Theophany (64): Ezekiel — Visions of God
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Text: Ezekiel 1:1–18
Opening Note
We continue the unfolding vision of God’s self-revelation through the prophets—now among the exiles in Babylon.
Ezekiel By the River Chebar
The heavens open far from Jerusalem.
Not in the Temple.Not in the land of promise.But in exile.
Ezekiel stands among the displaced, the disoriented, the judged—and suddenly:
“I saw visions of God.”
This is the turning point.
The God of Israel is not confined to a place. He comes to His people—even in judgment, even in exile.
The Storm and the Fire
What Ezekiel sees is not calm.
A storm wind comes from the north. A great cloud. Flashing fire. Radiant brightness.
This is not gentle spirituality. This is the living presence of God breaking in.
Fire and storm have always marked His appearing—Sinai trembled. The wilderness burned. Now Babylon sees the same glory.
The Living Creatures
Out of the fire come four living beings.
They are like nothing on earth:
Four faces: man, lion, ox, eagle
Four wings
Movement like lightning
Perfect unity and purpose
They move straight forward—without turning.
There is no hesitation in heaven. No confusion. No second-guessing.
Where the Spirit leads, they go.
The Wheels Within Wheels
Beside each creature is a wheel.
But not like any wheel we know:
A wheel within a wheel
Moving in every direction without turning
Gleaming like precious stone
Rims “full of eyes all around”
This is one of the most mysterious images in all Scripture—and one of the most revealing.
These wheels signify:
God’s mobility — He is not bound to one place
God’s sovereignty — His purposes move without obstruction
God’s omniscience — the “eyes” see all things
Nothing is hidden. Nothing is random. Nothing is outside His rule.
Even in exile, He sees. He knows. He moves.
The God Who Is Not Contained
This vision would have shocked Ezekiel.
Everything Israel believed was centered on Jerusalem, the Temple, the land.
But here—
God appears in Babylon.
On wheels.
Moving freely.
Ruling universally.
This is the message:
God is not where we assume He must be. He is where He wills to be.
And where He is—there is glory.
Christ in the Vision
Ezekiel does not yet see clearly what we now know.
But this vision prepares us:
A God who comes to His people
A God who is not confined to a building
A God whose glory will one day take on flesh
The One who rides the storm…will one day walk the roads of Galilee.
The glory above the throne…will one day be seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
Where We Go Next
The vision deepens:
(65) Ezekiel Sees the Glory of God — the throne, the likeness, the radiance
(66) Ezekiel Called “Son of Man” — the voice, the commission, the sending
The vision is not the end.
It leads to a calling.
Closing Reflection
When everything familiar is stripped away—place, structure, certainty—
God is not diminished.
He is revealed.
The wheels are still turning.The Spirit is still moving.The glory is still present.
Even here.
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Here we are seeing something new and much wider in scope than we have seen in our other theophanies. This vision kicks off the rest of Ezekiel’s life, but the vision is actually less important than the WORD OF GOD, which is always the case.
The vision interrupts the natural vision and give a glimpse into the spiritual/heavenly realm, but it is fleeting in duration and really serves to set the table for the Word that follows.
In a way we have never seen before, the Book of Ezekiel presents a GREAT drama, a continuous unfolding of visions, commandment, prophecies and dramatic actions worthy of a full-scale opera of Wagnerian scope and dimension
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