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Angels, Cherubim, and Seraphim
April 24, 2021

Where ever you may be reading this study, you are reading words which have been digitally preserved. While reading, there are also television broadcasts, radio and satellite broadcasts and audio broadcast through the air, and video and audio being streamed through the internet. You might not be listening to any of those right now if you are reading this study, but it does not mean these cease to exist. It’s easy for us to forget there is this hidden world around us that we cannot see or hear, unless we have the technology to access it.

Similarly, there is a spiritual realm around us that we cannot typically see or hear, unless there is a specific reason why God wants us to see or hear it. It doesn’t mean that this world doesn’t exist just because we do not see or hear this spiritual realm. In this spiritual realm, we think of God and Jesus Christ, angels, cherubim, and seraphim; and, we also think about Satan and the demons. Today, we are going to take a look at angels, cherubim, and seraphim. From the Bible we know angels are provided to keep people who are faithful to God from evil that is common to people on earth.

Psalms 91:1-11
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Conversely, when people reject God, angels can be used to separate these people from God. Such was the case in the Garden of Eden when Cherubim were stationed by God to prevent mankind from accessing the tree of life.

Genesis 3:22-24
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

At the throne of heaven are angels, cherubim, and seraphim. Ezekiel wrote extensively about Cherubim and described them as being near the throne of God. They have access to coals of fire and scatter these over the cities. From Ezekiel’s vision, when God speaks, the cherubim are nearby. The cherubim are described as being near wheels that have the color of beryl. Beryl as we know it today can come in many colors. Pure beryl is clear and if there is a color it can range from green which is more common to red, which is very rare. The Hebrew word for wheel indicates a whirlwind, a quickly rotating column of air. Each of the cherubim that Ezekiel saw looked exactly the same; the four had one likeness. As the cherubim travel, they do not spin on their wheels and tend to travel in straight directions. Their body had eyes on all sides as does the wheel they travel on. There are some who read Ezekiel’s account and claim Ezekiel saw a UFO. Maybe today, people who think they are seeing a UFO are actually seeing the wheel of a cherubim. Each of the cherubim had four faces. The first face was that of a cherub, and that description would make it very hard for us to visualize. The other faces are faces we can visualize, the face of a man, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle. Where ever the cherubim travel, their wheels are nearby. These wheels travel with the cherubim.

Ezekiel 10:1-17
Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory. And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh. And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels. And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out. And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel. And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar. And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

Near the throne in heaven are seated the twenty-four elders, also angels.

Revelation 4:1-4
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

Also near the throne of God are the seraphim, each having six wings who praise God. Isaiah describes the seraphim and also shows how one of them brought a coal from the altar of heaven to purge Isaiah from his sin.

Isaiah 6:1-7
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

From John’s vision of the throne of heaven from the Book of Revelation, we can see there are four beasts as John described them that also had six wings who also very similarly praised God. The beasts are described as being like a lion, calf, man, and eagle. While John’s vision does not specifically refer to these beasts as seraphim, the beasts of Revelation four and Isaiah’s description of the seraphim share similarities.

Revelation 4:5-8
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Some angels have more authority given to them than other angels, and some have their names given to us. Daniel wrote of two angels that stood by a river describing what Michael the archangel would do at the end of time.

Daniel 12:1-8
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

From Luke we know that it was Gabriel, another archangel, who not only told Elisabeth she would be the mother of John the Baptist, Gabriel also told Mary she would have a son, Jesus, who would be the Son of God.

Luke 1:26-35
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

We live in a world where what we sense is limited to our five senses. Beyond these five senses in the spiritual dimension we find God, Jesus Christ, angels, cherubim, and seraphim, and we know from the first chapter of the Book of Hebrews, these angels are our fellow servants.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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