2003-09-19
Good Morning Treasured Readers,
I am led to mine the Scriptures for the description of heaven within them in an effort to ask God to help us understand the need for each detail He gives us. God never does anything without a purpose, and that purpose is always good, righteous, and in mankind’s best long-term interests. Today, we will look at two kinds of mysterious beings that inhabit heaven, seraphim and cherubim. I trust the Reverend Billy Graham when he writes about the Scriptures and believe him to be a very godly servant of our Deity. He has written a small, but compelling book simply called “Angels.” Until I had read this book I didn’t know that it appears from the Bible that celestial and extraterrestrial beings differ in rank, duties, and authority. My mind, which is attracted to orderliness in the first place, finds Dr. Graham’s explanations quite plausible. They are practical. There are heavenly tasks to be done, such as worship, delivering messages, music-making, and the like. Different types of angels were created for these different purposes. It would make sense to me that just as we are described in RO 12: 4-5 has “different parts of the Body for different functions which are all joined to each other and to Christ,” the same thing might be true in heaven.
The highest in rank is the archangel Michael, the guardian angel of Israel. We have Biblical grounds for believing that Lucifer, before his fall, was also an archangel. Lucifer was God’s favored archangel in charge of worship in heaven. He is described in IS 14: 11 as “You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead.” EZK 28: 12b-13a, 15 tells us, “You [Satan] were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were! You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind…Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil.” Next, comes the angel, Gabriel, the chief messenger angel. He is the same angel who answered Daniel’s prayerful pleas on behalf of himself and Israel in DN 9. And, he appears in other places in the Scriptures, as well.
Next in rank comes the seraphim and cherubim, who follow the archangel and angels. These may possibly define the angelic authority to which Peter refers in 1 PET 3: 22, when he speaks of Jesus, “Who has gone to heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.” The word, “seraphim,” may come from the Hebrew root for meaning “love,” “burning ones,” or “nobles.” We know that the duties of the seraphim are that they are constantly glorifying God. The main passage we find them discussed in is IS 6: 1-6 where Isaiah is called by God to be a prophet. The physical description given in IS 6: 2 refers to them as six-winged creatures which were flaming, with two wings covering their faces, two covering their bodies, and the other two wings used for flying. These seraphim were located above God’s throne. The ministry of the seraphim is to praise the name and character of God in heaven. They are heard singing the “Ter Sanctus,” “Holy, holy, holy! The Lord Almighty is holy! His glory fills the world” [IS 6:3]. It was one of these creatures that flew down to Isaiah, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips and announced God’s forgiveness for Isaiah’s sins.
Cherubim are described as being beside God’s throne rather than over it. EZK 10 is the chapter that describes the shekinah glory of the Lord leaving the temple in Jerusalem just before it’s destruction by the Babylonians. It sounds a somber note of the consequences of Israel’s sinfulness. At God’s direction in EX 37: 7-8, the artisan, Bezalel, hammers out two winged creatures of gold, one for each end of the mercy seat (lid to the Ark of the Covenant) formed in one piece with the lid. Their position there is also revealed in EX 25: 18. These two creatures are cherubim. The cherubim also have to do with the glory of God and also continuously glorify God. PS 80:1, “Thou dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth.” PS 99: 1, “He sitteth between the cherubim.” In GN 3: 24, we see cherubim guarding the tree of life in Eden. The cherubim did more than guard the Holy of Holies from those not qualified to enter during the Covenant of the Law. They also assured the right of the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies with the blood as the mediator with God on behalf of the people on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Once Christ’s work was accomplished on the cross, He opened the way to the heavenly Holy of Holies to all who believe. That is how Paul was able to write in EPH 2: 19, “Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” And in EPH 3: 12, “In union with Christ and through our faith in Him we have the boldness to go into God’s presence with all confidence.” Knowing about this orderliness and attention to detail [of God’s] in the heavenly beings and their duties fuels the faithful to want to join them in joyful and breathless adoration of Him Who created us.
PRAYER: O Lord, we stand in awe of the lovely descriptions of heaven that You give us. The four living creatures, cherubim, are further described in REV 4: 6b-7. “Surround the throne on each of its sides, were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and behind. The first one looked like a lion; the second looked like a bull; the third had a face like a man’s; and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight.” These symbolize nobility (lion), strength (bull), swiftness (eagle), and wisdom (man). These are some of the traits you want us to have. Day and night, they sing the “Ter Sanctus,” a song of utter adoration [REV 4: 8]. Dearest Abba, that is what we want to do about you forever. You deserve nothing less from us for your goodness, righteousness, compassion, justice, patience, wisdom, and supreme sovereignty. The fruits of the Spirit found in GA 5: 22-23 are traits that Your Son has that You want us to model- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. By looking in depth at the description of heaven You give us, You are allowing us to come away with a clear picture of Your will for us now and eternally. We also can see You through Your attributes and Your deeds. We do not need to see miracles, even through You are generous and kind enough to sometimes grant them, to know that You love us and will keep Your promises. That is how we differ from those traditional Jews who tried to demand them of Christ in MT 12: 38-40. You have called us to faith and to belief in Christ’s ability to provide salvation for all who believe through His work done on the cross. Our view of heaven also shows us how imperfect without Christ we are. We are called to acknowledge our status as sinners and our utter dependence on You. When we do this, You are compassionate enough to extend forgiveness through Your most excellent grace. Today, as EPH 3: 12 says we can, we boldly approach Your throne to ask You for our personal supplications, to help us assure that You remain in true leadership of our congregations, and to give us the courage we need to remain faithful as Satan attempts to burden us with guilt, doubts, and all kinds of evil. We dedicate ourselves to worship, adore, trust, obey, be faithful, give honor and glory, thank, and give You heartfelt praise. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, I am led by the Spirit to ask the questions: What is our position in all of this heavenly description? What does all of this mean to us? There is no word, phrase, number, or even punctuation mark in the Scriptures that isn’t important to us. That is why I believe the Holy Spirit is leading me to write so many messages all about the subject at hand, the Kingdom of Heaven. Each word that I write is a gift the Spirit gives me, so I can take no credit for anything except committing the time and my physical self to the process of writing it. I mention this, because the Holy Spirit gives each of us such gifts, only different ones for different people. I can tell you amidst the adversity of my own life, that joy arises from the ash heap when one gives his person and his time over to God. Some do this volunteering in a hospital, others do this in being loving, caring parents to their children, and still others by serving in any one of a myriad of church tasks that need to be done. No matter how it is done, the net result of joy arising from our lives happens. That is how thrillingly loving our God is.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn