Wings & Eyes

The Bible is so full of symbolism, and I am one of those firm believers that take serious the fact that God is intentional with every syllable or imagery. I believe nothing is by accident, and like God said His glory is in concealing things, I’m here to help us retrieve the glory that can only be obtained when we mine out all He’s hidden.

Today I wanted us to search out the Cherubim and Seraphim. These are the angels commonly seen in the Throne Room, stationed in the presence of God. Since we humans, have the special pleasure to host His very presence, I believe we have attributes we can adopt, having comprehended the hidden symbols within.

Let’s start with the Seraphim, and how they look like;

Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

An impression I drew of the Seraphim

If I’m to consider wings, these are for flight. Most birds have two, but having six, I think one gets to attain a higher elevation by flight. I remember the ‘come up hither’ told John. No stairs were present. So how did John go up then? It seems to me that having (or living in) God’s presence requires an elevation of mind, and of spirit in truth. If one is never charged through prayer or word, they won’t be elevated. Therefore, they’ll always say they don’t feel His presence.

The more the wings, the higher the flight. Just like the more the legs (as of a cheetah), the faster the movement.

Two wings covered the eyes. Two wings covered the feet. The first, to me speaks of ‘no one can see God and live.’ Perhaps God’s glory comes with an awe so fearful. This could represent — for the human — unworthiness. How dare we gaze upon God’s holiness, and yet we have just lusted with the very same eyes. We’d have just consumed pornography, or envied — and now we are crying ‘holy’. Pretty much like how we use our tongues to gossip and curse, and then we turn to worship and bless the Lord. O what unholiness!

Regardless of those possibilities, I still see a representation of walking by faith and not by sight whenever we walk in the presence of the Lord (notice the wings were covering the eyes — representing a blindness and closed vision). As we walk in God, yes our eyes could have seen what He did in the past — splitting the red sea — but even if we can’t SEE Him splitting our individual red seas YET, we have to choose to rely on what we know He can do, trusting it as opposed to the reality of things; trusting what He’s said (for example that you are rich) as opposed to accepting the current temporal reality where your pockets seem to be empty.

Now let’s look into the part where the wings cover the feet. At some point, the feet preach what the eyes already did: Covering them reminds most of us, that the same feet that run to do evil, run to His sanctuary. O what unholiness! So, let’s cover them!

But on the other hand, from the basic traditions as well, here in Africa, even in Korea, I’ve commonly seen people leave their shoes outside in order not to dirt the clean house they are entering. No wonder Moses was told to take off His sandals for the ground he stood on was holy. It was representative of ‘take off your dirt carriers.’ Leave your crimson-stained, wretched garments outside. You’re in the Lord’s presence now.

This cuts across even to the feet of the mind. Many times in God’s presence, our minds can wander off and think other things instead of being fully present. The Seraph seems to be covering his feet saying, “Don’t look at them O God.” Reminds me of Psalms 66:18; ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.’ The angel seems representative of us; beseeching us and asking us NOT to regard our iniquity — by hiding it away, for indeed, He cast our sin into the sea of forgetfulness. Our sin He remembers no more! (Isa 43:25)

That . . . or the Lord’s presence ensures a covering of your feet.

I hope I have not lost you yet;

‘Feet’ first appear when angels come to Abraham in Genesis 18:4. By law of first mention, they represent exhaustion or weariness from a lot of work or walking. Offering water to wash them by a person represents welcome and rest. Jesus’ feet weren’t washed the day He went to Simon the Pharisee’s house, but Mary came in and washed them with her tears, drying them with her hair.

This led to the straightening of her life, as she received forgiveness of her sins. When Abraham washed the feet of the angels (as sign of full welcome), that’s when the prophecy that Sarah would bear children was pronounced in Genesis 18. The actions we do to welcome God’s presence, leave us in return with a reward.

But here’s the paradox: even if God is the rewarder in most cases — even in the case where Mary washes and she’s forgiven, we too have something to give. I was overwhelmed when the tables turned, and instead of Abraham washing the feet of the Lord, I’m seeing the Lord washing the feet of Simon! What hath Simon to offer? What do we have to offer? For this washing of feet seals the welcome; and this God welcoming you to His presence as opposed to us welcoming Him into our presence. (Remember we are still demystifying the Seraphim).

When God washes our feet, I thought we had nothing to offer. But He said, “You have you to offer. Just like we’ve seen I rewarding those before, you can give yourself as reward to me, for I gave myself to you as well.”

That’s all He desires. Don’t think you are not worth anything! Remember He came and died for you, so having you in return is good enough for Him, for you are priceless!

But when I look at the wings covering the feet, I see yet another vision. When the feet are covered, we can’t tell whether they are clean or dirty. The setting is in God’s presence, and notice; the angels don’t have their feet on the ground. They are moving by wings. They are flying and not walking. In other words feet are not needed for locomotion, even if they are still part of us. Again I say; the setting is the presence of God.

Isaiah said we’d run and not grow weary, we’d walk and not faint. He said we’d soar on wings as eagles. Since the feet are covered, I’d interpret it as they not being considered or needed for movement. Since they help us work, and walk, and farm and do all this toil, God is saying we don’t need to be toiling here in His presence. We need to be at REST. We need to enter the rest like He did on the seventh day. The wings seem to be having minds of their own, flapping upward without need for your mind to send impulses to instruct them…

Wings!

I observed the birds fly way up in the sky; and I saw the advantage of wings. Feet are limited by paths and roads and boundaries and fences. When we walk, and reach the beach, we can’t proceed. We only enjoy the sand, but a bird above us can fly over the great blue and reach a far away island. We have to stay the course on roads, if we are to get a specific destination. The navigator will sensitize you on the lefts and right turns you have to make.

Notwithstanding, we have the traffic jam. We’d get there late. Even if we left early, we’d encounter a road block and be delayed. There is no way you’re going to get stuck if you were a bird! Absolutely no way! You fly in the great open. You’d encounter a few trees, but if you go higher, they’ll be meters below. You’d encounter a few sky scrapers, but if you fly a little higher, they’ll be set far below you. You’d encounter storms on a few days but if you go higher, you’ll attain an altitude higher than the clouds’, moving above them just like the eagles.

Flying has no limits. One can use the hypotenuse instead of the adjacent and the opposite. The distance becomes shorter whether you like it or not! O how I wish I’d demonstrate for you what that means! This is where time is redeemed. This is where there’s no cankerworm to eat your time. Or how God can restore what the cankerworm ate! Each altitude might have its obstacles, but they lessen the higher you fly. According to the number of wings you have, will be how high you’ll fly. Do you have two? Do you have four? Or do you have six?

That said, the path of flight, comes with a heavy cost. Yes it’s all exciting to see the spiritual we and our wings, but let’s remember that a plane ticket (depending on how far you’re going) can buy liters and liters (full) for your car, for almost half a year or more! But if the creatures in His presence are moving by wings, then that’s what we the presence carriers have to move by — by default.

For feet, one has to turn or jump. For wings one only needs to slide. The wings’ (unlimitedness) reminds us of the wind. God said that those who are born of His spirit blow wherever they wish like the wind. With roads you can’t blow wherever you want! If it’s straight for the next 2 kilometers, you’re to stay the path for the next minutes! If there are potholes for the next 5 kilometers, you have to brace yourself. You can’t frame a world of your own by road! But by air, you can!

With the wings, there’s an element of quickening and divine speed, and it’ll manifest in your physical world when you fully understand this mystery.

And just before we move on, just to re-echo; the feet are covered (to hide dirt) in His presence, for the lower dimension, and covered to hide them (not to consider them at all as far as movement is concerned) for the higher dimension.

Eyes!

When we turn our attention to the Cherubim, referred to as the living creatures in Ezekiel 1, we will find a pretty interesting sight; or should I say sights.

Ezekiel 1:11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.

We see wings covering the body of these. Here, they did not cover their eyes nor feet, but the rest of their bodies.

Ezekiel 1:7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

While the Seraphim represent vulnerability and nakedness in His presence (their bodies were exposed), the Cherubim represent a hiding (like Adam and Eve did after eating the fruit, for wings covered the greater part of them). The Seraphim indicate the ‘knowing’ like a man would a woman. They indicate the shutting of your door in the secret place and breaking before your father in Heaven. The Cherubim indicate the warning Jesus gave; us not being like the hypocrites who want the whole world to notice that they are praying or fasting (Matthew 6:5,16) calling us to secrecy in matters regarding our intimacy with God! Why? That our reward may be open;

Matthew 6:17-18 But when you fast, perfume your head and wash your face, So that your fasting may not be noticed by men but by your Father, Who sees in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.

Moving on…

There were these wheels by which the Cherubim rode and each had many eyes;

Ezekiel 1:15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel [was] on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. v18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims [were] full of eyes, all around the four of them.

The most obvious question would be; ‘why eyes?’ Why were the wheels not full of diamonds or spikes or noses or hands? If it’s eyes, then let’s learn from the nature of our eyes, or eyes everywhere. But before we go there, we see these same creatures metamorphose as seen by John. They part ways, becoming singularly existent, and no longer four in one (or having four faces);

Revelation 4:6-8 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ” Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

The wheels are not seen, but the characteristic of being saturated with eyes has been adapted by the Cherubim, which are called creatures here.

Now humans, have two eyes located on their heads. The Cherubim have eyes typically popping up like goosebumps everywhere. Creepy — but meaningful.

To see behind you, you have to turn around. To see what’s on your far left, you have to turn 90 degrees! You can’t see everything all at once. You have to keep turning and turning — which typically represents a lot of work, like the dirty feet we talked about! If rather you had eyes in your back, you would not need to turn around. You’d see what’s there already! You’d be doing zero work. You’d be at rest!

In His presence (as it’s still the setting), we have to have not one view of a thing but many different points of view. Each of our eyes sees an angle. The more eyes, the more angles. If I’m to use an example; you’d not only be seeing Jesus as the risen king when you behold Him, but a son of man who was tempted the very same way you are. You’d see Him as the lamb sacrificed in place of Isaac. You’d see Him as the Gates of the temple, as a branch of Jesse, as the lover in Song of Solomon, as the bronze serpent that Moses crafted on a tree. You’d see Him as the pillar of fire, and that of a cloud. You’d see Him as a lamb but also as a lion and yet find no contradiction.

The more eyes you possess in your spirit, the more visions of Christ you have, or the more understanding you’ll bear of scripture. The eyes send their visuals to the brain, and it combines them to form one complete display. If one eye sees Isaac being sacrificed in the Old Testament, and the other sees Jesus being crucified in the New, the brain (or mind of the Spirit) joins these to let one know that the former was a representative of what was to come.

When I was younger, one of my eyes saw that Jonah was swallowed by the fish (which went under) for three days. Another noticed that Jesus descended to hell for the same number of days! My mind connected, that it never was about Jonah. It was a shadow of what Jesus would do: redeem the world (Ninevehites) to God.

Recently, a new eye popped as I read Genesis. I had never noticed the prisoners who were with Joseph. One of them, the baker, dreamt three baskets full of bread. And Joseph said he’d die after three days! Later he was hanged on a tree! That was a glimpse of the bread of life!

Have you seen it? That was JESUS! And I can’t tell you how many times I had read Genesis and I’d never seen Him! I had never heard anyone preach about this! And what helped me connect all these was the consistent ‘three’! The three from the New Testament, the three from Jonah, and now this other eye, saw three, and connected to the image of the previous ‘threes’ already in my spirit’s mind.

See the need for many eyes?

I then heard God say these creatures (Cherubim) even have eyes within themselves, meaning they can monitor their liver and see when something’s wrong — that’s if a liver they have. These are representative of the conviction we receive from the Holy Spirit. He searches within the deep things of God, and so, even in us, He searches what’s not right, and tells us where we need to repent. Sometimes we won’t need people to come tell us that we did something wrong. He’ll do it all by Himself, for we have eyes within ourselves.

He’ll show us the pride we might have exuded on the pulpit, or the dishonor we accidentally expressed before our parents. Then He’ll humble us, to exalt us in due time; but it’ll all begin by us acknowledging how we went out of order due to the eyes that see within. Since we are to be holy, as our father is holy, those who carry the presence (as it’s still the setting), shouldn’t be sad when such call-outs happen to them. They must be embraced and seen as the Father disciplining His child. Spiritual infants may not understand when this form of rod isn’t spared by this their father; but spiritual matures will.

You may wonder, ‘why all these eyes?’ Well, eyes are windows to the spirit. If your spirit is a house, then to be well lit, you will need windows to let in light. Infact, our spirits are indeed houses, for they are temples of the most High. As an architect, trust me when I tell you that houses without sufficient light are hard to live in. They become costly at some point. Darkness harbors lots of vermin (which demons enjoy). But we are no longer children of darkness but of light.

This light that we need is revelation. Basically, the more windows, the more light that floods in; and the more livable it is for the Holy Trinity within you. The more they dwell in you, the more they abide in you and you in them, leading to a bearing of much fruit and the doing of great exploits!

The more the eyes, the more probable it is to see what no eye has seen and perceive what no mind has! Two eyes alone will probably see what everyone else has already seen!

I’ll end with Psalms 84;

The psalmist speaks of how lovely God’s tabernacles are. Remember I already mentioned that you are His temple. He then mentions that the sparrow and the swallow find a house and make a nest respectively in God’s house. What my eye saw first was the fact that God didn’t use a cow or sheep, but birds! Birds with WINGS, dwelling in His presence! Verse four talks of those who dwell in His presence always singing. I make of this as the result of one’s eyes and wings.

It’s hard to have such great vision and elevation in God and stay victims of sadness or lowliness. Yes, even in terrible times, one’s eyes must be open enough to connect the dots, and make them say “what was meant for evil, God turned for my good.” Verse 6 concretes the matter saying that when they walk through the valley of weeping, they turn it into pools of refreshing springs! And the next speaks of them going from strength to strength!

This can only happen with great elevation and revelation. But still, the setting is His presence (as clarified by the amplified version in verse four). The entire chapter refers to God’s house, and how the author would rather dwell a day in God’s courts than spend many else where! It’s all figurative of His presence. And it leads us back to where we began; the fact that the Seraphim and Cherubim are constantly in His holiest presence, and that we ourselves carry that presence — and thus must bear the same qualities of these beings!

No wonder Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18, ” … that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the EYES of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

I pray (and see) you develop more eyes!

I pray (and see) you develop more wings!

May you enjoy & grow in these attributes while you dwell in His presence forevermore!

Amen.