Revelation Chapter 4

VERSE 8 “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Similar to the vision we see here in Revelation, is that which is found in Ezekiel Chapter One in which there are likewise four living creatures depicted (beginning at Verse 5), however the major difference is that in Ezekiel’s vision each creature possessed all four faces upon its head and here each creature has its own face. The other major difference is that in Ezekiel’s account each creature had 4 wings whereas here they each have 6 wings.

In order to be through and not miss anything we will once again be presenting two different perspectives of this verse from our two primary sources on Revelation, beginning with the New Albany account.

THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES, EACH HAVING SIX WINGS:

“Wings seem to refer to God’s Word because we are carried aloft by it. (See Rev 12:14.) We are also protected by it. (Psa. 91:4) Wings are always in pairs, thus teaching that God’s Word would ultimately be in the two divisions of the Bible —Hebrew and Greek. However, since this picture is at the beginning of the Gospel Age, ONLY the Hebrew Scriptures exist, thus giving the EXPECTATION for more —the sealed scroll of the next chapter.

Since there are four living ones with six wings each, we have 24 wings —a probable reference to the 24 prophecies (elders) which were, at the beginning of the age, the only written embodiment of God’s Word. The total symbolic picture, then, seems to say that God’s attributes are the basis of, and are fully reflected in, His Word.

The six wings on any ONE of the living ones seem to draw a lesson from Isa 6:2 where two wings cover the face, two cover the feet, and two were used to fly.

(A) The two which cover the face CONCEAL God’s FAVOR (face) from the world. If, of course, we have access to the wings (the Holy Scriptures), WE know what is behind them (i.e. the favor of God as outline in His word).

(B) The two, which cover the feet, conceal God’s OPERATIONS (walking’s, dealings) among men. Again, THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES (wings), WE can discern these stately stepping’s.

(C) The two which are used to fly show that God’s attributes SEARCH OUT those whose hearts are His (2 Chron. 16:9). These are found, of course, by contact with His Word (wings).

WERE FULL OF EYES AROUND AND WITHIN:

It is not absolutely clear whether it is the living ones or their wings which are full of eyes. The latter seems more likely; but the symbolism is good in either case. If we speak of the living ones (attributes) or the wings (the Scriptures which manifest those attributes now), we see unfathomable wisdom (eyes) in each of the four.

We see wisdom (eyes) AROUND —i.e., on the surface and in the results —and we see wisdom (eyes) WITHIN —i.e., if we dig deeply into the mysteries. If it be only the wings with eyes, we have, in addition to the above, the ability of the Scriptures to tell us of the wisdom of things past, as well as things future as the eyes can see both directions.

AND THEY DO NOT REST DAY OR NIGHT, SAYING:

“Do not rest” symbolizes the CONSTANT testimony of these attributes. There is NEVER an instant nor an example when their testimony is absent (if we search for it.) “Day and Night” may refer to Psa 121:4. It may also be a nice way of referring to the night of sin and death and the morning of millennial joys.

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY:

This threefold repetition seems the Scriptural equivalent of the most positive and absolute conclusion. It may also refer to His Holiness in the past, present, and future with which this verse concludes. Clearly, it also refers to the WHOLENESS of God’s character, a wholeness represented by the perfect balance of the four attributes. This is the one and only total Monarch:

THE LORD, THE GOD, THE ALMIGHTY: So it is in the Greek. The definite article (“THE”) also precedes the following:

THE ONE WHO WAS, THE ONE WHO IS, AND THE ONE WHO IS TO COME:

(Compare comments on Rev 1:4 where the SEQUENCE DIFFERS.) While it IS true of Yahweh that He has existed and will exist from eternity in both directions, it never seems quite appropriate to attach a past-tense verb to Him. Thus it is quite likely that this does not refer to His PERSONAL EXISTENCE, but rather to His HOLINESS which has just been thrice stated.

Look into the past; you find only His holiness. Look now; you find only His holiness. Look to the future; you will only find holiness. THAT is the testimony of these four attributes. BECAUSE of the perfect balance of Wisdom, Justice, Power, and Love, ONLY HOLINESS IS POSSIBLE!

Once again we wish to offer another look at this very same verse from another perspective in this case from The Keys of Revelation. We find that each commentator sometimes adds details which may have been overlooked by the other.

“Wings are used in Scripture to denote the Word of God. For example, “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler” (Psa. 91:4). Separately, the feathers may represent some of the more individual promises, or other singularly outstanding component parts or doctrines of the Bible. Collectively, the feathers comprise the Word of God as contained in both the Old and the New Testaments (the two wings).

The Mosaic Law permitted the use of a fowl as a sacrificial offering upon the altar and in the sealing of a covenant. Such practice often involved the laying open of the chest cavity; that is, the fracture of the bird, after it was slain, along the line or length of its backbone. However, the complete severance of the bird and, consequently, its wings—the “dividing” asunder into two separate parts or halves—was prohibited.

Hence the power of the symbolism was preserved, emphasizing (a) the inseparability of both the Old and the New Testaments, neither of which, when properly viewed, is designed to be whole or complete by itself; and (b) the close relationship that exists between the two parts (the two wings), as recorded in Ezek 1:9, 11—

 “Their wings…joined [Hebrew chabar, i.e., were paired as a couple] one to another.”

In harmony with this thought, the wings are consistently referred to in Scripture in the plural sense, always being mentioned in pairs. The tenderness of this union is noted:

“The wings…touched [Hebrew nashaq, i.e., kissed] one another” (Ezek. 3:13).

The function of the six wings in verse 8 is best explained by the apparent parallelism of Isaiah 6:2—

“With two [one pair or two wings] he [the seraph] covered his face, and with two [one pair or two wings] he covered his feet, and with two [one pair or two wings] he did fly,” totaling three pairs or six wings.

Two lessons may be drawn: (1) The principles of the divine government and the divine character are represented by the face, and (2) God’s overruling providence—both His movement and His authority—in the affairs of earth is represented by the feet. The face and the feet are covered or hidden to the world (1 Cor. 2:9, 14), yet revealed to the Lord’s saints (1 Cor. 2:10, 16) by the same Word of God (the wings).

A third lesson is that the divine attributes (the seraphim or living ones) always act (fly) in harmony and cooperation with the wings.

Furthermore, verse 8 reveals that the wings “are full of eyes all round and within” (Revised Standard Version). The point is that even the nominally believing world recognizes the Bible as the most outstanding book of all ages; that is, the enlightened public can perceive externally the wisdom contained in Holy Writ, which is (“full of eyes [intelligence] all round [about on the outside]).” On the other hand, the child of God is additionally enabled to see, shrouded internally (“full of eyes…within”), the mysteries of the Kingdom (Matt. 13:11).

The four creatures or living ones “rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” Not only does He that keeps Israel neither slumber nor sleep, but the principles of His government have ever been (in the past), are (in the present), and forever will be (in the future) ceaselessly active in the planning and/or execution of the works of Him that ever lives (Psa. 121:4).

Contrary to logical assumption, the text does not specifically state that the repeated utterance of the righteous acts of Jehovah proceeded forth from the mouth of each of the four creatures. Rather, the sound was produced by the WINGS, which acted as a loudspeaker, broadcasting forth the praise due His holy name. This detail of information is supplied in Ezek 1:24; 10:5 (compare Isaiah 6:3), where the wings are said to generate a most awesome and majestic sound, duplicating and simulating the commandments and the instructions of the Creator Himself. The realization that the wings function as an agency to transmit information pertaining to God leads to a more refined interpretation of the substantive matter in verse 8; namely, to those who have a hearing ear, the Word of God has, throughout history, continually borne WITNESS and testified to the glory of the Father.”

We move on to Verse 9 in our next post.