which is working to set up the later full-fledge established Kingdom Rule of God.
Ezekiel 1:21 - Whenever those would go, these went; and whenever those would stay still, these stood still. And whenever those would be lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
This verse is merely, evidently emphatically, repetitive of what has already been said, (and here commented on), in the proximate prior verses...so nothing substantively new to add here.
I would however specifyingly add as commentary here that:
“those” - manifestly is referring collectively to the Four Living Beings and their Cloud Chariot.
“these” - is evidently referring to the (landing gear) wheels unit themselves.
This again is showing how these two major parts are categorically distinct components which were specially joined together in Heaven for this/their Earthly trip/mission. Indeed God did not have to include this “landing gear/wheels” unit for this cloud. Indeed, as seen in other depictions in both the Bible and the SOP of such a Cloud transport coming down to the Earth, e.g. transporting the/(a) Son of Man (e.g. Rev 14:14-16; EW 15.2-16.2), but no mention of it “touching down” is made. But here, this Cloud Chariot clearly has been, manifestly injunctively and therefore, additively, the mandate of also touching down upon the Earth and mainly executing its mission there strictly at “ground level” instead of flying about.
Infinitive vs. conjugated verbs - Here infinitive verbal forms, thus indicating an intended actions are used for “those” (=4 Living Beings and their Cloud Chariot). Conjugated verbs (Hebrew imperfects) are used for “these”, thus indicating actions occurring as a sequitur/logical consequence of something, which here is the action and movement that the 4 Living Beings had set out to do. So clearly it is the Living Beings which are the “brains” of this operation, and the wheels are merely following this lead.
This logical observation/conclusion would seem to go against the next phrase which (again) states that “the spirit of (each of) the living beings is in the wheels”, and the harmonizing solution would be that the “eyes = spirit” of the Living Beings in the wheels are, as stated above at Ezek 1:21, functioning as sensory contributors; -therefore feeding information on/at ground level to the Living Beings who then make the decision of what to do and where to go from that input and supply the needed power to the operation of the Chariot and its Wheels to do so.
Moreover, with eyes/spirit being symbolically synonymous to the prophetic gift, I would add that this interaction between the Wheels and these Living Being would be like, -(as blasphemous as it may novicely seem), God at times allowing Himself to be advised and persuaded (cf. Isa 1:18) by his prophetic agents on the Earth to decide what should or should not be done about events/situations on the Earth. Some notable examples of this are: unworthy, but repentant Jacob “victoriously” obtaining the Israel blessing from God (Gen 32:28); Moses successful interceding for a debauched Israel (Exod 32:11-14/Num 14:13-21ff); Elijah actually remonstrating God from His own word (Deut 11:16-17) so that idolatrous and apostasied would not/no longer go unpunished (PK 119.2-120.2a/Jam 5:17-18; cf. here); Jesus (probationally) postponing the judgement that should have very soon (i.e. long before 70 AD) befallen the First Century Jews for their “most extreme of abomination” -Dan 9:26b, 27b (Luke 23:34a). Such an approach is actually/indeed eschatologically foreplanned (Mal 4:5-6/Rev 11:6)
So here, God would have incorporated through these added on wheels a feature from which the input of what should be done about the affairs of/in the world to be submitted by the prophetic-advisor agents which are these Wheels. And that input would come to shape, perhaps even dictate what the Four Living Being then would do, however perhaps merely only in regards to how exactly the course of action suggestions/advice from the Living Wheels show be best carried out....And then the Wheels would go along perfectly with that decision by the Living Beings. So it indeed was a close interplay between these two distinct components, so much so that the Wheels and the Living Being are said/seen to be of ‘one and the same’ “spirit”. So this Ground-Assessing Information Component of this Entity would “prophetically” be of the same mind as its Heavenly Intelligence Institutions Component (cf. DA 668.2-4). This manifestly is all part of the “merciful rainbow” context in which God has chosen to execute this mandate (Ezek 1:28), because without such permitted, even self-, “intercession” (Isa 41:28; 50:2; 59:16; 63:5; Ezek 22:30) and effectively: argued-for mercy (e.g. Exod 32:7-10ff/Num 14:11-12ff; Deut 9:16-21), God wisely knows that the better/non-mitigating approach would be to just uproot every contaminated thing and start all over with a fresh crop. (Gen 6:11-13ff).
Ezekiel 1:22 - Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of ice/frost crystal, spread out over their heads.
Now - The conjunction here basically means “and”, but it is striking that Ezekiel is “only now” seeing this “awesome/terrifying” sight.
over the heads - Ezekiel is seeing an “expanse”, which is ‘an extended surface/space’, which typically is an atmosphere (Gen 1:6, 7, 8, etc), therefore which is composed of water in some state. So evidently Ezekiel was here seeing a sort of miniaturized heavens, manifestly crafted specially for this vehicle. It served as the ceiling/roof of this vehicle being “spread out over the heads” of the Living Beings.
awesome gleam of ice/frost crystal - This expanse was made out of solid frost/ice (cf. Heb.: querach - #07140; e.g. Gen 31:40; Job 6:16; 37:10; 38:29; Psa 147:17: Jer 36:30) which is so awesome/“terrifying” that it clearly was quite a strongly frozen block, hence the “ice/frost crystal” rendering. Being Heavenly prepared/manufactured, the frosting of that ice block must have been so perfect that it indeed must have seemed like crystal, -probably also glowing from the glowing metal fire below. And it must have been so solid that even the super-heated atmosphere/air area under it didn’t cause it to melt.
Why a “crystalized frosted ice” ceiling/roof?!...Well as the whole thing seemed to be floating just above the Cloud Chariot itself, -having no pillars to prop it up, and likely riding the cushion of heated air generated by the glowing metal fire of the Cloud Chariot. It probably was, or at least function as, as perfectly densely packed & composed “ice cloud” (example).
Ezekiel 1:23 - Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, ‘one touching towards the other’; for each one, they had two wings made to be covering towards one side there, and for each one, they had two wings made to be covering towards the other side, of their body.
under the expanse - Therefore in the space underneath this frosted ice ceiling/roof, and in between the 4 Living Creatures.
stretched out straight - Two of the 4 wings of the Living Creatures were stretched out straight from top to bottom
‘one touching towards the other’ - again the quite descriptive ‘(platonically) joined as a wife to her sister’* Hebrew idiom, discussed earlier at Ezek 1:9, is used here. It does mean that there was a tight joining/“touching” here, but neither a forking one (assuming that angel wings have split-feathered edges like most birds), nor an overlapping one, but rather a precise side-by-side paneling/collating, again all in order to provide as large an airtight airspace as possible in between them so that that air can be superheated to provide lift power, as for for this vehicle, and also support the weight of their above-floating frosted ice roofing/base.
* It seems quite deliberate and significant that, with the closeness/tightness of this “joining” being compared to a “husband and wife” bodily closeness, the Hebrew did not use two random women, or even a wife and her female friend, but, to avoid proscribed (i.e. cf. Lev 18:22; 20:13; Rom 1:26-27) confusion here, the safest ‘bodily closeness’ example of ‘a (moreover) married woman and her sister’ was used.
Overall, this is quite a specific and general technological feat here, -even if naturalistic means are being used. This is manifestly all reflecting how God is not going to employ more Supernatural assistance than necessary in this Earth-Mission Entity and its Kingdom of God Endeavor.
‘two wings covering body, on one side and other’ - From this reading of the NASB, it can be generally understood that ‘the sides of the Living Beings were covered by their two remaining/free wings.’ (It can also be inferred that their back were manifestly either inclusively covered by their other two wings which were stretched out behind them, and/or these side covering wings also covered any exposed/uncovered parts of their back.) However the underlying Hebrew is more detailed/specific. It is woodenly saying:
“for each one, they had two wings made to be covering towards one side there, and for each one, they had two wings made to be covering towards the other side, of their body”
This seems to be specifying that this ‘sides covering’ was actually a joint effort between
each two adjacent beings, as if, -without touching or joining, each adjacent being used their facing side wings to jointly produce a joint shielding/covering canopy for both of their facing/adjacent sides. Such a ‘(joint-)canopy approach’ versus an ‘(individual) bodily-hugging peel-like covering’ would indeed be better if the intent is to keep as far away as possible any heat and/or radiation still seeping/leaking from the active reactor in between them. These canopy would thus be functioning as a (secondary/outer) containment chamber. However this containment canopy’ was not, as it did not need to functionally be as “airtight” as the paneled camber formed jointly by each of their other two wings.
Ezekiel 1:24 - I also heard as the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; and in order to stand still, they made their wings slacken.
as the sound of their wings.... - It is quite non-sequitur, and thus striking/significant, that the sound Ezekiel hears being made from wings (when active) is that of “many waters”.
Most likely from prior prophetic expressions like Psa 29:3; 93:4, Ezekiel immediately knew to recognize/associate this sounding to be “like the voice of the Almighty”. As Theologically discussed in this post based on Isa 46:9-11 in regards to ‘God and the Future’, this is an expression about ‘God’s undefeatable injunctive power to act to produce what He wants, and said would happen’. And here, this then all sounds like “sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp”.
From Psa 77:19 which says that ‘God invisibly acted to make a way of deliverance for his people through “many waters”, it seems that the whole figurative (=symbolic/prophetic) association of: ‘the thundering (=partly unseen) voice of God’ = ‘many waters’ = ‘army/military assaults/invasions’, is all concretely based on the episode of God’s Deliverance of His vulnerable, and militarily outmatched, people at the Red Sea. (Exod 14). In these days when there was not much in terms of military artillery/implements, success in war was largely dependent on the brute strength produced by how many people were in a nation’s army. The Egyptian’s chariots (cf. Exod 14:7-8) did give them an advantage, but only in regards to more rapidly displacing their military. (Cf. Exod 14:9). But once arrived at the battle sight, it would essentially still come to a hand to hand fight, and an army with much larger numbers can thus overcome the advantage of chariot-fighters otherwise “running circles” about them. The problem with Israel at the Red Sea is that they were also unarmed. But God came to their defense by taking control of the Red Sea and causing this “many waters” to overflow the Egyptian Army.
So this evidently became the most extreme example/symbol of God’s Deliverance Power, and with waters themselves symbolically representing “people” (Rev 17:1, 15, 18), it can be seen that God produced the equivalent of “much more abundant people” for Israel which resulted in them overcoming their Egyptian enemies. And this symbolism is even applied when speaking of the Military action/invasion of/by other nations (e.g. Isa 8:7). Manifestly, given the track record of God’s Israel being able to easily defeat powerful armies, a “flooding” tactic became the choice approach to be used against them (e.g. Isa 17:12-13), thus trying to bodily outnumber them, but there too, as God was intending to “simply” do for the Conquest of Canaan, God has a simple response to easily defeat even this amassed assault...just terrorize their enemy away. (Isa 17:14; Exod 23:27-30).
Relatedly when God will later engage in destroying “Babylon the Great”, which has the advantage of being bolstered by large and vast/worldwide ‘populace support’ (Rev 17:1, 15, 18), He acts by not merely ‘drying that support’ (Rev 16:12), but also by actually completely turning the tables on Babylon, in order for it to never be re-established where its former supporters no longer stand for her (Rev 18:9-10) and then even ‘sounding/speaking against it’ (=Rev 7:9-17|Isa 54:1ff = Rev 19:1-8|Jer 51:55). Not surprisingly this symbolism is also restated when Ezekiel later sees God coming back to organize and establish His New Temple-Holy City-Nation. (Ezek 43:2ff; cf. Rev 18:1ff; Hab 2:14)
All this to say here for this indication in Ezekiel’s vision that God was revealing that this Cloud Chariot entity had firmly entrenched in it, the assuring component of God’s Overwhelming delivering power...and that even if the wings of the Living Being, which should be otherwise working to “swiftly” produce the advancement and establishment of this Kingdom Rule Entity, are nonetheless just as potent, swift and alarming to the enemies of this Movement of God when doing an alternative functional and self-preserving work instead while the Cloud Chariot was propelled forward, and moved about in various directions, on the ground by the “human hands under their wings” (Ezek 1:8; 10:8, 21).
This all was reassurringly saying that mighty victory was always assured no matter what size or quality of an even military enemy should come against God’s People and even when/if God’s assistive contribution was being manifested instead in reassigned means as is the case with these, thus “under-utilized”, angel wings.
and in order to stand still, they made their wings slacken - Since the wings are not involved in waftingly propelling the Cloud Chariot forward, it would surfacely seem strange that by them ‘being made to become slack’, that this is what would ‘make the entire Cloud Chariot to stand still.’ But this ‘wings slackness’ is in direct relation to the ‘rigidly straight stance’ of the wings in Ezek 1:23. As discussed there, this was manifestly in order to provide an air tight inner chamber to produce lift power for the Cloud Chariot, which is surely quite heavy given all that is included in, and on top of, it. So it is from the fact that a moving vehicle of course also has to be able to lift/displace its own weight, that if the lift force is reduced to zero, then the vehicle cannot move forward. This is the same for the Cloud Chariot. So the Wings producing the lift force would only leave the “human hands” the task of merely turning their wheels to move the Cloud Chariot around. These “human hands” would not be “burdened” with having to exert any force to account for lift.
So, in summary here, (2) the slackening of these otherwise stiffly straight wings would result in the formed inner chamber no longer being airtight and thus there wouldn’t be any atmosphere/air heat differential to produce this “hot air balloon” type of lift force. And (1) the sound made by these wings at “non-natural alternative work” for them in this “technological function”, was like the compounded sound of ‘God Almighty backingly approaching as a large marching army of His People’ (cf. Isa 58:8)
Ezekiel 1:25 - That is, a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads; and in order to stand still, they made their wings slacken.
That is, a voice came.... - Ezekiel here simply restates what he had said in Ezek 1:24 and with the last part here being verbatim what he had said in the prior verse, he is just adding specifications here in regards to show that ‘the sound of many waters.... which was like the voice of God Almighty’ which occurred whenever the wings were at work, actually came from above the “ice/frost expanse roof” (Ezek 1:22) that was stretched out above the heads of the 4 Living Beings. With that voice being seamlessly tied to the alternative work of the wings, then it shows that God had chosen to tangible express/manifest his delivering will in what would be tangibly/technologically accomplish by these wings. (Isa 40:31; Rev 12:14). So there would be some tangible contribution through technological means/production to accomplish God’s assured delivering work. I.e. for accomplishing God’s Full Gospel mandate in Isa 58:6-7ff.
Ezekiel 1:26 - Now out of the space just above the expanse that was over their heads, there was the appearance of the likeness of a sapphire-stone throne; and on this likeness of a throne, there was a likeness as the appearance of a man from above upon it.
out of the space just above the expanse - The choice of Hebrew term here woodenly rendered as: “out of the space just above” seems to be specifyingly deliberate. It could have instead straightly said: “upon the expanse”, meaning that the throne was placed/fixed right on that hardened pavement roofing. But instead it uses terms and expressions which make it seem that this throne was instead suspended in mid air, but within the space that was just above the expanse.
Perhaps some type of, even Supernatural, levitation is work here. Like the levitation that can occur with materials in a Superconductive field, perhaps there is a technological feat here where the radiation from the (atomic) “glowing metal core” at the center-bottom of this Cloud Chariot (Ezek 1:4) is causing such a levitation effect when it is reacting with the properties of the sapphire-stone material of which the throne is made. And the frosted ice expanse roofing is deliberately see through in order to allow the radiation to most permeably flow through, and/or it is intermediarily creating or boosting the levitation radiation force and/or that expanse may merely have had the “likeness” to a frosted ice block to Ezekiel, but was instead made up of a crystal like material which had properties which served to produce such a levitation force either on its own, or in reaction to the radiation from the glowing metal core below it.
likeness of a sapphire-stone throne - (=Ezek 10:1) This unmistakably is of the same foundation material for the very throne of God Himself (Exod 24:10).
Using a little applicable/exegetical association: as the foundations of God’s Throne are said to be based on the traits of “Righteousness and Justice” (Psa 89:14; 97:2; cf. Psa 33:5), and that is patently and consistently throughout the Bible, the two main character principles that God wants His people to have* , as it will of course be found in his Zionistic Rule/r** , then “sapphire” itself may be a symbol for this Godly Righteousness and Justice (cf. Isa 54:11, 14, 17). So this throne, itself entirely made up of this “Godly Righteousness and Justice”, was representing that this would be the, not merely “founding”, but existential composition of this throne itself.
* E.g. Gen 18:19; 2 Sam 8:15; 1 Kgs 10:9; Job 29:14; Pro 21:3; Eccl 3:16; 5:8; Isa 1:21; 5:7; 28:17; 32:16; 56:1; 59:9, 14; Amos 5:7, 24; 6:12; Ezek 18:5; Psa 99:4; 106:3; 119:121;
** E.g. Isa 9:7; 16:5; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Isa 33:5
a likeness as the appearance of a man...upon it -Though Ezekiel was seeing the appearance of a man seated upon the throne, this was actually merely a likeness/figure and not an actual/tangible person.
...from above.. - Ezekiel was not recognizing this man as being from the Earth, but instead “from above” -from having had his origins from Heaven instead. But it must have seem odd to Ezekiel that a Human seeming being was actually a Heaven-born/e being. This all is understood now in Jesus being a “Son of Man” (Rev 1:12-16ff), -i.e. a Heavenly Being who has taken on human form-, and who will return in that same form (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64; Rev 14:14-16).
So Ezekiel was seeing a depiction of a/the Son of Man seated on that “Godly Righteousness and Justice” throne and manifestly that was the crowning piece of this entire Cloud Chariot Entity’s Mission to Earth.
It is quite indicative that in the prophetic Second Coming descriptions, the Holy Spirit depicts the Son of Man directly seated on the descending cloud (Matt 24:30; 26:64; Rev 14:14-16), but here, in this ‘judgement vision’ (Ezek 43:2) to Ezekiel, an intermediary layer of the Four Living Beings is found in between, as if to indicate that these first will fulfill their establishment task and the will the “overseeing” Sapphire-Stone Throne Rule be established.
In fact the entire sequence of observation in Ezekiel’s vision here, from:
-the storm wind (Ezek 1:4a);
-to the great cloud (Ezek 1:4b);
-then the 4 Living Beings (Ezek 1:5-11);
-the non-turning movements (Ezek 1:12-14);
-the wheels (within the wheels) (Ezek 1:15-21);
-the expanse and the formed space underneath it (Ezek 1:22-25);
-the sapphire-stone throne & its human occupant (Ezek 1:26-27);
-the surrounding rainbow (Ezek 1:28a);
-all producing the glory of God (Ezek 1:28b; =Num 14:21; Hab 2:14; Rev 18:1);
may be according to a strict order of gradual discovery/understanding, and thus implementation for this Earthly Kingdom Establishment Mission of/from God.
Ezekiel 1:27 - Then I saw from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him.
from the appearance of His loins and upward - Oddly enough, from the waist up, the appearance of this Son of Man has the same “glowing metal” (Greek: electron) make up as the core, manifestly powering supply, of the Cloud Chariot. (Ezek 1:4).
looked like fire all around within it - This emanating fire likewise is just like the Ezek 1:4 glowing metal core, as it also had/produced “fire flashing continually” in the midst of the cloud (Ezek 1:4).
from the appearance of His loins and downward - manifestly unlike the core mechanism for the Great Cloud, that produced fire was not then projected out as a flaming propulsion as depicted here.... The fire produced by the glowing metal core was manifestly not sustained as a flame pyre, but only cyclically flashed.
So it seems here like the outfitting of this “Son of Man” vision was suppose to mirror the Cloud Chariots glowing metal core...as if the two were supposed to be of the same substance and thus purpose. That Son of Man’s outfit (cf. His other outfit in Rev 1:12-16) was probably the original source and the Cloud Chariots course was the imitating elements made both from, and just like, that Son of Man’s outfit.
Now, as the Cloud’s glowing metal core itself is later use as the implement for executing God’s judgement on Jerusalem/Judah (Ezek 10:2, 6), then, through an SOP linking here, this may be understood as the actual depicting constitution of the attire that the Son of Man makes His appearing in upon the changing of His outfit from a priestly one (as the one He is outfitted with in Rev 1:12-16 for His priestly ministering amongst the 7 Churches (Rev 1:20-3:21), for the joint: “Kingly & Vengeance” one (e.g. DS, March 14, 1846 par. 2; Mar 258.2; EW 36.1; 281.1) He is outfitted with prior to embarking on such a throne on a cloud to effectuate His dual: Reaping (Rev 14:14-16) & Destroying (Rev 14:17-20|Isa 63:1-6) Coming.
And manifestly that “change of vestment/work” pointedly occurs at the parallel point of Rev 8:5 (=Rev 14:18's Angel) where fire from an altar is similarly taken up to cast upon the target of God’s Judgement/Wrath...launching the 7 Trumpets = 7 Last Plagues; cf. Rev 15:7)
radiance around Him - This whole ‘Divine Judgement/Vengeance action by this Son of Man’ (=for the due SDA application: 4T 387.1 -presented here) produces a special radiance (discussed next).
That all said above straightly to an application in the Anti-type Jesus Christ, it must be reminded here that this “Son of Man” figure could, now would, also apply Typologically.
Ezekiel 1:28 - As the appearance of the rainbow which comes to be in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the radiance around him. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face. Then I heard a [forced] voice speaking.
rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day - Clearly this is making an allusion to God’s covenant sign for the mercy that He would have towards those who live on the Earth. (Gen 9:8-17)
radiance = glory of the LORD - This rainbow included in the Cloud Chariot is a perfect transposed replica of what it is incorporated in God’s Throne Room (Rev 4:3; TM 157.2; 5BC 1133.5). It is one which represents God’s great, and even when subjective (Exod 33:18-19), Mercy. So Ezekiel himself here applicably recognizes that the radiance produced from the “Kingly & Vengeance” outfit of the Son of Man on that “Righteousness and Justice” Throne actually had the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. As Yahweh in Exod 33:18-19 had specified that His glory not only has to do with Justice, but also (Just or Generous) Mercy, including doing good to His Enemies (Matt 5:43-48|Luke 6:27-36), then here, although Destruction and Vengeance is clearly understood by this whole vision and mission, this glorious element of Divine Mercy is also to still be expected and found therein....if possible (Ezek 9:7-11)...and/or if it would be purposeful, as in producing a “greater good”.
This ‘generous mercy’ concept is also seen in Rev 18:1ff where, despite the call out of Babylon having been given since Rev 14:8, God then chooses to remake this call, with “Latter Rain/Loud Cry” power to His people (Rev 18:4-5ff) effectively still obstinating to remain in the Babylon that God is then about to once and for all sack (Rev 18:6ff; 21-24)
saw if...fell on my face - Unlike other instances in the Bible when people realize that the visionary/prophetic experience they are having is directly involving the Divine, and they then immediate worshipfully fall to the ground/on their face, evidently here, it is only in this 28th and last verse/portion of this visionary experience that Ezekiel suddenly realizes through the produced emanation which had the likeness of God’s glory, that He is actually dealing with God Himself.....And so he immediately worshipfully falls on his face.
People today still have similar problems of perceiving the Divine in this vision given to Ezekiel, but it manifestly is only perceivable at its very ending, thus upon the full effectuation of its depicted mission.
Then I heard a [forced] voice speaking - Despite the voicing “like the voice of the Almighty” in Ezek 1:24, this here is actually the very first time that Ezekiel hears the actual/real voice of God. Ezekiel is then explicitly given his Call & Spiritual Empowering (Ezek 2) and Commission (Ezek 3ff).
Ezekiel 3:12-13ff - Once that Prophetic Calling-Empowering-Commissioning is complete, Ezekiel is manifestly given a reminder of the product and capabilities of the Great Cloud Chariot and/through its Living Creatures (Ezek 3:12-13) and then is released from this “consternating’ visionary experience. (Ezek 3:14-16ff), before later further instruction in regards to warning Judah/Israel of its coming judgements if it does not repent (Ezek 3:17-21ff).
Ezekiel 3:22-23 - Here we are redirected back to the element of the “rainbow glory” which Ezekiel had last seen in his opening/calling vision (Ezek 1:28). As discussed above, that was a manifestation of God’s disposition to “have mercy”, and that: ‘on whomever He wills’. Well here, this concept reappears in this Plains vision of Ezekiel. This is as this “glory of God” manifestation is about to, deliberate step by step make its way through (see Ezek 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18, 19; 11:22), and ultimately out of (Ezek 11:23), the Temple Complex and Sanctuary Ministry in Judah (cf. Ezek 3:12) that is supposed to be His Representing Church & Religion (Exod 25:8-9; Acts 7:44; Heb 8:5)....evidently to see if that glorious approaching and appearance will awake ‘these abominably defiling people’ (Ezek 7:20-27) to repent, revive and reform and thus be able to benefit from its available and offered mercy.
Relatedly, this episode where Ezekiel has first eaten the scroll given to him by God (Ezek 3:1-3) but then effectively experiences an ‘ingestion malaise’ when he tries to relate its message (Ezek 3:4ff), is reprised in the Message (Rev 10:9-10) and Mission (Rev 11:1-10) of the Two Witnesses of Revelation as they are then to warn God’s now Spiritual Israel of, likewise, His coming Reform Judgements. And so, it then seems that the experience in Ezek 3:24a where the Spirit of God enters Ezekiel and causes him to stand on his feet, is akin to what occurs to the Two Witnesses in Rev 11:12a where both Ezekiel and the Two Witnesses are then effectively removed to the ‘hiding place’ of God’s choosing (i.e. Ezekiel’s house (Ezek 3:24b); Heaven (Rev 11:12b)), as God’s intended destruction judgement (I.e. Ezek 4-11 & Rev 11:13-14) then, now “unhinderedly”, ‘run their course’ = Isa 26:20|COL 178:2-4ff.
Ezekiel 8:4 - God begins this ‘available mercy’ Judgement inspection ca. 1 year and 2 months after He gave Ezekiel his calling vision (Ezek 8:1a vs. Ezek 1:1). Ezekiel is shown the same enthroned man of/on fire’ that he last saw in his first vision (Ezek 8:2 = Ezek 1:27). This man then takes Ezekiel into a vision at Jerusalem’s Temple Court (Ezek 8:3), where Ezekiel then also re-sees the manifestation of God’s (‘avenging but also generously merciful’) Glory. (Ezek 8:4).
Given how Moses had been given a vision where it was the “Angel of the Lord” which was appearing to him in a blazing fire (Exod 3:2|Acts 7:35b; Exod 23:20-23), given how angels are seen a mere humans (e.g. Gen 18:2; 19:1, 5; Dan 8:15; 9:21; 10:3, 16); and given how the “one like unto a son of man” in Rev 1 partly has the same fiery composition at his feet (Rev 1:15; cf. Dan 10:6), it would seem like this Enthroned One and Prophetic Guide for Ezekiel is a highly ranked angel, one of the (7) Mighty Angels, and manifestly again Gabriel, as for the visions given to Daniel, but appearing in a different depiction, thus function.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 8:4
Relatedly enough here, the turning/pivotal point in my own ministering experience* came when I had my first vision in 1999 which was backgrounded in Ezek 8.
* As shown in the “Israel Attempts Judgements” illustrating charting in this post.
Ezekiel 9:3 - That Glory of God makes its first move here, and goes from being above the cherub, which are the 4 Living Creatures, and moves to the threshold of the temple. Telling that that Glory of God should have instead been above the Ark of the Covenant, between its two covering cherubim which are in the Most Holy Place of Jerusalem’s Temple (Exod 25:22; cf. Num 7:89; Exod 40:34-35; Num 9:15; 1 Kgs 8:11), but instead, it manifestly had long departed (despite the Ark perhaps still being in there (cf. 1 Sam 4:21-22), if not yet removed and hidden by Jeremiah) from there and here/now reemerges from having come down on that Cloud Chariot.
And from that ‘external/removed’ (re-)location, the approached ‘man/angel of/on fire’ from which this glory emanates, now calls for the sealing of any one who could be salvaged by a commissioned “man in linen” (Ezek 9:4), prior to God sending forth His already summoned & set up judgement (Ezek 9:1-2ff)
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 9:3
Ezek 9 has to do with the Pre-Shaking’s Sealing of God’s People, and once its (prophetic) Full-Sabbatical extent is finally grasped (=Isa 58|WM 28-54ff), it then indeed is time to from here in Ezek 9 and furthered in Ezek 10, begin executing the outpouring of Judgement on those who preferred to not be sealed.
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God’s Deliverance: Power:
With the Order/Organization for God’s Deliverance having been set forth in the Ezek 1 Vision with its various “down-to-earth” representations, Ezek 10 goes over the same ground, but this time by showing how God’s Power for Deliverance is also involved in these symbols.
Ezekiel 10
As an overarching guiding overview of this chapter, Ezekiel has manifestly by now seen, (probably starting at Ezek 9:3's depiction), that the Four Living Creatures are evidently Cherubim. And so, in this vision, he instead straightly refers to them according to this “higher” characteristic of theirs rather than the “earthly” ones of a Lion, an Ox, a Man and an Eagle in which they appear in/for this vision. (Ezek 10:20-22) Then, as it will be seen and discussed later at Ezek 10:14, Ezekiel further understands that “the face of an Ox” is seamlessly associated with “the face of an Cherub”. This shows that the Ox is indeed the Spiritual/Religious “face” of this group, and so, by now understanding that all of these 4 Living Beings are all also cherubs, then it is seen that they indeed inherently, foundationally, all have this “Spiritual & Religious aspect to them. So here Ezekiel relates the actions of the Four Living Creatures from this now understood “higher” perspective.
Indeed Ezekiel is repeatedly ‘flooringly’ surprised that at every major Act in his prophetic experience, (here the destruction of the city and its Temple (Ezek 10:20-22) and later to its rebuilding (Ezek 43:3-4), it is all related to that odd opening vision that he had.
Ezekiel 10:1 - Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a throne, was appeared above them.
behold - Though Ezekiel uses this “surprised” word here, he actually had seen this very scene in his opening vision, at Ezek 1:26. But what he manifestly was surprised by was the exact replaying of that vision, starting at its ending scene for this present vision, -which is occurring 14 months later (Ezek 8:1), clearly indicating that this present vision was picking up where the opening one had ended. This reprising/continuing vision of Ezek 10 is also right upon the heels of the concerning and harrowing ones of Ezek 8 & 9, so it evidently surprised Ezekiel to see that in all of this God had this continuing overarching master plan in/with that opening 4 Living Beings/Cherub Vision.
Cherubim - As noted just above in the introduction, Ezekiel manifestly out of arrived-at understanding now, straightly refers to the 4 Living Beings for what he now knows them to actually be, namely angels of the Cherubim Order.
The Cherubim, who are the covering angels (Exod 25:18-20) in God’s Presence (Isa 63:9; cf. Luke 1:19), (and of which “Lucifer”/Satan himself originally was part of (Ezek 28:14, 16), -then being beside Michael (=Jesus Christ) before Michael was openly elevated to the Godlike position He always had the right to (PP 36.2)), are the top of Angel Orders; -followed by the Seraphim. These 4 Cherubim also are identified with the 4 identified/named (bottom 4 of the 7) Mighty Angels in this post. Namely:
Phanuel = Ox/Cherub-face Living Being
Raguel = Man-face Living Being
Remiel = Eagle-face Living Being
Sariel = Lion-face Living Being
Now as the Cherubim have the closest contact with God of all of His angelic beings. Which such “proximate” awareness, knowledge and thus understanding about God, it is not surprising that they are specially entrusted with God’s greatest Redemptive Missions (e.g. Gen 3:24; Exod 23:20-23ff; Dan 8:16; 9:21-22; Luke 1:19, 26) and Messages (Rev 14:6, 8, 9, 18:1) to this Fallen World.
Ezekiel 10:2 - And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, "Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city." And he entered in my sight.
man clothed in linen - This is the same personage who, -clothed in these vestment of a priest, thus a priestly figure, had suddenly come upon the scene in Ezek 9 in order to seal, with a “mark of deliverance” (GC 656.2a), anyone in Judah (cf. Rev 7:5a|TM 445.2a) who is sighing and crying for the (actual) abominations being done in the land. (Mar 213.6-7; 240.2ff)
It is interesting that the five other men (really “angels” in human form - e.g. 4BC 1161.5) only target the apostate and unsealed people in Judah (Ezek 9:6). God’s (former, now disowned (Rev 3:16)) Laodicean people are indeed to fall in (3T 267.1; TM 431.2-3). But here, the sixth amongst them, -indeed also: really an angel (4BC 1161.5a; EW 279.2a), is told to target the rebellious physical Jerusalem city. As these Five Angels are part of the Seven Last Plague Angels (GC 656.2; Rev 15:5-6), then these manifestly are the First Five of the Plague Angels. Therefore the Sixth amongst them, this “man clothed in linen”, is manifestly the Sixth Plague Angel, the one who directs his vial of wrathful judgement pointedly on another apostasied (former) “Jerusalem”, namely Babylon itself (Rev 16:12ff).
So in summary here, these five men/angels of Ezek 9 are to execute their work of destruction, which are the First 5 Plagues of Rev 16:1-11 (=GC 627.3-628.1ff, 635.3ff), starting at God’s Sanctuary/Temple and its Leaders/Elders, which complement the warning of judgement and war of the First Five Trumpets, right upon the instance that the Sixth (Sealing) Angel, the man clothed in linen, has completed (Ezek 9:11) his Third Angels Message (EW 279.2ff) Sabbatical-sealing of those who could be sealed. Then, at this point, that man clothed in linen is re-commissioned to effectuate physical judgements on an Apostate Jerusalem =Babylon (=Rev 16:2ff).
Also, in this parallel of Ezek 9 and Rev 16, there then would only be missing one Plague Angel, the Seventh, and this perhaps is the one which comes down in Rev 18:1ff and whose work initiates the disappearing overthrow of Babylon (Rev 18:6ff|GC 653.1ff) as (inclusively) done in the Seventh/Final Plague (Rev 16:17-21). (And, as discussed here, it, strictly-antecedently, however seems to be that it is this Seventh/Final Plague Angel who showed John the Revelator the further details of the Judgement of Babylon in Rev 17:1ff.)
enter between the whirling wheel - From the parallel seen above, it is thus quit fitting, and telling, that the implement for this destruction comes from the same sourcing location of around/from the 4 Living Creatures, as comes the vials of wrath of the Last Seven Plagues. (Rev 15:7)
fill your hand - A vial, as that given by the one of the Living Creature to each of the Plague Angels, easily may be able to contain more than what the “hollow of one’s hand” can, but here, and manifestly in only one iterance, the man clothed in linen is to grabbed as much as his “hand” (=which is symbolic for “one’s means of doing things”) can hold/contain.
with coals... - Using the element of “coal”, the New Testament/Covenant highlights that God has also had another approach to executing His Vengeance. And that is by ‘doing good to evil people, all in order to overcome evil’ (Rom 12:19-21 =Pro 25:21-22). That is what Jesus meant by His New Covenant statement in Matt 5:43-48 [7]7 Indeed God’s Mercy is just as effective as His Judgement.
It is popular to hear non-Believers claim today that God does not exist because He is not punishing their, even abominable living, -even as in the many judgements on evildoers reported in the Bible....But what they are not getting is that, as God has chosen to withdraw His more clearly perceivable, even visible, presence, He has correspondingly chosen to be more merciful, and yet it is that ‘tolerance/forbearance which should be leading grateful sinners to repentance’ (Rom 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9). And in being merciful to sinners, God is actually allowing those who are “hell-bent” on opposing Him to be left without any disculpating excuse in/for their final judgement (Rom 2:5; Isa 42:14-16ff).
...of fire - These “avenging” “coals of fire” are really meant to purifyingly/refiningly melt away the rebellious dross and hateful mindset of these Laodicean apostates and evildoers, -leading them to do ‘golden goods/righteous works of faith and love’. (Rev 3:18; Mal 3:1-5ff) But these enemies of Christ (Mal 4:1-2) and His True Righteousness Gospel (cf. Jer 6:26-29; Zech 13:7-9) will instead position themselves to be “stoked” by these pellets of fire, leading to their flaming self-destruction. Symbolically/Spiritually speaking, the priorly solely ‘beneficent’ (Matt 5:45) sun itself will be permitted to ‘scorch these evil men with fire and fierce heat’ (Rev 16:8-9; cf. Mal 4:1-2)
wheels under.... enter - The wheels of this Cloud Chariot may have had a large diameter. Long/High enough for Ezekiel to walk/“enter” underneath the Living Beings to reach the coal core in between them. By Ezekiel stating that ‘he saw the man enter’, it shows that the man may have momentarily entirely disappeared from Ezekiel’s view as he made his way underneath of the highly raised cloud Chariot. In fact, the entire underside of the Cloud Chariot, i.e. to the ground, may have been fill in by the Cloud substance and the man in linen walked into that Clouding to get those core coals as commanded.
Ezekiel 10:3 - Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the house/temple when the man was going to enter, and the cloud filled the inner court.
standing on the right side - The “right side” is the side of favor. So even at this stage of God’s Judgement, when the unrighteous in Judah/Jerusalem have been deposed (Ezek 9:7-8), the 4 Cherubim/Living Creatures entity is still positioned on the side of/for favoring the temple itself in this soon to be sacked city. Evidently, only the standing “(inner) House of God” Structure (=Sanctuary, =the valid inner core of God’s Religious system) itself is to be preserved in the City....To be later expanded and built to God’s plan for the wider/surrounding Temple Complex (Ezek 40-42), and be refilled with the Glory of God (Ezek 43:1-5ff).
going to enter - significantly, an infinitive form is used here not to represent an executed action, but the intention of executing an action, for the transpired reality discussed below at Ezek 10:6, which completes what Ezekiel had begun to ‘see’ “in his sight” in Ezek 10:2.
cloud filled the inner court - Manifestly it is the same cloud substance of the Cloud Chariot which expands here to fill all of the much more spacious inner court. So the Cloud Chariot had the capability of producing more smoking/clouding substance on demand. This scenery all reflects what similarly takes place in the throne room of God when His Judgement Execution process has been initiated (Rev 15:8)...all so that ‘no one could be able to enter, here that inner court, and thus Jerusalem’s Temple.
Indeed it is not prudent to enter a smoke, here cloud-, filled room, simply for the hazardous reason that you then can have no idea where you are going/walking. So it then is best to remain outside.....Which therefore contrasts with the man in linen being obedient to enter a similar cloud-obscured space under the Cloud Chariot to get to the coals at the core as he was probably ‘walking about blind’, thus by faith. (cf. 2 Cor 5:7; Heb 11:1-2)
Ezekiel 10:4 - Then the glory of the LORD went up from above the cherub to above the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
glory of the LORD - This is the same glory which Ezekiel had seen in Ezek 1:28 (see comments there) as being one like a “rainbow” (=(apocayptic judgement) Mercy Covenant).
from cherub to threshold of temple - The Glory of God is on the move here, but oddly into a general realm which is under order of destruction. (Ezek 10:2). One would think that with the rebellious City in general being supposed to be destroyed, God and His Glory would stay completely clear of it and let its due judgement befall it, but, as noted earlier, being a most ‘merciful manifestation’, God is clearly trying to protect and preserve His “house”/temple, the very center of His outrightly righteous religion (when it is properly practiced by those who adhere to it). So God here is approaching the Temple in order to enter it and fill it, which he manages to do.
Temple and its court filled - Given that Judah had corrupted the True Religion of God, this is really a hostile takeover by God irrespective of the warranting conditions on the ground, which really should have kept him completely away. At least it was/is an initiation on His part, to demonstrate His great willingness to preserve this Temple (which architecturally was quite magnificent being the Solomon-built temple, cf. Hag 2:3)...However this all seemed to have been just a manifestation of God’s intent, -given the great plans that He indeed had for this Temple (cf. Hag 2:4-9; Ezek 40-43ff = Rev 11:1-2ff), because this Solomon’s Temple did end up being completely destroyed by the Babylonian’s Third&Final Siege in 587|6 B.C. (2 Chr 36:18-19; 2 Kgs 25:8-17; Jer 52:17-23)
cloud+brightness vs. smoke+glory+power - Is there a difference between God filling His Temple with, as here: ‘a cloud and the brightness of His glory’, versus Him filling His Temple with: ‘smoke from His Glory and His Power’ (Rev 15:8). Well the former may be understood as God’s Manifestation of His Approval/Presence, while the latter is a demonstration of His Power. The fact that ‘clouds are formed by water’ but smoke is from ‘something being consumed by fire’ may be the confirmation that an entirely different process/method/product for this Glory filling is being used by God. As the “smoke infilling” also involves God’s power (Rev 15:8), it may be from God then involving the execution of judgements, just as what did indeed follow in the outpouring of the 7 Wrathful Plagues (Rev 16; cf. Rev 18:8), and whereas God would later withdraw His “presence” from the Temple that He filled here in Ezek 10 and allow it to be destroyed.
So while God was manifesting His Presence to fill the Temple here, it was evidently conditional on the proper response by the people, which evidently did not occur.
Ezekiel 10:5 - Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.
Sound of the wings = voice of God = This is manifestly the same sounding of: ‘“many waters” = people, even as an army camp’ that Ezekiel had heard back at Ezek 1:24, as discussed there. Manifestly this is an indication of God intending to “upgrade” His Temple to be as functional, effective and productive in its ‘surrounding/supporting temple work’, which is what is done in its outer court, -where the people are ministered to, to thus be like the Zionistic “army with many banners” (Songs 6:10|PK 725.1)
God Almighty - The pointed use of this descriptive name for God (Heb.: El-Shaddai) is manifestly to state God’s Almighty Power which is indeed involved in His Actions. God was therefore hinting that His undeafeatable power was present in this representative entity of the Four Living Beings,...and even though the movement/usage of these ‘speeding up’ wings is actually hampered by the human hand underneath it. (Ezek 1:8; 10:8).
It must be because that if God was to allow this Four Living Creature Entity move about and forward at its possible speed of Angelic flight that it would then literally be War, even Divinely/Supernaturally Overpowering war, that He has instead to make it ‘progress’ through various human/natural means and (technological) methods involving, as discussed above: “human hands” (Ezek 1:8); “(advanced materials) wheels” (Ezek 1:16); “hot air lift force mechanism” (Ezek 1:4); an atomic/nuclear energy core (Ezek 1:4, 16, 26); etc.
Ezekiel 10:6 - It came about when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, "Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim," he entered but stood beside a wheel.
It came about - Ezekiel goes back and resumes his account of what the man in linen did.
entered but stood beside - The command to the man in linen seems rather clear here. He is to, manifestly himself, go in between the whirling wheels of the 4 Living Creatures and fill up his hand with fire from in between them (Ezek 10:2)....”but” the man in linen instead is seen here standing beside one of the wheels. As Ezekiel had priorly seen him “enter” in between the 4 Living Creatures (Ezek 10:2), then it appears that he had entered and began to make his way in between the whirling wheels towards that atomic/nuclear core, but then back tracked and instead stood beside one of the wheels.
Perhaps it was the inability to see anything in front of him once he began advancing within that cloud and/or perhaps it was the fear of that atomic/nuclear core, which the 4 Living Creatures themselves seem to be shielding their own (human-form (Ezek 1:5)) bodies from (Ezek 1:11, 23), -which moreover seems to even be composed of the very same (Ezek 1:27) glory core bodily/formly material of (one who Ezekiel himself deemed to be) God (Ezek 10:20a). So perhaps it was a lack/failing of personal faith here to keep moving forward trusting that God would guide and protect him in that commission. And even if the task of procuring these coals of fire is here being relinquished to one of the 4 Living Beings instead (as seen next in Ezek 10:7), it surely cannot be the fear of coming into contact with those hot and radiating coals which can be the issue as the Man in Linen allowed his hand to be filled with them...although the fact that the Cherub, -indeed all of these Living Beings, had human hands (Ezek 1:8) probably then reassured the Man in Linen that he too can hold these coals in his own human hands. So it manifestly was rather the inability to see for himself where he was to go that led to this forged alternate approach through a Living Creature instead.
beside a wheel - Again, -as discussed earlier at Ezek 1:15, the wheel symbolizes a ‘mechanized and systematic way of moving about and being established’ which therefore is, (as seen how the invention of the wheel did indeed revolutionized/facilitated functional work and movement), more efficient that human feet and walking/running. So this all interpretively/applicably means here that the Man in Linen opted to accomplish his commission by this more systematic work means.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 10:6
Just like Ezekiel here describes the Man in Linen manifestly not fully following through, in faith, in going himself to the center of the Cloud Chariot and taking up, by himself, coals of fire from it to scatter in destruction over the rebellious city, but instead, after having entered a little ways in, just stood beside one of the wheels, the one of the Cherub/(=Ox)-Face Living Being, therefore the Religious & Religious Culture, I have seen a similar thing transpire in my work on these NJK Project. I also came to see that the Alternative Energy Power Supply that I was working on, was fulfilling that energizing core, and, particularly given my own background/formation in Electrical Engineering, I could, (actually can still), fully pursue its development, which when completed, and if successful, as highly likely, would provide all of the funds I need to accomplish all of the various NJK Projects, including one legal/judicial task which would, among other Defendant entities, leave the SDA Church also in defeated rubbles. But I interrupted my innovation development by mid 2001, only to intermittently return to it several times to advance it a little more, but I instead went on to pursue my other 3 NJK Projects “Faces”.
These pursuits can be generally time-bracketed in regards to when I most dedicatedly focused on them as:
Lion - NJK Holy Cities Planning (ca. 2003-2006)
Man - Funding from Lawsuit (2008-2010)
Ox/Cherub - Theological Views Blog Researching/Writing (2010-present)
As it is seen above, I eventually came to settle on my Ox/Cherub work, as being done in the postings of this Blog, indeed trusting that God will bring about His plans, in His given time and way. So, as with the Man in Linen letting the Ox/Cherub being provide him with the destructive implements of coal, I am indeed opting to let God Himself will be providing these implements for Victory and Deliverance....And my Blog work is to pre-expound and detail from the Bible and SOP how that will come about and why. (=Hab 2:2-4ff)
Ezekiel 10:7 - Then the cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire which was between the cherubim, took some and put it into the hands of the one clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
the cherub - As all of the Living Being are by now known to be of the Cherubim Angelic Order, the closest one to God’s Throne, (see comments in Ezek 10:1), then the mention here of the singular form “cherub” would seem to simply be a reference to one of those 4 Cherubim. But it can actually be understood that this was a reference to a specific Living Creature which is distinctively known to be a cherub, and that is, as seen from the singularly altered listing of them in Ezek 10:14, that this is the one which priorly was cited as the one which had the Face of an Ox. Therefore this is the Living Being who is in charge of the Religious and Religio-Cultural/Societal affairs of this Kingdom of God Chariot Cloud Entity.
Did Ezekiel deliberate choose this Living Being to assist him?...Because it is the most familiar one to him given his own priestly upbringing and occupation??....Or was that Living Being just coincidentally the one which was closest to Ezekiel?....I would surmise that it is the first two possibilities. In fact, Ezekiel straightly citing that Living Being as a Cherub, when the other three are actually also a Cherub, who indicate that he was seeing/recognizing/understanding that Living Being to actually, i.e. “on its face” (pun intended), be Religious, compared to the other three Living Beings, and so Ezekiel trusted that Ox/Cherub Living Being more, and also trusted that it would more readily understand his here alternating of the command/commission that he had been given.
Ezekiel probably also trusted more the (Divine) mindset, and thus judgement, of this (more/obviously) Religious Living Being for the execution on God’s (former) Holy City. Also given that all indications, as seen above in Ezek 10:4, seemed to be that God was in favor of, if at all possible, preserving intact the Temple/Sanctuary itself. So surely a religious entity would devise the best “surgical” plans for this decree destruction judgement. Surely a “cherub” would do much better than a Being which had an animal face, or even the one which had the Face of a Man. (cf. 2 Sam 24:14). Also any decision that this most God-like Cherub Being would take, i.e. in regards to executing utter destruction even also the Temple/Sanctuary (as it indeed became the case), could also be trusted to be God’s own Just and Wise Will (cf. Ezek 9:8-10).
from between the Cherubim - As the 4 Living Beings each have 4 wings (Ezek 1:6), and as it was said that they had a human hand under their wing (Ezek 1:8, 10:8), and with this being Spiritually understood to mean that they are serving to impede the normal “flight = speed” function of the wings, then it should be understood that each Living Creature had such “an impeding” human hand under each of their 4 wings. And so, it appears here that Ezekiel is saying that the Cherub-faced Living Being that he has stepped up beside to get the coals of fire for him instead, is stretching out a different hand than the one which is turning (cf. Ezek 1:16) the wheel that he is standing next to. That Living Being is instead stretching out a hand that is closest to the inner space that is between the 4 Living Creatures and thus closest to its energy core.
filled hands of Man in Linen - So the Cherub/OX-faced Living Being is pointedly the one which assists in “supplying” Ezekiel with the implements with which the City, and potentially the Temple, is to be destroyed.
went out - Again the observed/interpreting understanding here is that Ezekiel altered the command that was given to him, and/as he himself did not go to the Cloud Chariots inner energy core and take these coals of fire himself, but had the Cherub Living Being do it instead. However Ezekiel manifestly did step inside of the Cloud substance floating around this Chariot....but just not deep/far enough. So it being said here that he “went out” is still applicable as he would still be stepping out of the outer edges of the cloud substance which may have even completely enveloped him even as he merely stood beside the wheel of the Cherub/Ox Living Being.
Another possibility is that, as it was discussed earlier at Ezek 1:16, the Living Being manifestly each had 4 wheels all around them. So it could have been the innermost wheel, rather than the outer one, that Ezekiel had stood beside. Therefore he would have entered the Cloud and made his way close to the inner core, but then decided to not fully go towards it, and stopped or went back to, that inner/center-most wheel of that Living Being. Ezekiel was either able to naturally see this despite the man clothed in linen being now deep inside the Cloud, or he may have been supernaturally shown or indicated this.
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 10:7
Since the capitally faulting issue with the Divinely-rejected SDA Church revolves around her refusal to “fully” do all that God is expecting of her, pointedly, as it was the faulting case with Ancient Israel (e.g. Isa 58:1-12; Amos 5:21-24; Zech 7:8-14) in not having a practical righteousness religion which helps people in socio-economic/justice need. (=Matt 25:31-46; cf. LDE 218.3-219.1), then there actually comes to be another way of executing the ‘vengeance coals of fire’ city destruction’ prophesied here. That is, by that “doing good” approach of Pro 25:21-22|Rom 12:19-21. And it is most pertinent to see from Pro 25:23 that the “north wind”, -like the one which launches and contexts Ezekiel vision of destruction (Ezek 1:4), can actually ‘bring rain’,* -which Spiritually here would be the Latter Rain of Rev 18:1ff which would cause the SDA Church, had they not rejected it (=LDE 209.3-210.1ff; cf. LDE 195.1-196.1) when failing the Shaking (EW 270.2-3ff), to flourish while only destroying Babylon (Rev 18:2-8ff).
* Indeed if OT Judah/Jerusalem had listened to the command of God through Jeremiah that they should serve that punishing power coming from the North, they would at least have been preserved from physical destruction. (Jer 27:17)
That is the approach that Jesus initially effectively went by. He launched His ministry by reminding people what the Messiah’s mission was also about (Luke 4:17-21 = Isa 61:1-2a). In fact those synagogue hearers had no problem with what Jesus had just announced (Luke 4:22), until He started rebuking them for their unworthiness (Luke 4:23-30; see DA 236-243). Jesus did indeed leave out the “days of vengeance” part of Isa 61:2b, until the Jewish Nation of His Day proved themselves to be indeed unworthy of God’s Messianic Favor (Luke 21:20-22ff). By then Jesus had followed the “vengeance” approach of “doing good” include to His ministry enemies. He did this good by engaging them in their error and pointing out their shortcomings, in an effort to redress them. But since those religious leaders were actually mainly about having power in Israel, they proudly would not allow themselves to be (especially publicly) corrected by this ‘carpenter’s son who had not gone through their schooling’. But in Jesus’ consistently exposing works, which they repeatedly could not deny, they indeed were left without any excuse for their sins (John 9:41) and opposition, let alone the murder, of Him (John 15:24-25).
By opting to pursue the religious work of this “Theological Views” Blog work instead (cf. NJKP 10:6), -which inherently and pointedly exposes the shortcoming of the SDA Church, and that merely by presenting what God’s higher and fuller Ideal and Will is for His (“Triumphant”) Remnant Church/People, the NJK Project has likewise effectuated the ‘good works coals of vengeance’ method for destruction on the SDA Church. They now are left without any excuse for their continued grossly deficient, and actually detrimental -by allowing error and falsehood to spread, work....
....It literally does not get any more indicative and worst than how the SDA Church are knowingly and indifferently refusing to learn, understand, embrace and proclaim the “Biblical Interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks” , stupidly preferring instead to continue to preach their explanations of it which are full of holes that other people know about and therefore reject their ‘Full Messianic’ claim about that prophecy. And so, just through this (unbiblical) refusal of widely broadcasting New/Brighter Light, [8]8 a whole slew of heresies continue to reign supreme, both in the Christian World, as well and the rapidly increasing non-Christian and non-believing/Atheistic world.
So the SDA Church has indeed failed their testing, proving that they/their leaders are mainly about merely “seeking position” (and securing their retirement) in/from the Church, and therefore they do whatever it takes to keep their position from being taken from them. If they were really interested in doing good, then they long would have embracingly jumped on the many proposals and demonstrations for pivotal improvement that this Theological Views Blog has been providing for them....
Ezekiel 10:8 - The cherubim appeared to have had the form of a man's hand under their wings.
“appeared” (passive)....had - The use of a Hebrew passive Niphal form here would seem to be to indicate that this was a circumstance that was done to the 4 Living Beings, i.e. by God choosing. As it is patently known throughout the Bible, when God decided to delay something or execute it more slowly/protractedly, it is because He is choosing to mixingly exercise great and redemptive mercy. So here, a more protracted deploying of his Kingdom Plans can indeed give a chance for those who either were not familiar with it, or even those who had viscerally been opposing it, to get familiar with its True/Full righteousness principles (cf. Rev 21:26-27; 22:15) and align themselves with it, and thus not be destroyed by it. (cf. Isa 60:12; Zech 14:16-17)
man’s hand under their wings - This very significant, even pivotal, symbolism has been discussed back at its first mention in Ezek 1:8 including the understanding from the SOP quoted earlier. The presence of these hands is impeding the normative (speed and flying) function of the wings, and Ezekiel may here again be repeating this because he is still surprised to see this counterintuitive Development. Indeed because the Four Living Beings cannot use their wings to straightly fly, the entire Cloud Chariot is configured with alternative mechanism and the wings have alternate functions to make up this impeded flying function. The resulting “hot air lifted”, and human hands powered/torqued/guided, ground rolling wheels advancement of the Cloud Chariot is a quite slower and more complex approach, but, as with the Spiritual meaning of these hands is, as stipulated in the SOP (see references above at Ezek 1:8), this is all according to God’s overseeing guidance and power, and will still achieve His desired and planned Kingdom Will, and He will get all of the glory (=Rev 11:17)
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 10:8
The potential speed with which the NJK plans can be executed, and even the ‘many people’ (=“many waters” Ezek 1:24) that is expected to be reached, is “slowingly paced” by the ‘human means of doing things’. God expects man to do whatever they actually naturally can do also in regards to His Plans and Work.
For comparative reason, and as some understandings can be arrived at by seeing some difference, if significantly any, in expression and descriptions, the (more accurately) translated statements in Ezek 1:15-21 about these wheels is reposted here with their parallel/matching restatements in Ezek 10:9-17. So as many of these next verses are indeed repeats, see the earlier commentary above at Ezek 1:15-21 for detailed explanation on these restatements. Only significant variants/contrasts/differences will be commented on here:
-Ezekiel 1:15 - Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for [...] the four faces of them.
Ezekiel 10:9a - Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and one wheel beside each cherub; ...
In Ezek 1:13, 14 - He is shown the energizing inner core of the Cloud Chariot and sees the lightning like movements capability of this entity, which indicate how quickly it can accomplish its task, which is a ‘world-overturning/upsetting’ (Acts 17:6|Rev 11:18a; cf. John 16:18-25) Kingdom of God Judgement mandate. And then in Ezek 1:15-16ff, Ezekiel then ‘suddenly’ notices the wheels of this Cloud Chariot, which is quite counterintuitive, because they are slower and more protracted “approach” for this entity to execute its mission.
Well here, this aspect of Ezekiel’s initial/opening vision seems to be deliberately, verbatimly repeated as, just when Ezekiel has here just been shown that the man clothed in linen has been supplied with coals of fire from that energizing inner core (Ezek 10:6-7), his attention is then drawn to those ‘impeding human hands’ (Ezek 10:8) and then ‘suddenly’ (=“behold”), the wheels and their movement, again becomes the focus of the vision (Ezek 10:9-12, 16-17), and with virtually the exact same expressions as in Ezek 1:15-21.
So it appears that the wheels and the movements they produce, are at this point in the vision deliberately shown, -and in significant description/detailing, just when the potent power of, and possibilities from, that energizing inner core is mention to show that God actually had a more protracted and “ground level/game” plan for this Delegated Earthly Kingdom of God Entity. And all of the accompanying detailing of the wheels and their movements is to show how competent this alternative “approach” is being well fitted to properly carry out God’s ultimate will, even if through much more protracted (=non-lightning-like) judgement actions and movements.
Even God’s planned judgement here against His former Holy City and its unsalvageable -corpse-defiled Temple (Ezek 9:7) is also shown to be scaled back in regards to its execution speed by the focus shifting to these protracting wheels despite the Man in Linen already having “destruction in his hand” (=Dan 11:16). Evidently the protracted approach by the wheels is summarized in the Israel of God Civil War prophecy of Dan 11 at Dan 11:17.
now “cherub”; not “living beings” and “faces” - Of course by now, the much more aware Ezekiel is straightly referring to these Living Being by what he substantively knows them to be, namely Cherubs, i.e. Angels of the Cherubim Order.
and one wheel beside each cherub - It is odd the Ezekiel is made this repetitious statement/detail (-see the N/KJV; but which was therefore just left untranslated from the underlying Hebrew text in/by the NASB, +N/RSV, NIV, NJB). It is further odd as this is being so repetitiously emphasized given that this is the second time that Ezekiel has seen this in vision. But this Ezek 10 vision is actually 14 months after the one in Ezek 1 (see Ezek 8:1), but the fact that this (still) so strikingly noticed by Ezekiel speaks both to how God evidently wants to emphasize those wheels, -their (material and features) composition, their arrangement and their (coordinated) function, and how indeed Ezekiel noticed this. So, even just going by this prophetic repetition, which more widely is not even according to the customary “repetition with elaboration” that is seen in the prophecies of Daniel, or repetition from a different angel/theme as seen in the prophecies of Revelation, but indeed just a mere, almost word-for-word, repetition, this here is clearly God’s emphatic attempt to highlight the thus pivotal meaning of/in these wheels.
Corroboratingly when God would later give additional revelation about this Four Living Being theme in/through the SOP, -as cited/quoted earlier, the main emphasis there is, not on the Living Being themselves, or their faces and their meaning, but likewise on the “(whirling) wheels”.
So when Ezekiel received this similar vision 14 months later, he was careful to record it just how it was shown to him, including in what was, as it was evidently meant to be, striking to him. The overarching perceived Spiritual meaning, and thus interpreting understanding, for this emphasis on the wheels is already being seen to be according to God’s instruction in Zech 4:6 (=Rev 11:4, 5-6), but that “thesis” will be expounded upon after this repeated segment is done, therefore at Ezek 10:17.
-Ezekiel 1:16a - The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship had the look of beryl,...
Ezekiel 10:9b - ... and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a Tarshish stone.
“Tarshish” stone (#08659) - =beryl (#08658). Tarshish was evidently know for producing beryl stones. And the composition of these wheels were as that highly valued and reliable material.
-Ezekiel 1:16b - ...and all four of them [i.e. the wheels] had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if the wheel was in the midst of the other wheel (or: one wheel were within another).
Ezekiel 10:10 - As for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if the wheel was in the midst of the other wheel.
-{See commentary earlier at Ezekiel 1:16}
-Ezekiel 1:17 - Upon any of the four wheels going to move in their direction, they went without being turned in their moving.
Ezekiel 10:11 - When they were going to move, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went; but followed after the location the head was turned. They went without being turned in their moving.
-{See commentary earlier at Ezekiel 1:9, 12, 15-17}.
Again to emphasize, with the Living Being having 4 identical faces all around, and each already facing in the same direction, their head/face was already turned to one of the 4 directions to which they would move. So it was not that the heads would turn and then they would go in that direction, but rather that they just “followed after” one of the direction/locations towards which their head/face was already turned. They therefore evidently internally/Spiritually agreed collective upon these shifts of cardinal direction manifestly when one of the heads/faces either noticed that they had the best path for movement or they knew that this was the direction that they should now take/follow.
-Ezekiel 1:18 - As for their rims they were raised in themselves, and “fearful” in themselves, and the rims, they were full of eyes round about towards all four of them.
Ezekiel 10:12 - Their whole body/flesh, their backs, their hands, their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, towards the four wheels of theirs.
‘body/flesh..backs..hands...wings also full of eyes’ - In the earlier/initial vision Ezekiel had only seen, or had only noticed, that the wheels were full of eyes. But now he notices that the Living Being, now Cherub, themselves were also full of eyes. Rev 4:6, 8 indicates a similar thing with the “replacement” (i.e. six-winged) 4 Living Creatures there. Did these Cherubim get these additional eyes here, or did they always already have them. The latter is probably inherently the case and it was when the Seraphim were promoted to this position in God’s Throne Room to replace these already dispatched Cherubim, that they themselves were outfitted with eyes “in front and in back” and “around and within” (Rev 4:6, 8).
It may have been Ezekiel’s expectation that these Living Beings could have eyes all about them, but not the inanimate wheels, which had led him earlier to only focus on the eyes in the wheels, or, as the text seems to be indicating here that even the bodily eyes of each Cherub were all trained towards their wheels, Ezekiel may have earlier understood that it was the eyes in the wheel which was the most important element here, and so focused on relating them. Nonetheless, it may be the case that as Ezekiel may have neglected to even merely mention the eyes which covered the bodies of the Living Beings, God made this more noticeable in this follow up vision, -and Ezekiel duly related it now.
But given how God’s Spirit is also careful to emphasize what He wants to be noticed and related by the revelation receiving prophet, it rather could be that it is only now that God Himself only now showed Ezekiel that the Cherubim also had eyes all about, but even those eyes were trained towards their wheels.
This symbolism therefore further emphasizes that everything about these Living Being and their Chariot Function was focused on their wheels and their proper functioning. This is where ‘their full attention was turned’.
Ezekiel 10:13 - In regards to the wheels, of them they were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels.
called in my hearing - Quite a Divine “intermission” here interrupting Ezekiel’s restatement.
the whirling wheels - Adding to the most obvious notion in this vision that “it all focuses on the wheels”, they are, evidently Divinely, given a formal title, as: the “Whirling Wheels”. This obviously is a descriptive reference to their, (-as discussed earlier Ezek 1:16, 18, also in DA 822.4) “gears-like” inner-inter-working, indeed even much more so than their displacement function of touching down on the ground and/to moving the Cloud Chariot about on its mission. So the operation of the wheels is expressed to be much more significant, even determinative, of its final work output. As the SOP pertinently says:
Success the Result of Order and Harmonious Action.-- “God is a God of order. Everything connected with heaven is in perfect order; subjection and thorough discipline mark the movements of the angelic host. Success can only attend order and harmonious action. God requires order and system in His work now no less than in the days of Israel. All who are working for Him are to labor intelligently, not in a careless, haphazard manner. He would have His work done with faith and exactness, that He may place the seal of His approval upon it.” (Ev 93.2|PP 376.1)
Ezekiel 10:14 - And four faces belonged to each one. The first faces: the faces of a cherub, then the second faces: faces of a man, then the third: faces of a lion, and the fourth: the faces of an eagle.
And four faces belonged to each one. - As in Ezek 1:6, 10, and also below at Ezek 10:21, this statement also makes it clear that each Living Being had 4 (identical) Faces. In fact/Indeed, in the Hebrew, each subsequent identifying mention of the “faces” is indeed in the plural, as indicated in bold “s” in the text above.
“cherub” instead of “ox” - Compared with Ezek 1:10, clearly the face of an Ox has been replaced with the face of a Cherub. As stated earlier at Ezek 10:7, this is because the Ox was representative of the Religious Cultural which is to exist amongst/in God’s People/Kingdom, thus effectively the Religious Gatekeepers of God’s Morality...and so are the Cherubim (cf. Gen 3:24; Exod 25:18-22). So they are indeed a perfect substitutionary match. As goes the Righteousness of God’s People, so goes the rest of the aspects of its Nation. (Psa 11:3; Pro 14:34; Isa 54:14; Pro 25:5)
Babylonian “Cherubim” - Interestingly enough SDABC 4:608 states that the Babylonian Religious System had their “Cherubim” type/imagery (spelled “karubu/karibu” vs. the Hebrew “kerub”) and these “were in the form of human-headed animals such as bulls and lions although some had the form of human beings”. (See some images in here). From this fact some may argue that it was Ezekiel, even God, who was mimicking what was part of the Babylonian Cultus, but, as also stated in here, Jewish Oral/Talmudic Tradition states (see quotes in here|here) that the 4 Organizational Camps of Israel in Num 2 had these 4 Faces/Beings on their “banners/standards” (Num 2:2ff). So it would have been the Babylonian Kingdom/Empire which mimicked this concept from God and His Israel. (Sort of as in the Dan 3 statues trying to usurpingly mimic the one, and its message, in Dan 2.)
Then some argue that the Bible’s notion of the Cherubim were copied from the Kingdom of Egypt, from which of course Israel came out of. For Bible believers, the mention of them in Gen 3:24, therefore in the very beginning of this world, shows that they were in existence long before Egypt came about, but I’ll however see that in God’s plan to establish His own Righteous Temporal Kingdom in/within this Fallen World, first starting with Ethnic/OT Israel and now through Spiritual/NT Israel (cf. Rev 11:15ff; 19:15), some of the facets for a tangibly successful and efficient Kingdom/Empire were likewise also found in the world’s (relatively) successful Kingdoms/Empires. So those originally purely Angelic Beings, indeed as revealed in Ezek 10 to all be “Cherubs”, have had to take on Earthly facets in order to successfully establish and operate God’s Own Kingdom in the midst of this World’s Geo-Political system, but these facets in the Kingdom of God continue to essentially still be of Divine-Angelic Constitution. (cf. Matt 7:15-20) It is only the outer encapsulation through which they are Earthly-deployed and established which has been special fitted for operation on this (fallen) planet...And the Spiritual reason manifestly is so as to not influence the acceptance of those in the rest of the world merely by ‘outward show’ but rather by is righteous content (cf. Luke 17:20-21)....Just like when God chose to become a man in Jesus Christ...
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment 10:14
Upon looking at the structural/organizational planning of the NJK, it may be thought that it is merely mirroring what existing governments like the United States (=Babylon) are already doing in this regards, but as stated here, such organization was long found in God’s Israel. And this was prophetically-stated to be revived in the Little Lamb Kingdom (Isa 11:1-2ff).
(Much more on the organization of NJK Entities will be discussed at the ending of the exposition on this Ezek 10 chapter.)
Ezekiel 10:15 - Then the cherubim were raised up. They [Lit. She] are the living beings that I saw by the river Chebar.
They are/(She is) the living being... - Given how Ezekiel had begun this vision in Ezek 10 by straightly identifying the Living Beings as Cherubim, it may actually be very likely that this is explicitly what God was showing him in this vision 14 months later than the initial one. So he basically was shown the same vision again but this time with the 4 Living Being instead shown as Cherubim.
The turning point for such an open or deeper identification now was possibly the time-sequencing of this vision. It occurs after the vision of the judgement of God’s People (Ezek 8 & 9) with now the destruction of the physical infrastructure in the City and the Temple due to be executed. Surely upon having received his first vision and commission, Ezekiel, probably tried during the 14 months that elapsed to rally people to repent before this (potentially avertable (Jer 18:7-8; Ezek 3:16-21) judgement is done, but may have been rebuffed with the possible objecting claim that: ‘those visions, -(being the first of the Bible’s encrypted vision as later seen in Daniel, and then Revelation) could not possibly be from God because they were too confused and strange. But this encryption was manifestly done, -and as still applicable to this day, to strategically (cf. Matt 13:10-17|Isa 6:8-13) conceal the purposes of God from people who ‘refuse to be purged/purified, and insist on being unrighteous/wicked.’ (=Dan 12:4, 10; cf. 2 Thess 2:11-12).
In fact, it is through such concealment of how He expects that the future will transpire that God accomplishes such prophecies through unwittingly and naturally acting people, on both the righteous side and the unrighteous side, and thus demonstrates the reliability of His Great Wisdom, which is all key to satisfactorily resolving this so-purposefully allowed, now 6000+ year Great Controversy (cf. PP 33-43; DA 758-764 -cf. this post & its Note #9 additional discussion links).
But now, since the timing of the vision is after judgement has been executed on the rebels in Judah, God now is more revealing in that vision, and so He straightly showed Ezekiel that those strange Living Creatures were actually Angels of (Heaven’s Highest) Cherubim Order.
Of course Ezekiel’s visions given in 593-2 BC were fulfilled at a later time (Ezek 24:1-2 (=ca. Jan 15, 588 BC)| Jer 39:1-2; 52:5-7 (=July 18, 586 BC) & Ezek 33:21-22ff (=ca. Jan 8, 585 BC)), but there actually was not enough elucidating detail/interpretation given in the Ezek 10 vision to change the mind and behavior on those who were bent on being so high-handedly and boldly rebellious towards God (=Ezek 8).
In fact, as patently the case in every Religious Apostasy, they probably thought that, [as is the case with the (Neo-Babylon’s, =(Protestant) America’s, anti-Biblical Christianity Capitalism], what they were idolatrously doing was all according to the very will of God....(=Isa 5:20; cf. Rev 9:11; 11:14)
-Ezekiel 1:19 - Whenever the living beings were going to move, the wheels would move beside them. And whenever the living beings were going to be lifted up high above the earth, the wheels would be lifted up.
Ezekiel 10:16 - Now when the cherubim were going to move, the wheels would move beside them; also when the cherubim were going to lift up with their wings in order to rise high above the earth, the wheels would not be turned, -neither from these being beside them.
lift up with their wings - So it would seem that a slight, but quite major change has occurred in this follow up vision in how the Cherubim lift themselves and the Cloud Chariot up into the air. This time around, it seems like they directly use their wings for both lift and flight instead of using them indirectly to, as discussed at Ezek 1:9, 23-24: ‘form a envelope panel to contain air that is to be differentially heated in order to produce hot air balloon like lift force’. But now, and despite those hindering hands still being present (Ezek 10:8, 21), these Cherubim can use their wings to lift off. Perhaps the hands are still preventing them from fuller function, such as flying at lighting speed, and can only manage to produce lift (but not also propulsion).
wheels would not be turned - Prior to also saying as in Ezek 1:19b that ‘the wheels would also be lifted up besides the Living Beings’, Ezekiel here adds the detail that they would cease to/no longer/not, be turned’. This is in regards to the torque turning that was being done by the human hands upon each of the wheels in order to propel the Cloud Chariot when on the ground. So when, as discussed at Ezek 1:20, the Cloud Chariot would raise itself into the air for merely a ‘better (Spiritually) assessing vantage point’, all action and energy towards its ground movement and progress would then be completely halted, as that would indeed be completely unnecessary.
-Ezekiel 1:21 - Whenever those would go, these went; and whenever those would stay still, these stood still. And whenever those would be lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
-Ezekiel 1:20 - To whichever height to which the Spirit moved, they moved in regards to going where the Spirit was. And the wheels were lifted close beside them, -for the spirit of each living being was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 10:17 - When they (the cherubim) stood still, they (the wheels) would stand still; and when they were going to rise up, they (the wheels) would be raised up with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in them.
Apart from Ezekiel relating things here in Ezek 10:17 in a somewhat reverse order than how he had done in Ezek 1:20-21, there is nothing that substantively different between those two vision segment/comments, even with the non-explicit mention of the “spirit” directing such uplifting/raising movements. With the “clarification” this time around that the Four Living Being are Cherubim, which are the Highest Order of Angels in Heaven, Ezekiel probably felt that it was obviously clear now that these Cloud Chariot movements, which counter-intuitively interrupted its forward ground movement/progress, were “Spiritually” directed and led, -a “Divine Spirit” which also extended into the distinct component of the wheels.
But what all of these mentions and emphasis on the wheels and their movement, including the “Spiritual” validation/justification of them/it, has shown is that these wheels, the “Whirling Wheels”, are evidently, indeed (-see comment above at Ezek 10:14), the most pivotal part of this entire revelation. It literalistically is as if, without these wheels, nothing would tangibly get accomplished “on the ground”, and thus this Earthly mission by this Divine Entity would be moot.
As stated as a concluding at Ezek 10:14, this is indeed all like the success of God’s redemptive plans for this Fallen World required for God the Son to become a man and “walk” this World to show us how it is done (cf. Phil 2:5-11)...and that also required Jesus to become/be and remain Spirit-filled (Luke 3:21-22; 4:1, 18-19) and (obediently) also Spirit-led (e.g. Matt 4:1), = be “born from above” (John 3:3-8). But given the inherent potency that still was in the incarnate God the Son, that “human” approach was indeed quite counter-intuitive.....As so is making the potently-powered Cloud Chariot, which could ‘move about like lightning bolts’ (Ezek 1:14), instead use and rely upon a geared-wheeled component and power train for, moreover, merely on the ground forward movements.....But deliberately and purposefully this here also is God’s intentional plan and approach.
This all speaks to how God indeed patently does not do for Man, including His own faithful people, what they can actually do for themselves, but also how God does not intend to have people believing in Him and convert to doing His Will merely because of something Supernatural that they had witnessed. God instead wants a heart change/conversion adherence and obedience. (cf. Matt 16:4; Isa 29:13-14|Matt 15:7-9). And so, even this endeavored establishment of His Glorious Kingdom in this World is to be “innocuously”, though the results will be all but ‘non-injurious’ to the cause of the, by then “enraged”, unrighteous (Psa 2; Rev 11:15; 19:15-16) . As seen with Jesus, even an approach of merciful good works won’t prevent the unrighteous from engaging in murderous opposition. (John 15:18-25).
So this is all that is involved in these wheels. It is indeed God working through the best possible plans, organization and order rightly laid down by cooperating and obedient man. And so, as in Rev 11, -which relate the thematically paralleling action of God’s Two Witnesses (where likewise as in Ezek 11, the judgements of God are begun to be concretely poured out on the guilty (-starting with those apostate leaders officiating in the sanctuary (Rev 11:1-2ff; Ezek 8:16-18; 9:6; 11:1-2, 13; -see introductory comments on the paralleling Chapters 8-11 in Ezek|Dan|Rev at the beginning of this post)), God’s modus operandi here too is, as alluded to in Rev 11:4: “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zech 4:6)...Indeed by the same Spirit which is here also working in these Wheels and its ‘counter-intuitive ground-level deployment’ approach.
Similarly, and prophetically-relatedly, in 1SM 109-111 EGW was shown, in a seemingly quite mundane context of a (seemingly merely corporate-like) “building”, that people were only allowed to enter this “important building” if they could state that they had received the Holy Spirit. As said about David, who would become the template of God’s (Restoring) Zionistic Kingdom (e.g. Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25); God indeed ‘does not look on outward appearance, but at the heart’ (1 Sam 16:7), and that ‘for a heart just like His own’ (1 Sam 13:14|Acts 13:22) =Ezek 36:27
Ezekiel 10:18 - Then the glory of the LORD departed from above the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.
glory of the LORD - This is the same “rainbow” =’generously merciful’ Glory commented on above in Ezek 10:4 and Ezek 1:28.
departed from the threshold of the temple - God had made His initiating attempted to “protectively” fill the Temple with His Glory, but here shows that this would not be maintainable and so he withdraws that offer. This great validating demonstration from His offer “glory filling” (cf. Ezek 43:1-5) has not served to cause the rebels operators in the Temple to either fear Him and His warned of Judgement (Rev 14:6-7), nor repent....So only destructive judgement must be delved out.
stood over the Cherubim - The merciful offer of God was returned to its Earthly-dispensing abode/source, back above God’s Kingdom Cloud Chariot Cherubim Entity....to depart and never return on this rejecting people and their now unsalvageable defiled worship of God entities.
Ezekiel 10:19 - For the cherubim to go out, they lifted up, -with their wings they lifted themselves up from the earth in my sight, with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the East Gate of the LORD'S house, and the glory of the God of Israel was upwards above them.
with their wings...- Again (see Ezek 10:16) the Living Beings, now more directly identified as their Cherubim origin, directly use their own wings to produce lift (but not propulsion) and raise God’s Cloud Chariot entity up from the Earth, which, as discussed in Ezek 1:20, is manifestly for it to have a better Spiritual Overview into its future course of action on the Earth. So this permitted switch manifestly represents God allowing more direct/Supernatural Angelic assistance in this work, indeed as now all other due man-to-man approach has been refused by the rebellious ones in His Israel. So now Angelic power and assistance will be more pronounced in the activity of this Cloud Chariot Entity.
in my sight - God made sure to show this departure to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was thus the (lone) witness that “God’s glory had, at this very point, departed from His Temple” (~Matt 23:38)...
the East Gate - God’s Glory was only to later return at that (hence renown/feared-sealed) East/(“Golden”) Gate of this Temple (=Ezek 43:1-5) but then also still in (continued) non-favorable manifestation to them (cf. Rev 6:15-17).
This prophetic scene is repeated in the Sixth Series Era of Revelation when God then likewise comes to establish, validate and support/sustain His New Remnant Church Movement (Rev 3:7-13) which is to take over for the then adjudged Apostate Israel; while indeed also being a terrifying time of various demotion and unseating for the Unrighteous and Enemies towards God’s Cause which up to then had been reigning supreme on the Earth =(Rev 6:12-17; Hag 2:6-9, 21-23; Heb 12:25-29) as God’s Own Full and True Kingdom of Righteousness is rolled out (Rev 8:13-21; 16:12; Songs 6:10|PK 725.1), and unstoppably (Rev 16:13-16ff; Ezek 38:19-23 -see here; Rev 17:12-14; 19:11-16), and enduringly so, in their place.
glory above them - This rainbow glory, to destroy and/or to have mercy and preserve, as embodied in the “son of man” seated on throne above the Cloud Chariot (Ezek 1:26-28) indeed rested squarely with this Four Living Beings Entity.
Ezekiel 10:20 - These are the living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim.
beneath the God of Israel - Here Ezekiel identifies the Son of Man of His Sapphire Stone Throne entity which he had seen in Ezek 1:26-28; cf. Ezek 10:1 to be “the God of Israel” Himself. This was not actually “God the Father”, but rather a Son of Man who came in the Father’s full authority and power. So it was just as good, and one and the same (Cf. John 14:7-11)
so I knew they were Cherubim - Ezekiel manifestly reveals here that he has used reverse identifying to figure out who those 4 Living Being he had seen in his first vision really were. As he manifestly has been shown in this similar second vision that Cherubim did the exact same things as those 4 Living Beings, then he concludes that those Creatures must have been these Cherubim but manifested/incarnated in “Creature” forms.
Ezekiel 10:21 - Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and beneath their wings was the form of human hands.
“each one had four faces” - Again each Being had 4 Faces. The Hebrew is even more deliberate/emphatic here on this by literally saying: “Four Four-Faces to each one” I.e. ‘Four Cherubim/Beings of Four Faces each’.
beneath wings...human hands - So, still (=Ezek 1:8), one human hand under each of those 4 wings.
Ezekiel 10:22 - As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one went straight ahead.
likeness of faces...they were the same faces.... - So ‘see Ezek 1:10 = Ezek 10:14’...
each one went straight ahead - Their special type of on the ground movement was still the same as Ezekiel had strikingly seen in Ezek 1:17; 10:11.
In Ezek 10:20-22, Ezekiel was repeatingly/emphatically restating how this clearly more Divine “Cherubim” Vision was just like, and thus one and the same, as the more Earthly-Represented Vision he had first had.
Ezekiel 43:1-5 - This passage has been variously pertinently cited through the above commenting on Ezek 1 & 10 as it is indeed the resuming conclusion of those vision, when Ezekiel then sees, upon God’s Great Deliverance (Ezek 38-39) of His Faithful Restoration Movement (=Ezek 37), the ultimate culmination of those two similar earlier vision, now with God’s glory coming to fill a rebuilding Temple (Ezek 40-42) and its (Priestly and Leadership) Ministry (Ezek 43:10-46:24) which is to be continued to be rebuilt according to Godly Specifications, and thus the entire also rebuilt Holy City and Israel Nation (Ezek 48) for the greater benefit of the Entire World (Ezek 47)
NJK Project Application/Fulfilment Ezek 1 & 10
At this end point of the presentation of the prophetic development and scenario in Ezek 1 & 10 which shows that the Merciful Glory of God has departed from the Temple and Holy City, thus leaving it to suffer its punishing doom, and relocating to the East Gate for the future return and rebuilding (Ezek 43:1-5ff), here is the proper time to discuss the transition to the replacing and superceding “Temple and City” Institution. And as it was deliberately pointedly and mainly highlighted through the SOP, -as seen in the opening quotations from it above, God has shown that the key to understand and heed from these visions of Ezekiel was in the “whirling wheels”, which, as seen in the expositions above, speak of the ‘ human-cooperating organization required for the successful “touching down” and “rolling out” of this Israel Kingdom of God microcosm Entity represented in this Four Living Being/Creature Cloud Chariot, all to be complemented by God’s Power when/where genuinely necessary.
Now, in the typological/Spiritual, present-day application of this prophecy, the: ‘Southern Kingdom/Judah/“King of the South” “Temple & City” Institutions’ had been fulfilled by the (ca. 20 million member) Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) and its Global Health, Education and Humanitarian Aid Entities, which, as shown here, is only quantitatively Denominationally-rivaled by the (ca. 1.3 billion member) Roman Catholic Church (RCC), but which actually greatly surpasses the RCC on a member-for-member/per membership capita basis. Given that the Institutions of the RCC are, as allowed, laced with its theology and teachings, which the Bible exposes as “Babylonian” deceptions, then that quite significantly lessens the overall value of their ministering. Yes the various health, humanitarian and charitable works of the RCC save and improve many lives, but if that then only serves to attract or indoctrinate people into heretical beliefs which will doom these people to hell (cf. Rev 14:8-11), the what is the real/net value of such works. (Cf. Matt 23:15). Of course the much more fragmented (i.e. 33,000 denominations) Protestant Christian MegaBloc of ca. 800 million adherents likewise also does such ministry work, but actually to a much less extent compared to the almost similar-sized RCC, given that Protestants are fundamentally much more Capitalistic in their institutional approach, but with only the SDA Church having qualified as the True Apostolic Remnant (=Continuance) Church amongst Protestants (and also Catholics), and with the Protestant MegaBloc fulfilling the Neo-Babylonian elements of Prophecy (cf. Rev 17:5), then they good works to need to be either calibrating improved or outrightly replaced, including the worthless, even Satanic (Rev 13:11|EW 263-266ff) & “Sodomic” (Ezek 16:48-50), Capitalistic approach that they fundamentally use. Even the SDA Church has allowed itself to go by these Neo-Babylonian ministering means and methods. So all this to prefacingly state here that the whole of Christian ministry today has to be revamped and/or replaced if the pivotal (Matt 24:14) Biblical, Full and True Gospel Work of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom is actually ever going to be accomplished in this World.....And that is the objective and purpose of the NJK Project...
As involved in the Four Living Being Entity, the NJK Project has this objective to establish a: Truth-Preaching and “Triumphant”-Living Church (=Ox/Cherub), which (naturally also) does Full Gospel Missions (=Man), which will, pointedly in its Abortion Lives Saving ministry, vitally necessitate a Physical and Sovereignly-Independent Territorial Residence (=Lion) and for self-reliance and self-sustenance necessities, will be involving Assistive Technologies to do things which are not needing God’s Supernatural Intervention (=Eagle). But in order to go from the present state of things in both the Christian World and also the Rest of the World to those established NJK Country and Fully Functional Global Ministries, two major steps/phases first will need to be achieved, the First a “Start Up” step/phase and the next/second the “Set Up” phase. And this is indeed a major part of God’s Deliverance Order purposes.
In the same manner, God’s OT Israel were not to go from: (slavery in) Egypt (cf. Rev 11:8) to its Zion Kingdom end goal in one step. Instead God had to see them through two formative steps. The first was their Wilderness Days when/where they organized as a camp (Num 2) and dwelt in tents, -and which would only have lasted less than a month had they been faithful. The came the next/second step when they would Conquer and Occupy Canaan (Num 26:51, 52-56ff), -which however was to be a much larger physical territory than what they managed due to their disobedience and faithlessness. Their Third (=End Goal) Step/Achievement would be that Zionistic one (cf. Ezek 40-48), which would have been crowningly fulfilled at/by the Advent of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. (Cf. Matt 3:1; 4:17).
Fittingly God indeed still sees that before His Zionistic Kingdom can be achieved even this day, its first preceding “Camp Organizing” and “National Establishment” steps still need to be typology fulfilled. This is respectively seen in the eschatological prophecies of Zech 14:16-19 and Ezek 40-46/Dan 11:36-39. Then once that is done, the next step will be the filling occupancy of God’s Zionistic Kingdom into all of its territory and its natural influential and affecting spreading throughout the rest of world. (Ezek 47-48; Dan 11:45; 2:34-35, 45).
So how will those two crucial first steps look in today’s world and age?! The first step of a “Camp Organizing” has to, -like Israel stage while in the Wilderness, both gather all of God’s People and those joining them in belief, who want to leave “Egypt” in temporary settings and also lay the foundation of its Present and Future Constituency. As related earlier at NJKP 1:5 this step was planned to be done in the year 2000 started WBSC Camp (for 400 workers) that was being planned, and which would later be expanded to the fully “Jerusalem Mini-City” plans. Then that later was expanded to the present Third/Final step plans of NJK Ocean-Floating Holy Cities. While pointedly the first two steps, as then planned, have not been achieved, and while they now still can be effectuated as is towards the Third/Final Step, they have instead been improved for both more efficiency as well as to match the full realities and furthered understanding about the Third/Final Zionistic New Jerusalem Kingdom End/Goal Objective. So the purposes of these first two steps are essentially the same, but their effectuation plans are improvedly different as the following.
First NJK Work Step/Phase - The first = “Start Up”, ‘NJK Gathering and Organizing’ step is now, given the advance of the internet by now 16+ years later, planned to be through various online communication, conferencing and communities. This is being termed as the NJK College-Community/Camp (NJK-CC) At the most, one small, low-staffed, physical office location may be needed though, (and tellingly enough, as for many of today’s storied company which “started in the founder’s garage”), this location can be satisfactorily housed in and coordinated from e.g. the available space in my own (presently) vacant basement space. The other/gathered participants in this work can each be collaboratively working via the internet from their own personal/home office space, and also contribute/participate during their spare time from their present occupation. This NJK Work Step will (just as God did when Israel was in the Wilderness (i.e Exod 20-24ff), draft the Foundational/Framework Mandate, Policies, Plans and Outlays for the future “Step Two” Work of the NJK Project. This will be done through the joint work of two matching “Boards of Chiefs”: one of Chief Administrative Ministers (CAM) and the other of Chief Executive Ministers (CEM). Each Board will have the following Organizational Structure and Functions:
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| NJK-HQ Board of Chiefs Template |
And as of today, below is a listing of the people (Google them) who are currently prospectively sought to fill these top-tier leadership positions. (=Matt 22:8-10|Rev 19:9 cf. Mal 3:17; cf. 2T 25.1; COL 118.2; TM 234.2-235.1).[9]9 (An illustration from pertinent existing world entities for each of the NJK-CC/HQ’s sectors of work is given in the middle charting).
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| NJK-HQ Listing of (Current) Prospective Chiefs |
Also keep in mind here that these “Chiefs” positions are mainly for contributing to and overseeing the Work Policymaking, Administering and Organizing aspects of the NJK-CC. The people sought here would provide more inspirational, Spiritual, Theological, ideological, motivational, (innate) aptitude/cleverness/ingenuity, character and/or experiential leadership for the later tangible execution of NJK-CC Mandates. These Chiefs will then have the responsibility to seek out more technical leaders and workers to fill in the other Work positions in their sectors.
Second NJK Work Step/Phase - Now once that Gathering and Organizing Startup work/phase is completed, there will come the need to tangibly/physically develop, work out and deploy these drafted up plans by the NJK-CC and as widespread as: throughout the world. Additional Administrative and Executive leadership levels of the NJK-CC, from: Directors, Secretary and Agents will duly be much more tangibly involved for this implementation step. The following charting shows the leadership’s organizational hierarchy of the overall NJK-CC (along with the template of its Work Order/Flow):
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| NJK-CC Leadership Hierarchy Charting |
So this much more tangible phase will require much larger work, office and institutional space to Headquarter (=NJK-HQ) all of this, and this is where/when the NJK-CC will be executing its NJK “Set Up” work and will be duly moving into a, planned and now built/completed, NJK-HQ which will housed in a/one physical location.
The general details about this planned NJK-HQ will be summarily given below but in order to appreciate those plans, the Biblically fore-envisioned plan goals and expectations for this ‘Global Ministry Headquarters” entity will first be cited here.
First of all, theologically/prophetically speaking, the NJK sees that it is/will be fulfilling God’s Temporal Jubilee Millennial Plans. So just from that fact, it plans for its Global Full Gospel ministry to be done for as long as 1000 years into the future. Then even after the NJK’s Holy Cities (NJK-HC =Isa 52.1ff|Rev 21:27ff) will have been fully established, from/through this work of this NJK-HQ (=Dan 11:45a|Rev 8:8), with those Holy Cities all being located at sea, this NJK-HQ, which will actually continue to be the Global Headquarters of the 4000+ NJK Missions which will be doing global ministering and humanitarian mission, (while the NJK-HC itself focuses on sustaining the thriving life of its own Citizens/Residents), will also be serving as the NJK’s headquartering terra firma foothold in the world (with its sub-others being at those 4000+ NJK Missions). Much like the NJK-HQ will have initiatingly served as the HQ location from which the NJK-HC was developed and launched, it will thus effectively serve as the NJK’s ultimate (nucleus) back up. I.e. if, for some freak reason, all built NJK Holy Cities would have been physically lost, e.g. they all sunk to the bottom of the ocean (though all (human) life on them could easily be saved through evacuation vessels), they all could be rebuilt from that still available NJK-HQ entity which had served to initially found/launch it.
In terms of its work course: by mere present Global Socio-Economic power dynamics which, also when it comes to Charitable and Humanitarian work, pit a Capitalistic approach (including derivatives such as: “Mixed Economies” and PhilantroCapitalism) versus a Socialistic one, and really with no purely Socialistic/Communistic Global approach being used (and with such Economic systems having been effective embargoed to a handful of countries such as Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela), the NJK’s Biblically-determined plan to be using the Biblical Socialism approach to thrivingly be both in a position to do, and then do, Global Humanitarian, as well as Evangelistic, (=Full Gospel) Work will inevitably and incontrovertibly come to be at odds with both the Socio-Economic, as well as the “Babylo-Religious” World. So effectively, the NJK-HQ will be, indeed will have to be, functioning as a {actually re-seizing =Isa 2:1-11ff|Mic 4:1-8ff versus the attempted secularizing and/or Capitalism (failed) usurpation(s)} parallel and rival, =full-fledged United Nations!! [cf. The UN’s failed MDG-2015 attempt; and its now, wishful, SDG-2030 plans]
Then add to that the prophetic “heads up” (=Rev 13:11-18) that those two oppositional entity to such True/Full Gospel Christianity will be coming together as the Mark of the Beast Camp, and that persecutively so, even at a Global/UN Level (=Rev 17:11-18) and at whatever military and warring extent that they will deem “vitally necessary”, it then become necessary for the NJK Project, pointedly starting at this tangibly acting Second Step/Work Phase of it to be in a position to variously self: -preserve, -protect and -defend itself. So this crucial reality has to variously be, i.e. strategically, logistically and physically, factored into the establishment, engineering/construction/building and operation of this NJK-HQ.
So, to incorporate and effectuate all of this, the NJK-HQ will physically need to be a vastly large, enduringly built: offices, labs, plants, storage, institutions entity. Initially the idea of a University campus like set up and layout, as seen in the initial sketching posted earlier at NJKP 1:5 for this effective NJK mini-city. But now, the plan is for a large, single, =“under-one-roof” contiguous building. Needless to point out here that, as such, it will be the largest building, in terms of total floor area and space volume, in the (also history of) the World.
Here is a rough, overview sketch of the planned building. As identified, it will have 4 Wings, one for each Living Being Entity’s Work.
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| NJK-HQ Building Sketch |
The projected gross surface area of the building site/footprint is (currently) calculated to be ca. 10.9 million square feet, thus roughly ca. 3300ft X 3300ft in a square dimensions. The building will have 23+1 (split-level)floors [11 work related and 12+ residential] of mainly (a combined) 20 feet each, including 3 sub/underground levels and 1 ground level, but artificially/landscapingly buried “Grounding” level. The following sample illustration gives a general cross-sectional setup/layout, organization and usage of these various planned flooring levels of the NJK-HQ Building:
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| NJK-HQ Floor Levels |
The 2 underground sub-levels and the buried Grounding level will occupy the entire 3300X3300ft space of the site, while the remaining 19+ above ground levels will be on the footprint of its 4-Winged layout.
The grand total available floor space of the combine 4+7+12 levels is projected to be between ca. 195-230 million square feet. Here is the, thus far expected, planned and projected layout/space allocation/occupation calculations for this total floor space grossly from the specs of the buildings for pertinently comparable entities:
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| NJK-HQ Building Layout/Space Allocation/Occupation |
Spiritually speaking, the NJK-HQ is understood to be the “important building” prophesied in the SOP at 1SM 109-111 [discussed in detail here] which, from the ‘man with a measuring line’ element mentioned in 1SM 109.2 echoes the one, as well as the theme, for the rebuilding of God’s Temple, Holy City and Israel Nation starting in Ezek 40:3ff (=Rev 11:1-2ff discussed here).
NJK-HQ’s Biblical Support - Added Biblical corroboration/validation is understood from the prophetic statements in Dan 11:36-39 in regards to the building up actions of the “Israel’s Southern Kingdom-conquering, King of the North. Succinctly commented on here (and a full and more detailed explanatory verse-by-verse commentary on Dan 11 may eventually be “de-classified” and released for its dedicated post):
Daniel 11:36 - The King of the North (KN) is acting against the idol-little “g” gods in both the Religious and Secular Realms of the World. And today, the “god of gods” has come to be Capitalism which indeed dictates and regulate what those other idol gods can or cannot do. Even democracy is officially or acceptedly overmastered by Capitalistic ambitions. So the KN will be acting to superceded all of those Righteousness hindering and limiting idolatrous systems and practices. (cf. Rev 19:15)
Daniel 11:37 - This verse further highlights the far reaches of the world-sweeping (capitalistic) idolatrous by showing how it has (indeed) corrupted the course and view of the King of the North’s own (Spiritual) fathers (=ancestors). The KN is a prince that had come from the King of the South’s (=KS) realm (Dan 11:5), so his ancestors are from/in the KS. (See my bio-post) This “Southern/Judah Kingdom” KS entity is Spiritually applicable today to the SDA Church. And the SDA Church has indeed allowed Capitalism to corrupt its principles and ways, failing its own special “Shaking” ‘Mark of the Beast Test’, and thus disqualifying it from continuing to be God’s Remnant Church. “Women” spiritually represent “churches” (Eph 5:23-25; 2 Cor 11:2; cf. Jer 4:31; 6:2), who actually had the potential to, when Spiritually grown up and matured (cf. Eph 4:11-16), bloom and be/remain “married” to Christ as inheritingly then His Righteous (Rev 19:7-8; EW 273.2) Zion New Jerusalem (Rev 21:9-11ff) instead of the full-fledged church-city rival: Babylon (=Rev 17:18). These apostate/unfaithful/awhoring Neo-Babylon Women (Rev 17:2, 5; 18:3), =Protestant-Capitalistic Churches/Communities, are too ‘being given no regard’ by the KN entity as their ambition is to continue adhering to, and operating by, its Babylon’s Capitalistic mindest and approach. (EW 273.1-274.1ff) Nothing but complete separation from that Apostate/Satanic system can spare them. (LDE 199.1-3; Rev 18:2-4ff; EW 263-266ff)
Daniel 11:38 - Here is stated the fact that the KN will “in his place” be engaging in works which greatly surpass what his KS (=SDA) ancestors have not even been able to do (and that despite having sold out to Capitalism). The KN will be working to build costly “fortresses”, - a term (Strongs #04581) which indeed is referring to military-like fortification, thus for a ‘securing and defendable “refuge” and “stronghold” from enemies’. This is to be incorporatingly fulfilled by this NJK HQ building, -as well as its 4000+ Mission Campuses, and the NJK’s ocean-located Holy Cities.
Daniel 11:39 - This verse speaks of what the KN will be doing to establish this NJK-HQ. The “foreign god” which the KN will be making use of here is, as commented earlier at Ezek 1:7, through the buying of materials and the hiring of services from the Free-Market, even at its Capitalism prices, all for the speedy establishment of this NJK-HQ so that it can as soon/fast as possible get started on doing its vital humanitarian works. Then once that upbuilding phase is “speedily accomplished”, the KN will operate the NJK-HQ and launch into establishing the NJK-HC’s, according to its Biblical Socialism approach.[10]10
So in summary here, the KN’s NJK-HQ will be:
-fortress-like (in terms of securability);
-made of costly/advanced/durable materials, -indeed not sparing expenses -including for a speedy constructing;
-established “in its own place”;
Which is all tangibly and emblematically fitting for a “cornerstoning” building which has grand prophetic plans to stand and be fully and pertinently functional for up to the next 1000 years during/for the Temporal Jubilee Millennium Era!!
Location for NJK-HQ - As part of its securitizing requirement, but also given its need for a speedy set up, this terra firma NJK-HQ entity has plans to establish itself in a most favorable/conducive country, where moreover Law and Order is, or should be the norm. This is therefore deemed to be from a technologically advanced & politically civil Western Country...and the present choice is the Country of Canada (which so happens to be my native/home Country, -but I highly doubt that this has been a prophetic coincidence). The precise prospective/chosen establishment location is in the province of Quebec (also my native/home province), in its largest city’s, Montreal’s off-island Northwestern, sparsely populated, Suburb City of Mirabel, pointedly because it then will be adjacent to its now mostly decommissioned, (and prospective (cheaply) purchasable) large Mirabel Airport (& its adjacent hotel). (The airport once had, at/for its establishments, Grand/Major/Mega world air travel transiting-hub plans).[11]11
Plans also are to commute-wise connect the NJK-HQ site by an finances advance funded extension of the local metro system of ca. 22 miles with the end of that line being an 8-stop outer-perimeter looping line underneath the NJK-HQ site.
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| NJK-HQ Site Mapped |
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| NJK-HQ Site Mapped (Zoomed) |
NJK-HQ Construction Time - Succinctly stated, the NJK-HQ will be mandated to be built within one year.[12]12 This can be done by rigorous construction flow timing, a vast work crew with sufficient work equipment* and round the clock 3 or 4 (8 or 6-hour) shifts in 6 (Sabbath-off) work-day weeks. Specifically, -for the winter climate in this Canada/Quebec/Montreal site location, it is planned that work on the exterior structure of the NJK-HQ will be done during the up to 9 months of the warmer/warm-hot seasons. Thus as soon as Spring dawns, from ca. late-February/early-March to late-October/early-November, and work on the interiors can be done for at least the ensuing 3 cold/snowy/frosty winter months, thus from late-October/early-November to late-February/early-March. Interior work can, and will also be done as exterior work have adequately/properly enclosed interior spaces, starting from the underground levels, so that work in there can be done without any adversity or detriment from the elements.
* Cf. the equipments-multiplying measure taken for this overnight public’s work demolition (video clip) project execution by China.
Funding for the NJK-HQ - Of course with all of these Grand & Costly Plans laid out for the NJK HQ (=Dan 11:38), the question that is surely being asked, and does need to be answered is, where will the funding come from for such an expensive enterprise. The construction of the NJK HQ itself, -again entity that is being planned to last for up to 1000 years into the future. could be in the tens of billions of dollars!! Well, to succinctly relate things here, as the following charting shows, there are currently 7 funding (or self-funding) ways/enterprises/approaches through which the NJK HQ and its work can be paid for, -several providing most abundant revenue (which will then be used to fund the Third/Final NJK-Holy Cities (NJK-HC) phase/step).
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| Funding Sources for the NJK-HQ |
Before briefly explaining how each prospective funding source works, it must be stated that the NJK-HQ will not be waiting for itself to be fully built and operational, -even if that is deliberately/acceleratedly planned to be achieved within one year of the start of construction, but will be outlay any income towards funding its, pointedly life saving, humanitarian ministries, starting with the most urgent one which is the anti-abortion Life Centers as there are over 174,000 infants who are murdered daily worldwide from abortions. And initially, the NJK-HQ will be complementing the funding of other ministries already involved in such work while it itself is getting up to speed into also doing such ministries, and that towards those who are not yet being reached/served.
Funding Sources Explained - Now a little about these prospective Funding/Income sources, -along with, as indicated in the charting above, the perceived/understood sequential relation of them to Revelation’s 7 Trumpets = 7 Plagues:
TASK #1 - Point Zero Series
The development and broadcasting of this “docu-trauma //shocku-drama” TV series, which is an interpretively applied Eschatological exposition on the 7 Trumpets/7 Plagues in/for our present day, would serve, -[as the writers/creators of the widely know Dispensational “Left Behind” books & movie series aimed to do]: warn the world of God’s prophesied (purposeful) judgement work in the world. Given how that series is strongly rooted in Biblical/prophetic exegesis and naturally/sequiturly applies current world affairs and flashpoints, which are rightly understood to have been allowed to developed by an overseeing God for such an applicable end time coalescence, then any honest/serious/studious viewer would surely perceive/see and heed this “clarion” warning.
In terms of generating income to (help) fund the NJK-HQ, it is being projected that the producing and (first, North American, run) broadcasting of its ca. 8 Seasons/144 Episodes (of 2 hours each) would cost around $7 million per episode (thus a ca. $1 billion TV Series overall), and that a profit margin of ca. 20% per episode would be achievable. And that would provide ca. $200 million in net income for use for/by the NJK-HQ....Which would make for a great starter fund, and even for just the “venture capital” funding for the other 4 NJK Main Works.
The overall outline/framework and thesis for the series, and for each of its episodes, has been conceived, and only the development work of script writers accurately hashing out the specifics of each episode and segments in episodes, and characters, as well as crafting generically applicable details from the course of the latest current/world events and developments, would need to be (contemporarily) done.
First Trumpet & First Plague - Generally stated: the Trumpets “warn/rally” (Num 10:1-9) while the Plagues tangibly execute ‘what has been warned’ (by the Trumpets). So the First Trumpet (Rev 8:7) would be sweepingly warning of the prophesied/promised ‘physically destructive, fiery and “bloody”’ judgements that God is going to execute (which are actually poured in this warned “hailing” form in the Seventh Plague (Rev 16:17-21). But starting from the outpouring of the First Plague, those in the Mark of the Beast Camp already begin to tangibly see/feel/suffer the consequences of their long cherished disobedience in the sudden appearance of ‘life-hazarding unhealed wounds’ (=“sores”), almost as if it is ever impossible for them to recover, even if they wanted to.
TASK #2 - NJK-CC
Even if the NJK-CC was established and executed as an organization/ministry which only dealt with, and resolved the abortion problem which is (currently) murdering over 65,000,000 infants per year world wide, then it would have been quite successful, -though other life taking, damaging and threatening global issues would still need to also be addressed and resolved, as they indeed easily can today through just a socialistic (i.e versus a capitalistic, or even philanthro-capitalistic) approach. So, just as a bare minimum, if, as presented here, only the ca. 46% of the ca. 360 million people in North American alone, those who are saying/professing that they are pro-life/anti-abortion, would “put their money where their mouth/profession is, and (annually) fund, with merely ca. $25/month (=$300/year), the NJK’s fundamentally planned life-saving anti-abortion program, it would fully operate with an annual funding of ca. $50 billion.
See this post for details of how the funding-independent NJK-HC and its “Humane Economy” would, -as is its main founding purpose, then take over for providing a (and thriving) livelihood for all of these lives annually saved from abortion.
Second Trumpet & Second Plague - And this is where/when indeed this ministry of the NJK can’t help but launch the NJK into a necessary physically new and politically independent country as surely no present country in the world will want to take on the responsibility of caring for any part, let alone the whole, of that total 65,000,000 new lives per year, pointedly because they will be refusing themselves to restructure their economic ideology and system from the present capitalistic, or even mixed economy, ones, to the purely (Biblical) Socialistic one which the NJK will be implementing and using to be able to do such life sustaining thing.
So as such, effectively through a new founding Biblical Constitution, =“Covenant” (=the provision, sustenance and assurance of God’s Full-Gospel Everlasting Covenant (cf. Jer 31:31-34/Heb 8:7-13; Ezek 37:26-28; Isa 55:3; 61:8-9; Jer 32:40; 50:5; Rev 14:6ff; EW 285.1-286.1ff) -which indeed fully, i.e. Spiritually and Literally, observes/obeys His Ten Commandment Law (which are for the protection of righteous life (Deut 30:19)), the NJK Project can’t help be eventually and soon, be launched as an independent country where such Biblical Laws and Principles can be fully applied. (cf. Exod 4:18; 5:1). Unlike in Church History, =Historical Era, where God’s Covenant people were to operate in the midst of existing political entities of the world, the present, Eschatological Era, plan is to literally transposed that “(Burning) Covenant Mountain of God” (=Exod 19:18-19) and launch it in the midst of (literal) seas/oceans (=Rev 8:8-9)...An independence and separation move which the rest of the (capitalistic) world will be deeming as an existential threat, as, just merely the moral rebuke that it will be bringing on them can still greatly affect and transform them just through democratic influencing. (=Rev 16:3) Hence why they will, as prophesied, be globally rallying to oppose it. (=Rev 13:11-18)
TASK #3 - Seventy Weeks
If (especially serious, vs. mere nominal) Christians, -including SDAs, would just take a few moments of objectivity and a-moronic pondering, and realize/admit that what they have learned or been told, even for a long time, about what a Bible passage or prophecy means, can be improved upon or outrightly corrected by proper Biblical exegesis, then the current envisaged returns from sales/support for the forthcoming book “The Biblical Interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks” of: 33% of the 2.3 billion Global Christians buying the book at a ca. $7.00/copy profit margin, then a very substantive funding source of ca. $5.4 billion would be achieved from just this Work....
Third Trumpet & Third Plague - ...But therein are involved the Prophetic/Great Controversy implications in this development, many, even most, Christians, even beyond the envisaged 70% of non-support for this book/teaching here, cannot dare accept that, even most conclusively, objectively and transparently Biblical interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks, because especially both Preterists and, pointedly, Futurist-Dispensationalists, have by now built up way to much tradition understanding and teaching on their interpretation of this prophecy that the switching of understanding here would literally bring down, as a “house of card”, their entire prophetic scenario claims. As prophetically involved in both the Third Trumpet (Rev 8:10-11) & the Third Plague (Rev 16:4), such a work here will surely ‘“embitter” the waters’ of religious entities...making them known to be “deadly” if they are continued to be consumed.
Even the fact that the Biblical Interpretation of this Prophecy is literally the only objective documented and demonstrative evidence, -both for Believers and to Unbelievers, that Jesus of Nazareth was exactly who the Gospels say He was/is is not expected to sway the opinion/stance of most Christians today...though it is being expected that ‘surely, at least 33% of Christians today, will see and heed this pivotal and revolutionary Biblical Truth.
Another key related/parallel theme involved in the “Third Series of Revelation” is seen in the Third Seal which, as discussed in this post at Rev 6:5-6, reveals that God’s Truth is abundantly available to feed all those who want to procure it (cf. Rev 22:16-17/Isa 55:1-4), and therefore should not be subjected to merchandizingly capitalization limitations (cf. Jer 7:11/John 2:13-17&Matt 21:12-13), which is serving as the confirmation for the priorly arrived at decision to (soon) freely release this (400-manuscript pages) book on the 70 Weeks online in/as a (dedicated) Blog. People can then support its work through voluntary donation, even at that planned/projected publication net profit rate of $7.00/copy.
This decision had been initially made out of pragmatic reasons. As arriving at the Biblical Interpretation of Dan 9:24-27 couldn’t help but involved deep and detailed exegetical studies and exposition, -in order to once and for all, conclusively/convincingly resolve the various elements which lead to the various interpretations/applications of it today in the Christian world, then, as such, this scholastic work itself would end up having more circulation from a Bible College’s or a University’s Library, than from a Christian bookstore. So it would be better to make it more readily accessible by posting it online as a blog. Then given how an online posting can allow, through hyperlinks, for more readily accessible documentation and substantiation of the many cited quotations and referenced works included in it, not to mention the many more illustrations that can be given, this would help the layperson reader to more easily comprehend this scholarly work.
So, with the overhead cost for a hard copy publishing being taken out of the equation here, revenue for this book can be directly made from those voluntary supporting/endorsing ($7.00) donations. An online release also allows for making any future improvement, update or even correction to the work without the cost of having to publish a new (hard copy) edition...-And much confusion in/from the Christian Publishing Industry would be removed and resolved if all authors and publishers did not hesitate from doing such “Truth/Accuracy Control” diligence if they did not allow the economic of republishing, including the consumers reluctance to buy another book, to determine what should be done.
So this is the task and approach that will be used for this Third Funding/Revenue source for NJK Project Works, and if there are many people out there, especially within just the Christian World of 2.3 billion adherents who are both interested in accurate Biblical Truth and who want to support the accomplishing of such work, then this plan here should indeed work out as projected.
TASK #4 - Lawsuit
(As this (Complex) Federal Case Lawsuit is a continuing legal issue, it will not be presented/discussed in much details): Just from the duly sought for itemizedly-exacted potential/prospective legal award from this lawsuit which (presently) is at the $230 quadrillion (15 zeros = ‘thousand trillions’) level[13]13 -(98.75% are sought punitive damages = $2.87 quad. non-punitive damages), it can easily be seen that if/when, as due, awarded, it will literally be “lights out”, pointedly for the Defendant entities and their communal realms (cf. Rev 8:12). And that is not even factoring in here that when the anticipated hundreds of “Doe (Government, Corporate & Ecclesiastical) Defendants” and tens of thousand of Individual Doe Participant Defendants are fully discovered and identified, the current projection calculations is that this total legal award will rise to a ca. $90 quintillion (18 zeros = ‘million trillions’) (99.94% are as punitive damages =$53 quad. non-punitive damages) total. Since the present Global Gross Domestic Product (cf. here) is $113.7 trillion (USD), (with roughly one-third of this coming from the ca. 26 First World Countries) that legal award total will, of course, easily more money than ‘all the wealth in the world’ [cf. Hag 2:7-8].
A single and full payout of this legal award is not realistically expected, but it will rather be allowed to be returned by installments, -which could easily be over a period of the next 1000+ years. And, though the NJK will be reinvesting and redistributing this money (coming mainly from Defendants which are predominantly North American/Western), yet not in many of the current sectors from which it would have directly or indirectly come from, it will likely be agreed that the annual installment payout of this award be the limited to 1.00% of Global GDP, thus ca. $1.1 trillion/year. In fact, much of this money will be immediately and directly reinjected into the North American and Western job and production markets, but now to procure and produce what the NJK itself sees as its priorities. That potentially could literally reduce unemployment in the West to zero!! The Defendant Western country which will benefit the most from all of this will be the one where the NJK-HQ will be established and operate from, which, as stated above at, is presently chosen to be Canada (in its province Quebec).
The “Launching Key” for this task, -which unlocks the whole task and makes it unstoppably operational, lays in getting the actionable Direct Evidence for the claims of this case. Up to now only Indirect/Circumstantial Evidence has been collected and presented (in the case’s ca. 700-pages of filed initiating documents). But funding from any of the above launched and achieved 3 Tasks can also provide the funds for the paying for the Private Investigative work for this Lawsuit which will/should provide that actionable direct evidence, if the Defendants are not as highly/“professionally” careful in capably covering up their tortfeasing means and tracks as it has been demonstrated thus far. Direct Evidence could also be obtained through the successful “turning” of an individual Defendant Participant who will provide actionable Testimonial Evidence and divulge the operational secrets of this tortfeasing enterprise. Such a “individual turning” will probably have to involve a high “proactive payment” vs. a “deductive” one; -i.e. as in immunity from prosecution. This payment would have to be a somewhat high in order to come close to rivaling the pressure, and even tangible funds that these mainly wealthy Defendant Entities can individually or collectively come up with to avoid such ‘paid for treason’ of them. And here too, the funding for this “paying off” measure can come from the successful other/prior 3 Tasks. {And who knows, such Testimonial evidence can even come through the marrying a (convicted and repenting) eligible bachelorette from them!! (...however: ~Dan 11:17)}
Fourth Trumpet & Fourth Plague - As hinted above, this NJK Task is seen as fulfilling the Fourth Trumpet (Rev 8:12) and Fourth Plague (Rev 16:8-9). The “third” of the world’s leading lights (i.e. Sun, Moon, Stars), which symbolize “Economic, Ecclesiastical and Leadership sectors/entities, and are along the lines of the main categories of Defendant Entities in this case (i.e. Corporate, Religious, Government), will indeed be significantly affected, and in turn affect the “brightness” in rest of the world. And that, pointedly economic, “downturn” will indeed greatly ‘scorch men/people with fierce heat’ (Rev 16:8-9).
TASK #5 - AKM
Succinctly said this Fifth Task is the launching of the Alternative Power& Energy: AK-Motors Innovation recounted back at NJKP 1:5. If/When completed and launch it (potentially) should replace all present items which are powered by Various Fuel or Electrical, as well as be used in many present applications which use manual power and also allow for the creation new powered inventions where before power and energy had been a limiting or outright hindering factor. So the current sales projection for this innovation has been estimated to be for: ca.31 billion items selling at an average price of $665 and having a (generous) profit margin of 5% thus producing a Net Income of around $1 trillion.
But even if the profit margin for this invention will be kept quite low despite the fact that it would have a global market monopoly for its patent-protected (first 20) years (And thus it could, even “Capitalistically” should, be around 20-30% instead). It is actually anticipated that the current world markets for power and energy will decide to defiantly and vexatiously hunker down in their current non-renewable fuel sources for energy. Still the NJK-HQ will itself be able to make use of this innovation which will be most pivotal to the successful launching of the NJK’s Ocean-established Holy Cities.
Fifth Trumpet & Fifth Plague - And therein, -in this “defiant and vexatious” course, is seen an application of the Fifth Trumpet (Rev 9:1-12) and the Fifth Plague (Rev 16:10). If the current course of “Energy Supply” things is maintained, then that will mean that Western Countries will continue to be critically dependent on the Fuel Energy supply coming from Middle Eastern, mostly Muslim, Countries....and therein is would be continued the present strife and warring of the West vs. (Militant) Islam as oil energy supplying has definitely been the (actual) flashpoint between them. I.e. the West wants a stable Middle East free from either West-hating Dictators and/or Islamic Regimes, and so it has done various warring excursions into these countries (e.g. the Gulf War (1991) & the Iraq Invasion of 2003, the Libyan Intervention in 2011 ) pointedly to ensure this Oil Energy Supply from these countries. (cf. James 4:1-10)
So the continuance on the present course of things by the West here will only be continuing the strife/war between the West and (Militant) Islam which is prophetically describe by the Fifth Trumpet. Persisting in this “economically advantageous” course for even ‘just the next 20 (patent-protected) years” can be more than enough to sow the seed for, and foment, the next 9/11-style retaliation by a Militant Islam Group against the exploiting West. So the West would have, through “Spiritual darkness”, chosen to continue in comparative “energy supply darkness”, which all can spell quite a ‘dark’ future for them.....Hence the (first) “woe” (Rev 8:13; 9:12) (~warning.of.evil)...
These “angelic-sounded woes” (Rev 8:13) for the upcoming three Trumpets #5-#7 (=Plagues #5-#7) as announced by the Flying Eagle all dovetails perfectly with the understanding that the Eagle-face of the Living Being is one which also involves Supernatural Assistance. (And in a way, technology itself can be seen to be humanly super-natural as means are invented to ingenuously overcome the “natural” obstacles of/in nature.) But also in terms of the “Launching Key” for this, and the next two Tasks, whereas the prior ones all depended to some degree of the supporting participation of other peoples (I.e. First Task: TV Viewers; Second: Pro-Life/Anti-Abortion People; Third: Supporting Readers; Fourth: Judge(s) & Jury), starting with this Fifth Task this dependence on the endorsing of other people lessens, where here, this technological innovation of the NJK can still allow it to realize its work even if no one else purchases that energy power supply product.
However, on the flip side, the dependence on God for the realization of the next three Task correspondingly increases....At this present Fifth Task, as related above at NJKP 1:5, God had giving the initiating guidance for the development of this revolutionary innovation, and as it will be seen below for the Sixth and Seventh Task, God will then be depended upon to, respectively, indirect and directly Supernaturally act to bring those Tasks to fruition.
TASK #6 - WBSC
Much like the discovery of the interpretation of Dan 9:24-27 anchored the greatest Religious/Christian movement in the history of America: the 1840's Great Second Advent Movement (See the detailed documenting story here), -which even spread to the rest of the Western World, the even more accurate & conclusive presentation of that Seventy Weeks interpretation in the Third Task above should today have brought about a similar revival in the Global Christian community, which by now, in this Sixth Task, should have founded or ascribed a denomination of various Christian congregations, of even a Global total of ca. 200,000,000 members (=Rev 9:16; =ca. 8.3% of the Christian World) who have seen the Biblical Light here and have joined to gather to herald this, as well as similarly exegetically sound Biblical Truth...
...At the very least, that 70 Weeks discovery should have by now attracted, -indeed through its initiating online WBSC Forum, the ca. 400 Bible Students/Scholars required to launch the WBSC Research Institute which would be tasked with doing those exegetical studies to arrive at accurate, full and conclusive Biblical Truths....But Biblical Truth has never been popular, either with the worldly-enthralled masses or the power/position-lustful leadership.
In terms of funding tangibilities for the NJK-HQ, the establishment and operation of WBSC here would be projected to be able to produce (10%) net profit revenues as much as $1.5 billion per year. Here too, the support versus sales model would be used where those 200,000,000 members, plus a projected wider, non-membership readership interest of 2X that number, would have access to all of the products and productions of the WBSC for only a subscription of $25 each per year.
Sixth Trumpet & Sixth Plague - If/As the 70 Weeks proclamation was the opening salvo to the Babylon/Mark of the Beast camp (an ‘unstoppable’ “key of David” of sorts (Rev 3:7ff; cf. Rev 11:1ff -discussed here) as, as stated above at Task #3, it both exposed the utter unbiblicalness of their pet/cherished (Catholicism-borne: Preterist and Futurist) interpretations; but it also demonstrated the wider hindrance and harm to powerful evangelism that the downtrodding of the Biblical Interpretation of that Prophecy that those unbiblical teachings are causing/doing....-which is therefore quite indicative of which (lying) spirit such detrimental interpretations and teachings are from. (John 8:43-45), the work of WBSC would be the death blow to Babylon and its MOB movement. Indeed if one cannot Biblically disprove just the Biblical Interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks, let alone other Biblical Truths/Interpretations, but instead prefers to continue to preach their, frankly moronic, tired and debunked traditions and out right heretical lies, then they are indeed ‘of another spirit’ (John 8:46-47).
But if one thing is consistently true from God in the Bible, it is that, when even His professing people are insisting on disobeying Him and follow their own course, He will “honor” their Free Will choice and “give them up”/“turn them over” to the spirit of, and the, Adversarial One that they are preferring to heed. (Rom 1:18-2:16). And so we do see such a development clearly prophesied for the end times. God will also be “giving up” people who would did not love truth or righteousness (2 Thess 2:11-12) to the, even Supernaturally/miraculously deceptive power of Satan (2 Thess 2:8-10; Rev 16:13) and who had preferred to remain and suffer (Rev 6:15-17) in fallen/doomed (Rev 14:8/Rev 16:12) Babylon (Rev 18:2-4ff).
This heightened deceiving power of Satan will be in direct response to the fact that God would have begun to honor the faithfulness of those who came out of Babylonian doctrinal and socio-economic falsehood to join this prospective 200,000,000-member “army” (Rev 9:16) for Biblical Truth & Righteousness of by pouring out the promised complimenting Latter Rain Spirit on them. (Rev 18:1ff). As discussed from in here, that Latter Rain Spirit is manifestly a, even double, portion of the Spirit that the presently Heaven dwelling martyr’s had managed to achieve in their exemplary lives. And yet this sharing of a duplicating copy of their spirit on to most faithful men alive today would only be one scenario which God has reserved to see that His Kingdom cause on this Earth Triumphs (=Rev 11:15-18)
Pivotal Reckoning
It is not for no reason that the Seventh Series of Prophetic things is continually haltingly delayed in the book of Revelation (See the interrupted sequence of the 7 Seals & 7 Trumpets). That is because that when the Seventh Series begins to unfold, an irreversible severe judgement ending has come. And by the 7 Plagues, this delaying is no longer provided as the Seventh Plague uninterruptedly follows the Sixth Plague.
Well if, as expected, all of the prior overtures/invitations, efforts and action by God to establish the NJK-HQ through these above Six NJK-CC Tasks in order to try to extract people from various deceptions will have been evaded, rebuffed and rejected (=Rev 6:15-17; 11:7-10; Dan 11:19-20); -indeed even ‘warringly so’ (Rev 17:12-14; 19:19), then will come the drastically decisive, Seventh Series action, when/where, as seen next, God will “take His great power and begin to reign” (Rev 11:17; 19:20-21)
TASK #7 - 9/11 II
As it was stated earlier at Task #5, the final three task would all gradually involve more and more of God’s direct infusion of His Power, in order to match the infusion of decided human rebellion and Satanic Power put up in opposition to Him, His Will and lawlessly against His Faithful followers. Well by the Seventh Series of things, God indeed will have taken the reigns virtually wholly into His own hands.
For the, -by now ‘Divinely-withdrawn’ (Rev 11:11-12), NJK-CC, they will then only have to sit back as the judgement of God that they had been clarionly depictingly warning of in Task #1 (=Rev 8:7) through their realized/produced/broadcast, or not, Point Zero Series, is now, through ‘hailing balls of fire’ executed in real life as God pours out His enduringly overturning Judgements on Babylon (Rev 18:9ff).
Seventh Trumpet & Seventh Plague
All of this of course is what “wrathfully” unravels in the Seventh Trumpet (Rev 11:15-18) and the Seventh Plague (Rev 16:17-21). These drastic judgements are indeed intended to, once and for all, quell the uprising and march of arrogant Babylon...But as God will not then be effectuating the utter end, but merely an interim one (cf. Heb 12:25-29), such striking Divine judgements will still be concealingly naturally-seeming enough to allow for the still unrepentingly unredeemable ones (Rev 9:20-21) to continue to claim and believe that ‘God had nothing to do with them’ (=Rev 16:21b) but they were also mere enemy-borne warring actions....
#8 - FSZC (Tithe)
....So also will be the, then unhindered, movement that God then launches in the wake of the still smoldering ruins of Babylon (=Rev 19:11-15ff). In the light of all that had transpired in the Seven sought for or partially or wholly accomplished NJK-CC tasks, by not it should not be difficult to raise up that “Church-“horsemen”-Army of/for God.....but will enough, or even any worthy/honorable ones of faith be found in the Earth to fill in these spearheading ranks??!...Likely not....and so the ultimate “Melchizedek Operation” scenario borne from bodily re-incarnated martyr’s spoken of in here will likely come to pass in order for God to (finally) have such a righteously acting people (=Rev 6:11; 19:7-9) on Earth to work with for the Establishment of the Millennial Era.(Rev 21:9-10ff)
These ‘all similarly Divinely-withdrawn’ (as for those in Rev 11:11-12), now “variously Earth-implanted” martyred ones will know in advance to gradually naturalistically come together to form the Global FSZC Remnant Church and then, self-supported from merely their denominational (10%) faithful tithing returns projected to be, -roughly from the world present $15,800 GDP per capita rate: at least $316 billion annually. And so will this NJK-HQ be unhinderedly (also in terms of taxations and raw material access/usage restrictions) established, all towards the establishing of its NJK-HC plan (=Dan 11:21-24ff, 45)
“Eighth” Trumpet/Plague =First Seal (Rev 6:1-2; =PK 725.1/{2})
Then for this Era, given the perfect wisdom of God in His Template of Series of Sevens, will they from then be recycled from their start for now their Millennial Era Application. (See the 7-Sections charting of Revelation 20's Millennium in here). E.g. re-starting with now a Mega movie-series production on the life of Christ entitled The Desire of Nations (=Hag 2:6-9; cf. Rev 21:24), based on the fully and exegetically rendered Gospels and the inspired classic book the Desire of Ages. (cf. Rev 19:15-16)
God’s Deliverance: Power (Summary)
In Ezek 1, God has outlined the level of Heaven-like Organization He expect from Earthly entities who are endeavoring to do His work. In Ezek 10, God has now shown how Angelic Assistance and Power is to have a more direct and prominent role in God’s Deliverance agenda as the complement the ‘casting of coals of fire’ action of the man clothed in linen. Indeed these merciful acts of good towards the undeserving wicked (Rom 12:19-21) will serve to get them off of their pretentious/smug fences and demonstrate their suppressed murderous hatred towards God and His Righteousness and Righteous Ones as they then still refuse to “learn Righteousness” (Isa 26:9-11). God’s Advancing and Earth-Enlightening Cause (Rev 18:1ff) will leave no swathes of darkness for these unrighteous ones to continue to hide in. And, as seen in the Seven Tasks applications above, God will indeed ultimately take the drastic action of directly interposing Himself to execute the Plans of His by acting to forever Deliver His Faithful People.
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God’s Deliverance: Timing
So when will this ‘ultimate end Divine-Deliverance’ be executed??!... As Jesus said in Acts 1:7: ‘God has set the times and seasons by His authority’, so when God will act to effectuate His Deliverance (GC 635.1-636.2ff -discussed in detail in this post at Matt 25:6), it will be the best chosen time. And ‘there is a set time for God to favor His Zion’ (=Isa 34:8|16MR 19.2; see the Biblical interpreting of this prophetic dream)!!!
And as 2 Pet 3:9 God’s delaying is in order that as many people as possible will come to repentance and be saved...and that is the “longsuffering/patience/perseverance” that He has asked His closest ambassadors to endure (Rev 14:12; 3:10)...
Notes
1 [1] A similar ‘special incarnation crucial mission’ is manifestly also done for Rev 7:1-3's Sealing Angel; And that is also why the actually otherwise not needed expression of “little lamb” and “one like unto a son of man” is used throughout Revelation where the name “Jesus”, -which is actually used in non-symbolized sections of Revelation, could and should instead have easily been used. That is all because the prophecies of Revelation were prepared to also have a wave of typological application and fulfillment if, -as Divinely expected and thus anticipated, that time would be prolonged beyond the Historicist Age (cf. here), into an Eschatological one due to the present adjudged Laodicean failings of His, now supercededly former, (vacuously) professing People. (=Rev 3:16-17; 15MR 292.3-4; LDE 59-61).
1 [1] A similar ‘special incarnation crucial mission’ is manifestly also done for Rev 7:1-3's Sealing Angel; And that is also why the actually otherwise not needed expression of “little lamb” and “one like unto a son of man” is used throughout Revelation where the name “Jesus”, -which is actually used in non-symbolized sections of Revelation, could and should instead have easily been used. That is all because the prophecies of Revelation were prepared to also have a wave of typological application and fulfillment if, -as Divinely expected and thus anticipated, that time would be prolonged beyond the Historicist Age (cf. here), into an Eschatological one due to the present adjudged Laodicean failings of His, now supercededly former, (vacuously) professing People. (=Rev 3:16-17; 15MR 292.3-4; LDE 59-61).
2 [2] And in retrospect, and right now, I can (summarily) see how that “human” way of arriving at that understanding, i.e. versus from a Divine revelation actually does fulfil Ezekiel’s very first impression when seeing the 4 Living Beings on this Cloud Chariot as: “they had human form”. (When I pinpoint through going through my saved studies and writing documents of that time the exact or approximate date when I came to that Biblical realization and understanding, I post it here. As of now I am only able to approximate it to a range between July 19, 2000 -when, as noted in my diary then, I had an impression that an Energy Engineering project that I was working on could pave the way to inventing flying vehicles, which I immediately identified with the “cloud transportation” for God’s Zionistic people that I had read about in Isa 60:8; and May 19, 2001 -when I was by then sharing with other people, e.g. my godfather, (cf. here), that the energizing core in Ezek 1:4b was something that (probably) had to do with nuclear fusion energy’. But it may actually have been a little later than this in 2001. -See the further probing/discussion on this at NJKP 1:10.
3 [3] Due to proprietary reasons, I will not be here discussing the details of this project, though this info can be read in the patent papers [CIPO #2,696,825] that have been filed for it.
4 [4] However, it was then, at the thought here of all of the work that I would have to do in order to fully figure out the scientific and engineering details and then build a prototype, that I began to feel someone depressed over the ensuing weekend and had my priorly-recounted: “Elijahcidal” bout/incident on Sunday, April 2, 2000. But given how I had seen/experienced that God had led me to this discovery, which when accomplished would easily fund all of my ministry plans and projects, part of my ‘daring dare’ to God was that: “He surely wouldn’t let anything (disabling/fatal) happen to me....-clearly His ‘last best hope’ (cf. Isa 49:1-4ff; 42:19ff)...
5 [5] Notice in that charting illustration how, e.g., the ‘LION tribe/realm’ (Gen 49:8-10; Rev 5:5) Judah goes from an Eastern Location (=My (Literalistic) View) to a Southern one (=SDA (Spiritualistic) View), which is perfectly reflective of Judah came to be the Kingdom of the South when the once 12-tribe Nation of Israel was split into Northern and Southern realms, and eventually representative of all Israel when the Northern Tribes were overtaken by the Assyrian Empire, but through Messianic intervening (Psa 2/Isa 11:1-10; cf. Rev 5:5) its prior Eastern Location (~Matt 24:30-31|EW 15.2) status can be restored when the Full Israel Kingdom of God is then restored.
6 [6] And along these lines of figuring out such mysteries about God, I would state, even if merely as a working thesis, that one, if not the, -as in “the ultimate”, “mystery (=hidden/concealed Truth) of God” that is to be finished/discovered in the “time of the end” (Rev 10:7 -discussed within this post), is this Truth in regards to exactly/tangibly why God says, does and commands what He has. My Short Thesis/Observation is that, as discussed a little in this post: God literally has to economically manage the priming/injecting (i.e. non-renewed) energy which He only has, can (trustfully) possess, which keeps this Universe and Life in it sustainable. So God has to limit the energy that is actually tangibly required for e.g. answering prayers, which typically require a supernatural intervention; indeed giving (supernatural) signs/wonders and miracles; giving (original content) prophetic dreams and visions, i.e. dreams which are not crafted and derived from the thoughts that one already has “stored” in his mind; etc. And which is why God does train believers into not becoming reliant of waiting to always hear from Him before doing something which they both can do themselves or should by then in their believers experience know how to properly/rightly understand of themselves.
And if/since the statement in Rev 10:7 is literalistically meaning that the ‘finishing of that mystery’ will be just as how God had revealed the Gospel through His prophets (i.e. mostly OT prophets, and Paul (Ga 1:11-12ff) in the NT), it is indeed a Truth that will have to be carefully figured out from all of the prophetic revelations that God has given over the course of this Great Controversy History.
7 [7] And manifestly Jesus’ repeated: “you have heard, that it was said”, actually meant: “you have (only/merely/selectively) heard (from your religious teachers/leaders), that it was said (by God)”...“but I (=God, also) say unto you:....”, thus emphasizing what God had also explicitly said or involved in the Old Covenant, but which those blind and dishonest teachers and leaders in Israel were not also/calibratingly saying or emphasizing (cf. Isa 42:19-21)
8 [8] A prime example of this stupefying refusal came when, on my trip in January 2001 to Walla Walla University seeking for professional/expert engineering assistance for my invention, I stopped by their Religion Department to discuss my work on the Seventy Weeks with their then Book of Daniel Professor. To my surprise, he was all enthusiastic about taking on my book review request. So I printed out for him the ca. 400 manuscript pages of my book and left it with him in a binder.....He never got back to me about it...and even when he later, in 2007, wrote and published a commentary on the book of Daniel (cf. here) where he clearly preferred to regurgitate {see Book's PDF} the same deficient comments and debunkable explanations in regards to Dan 9:24-27. (To verify if my work had been (unauthorizedly) used, I, using a provided service of theirs, had the Walla Walla Library email me a PDF photocopy from that book on its section on Dan 9).
9 [9] With the NJK-HQ being a private, -(not necessarily statutorily, [albeit surely adjudicatedly], tax-exempted) Bible-Religious Church + Ministry + Organization + Institution (=Rev 14:1-5ff), it will have a foundational policy which considers certain contra-Biblical actions and behaviors as potential fireable offences (see e.g. Rev 22:15). So if a worker/employee does not intend to live according to Biblical principles and morals, such a person would have to provide for their own housing (and commuting means), at their own expense, outside of what the NJK-HQ will provide on its establishment and surrounding community site. But, as with the case principle in Acts 5:3-4, it would pointedly be if a person intends to practice a lie/deception and claim that they agree to live according to the NJK-HQ housing policy only to be provide its housing, but go on to, especially premeditatedly, calculated, systematically, surreptitiously violate this policy that they will judiciously be subject to work/employment termination, along with having to pay the housing cost starting from what will be deemed to be the pertinent violation starting time, even from the very start of the housing occupancy, if that is determined to be applicabe.
10 [10] This is all like how God allowed Israel to plunder Egypt at the Exodus (Exod 3:21-22; 11:2; 12:35-36), all for due Slavery Reparations (=Gen 15:13-14), and (generously) used that wealth and materials for the physical building and establishment of its Sanctuary Complex (Exod 25:1-9; 35:20-29; 36:1-7), yet that did not mean that the Sanctuary Services, nor the future conquering, establishment and settlement in the Promise Land was to be done according to Egypt’s idolatrous principles and ways.
11 [11] Pertinently here: initially, it was pondered that either for the NJK-CC and/or the NJK-HQ steps, or a preceding sub-step while the NJK-HQ was being built up, that the participants/workers for these NJK work be (re)located in a lease at China’s presently vacant/quasi-abandoned massive 5,300,000 sq. ft “Shanghai Pentagonal Mart” site (which was built for $200 million, and in 3 years, by the way) -[See more on this impressive site e.g. here, here & here] But just the needed reparation, then custom setting up, fitting and finishing of that greatly delapidated mega mall site, along with the logistics, “politics”, assimilating, and cost of relocating up to tens of thousands of, (initially) mainly North American, NJK-CC/HQ workers to China will not only be significant, but also be overall wasteful given that once the NJK’s leasing and occupying of that specially customized site is completed, if it then was to be used for its founding purpose of a mall, all of that customization work will mostly have to be undone and discarded. So resources would instead be better used in/for the speedy construction of the NJK-HQ in its prospective permanent Mirabel (Airport) site. (Cf. Dan 11:21's “in his place” (lit: “base”).
12 [12] As a most pertinent comparison, the U.S. DOD Pentagon, -which is relatively comparable in (its “legendary”) size and scope to the proposed NJK-HQ building, (though, as seen in the superimposed photo below, the NJK-HQ will dwarf it by a factor of ca. 7X in merely footprint size i.e. NJK-HQ (3300ftX3300ft): 10,860,900 sq. ft versus Pentagon (Area at: 921ft/side): 1,460,000 sq. ft), was, as recounted here (cf. this history video & here[12:00]):
12 [12] As a most pertinent comparison, the U.S. DOD Pentagon, -which is relatively comparable in (its “legendary”) size and scope to the proposed NJK-HQ building, (though, as seen in the superimposed photo below, the NJK-HQ will dwarf it by a factor of ca. 7X in merely footprint size i.e. NJK-HQ (3300ftX3300ft): 10,860,900 sq. ft versus Pentagon (Area at: 921ft/side): 1,460,000 sq. ft), was, as recounted here (cf. this history video & here[12:00]):
-proposed (and during World War II) on a Thursday July 17, 1941,
-conceptually designed, as per military orders, by the upcoming Monday, [though most of the design work was simultaneously being done during constructed and completed by June 1, 1942]
-then construction materials, machinery and crew/workers were in place for its ground breaking start on Sept. 11, 1941
-occupancy began in its first completed “wedge” in April 1, 1942
-and the whole building was completed ca. 1.5 years later on January 15, 1943
 |
| NJK-HQ vs. The Pentagon |
Songs 6:10|PK 725.1/{2}*
* It may be shocking to be so explicitly/directly comparing a Religious/Spiritual Movement, and Kingdom, of God to a Military Entity, moreover the U.S. Military, but on one facet, the background issue involved here is the ongoing, and endeavored permanent resolution of, The Great Controversy War, and so, it is not surprising to see in/from the Biblical testimony that since the time that God first set out to establish the Religious and National Entity of Israel the were, as described in Numbers 2 organized as an “army”, and one indeed with “many banners” (See Num 2:3, 10, 18, 25). Hence those Songs 6:10|PK 725.1; (=5MR 228.4) statements are indeed speaking of the resuming of what God had started to ‘gloriously’ (Num 14:21) do with His Israel when they came out of Egypt. God now intends to finally accomplish this mission through His Latter Rain-endowed People (Rev 18:1) and indeed versus “Neo-Babylon” (Rev 17:14; 18:6-21)!!!
13 [13] And just to highlight the relentless and persistent tortfeasing of the Defendants, for now 17+ years: 94.20% of these total damages in this lawsuit are based on the (not yet applicably enhanced) tortfeasing penalty of: $100 per day (per tort). See the Lawsuit’s itemized Civil Cover Sheet for some more summary info and details on the case.
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