"Faces of Christ"

“The four faces of Christ”

There is always the problem of men who, because of circumstances, will not believe in God, who refuse to put their faith and trust in a God who has revealed himself to them over and over again and should have been perfectly adequate and perfectly trustworthy and perfectly faithful.

Anyone who wants to think smart about life must always begin with God. That is where the Bible begins. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. If your heart needs to be set on fire by the revelation of the character and glory of God, read Ezekiel. He is the great prophet who saw the glory of God. Ezekiel the prophet was able to see the Glory of God more than any of the other prophets because of his vision of God. The book opens dramatically with the vision that Ezekiel saw by the River Chebar in the land of Babylon:

As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness round about it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming bronze. (Ez. 1:4)

A site that definitely would get anyone’s attention, Ezekiel’s story always amazes me, so I want to share just a little with you, so that you too will have all the faith and trust in God that is needed to get thru this realm of life here on earth.

And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures... (Ez. 1:5)

And he describes these creatures to us. Each had four faces---the faces of a man, an eagle, an ox, and a lion. These four faces turned in every direction, faced every way. After he saw the four living creatures, he saw certain wheels Ezekiel saw that these wheels were turning, one wheel within the other. As he watched he also saw a firmament (sky) above, shining in splendor, and above the firmament (sky), as he lifted his eyes higher, he saw a throne. And on the throne sat a man. . (These are described in an old song: "Ezekiel saw a wheel, way up in the middle of the air; the big wheel ran by faith and the little wheel ran by the grace of God, a wheel in a wheel, away in the middle of the air.") What Ezekiel sees is the power and the majesty of God.

I find it interesting that the four living creatures setting forth the character of God are always described as having the faces of a lion, a man, an ox, and an eagle. A lion is always a picture of sovereignty, of supremacy---"the king of the beasts." A man is the picture of intelligence, of understanding. An ox is always the symbol of servitude, of sacrifice. And an eagle is the symbol of power and deity, of soaring over all creation. Now the significant thing is that the four gospels present exactly these same qualities in Jesus Christ. He appears first in the Gospel of Matthew as the king---the lion, the king of beasts, and the sovereign of all. He appears in the Gospel of Mark as the servant, the ox. In the Gospel of Luke, he is man in his intelligence, in his insight, in his understanding of life. And in the Gospel of John he is deity. These four reflect the character of Jesus Christ.

I hope this hasn’t confused you, it is meant to show you how wondrous the works of God are and what we can expect in the future. Also now you know how powerful Christ is, He can and will come to you in many forms and fashions. Be prepared, no matter what form He comes in, for He is the Mighty I Am! I hope you will take these things and get into the word and read all the books, so that they complete you.

I ask God’s blessings on your life and may He give you visions and understanding.