Revelations Chapter Four (Part IV)

By Odon Bulamba (8th April 2005)

Revelation 4:6a
Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

We’ve already spoken about the 7 spirits of God in the book of Isaiah.

A SEA OF GLASS

John is in front of God. He sees there is a something that looks like a sea of glass, clear as crystal in front of him. Us, human beings, we look like God and when Jesus came down he also put this body on to look like us. He wanted to look like a human being so that we could feel that God cares about us.

Spiritually, people can look at us and see the picture of Jesus-Christ and physically also Jesus had the same body as us to prove that God looks like us. God could have found many ways to die for us and not put on this body but He wanted to live among us and be one of us.

How can I know my body looks like God’s?

John had discovered God’s throne and also a distance, something, between God and him. We can see Him, we can see we look like God but we are not equal to God, there is something that separates us from God, like a glass. Some people think they can lift themselves up to be equal to God but we can never be equal to God because He looks after us while we can never look after God. … I will always depend on Him but God will never depend on us. Nobody can say: “Today God looks after me and tomorrow I’ll look after him”. People can develop their knowledge to show that God is powerless but if He is powerless, why do you exist? If you think you are clever enough to respond to all your needs, why do some people become mad? If we were clever, death could not exist, or pain or suffering on earth. For instance, no scientists, even highly qualified could stop the Tsunami disaster.

So, we might have some knowledge but we will never be equal to God. What is the difference between God and me? Why do we call God omni-potent? I am not.
Human beings need to go to the shop to buy food, clothes … you see we depend on other people and above all we depend on God. For example, if death comes, even to the richest man on earth, nobody will never tell it: ‘Come back tomorrow”.
We don’t have that power.

John found out that although we believe in God, we must remember that we are not equal to God. Whenever God gives me an instruction, I must follow it, I can’t discuss it. If we don’t, we’ll perish later. God doesn’t forget or close His eyes to rest. One day He will make us accountable for what we did 20 years ago and we’ll be ashamed.


Revelation 4:6b
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.

FOUR LIVING CREATURES

They look a bit strange. They look like cherubim. These creatures are similar to the ones in the book of Ezekiel. They don’t really look like us. Human beings don’t have wings and we are not covered with eyes. Today many people say that cherubim are just women or others say they are children or little angels, or babies … and they make pictures of nice creatures but God shows us something different.

Their purpose is not only to look after God’s glory but also to fulfil God’s will into our lives: to get something from God and to bring it into our lives. Lucifer himself was in that category, Ezekiel 28:10. His purpose was to bring God’s need, fulfilment or plan to human beings. This is why in the Garden of Eden it was easy for him to go to a human being and suggest: “If you do like this, you’ll be like God.” He had that power of light, the power to give light to people so that people could see what God wanted to fulfil in their lives. That is why Lucifer tempted human beings in the garden.

There is another confusion about cherubim. When God told Adam and Eve to leave the Garden, “God placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” The role of the cherubim was to guard the way to the tree of life, not to guard it from Adam but to guard it safe so that whenever Adam will be able to come back he can pass through that way and go for repentance. The tree of life is the tree of repentance, and although Adam did something wrong God wanted to give him the chance to come back again. Adam could go, think and come back to repent but Adam left and didn’t ask God to forgive him, he left forever and forgot.

At that stage, in the Heaven people wondered: “What will God do?”
Cherubim are standing, waiting for God’s purpose to be fulfilled in human beings life, but Adam had gone forever. How to bring him back?