Ezekiel 1:10

Their faces. There was but one body to each of these creatures, but each body had four faces. The faces were on the four sides, so that each of the four creatures looked in all four directions at once.

Since the prophet does not interpret the symbols of his vision, and since the Scriptures elsewhere do not directly state the significance of these faces, we can only conjecture as to the specific application of the symbols. Commentators have suggested various ideas, such as: (1) The human face is the highest symbol of the Eternal; the lion, a symbol of sovereignty; the ox, also a king of sovereignty, together with a natural symbol of strength made subservient to human uses; and the eagle, an emblem of kingly power. (2) The faces are symbols of the four evangelists. This view was advanced by the Church Fathers, Irenaeus being one of the first to set forth the theory. The lion is sometimes identified with Matthew, and the man with Mark, and conversely. The ox and the eagle are uniformly assigned to Luke and John respectively. But this interpretation has only an imaginative foundation. (3) According to later Jewish tradition the four forms, taking Ezekiel’s order, are the standards generally borne by the tribes of Reuben, Judah, Ephraim, and Dan when they encamped in the wilderness (Num. 2:2). That such were the ancient standards cannot be verified. Even if such were possible, it is difficult to see any connection between the standards and the teaching objectives of the vision.

When an attempt is made to interpret these four living creatures, it is well to keep in mind that in symbolic prophecy the prophet sees representations of the actual and not the actual itself. These representations may be like the actual; often they are not. Frequently the actors in a prophetic drama have an appearance vastly different from the beings or movements they represent. Thus angels may act the parts later to be carried out by men. An angel acted the part of the advent people in a vision of the disappointment (Rev. 10:1—11; cf. Rev. 14:6-12). Caricatured beasts and dragons are used to dramatize the parts of nations and supernatural powers (see Dan. 7; 8; Rev. 12; 13; 17). In one instance Jesus is symbolically presented as a lamb with a bleeding knife wound, and with seven horns and seven eyes (Rev. 5:6). No one would conclude for a moment that this was an attempt to represent the appearance of Jesus. In a vision of the second advent Jesus is shown riding on a white horse, clothed in a garment dipped in blood, and having a sword in His mouth. Here again it is not the purpose of the vision to represent the actual appearance of Jesus at the time of the great climactic event of history (Rev. 19:11-15). Care must be exercised not to take a Bible prophet literally when literalness is not intended. On one occasion, when ridiculed by her critics, Ellen G. White wrote: “My opponents ridicule ‘that weak and childish expression of glorious grapes growing on silver wires, and these wires attached to golden rods.’. . . I do not state that grapes were growing on silver wires. That which I beheld is described as it appeared to me. It is not to be supposed that grapes were attached to silver wires or golden rods, but that such was the appearance presented” (EGW MS 4, 1883).

In the interpretation of symbolic prophecy it is important to permit the same Spirit that indited the vision to identify its symbols. Where such identification is lacking, the expositor is left to conjecture as to the application; hence dogmatism must be avoided. Further, as in parables, the various features of symbolic presentations have varying degrees of significance and importance. A parable must not be made to stand on all four feet. This is likewise true of symbolic prophecy. Equal importance must not be attached to every detail of a prophetic picture. Some features may be introduced merely to round out the presentation, or to provide a consistent background. As in the case of parables, we must learn what is the over-all objective of the vision, and what features of the pictorial presentation are intended to convey divine truth (see Vol. III, p. 1111; see also COL 244).

Inspiration has not left us in darkness as to the teaching objective of Ezekiel’s vision of the living creatures (see PK 535, 536; 5T 751-754; Ed 177, 178). The statements here referred to set forth first the background of the vision. The prophetic presentation aimed to give courage to the Jews at a moment when much of their country lay in ruins through successive invasions and many of the inhabitants were captives in a foreign land. To these oppressed ones it appeared that God was no longer in control. The plundering of the heathen nations at will was interpreted by many as though God no longer cared. The people failed to see the hand of God in the course of history. They were unaware of the fact that a divine, overruling purpose was at work in the recent developments, as indeed it had been in all ages. The vision was given to show that an overruling Power had to do with the affairs of earthly rulers and that God was still in control. This was the over-all objective of the vision. Thus any interpretation attempted must be consistent with this objective.

The living creatures represent heavenly beings (see 5T 751). As already noted, it is not necessary to imagine that in the service of God are four-headed, four-winged beings. Inspiration nowhere requires such a conclusion. The forms chosen for this prophetic presentation were doubtless designed to symbolize heavenly messengers in their plentitude of offices, capabilities, and adoptabilities.