Men Whose Eyes Have Seen the King - Part 7 — T. Austin-Sparks

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

Ezekiel’s Vision of God’s Glory and the Divine Purpose

You will have the first chapter of the prophecies of Ezekiel open before you. We will not read the chapter again, but with a glance you will see its main features. General is this, that whenever the Lord taken a further step or made a new movement in relation of his purpose, he has almost invariably prefaced that movement or that step by bringing someone or some instrument, apprehension of his glory.

He has brought forth his glory and shown it, by which he has indicated that in every movement of his, in every step that he takes, he is governed by the end, the one full end, that is glory. God's end is glory and in all things glory is the governing matter.

As the God of glory, he appeared to Abraham as one of the early further movements in his program. In glory he appeared to Moses on the mount when he was about to take a further step in that plan. And so on and on in the Old Testament and in the great movement at the beginning of the New Testament, the bringing in of his son, the governing word and idea feature is glory.

Glory to God. New movement at Pentecost was a manifestation of the glory of Christ. Christ exalted. Like that. And so in order to be able to move with God toward his full end, it is very necessary that those concerned, an instrumental people and ministry should ever have the glory of the Lord fully, clearly, mightily in view.

Everything that is under the government of God is related to his glory. His means and his methods. His permissive, his executive will has glory in view. Now in this first chapter, Ezekiel's prophecies have very much that is instructive and helpful in this very connection as to the movements and ways of God in relation to the glory.

As we pointed out this morning, the inclusive phrase, inclusive not only of the chapter but of the whole book is in verse 28 of the first chapter, the second half. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory.

The Four Living Ones and the Cherubim

The appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face. That refers, as I have said, to all that is in that chapter but it especially refers and relates in heaven and the likeness as of a man upon it above.

Exalted man. The God man. And from that, from that, everything else proceeds. What is here and all that comes later, right to the end of this very full book, is the expression, that phrase, of that government.

The meaning of that being there and where he is. That is the point at which we take things up this afternoon. In our summary of the visions which came to Ezekiel, he said I saw visions of God. We noted among the many visions, and we are of course not going to even attempt to touch upon all these visions, but in our summary we said that under the throne there was a two-fold symbolic medium of its expression.

That two-fold medium is the four living ones, or the cherubim, and the wheels. To both of these, quite a considerable section is given. You notice that they are not just mentioned and pass over, but they are very fully and minutely described.

You've got to stop with this. You've got to take time, give attention. The Prophet is giving us every detail, very difficult to understand. I suppose any of you would claim to understand it. I certainly don't, but I do see some things.

I think almost on the face of it. Nevertheless, these are things that are brought here in very clear definition and in very full presentation. Therefore, right at the beginning of all these prophecies and movements and visions must be taken account of.

They must have a place and a very serious place. Come to look at this two-fold medium of glory, the cherubim. We need not describe them. Their description is here. They say very little about the details of their composition or construction, their features.

All that will be familiar to you. We are not thinking of covering all that ground again. We want, quite simply and directly, to get at their function, function of these living ones. Of course, I do underline that this is oriental symbolism.

It is a symbolic representation of something spiritual. People in the East who would read these things would have a more ready understanding and apprehension of this way of presenting truth. And perhaps we have.

But God has chosen to convey his great truths in this symbolic and illustrative way. We get to what it is he said to us. And we can, if you like, forget the forms, characteristics described and just get right at the heart of it.

What is the message? What is it that they are intended to convey? A reflection upon the many appearances in the Bible of the cherubim. You can see that invariably, on every occasion, they stand related to one thing.

Their function is ever and always to proclaim that the throne and the government of God is that of hope. Government must be seen as appropriate. That is right at the beginning of this history of judgment contained in this book of prophecies.

In the parlance of judgments both in Israel and of Israel and in the nations under this supreme throne for an unholy state and a demand that that shall be judged and put away. The glory waits for that and waits upon that.

Ever and always waits upon holiness because it is a throne of glory which is the glory of holiness. Government is represented here in this throne and in the nation but that is not all. These cherubim are called living ones, living ones, living creatures if you like, better living ones.

Holiness, Life, and the Guardianship of the Cherubim

The idea of life, livingness is always associated with them. Come up again and again in that connection you'll see this as we go on. The moment it's this that holiness and life are combined in them. The life waits on the holiness, the holiness gives rise to the life, the life.

And you cannot separate these two things, you cannot have the life without the holiness, you cannot have the holiness without it leading to life. Always walking like that to and fro, more holiness, more life, more life, more holiness.

Representation, the custodians of the divine holiness unto the divine life. This is all the way through is life and death, life and death through this book. That's where the battle is being fought out in that realm of life and death.

It's a question of life and death or death for Israel, for the nations. But the deciding thing is this matter of holiness. Now if you briefly pass your eye over some of the instances where the cherubim are in view, you'll see that that is the connection every time.

Wrong in the God, when sin entered, when disobedience through pride came in and operated. When things went wrong, the man was held from the place of life, where the tree of life was, and at the gate, at the gate to God-ish, where the cherubim place was claiming Saul.

Their presence there said that's a holy life and that which is corrupt, polluted, tainted, unholy, cannot have it, cannot touch it, cannot come near it, is expelled from it. Cherubim would say we are the custodians not only of that life but of the essential holiness.

Then figures of the cherubim were interwoven on the screen, the veil between the holy place and the most holy place would pass that veil in peril of his life, it would be death. They were there inscribed again in testimonies of the fact that they were the guardians of what is holy and as such anything unholy would perish if it passed their way.

They on the veil declared things are wrong with man, things are wrong, they've gone wrong, they are a testimony against the wrong state of man and because of that he cannot come in to the presence of the glory, the presence, the life.

Isaiah’s Vision of the Holy Throne

Here of course it's quite obvious, insecure isn't it? But then we remember Isaiah, connected features are impressive in this connection. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and seated upon a throne, the cherubim, only another name for these I think, were heard crying holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty.

Why was it? King Isaiah had forced his way into the temple unlawfully and took the sense of pressing in the holy God and touching holy things. The priests besought him, besought him, pleaded with him, go out and pertain it not unto thee King Isaiah.

But Isaiah asserted himself there and he was stripped with leprosy, went out as a leper to the day of his death and he died, tainted and in the year that King Isaiah died I saw the Lord and heard the cherubim saying holy, holy, holy is the throne of holiness and of life.

But that means death where there's not the holiness, death where there's not the holiness. Life is on the ground of holiness. Jerusalem has become grievously and terribly defiled with Jeremiah. Terrible, terrible book as to a spiritual condition.

Terrible book. The corruption and defilement of Jerusalem. The resultant people carried away into captivity and then we have Ezekiel there with the captives of the southern kingdom of Judah. This is a scene of desolation, a scene of death.

This is a scene of judgment. They verily stand in the place of Isaiah defiled. Judgment has come upon them in death and if you have any question about that or if you want that particularly emphasized, come to the great chapter in these prophecies about the valley of dry bones and that's God's conception of this people at that time.

Valley, dry bones, very nearly and scattered. That's Israel's condition as in Babylon, as in captivity. Are these people going to be saved from death? From judgment? How will it be? God will say that he'll have to take away their unclean, polluted, stony hearts.

The Valley of Dry Bones and Restoration to Life

A new heart will I give thee. A new heart will I give thee. In other words, they'll have to be cleansed from their iniquity, washed from their sin, made again God's holy people and they will live and they will live.

Cherubim are very active in relation to that matter. Endlessly busy about it. See them on the wing. They are characterized by a deep concern over this matter of this people being saved by being delivered from the bondage of corruption.

Need I say any more about the occasions when they appear? Perhaps one glance to the end will give us a much happier, more cheerful picture. We come over to the book of the Revelation. Marvelous fourth and fifth chapter.

The Redeemed Multitude Before the Throne

Here heavens are opened again. John says the heavens are open. He saw visions of God and what did he see? Here's the great multitude. A great multitude which no man can number. They're a tribe of kindred language.

Before the throne of God and of the land. Here are those who have come up and having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the land. Here they are around the throne singing their song of redemption and the four living ones are there.

But not feverishly, fretfully, hurrying hither and thither with this matter of getting a people saved and right. Their wings are let down and they're joining in the worship. The work is done. Their work is finished and now they can worship.

Join in praise with all the redeemed. That's how it ends. It's the picture of glory through glory and life. Well that's a message not for the days of Ezekiel only. It's an abiding message. Principle from beginning to end of time.

That throne dear friends we want it on our side. Demands that something is done to cleanse us from our sin. To deliver us of wickedness. Bringing us into the white raiment of his divine righteousness.

Sanctified it is to who are thus walking with him in fellowship and who as far as can be, should I say it like that, are eschewing every evil away. Are repudiating all iniquity. Not dabbling, compromising on any way, condoning what is evil, what is wrong.

Holiness as the Ground of Divine Life

The whole matter of holiness can become very oppressive and it can become very legal and bring us into bondage. The fact remains dear friends that God's throne, the Lord's throne is a throne of holiness.

His government is a government of life. His life is holy life, is holy life. We know quite well in practical experience that if we do, we do voluntarily or even involuntarily touch something that's evil, touch something that is corrupt, touch this world in spirit, the glory fades, the glory fades.

We know within ourselves if we even say something that is wrong, the glory fades. We know it by the fading glory in our heart. A shadow comes over, cloud passes over our spirit. It stays there until we've gone and got that cleaned up in the presence of the Lord.

It's like that. Now we must pass immediately to the other side of this symbolic medium of the throne to the wheels because as you notice they are quite definitely in union with the living ones or the cherubim.

They move together. They are really only two aspects of one thing but the wheels contain their own particular emphasis and message. What do they signify? Well, just read again what is the impression that is left with you after reading verses 15 to 21.

The Wheels as Symbols of Divine Energy and Movement

You just sit back after reading. How do you feel? How do you feel? Sometimes it's a good thing to put yourself into the word and take its temper, take its atmosphere. I venture to suggest that if you read these verses in that way, stand back, you'll heave a sigh.

My word, they are moving, something doing here. In case you do not feel a quiet passive feeling when you've read that. It's the impression, is it not, the impression of tremendous energy, of motion with purpose.

That's the atmosphere of the wheels. Wheels symbolize movement, motion, going and here spirit of the living ones is in the wheels. The energy, the energy of the spirit is here. It's that energy and movement with purpose, isn't it, that characterizes them or of which they speak.

They say to us fairly and simply that this throne, this throne is a very energetic and active throne in relation to the end which God is seeking. All the energies and activities contained in these prophecies are the expression of that throne and are as it were the carrying out of the meaning of the wheels.

Throne is on the move, it's not passive. Throne is governed by a tremendous energy. God is deeply and greatly concerned about this great end of his to have everything glorious and for his glory and filled with his glory.

It is no easy going thing with the Lord to have that end. If we did know it friends, you and I knew it, we could only see it and understand it. We should be able to see that so many things in our lives which the Lord permits to come in and which the Lord sometimes sends into our lives are the workings of his energy to make a way for his glory.

God’s Glory in Suffering and Providence

John, John the apostle tells us that the whole of his gospel which he wrote, wrote the 21 chapters as we have it were written with one object, one object and that object was the glory of the Lord Jesus, the glory of the Lord Jesus.

You now take it up and see all the way through from beginning to end it's that and for one fragment only, Lazarus this sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God. Strange, strange event of providence, ease of God, painful, causing deep sorrow, distress, perplexity it's all a strange thing for those concerned but quite deliberate.

There is the element of deliberateness about the Lord Jesus' attitude toward that matter and his handling of it, his tarrying when he had received the news. He's got this thing in hand and he says it is for the glory of God that the Son of God should be glorified thereby.

The end of this strange thing in human life, this painful thing in human life is the glory of God. Oh that you and I could always look at our sufferings and our sorrows like that every time when some perplexing, bewildering, heart-breaking thing comes into our lives if only we could say and believe and stand to it God is going to get some glory out of us.

There's some glory somewhere bound up with this. He's working to his end in all things, in all things and Paul says God works in all things good to them that love him and are called according to his purpose.

He means by that word good glory, glory to God. Now I can say these things from platform and I have a very real battle I know over them when they arise but they're the truth which we have to face, which we have to face and so the point is that there's an energy of God at the throne in things, all sorts of things, all sorts of things, an energy of God toward glory and to glory holiness.

The Wheels Full of Eyes: Divine Knowledge and Judgment

Another feature of the wheels as you notice says they were full of roundabout. Another symbolic representation just surely meaning that this throne is operating with perfect intelligence, with complete knowledge of everything, an utter apprehension and grasp of all the elements, all the features, everything that has got to be dealt with, perfect vision, perfect knowledge.

So the throne of holiness works. That's a solemn message as well perhaps as an encouraging one. The fact is dear friends that that one on the throne whose eyes are as of a flame of fire sees right through and knows all the hidden motives, acts accordingly not what we see and not what we are willing to see but what he sees.

He sees, he knows, he knows. The eyes of his glory look us right through and they know all our self-deceptions, all our deceivings of one another, they know us so perfectly and are acting according to their knowledge.

The Lord is acting with us according to his knowledge and we are not going to get away with it. If the Lord takes in hand to deal with us in a form of judgment, if he really does act where we are concerned it is because he's seen something.

He is seeing something. That something is injurious to us, that something is limiting or hindering the glory in us personally, individually or in our companies. He's seen something that is against the glory and so with energy he takes in hand and he will judge it.

He will go to great lengths in order to get that eliminated and put right that the glory may come in, a new life may come in and that we may go on a new and fresh step and phase with him in his power.

He perhaps would not have it otherwise. We don't want to be deceived. We don't want to lose something by some unrecognized. We want to have everything open. The end of the bible sees a city which is absolutely transparent.

Absolutely transparent. God is really seeking transparency in his people. No duplicity. No deception. No questionableness. Oh how we must judge our motives. How we must keep in the presence of the everlasting burnings.

How necessary it is to keep in the light of his countenance so that nothing is allowed to go on unconsciously with us that is limiting his glory in our life. See it's a message, a very great concern. Oh pray if you will for a new thing.

Pray for revival. Pray for God to move in some great way of power. But remember all his movements are based upon this. A holiness that corresponds to his throne. And he cannot, he just cannot do anything.

He cannot do anything until that holiness has been vindicated in his people. Just cannot. Unanswered prayer. If I regard iniquity in my heart the lord will not hear me. It's a very big principle that's covering so much isn't it.

Oh may the lord give us understanding. The presence of what could be a very terrible word and yet it's glory in view. Give us understanding. And his energies, the energies of his throne are holy energies.

He's going, he's going, continuous going on in this very connection that what is consistent with the man in the glory shall be found in us and amongst the lords. One further glance these wheels occupy a place between heaven and earth.

God’s Throne and His Purposes on Earth

They are not holy of the earth. They don't remain held by an earth type of suspendedness. They touch the earth but they're not of it. They bound along in their energy in relation to heaven but also in relation to earth.

As the embodiment of the divine energies now what that says amongst other things is this that god's interests and god's activities and god's throne are not remote, remote from things here from this earth.

He is not just reigning on his throne in remote isolation away there somewhere in the undefined heaven. His energies relate to things here. His mighty interests are imminent, are near. They are concerned with this world, with this earth and with what is on it.

He wants this world, this earth and all that is here to be holy, to be holy. Isaiah's vision says that phrase the whole earth is full of his glory. That's the conception. That is what the lord desires.

Working to that and we know from the end, the scripture of the end that is how it would be when righteousness covers the earth and the waters cover the sea. Holiness everywhere. God is working down here.

Now for the moment we cannot say more about that. Perhaps we say a little further this evening on that very matter of how it is happening. The operation of this throne in relation to holiness. What we are stating here is the fact, the fact god is intimately, close, intelligently associated with the state of things here in the church and in the churches.

He is cognizant of everything that we don't see. We don't realize. His eyes see it and he's acting. Turning this state to have it holy and to be able to bring in or bring back the glory. Have you got the message?

Throne is not far away after all. It's here in representation. It's here. First chapters of the book of the revelation mean anything at all. It means that this very god man, this man of the glory is moving amongst the churches where the lamp stands.

Moving amongst them is here, is imminent. Throne cognizant, intelligent as to everything. It is not blind. It is never deceived by anything at all. Is and its activity may be found in many if not all the experiences into which we come.

The throne is set upon and determined to have one end everywhere in all things. And that is glory. That is glory. Oh this wonderful symbolism of living ones and wheels are but a declaration of this. That throne is active.

That throne has not given things up because they're so bad. Throne is still pursuing its goal to have a state that can be filled with glory. The Lord interpret that to us and write it deeply in our hearts and keep it every day in our consciousness.

This is not intended to be unto death but for the glory of God.