The Critters of Revelations

In Revelations 4 and 5, we get an idea of how profound God is, in his perfect completeness, he is able to create some really unique and somewhat creepy creatures called the Zoa or Tetramorphs. These guys are odd at best, hideous at worst, and amazing all around. How something so incredibly unique came to be out of the mind of our wonderful Creator puzzles even the most astute scholars.

That’s where the human imagination then takes over. After all, it had to be explained in a way for the human mind to picture, and I’m sure that task proved difficult. John describes some pretty interesting things during his vision where he sees the Lamb with seven horns surrounded by the four beasts; one is an eagle, one is a winged lion, one is a winged ox, and one is your basic winged human but not an angel.

Over the years, humans have attempted to understand the significance of the tetramorphs, these critters covered in eyes praising God every second, shouting Holy Holy Holy!

It sounds like something right out of an Eldritch horror script. In the Geneva Bible, written in 1560, the text included images that corresponds each beast with each of the gospels: Matthew sitting with the Winged Man, Mark writing at his desk while the Winged Lion looks on, Luke sits with the Winged Ox curled up at his feet like a comfortable puppy, and John sits with an Eagle at his left elbow.

Even though we’re in Revelations, it is in Ezekiel when we first hear about these beasts.

image: Wikimedia commons (link).

Ezekiel 1

King James Version

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

3 The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.

4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

There are multiple theories about what this carriage is, with the spinning wheels, and some scholars even have hinted that it might belong to alien craft. Interesting.

I suggest you read Michael Lieb’s book Children of Ezekiel and let me know. I plan to buy it when I get paid, having no clue that this was even an option as far as explaining what was seen in both John and Ezekiel’s visions.

But, let us safely return our feet to solid ground. Coming up in the future, Revelations 9:5 has some more hideous soldiers that will make your blood run cold. I really don’t want to have to face them. I’ll include a picture below. I definitely intend to make the rapture so I don’t have to face this, but I guarantee they’d probably be fun to ride.

image: Facebook

I’ll wrap this up before Dad realizes that I’m actually 12 still and am talking about aliens and giant man-faced grasshoppers with scorpion tails. I love you guys, and until next week, keep on walkin’!

Rebecca