- [Narrator] The two most mysterious angels in the Bible.
Number one, the Ophanim.
The Ophanim may be the strangest angels in the Bible.
Ophanim is the ancient Hebrew word for wheels.
The singular is often of particular interest
of the wheels of the throne of God
mentioned in Ezekiel's vision.
Ophanim are mentioned
in Ezekiel 1:15 through 21.
The Bible is brimming with incredible imagery,
and God gives us a look into a realm
to which human eyes rarely have access
through His holy word.
We are never disappointed when we enter scripture,
eager to learn more about God, his methods,
and his intentions.
The mysteries of the universe,
the heavens and spiritual creatures
are revealed in the pages of the Bible
so that we can better understand Him.
The Ophanim reveal our God as king,
and affirm the sovereignty of his reign.
Ezekiel has been in exile for five years
when God appeared to him by a river in Chaba,
which is now in the Middle East.
God used this encounter
to start Ezekiel's ministry as a prophet
by showing him an astounding vision.
It is easier to define the Ophanim
depicted in Ezekiel's vision
after considering the entirety of the revelation.
God chooses to open the heavens
in front of Ezekiel's temporal eyes.
Ezekiel witnesses a foreboding cloud of lightning and flame
coming from the direction of the north.
Within the cloud, four lighted beings shine brightly.
Although the beings appear as humans,
they are not human in any way.
Each possesses four different faces.
One human face, one lion face,
one ox face, and one eagle face.
The prophet doesn't record these creatures
by name in Ezekiel One,
where the recounting of his vision begins.
But by chapter 10, they're identified as Cherubim.
Ezekiel 1:15 to 21.
"Now as I looked at the living beings behold,
"there was one wheel on the ground
"beside the living beings for each of the four of them.
'The appearance of the wheels in their workmanship
"was like sparkling topaz,
"and all four of them had the same form.
"Their appearance and workmanship
"being as if one wheel were within another.
"Whenever they moved,
"they moved in any of their four directions
"without turning as they moved.
"And for their rims, they were high and awesome,
"and the rims of all four of them
"were covered with eyes all around.
"Whenever the living beings moved,
"the wheels moved with them,
"and whenever the living being rose from the earth,
"the wheels rose also.
"Wherever the spirit was about to go,
"they would go in that direction,
"and the wheels rose just as they did,
"for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
"Whenever those went, they went.
"And whenever those stopped, they stopped.
"And whenever those rose from the earth,
"the wheels rose just as they did,
"for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels."
What Ezekiel saw or described in this passage
is difficult to visualize in its entirety.
It is presumably an image of a magnificent chariot
with four wheels that is being the throne of God.
The scene gives the impression of continuous motion
and activity, not only on the part
of the living beings themselves,
but also on the part of the throne that God sits on.
The sense seems to be that the wheels and their workings
could be moved in any direction,
but there was no sense of chaos or disorder
to their movements.
A popular Bible commenter stated about this,
"Like a ball bearing, they could move in any direction
"without any steering mechanism.
"As for their rims, they were so high, they were awesome,
"and their rims were full of eyes."
Again, it's difficult to imagine in one's mind
exactly what Ezekiel saw, or stated in this passage.
The description of "full of eyes"
was how John described the Cherubim themselves.
The sense is of excellent knowledge and intelligence.
They are not dead metal.
Their livingness is shown by their eyes,
with which they can see the way,
and by their life link with the living creatures above them.
The four wheels and their workings moved in step
with the four Cherubim as they rotated.
They were linked together in such a way
that Ezekiel was able to write,
"The spirits of the living creatures was in the wheels."
Ophanim are also mentioned similarly
in Ezekiel 10:9 to 13.
Ezekiel 1:18 describes eyes in reference with the wheels.
Here we learn that the Cherubim themselves
were full of eyes all around,
and this fits the later characterization of Cherubim
found in Revelation 4:6.
The image seems bizarre to the modern reader,
but one must remember that this is a visionary experience,
and surrealistic features may overwhelm realism.
In the passages above, the throne of God is set on wheels,
Ophanim, and then pushed by four angels.
There are wheels inside of wheels at cross angles,
with the effect that the throne
can move in any direction without having to turn.
The angels who are powering the throne
also have four faces, one facing each direction,
so they can likewise travel in any order without turning.
The angels are identified as Cherubim.
The Ophanim has been a point of fascination for many,
and later, Jewish apocalyptic writers
gave them a life of their own.
The wheels themselves came to be identified
as a distinct category of Angel, the Ophanim.
Seraphim nd Cherubim are mentioned in scriptures as angels,
and to this some have added the Ophanim,
also spelled Auphanim.
Ezekiel sees a crystal vault that is so awe-inspiring
that the only word that comes to mind for him to use
to describe it is awesome.
This vault is located above the heads of the four Cherubim,
and the Ophanim.
Above the vault, he sees a brilliant and glittering throne,
and high above the throne,
he sees what is described
as the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
Ezekiel immediately falls face down,
after having his eyes opened
to the majesty of God's splendor,
and he then hears the booming voice of the Almighty
instructing him in his mission
to bring the punishment of God onto Israel
for their disobedience.
Why do some refer to the Ophanim as angels?
There is not a single mention
of the Ophanim in the Bible being angelic creatures,
but apocryphal Jewish writers branded them
as a class of angel, and list them
in their hierarchy of angels,
along with Seraphim and Cherubim,
because of the Ophanim's unique life-likeness,
their supernatural power,
and their close proximity to God's throne.
Not to mention the multitude of eyes.
Whether or not the Ophanim are actually angelic beings,
or merely a divinely powered mechanism
of multidimensional transport doesn't matter.
What does matter is the Ophanim's function
in displaying God's glory to Ezekiel,
and every other believer who would one day read his account,
and gain a renewed vision of God's kingship.
What do Ophanim reveal about God?
Both in appearance and operation,
the Ophanim that appeared in Ezekiel's vision
demonstrate God's absolute dominion over the entire cosmos.
The omnidirectional wheels themselves
serve as a constant reminder to us
that the God we serve is omnipresent,
meaning that he's able to be in all places, at all times.
As the spirit of Lord guides the Cherubim,
Ezekiel 1:12, that same spirit indwells the Ophanim.
"When the creatures moved, they also moved.
"When the creatures stood still, they also stood still.
"And when the creatures rose from the ground,
"the wheels rose along with them,
"because their spirit of the living creature
"was in the wheels," Ezekiel 1:20.
This symbolic unity of submission
displays God's supreme authority
and right to rule and reign.
His omnipotence, and the eyes that cover
the wheels in the Cherubim
are symbolic of God's omniscience.
He is all-seeing, all-knowing.
Why is it important for Christians
to know about the supernatural realm?
In Ephesians 6:12, we are told that our struggle
is not against flesh.
God desires believers to be aware of the world
beyond what our temporal eyes can see
so that we, in the Lord's mighty power,
can be prepared to take on whatever scheme
the enemy has in store.
Extremism is prevalent in today's society.
On one end of the scale,
there are believers who downplay
the supernatural part of their faith,
and insist on maintaining a naturalistic worldview,
which is characterized by an exclusive reliance
on the truths of doctrinal teachings for day-to-day living.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum
are those people who are so preoccupied
with the spiritual realm,
because of the allure it holds for them,
that they are of little help on Earth.
We must first ensure that our eyes are open
to the reality of the situation.
When Elisha's servant was terrified
by the surrounding enemy in Two Kings 6:16,
the prophet tells the young man, "Don't be afraid."
Number two, the angel of the Lord.
Who is this angel?
There are numerous accounts of angels
briefly manifesting themselves in the physical realm,
and making face-to-face appearances with people
who God was actively working with at the time.
These accounts can be found all throughout the Bible.
When looking at the scriptures in the Old Testament
that describe human interactions with angels,
there is one being that stands out above all the others
for several different reasons.
There are Old Testament and New Testament references
to angels of the Lord.
An angel of the Lord, and the angel of the Lord.
Using the definite article, the,
implies a unique being separate from the other angels.
The angel of the Lord speaks as God
identifies himself with God,
and exercises the responsibilities of God.
The angel of the Lord made an appearance to Balaam.
The angel appeared when Balaam went on a journey
to curse the people of God.
Numbers 22, 21 to 18.
"So Balaam arose in the morning,
"saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.
"But God was angry that he was going,
"and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the road
"as an adversary against him.
"Now he was riding on his donkey,
"and his two servants were with him.
"When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord
"standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand,
"the donkey turned off from the road,
"and went into the field, and Balaam struck the donkey
"to guide her back onto the road.
"Then the angel of the Lord
"stood in a narrow pathway of the vineyards,
"with a stonewall on this side, and on that side.
"When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord,
"she pressed herself against the wall,
"and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall,
"so he struck her again.
"Then the angel of the Lord went further,
"and stood in a narrow place
"where there was no way to turn to the right or to the left.
"When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord,
"she lay down under Balaam,
"so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his staff.
"Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey,
"and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you
"'that you have struck me these three times?'"
This duplicity within the prophet
resulted in the peculiar and amusing scene
between an animal with keen spiritual sense,
and a human being who was spiritually as dumb as a rock.
The following conversation,
which takes place between a faithful donkey,
and an unfaithful prophet, is not to be missed.
"Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes,
"and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road
"with his sword drawn.
"So he bowed low, and fell facedown.
"The angel of the Lord asked him,
"'Why have you beaten your donkey these three times?
"'I have come here to oppose you because your path
"'is a reckless one before me.
"'The donkey saw me,
"'and turned away from me these three times.
"'If it had not turned away,
"'I would certainly have killed you by now,
"'but I would have spared it.'
"Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, 'I have sinned.
"'I did not realize you were standing in the road
"'to oppose me.
"'Now if you are displeased, I'll go back.'
"The angel of the Lord said to Balaam,
"'Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.'
"So Balaam went with Balak's officials."
Numbers 22, 31 to 35.
Finally, God opened Balaam's eyes
to see the angel of the Lord who is blocking his path.
As Balaam lay facedown in worship,
the Lord explained to the prophet
that his dumb donkey had saved his life.
The angel of the Lord had the ability
and the authority to bring God's judgment against Balaam,
and almost did.
The donkey rescued the prophet from judgment.
The angel of the Lord had a physical presence,
and communicated with Hagar
in the same way that two people
would communicate with one another.
There is no indication that this
was merely a spiritual impression,
or a voice carried on the breeze, in our opinion.
The angel of the Lord was physically present with Hagar,
and that person was present with them both at the same time.
This is the very first time
that the angel of the Lord is mentioned
in the Holy Scriptures.
It was not Noah, Enoch, or Abraham
who saw him for the first time.
The first person that the angel of the Lord
appeared to was Hagar.
The angel of the Lord told her to repent.
If she changed her direction, there was an inherent promise.
Obey me, and I will protect you.
The angel of the Lord found her there, and comforted her,
telling her to return to her mistress,
and giving her a prophecy concerning her son.
In the New Testament, angels are mentioned numerous times,
but the angel of the Lord
does not appear after Christ's birth.