Bible Studies: Worldnet Grace Ministries

Ezekiel 1

God Manifests Himself To Man

By Johnny Tatum

PART 2: *BLUE NORTHERS - Either Threatening Or Comforting

*Blue Northers are wild winter storms around the Gulf of Mexico that threatened cowboys and cattle alike. These storms are similar to the Euroquilo, the Northeaster, violent storms that drove ships away from their destinations.

Ezekiel 1

4 As I looked, behold a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire.

Let us take this verse one section at a time.

As I looked, behold a storm wind was coming from the north,

Why does he say the north? Many indications in the Bible are that heaven is to the north.

The Isaiah 14 passage, describing Satan's fall, locates heaven as follows:

But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' (Isaiah 14:13-14)

Whenever Isaiah saw a vision of heaven it was in the north. This makes sense: there is a place called heaven, and it has to be located in some place!

What We Will See As We Study Ezekiel 1:

This is the first of many indications of what we are going to see in this chapter:

God is a God of activity.

Everything about God is Either-Or, depending on the person. Whenever human beings even get a glimpse of God working, it is Either- dreadfully horrible (threatening) news -Or it is wonderful (beyond belief) news.

For Example: Either- for somebody, who is thirsty, God's coming looks great. Or- for somebody, who is not thirsty, God's coming is a threat.

Ezekiel says:

a storm wind was coming from the north.

Either- you are experiencing a drought and you perceive a storm wind and see storm clouds, then it is wonderful news. -Or if you think you have what you need and you perceive a storm wind and see storm clouds, then it might be threatening.

a great cloud

Many times in the Bible God is associated with clouds, which indicates mystery or "something that is shielded".

Is this not interesting? God is shielded by a cloud and not by iron? Clouds look like they shield (block) something and they look substantial, but you can go right through them. For instance, how many times does a cloud stop an airplane? Clouds may block the visibility, but not the access.

Picture: Since there is a cloud (a shield) between God and the human race, then God is unapproachable. However, it is not hopeless because he JUST uses a cloud [and not iron], which means God is open to being approached.

Either-Or: By the nature of God (holy) and by the nature of man (sinful), God is unapproachable. But for those who call upon His name -- who trust that Jesus of Nazareth died for their sin -- God is approachable.

a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually.

Let us look at the word continually. This is another sign in this passage of God's activities. It means, "He never stops working".

It is recorded in the Book of Genesis that God rested on the seventh day:

By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. (Genesis 2:2)

He did not really rest in the sense of stop working. What does it mean? He just stopped creating; He rested from the particular activity that He had been doing. God is always doing something.

I Could Not Get My Mind Off Of This:

Continually

God Is Always Working:

When we think about going all the way back … BUT we cannot go all the way back because He never had a beginning. As far back as we can go, God is always doing something.

We cannot even imagine what He was doing.

We cannot number what He has done. We cannot say this universe was the four millionth thing He has done, because He has done an infinite number of things before creating this universe.

with fire flashing forth

Is fire good or bad? It depends. Either- fire can be wonderful [if you are cold], -Or fire can be horrible [it can be destructive].

There is good news or bad news depending on the person, because:

God Is Fire

Either- the person wants warmth and light, and the fire is good news. -Or the person believes he does not need the warmth and light, and the fire is bad news because destruction is coming.

and a bright light around it,

Light means "revelation".

Either- that revelation is wonderful news for people who want God. -Or for people who do not want God, that revelation is horrible news because it makes known they are sinners.

Light is good news or bad news. Either- it can bring warmth, which is God's love. -Or it can bring destruction. There is NO middle ground.

Relating Fire to God's Love

Fire is extreme, so let us relate it to God's love. Let us say that fire is Either- warmth and light, -Or it is destruction. Again, there is no middle ground.

Every human being gets either extreme. Either- the ultimate love from God, -Or total judgment from God.

How many times do we think We get something in between; we get all of His love and a little taste of judgment? That is what we often think. But no! It is Either-Or and there is NO in between.

Something Else We Will See As We Study Ezekiel 1:

Ezekiel progressively was seeing things: going from out and zooming in. He sees a perimeter (outside) shot and he sees the core (inside) shot.

Seeing God from the Perimeter to the Core

The first thing Ezekiel describes was what was on the outside, the perimeter of this vision:

a storm wind - a great cloud - fire flashing - a bright light

Now he goes into the center of this vision:

and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire.

Here is one of those things that I could easily slide over, but then something profound would be missed.

First Ezekiel described the perimeter of the vision. What is he seeing?

Light and Fire.

God unapproachable and God approachable.

Okay, so what does a light, fire, and a cloud mean? It is describing:

His works - [Not what He looks like, but] What God does.

His character - God is love, God is light.

I tend to think It is great to know about what God does and to see His works, but I want to see God face to face. Have you ever thought that?

Notice Something: What is on the inside of God is basically the same as what is on the outside.

What is on the outside? Heat and Light.

What is on the inside? Heat and Light.

The only difference is what is on the outside is not changeable, it is not physical, and they are not solid objects (cloud and fire). However, what is inside is heat and light; it is something solid.

What is really important is that what you see on the outside is what you see on the inside, meaning:

If we understand what God does and we understand His character, then we see God.

It Has Been Great Having You Around, but…

Concerning Our Seeing the Father

Phillip was the disciple who thought seeing Messiah Jesus, the Son of God, was not enough:

"Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." (John 14:8)

And Messiah Jesus said something that I have not previously taken at face value:

"He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

For a long time I thought that what He meant was If you have seen the works of God in Me, you have seen the character of God in Me; then that is as good as seeing the Father. Now I think He was saying much more than that. He was saying what I believe this Ezekiel picture is illustrating:

God does not have a body; He is total Spirit. He is not tangible, He is not physical, and He is nothing you see or touch.

John said:

No man has seen God at any time. (John 6:46)

So if you really understand all of God's work, all of His character, all of His nature, then you have seen Him.

There is another time when I have taken verses in JUST a metaphoric way, though they mean exactly what they say:

God is love… (1 John 4:16)

I used to think that God loves so much that He could be characterized as love. Now I believe that verse means exactly what it says:

God is love. He is pure love, concentrated.

The Bible says God is light:

God is light… (1 John 1:5)

Again, I believe it means exactly what it says:

God is light. God is pure light, concentrated.

Another Way to Look at It:

What is lightning? An electric discharge; it is air -- it is energy.

What is fire? The heat radiating off of combustion; it is hot gas -- it is energy.

What is a cloud? A boiling thermal engine -- it is energy.

All three are energy.

To continue that analogy:

What is an atom?

What is a neutron?

What is a proton?

When I was a child, I was taught an atom, a neutron, and a proton were extremely small particles. It turns out they are NOT particles, they are all concentrated energy!

That is what God is: concentrated love, concentrated light…

Once you describe all of God's characteristics and every work He does -- God is love, God is light, God is holy, God is a God of eternal activity, God is a God of eternal love… then you have seen God.

When we get to heaven we will not see anymore of God than Ezekiel saw. And we will NOT be missing anything. That is all of God, because God the Father does NOT have a body!

Note: We will spend an eternity seeing more of Him because His works are infinite, His attributes are infinite (for example, His love is infinite), and even in all eternity we will NEVER finish seeing more of Him.

The Core Never Changes

In this picture of the visible God, that which is on the peripheral is the same as that which is on the core, except for one difference. Do you see something that not changing? Fire leaps around and clouds can change a little, but the solid metal in the center NEVER CHANGES.

Picture: The only thing that ever changes is human beings' response to God. God is infinite love, and God infinitely judges. God never changes. He NEVER says For those who are in Messiah (for those who are redeemed), I will withhold judgment. God did not withhold our judgment; Jesus of Nazareth had to receive ALL of that judgment. God did NOT hold back.

Perspective: Either- God is infinite love, -Or God is infinite justice.

God does NOT change. That is why the core of this vision is not changing.

Next: Ezekiel 1: PART 3, BREAKING A NATURAL LAW

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