Genesis Lecture 15 (Spiritual Being 4)
Bible passage: Genesis 1:1
“ In the beginning God created heavens and the earth”
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. All saints from branch churches, and local sanctuaries. GCN viewers and all children of God who attend the worship online.
This is 15th Lecture on Genesis. I explained that there are two kinds of spiritual beings that God commands; they are angels and cherubim. In the last three lectures, I explained about angels. From this lecture, I will tell you about cherubim. Angels are similar to human beings in shape, except the fact that they have wings "Cherubim" however are not human-like beings, but are more animal-like in form, and there are many different kinds of cherubim. Angels and cherubim are completely different beings. If cherubim were just another kind of angel, the Bible wouldn't mention them separately. The cherubim that are introduced in the Bible are greatly different from angels in their appearance.
Now, why did God create cherubim to be different beings from that of angels? Even though both cherubim and angels are spiritual beings that God commands, the duties of each are different. Cherubim are mainly in charge of "escorting and guarding while angels perform various tasks. There are ranks and orders in the cherubim world as well. Cherubim in higher rank escort God the Trinity.
Escort means “to follow, protect and guard by one’s side.” The scenes that cherubim are escorting God are found in many parts of the Bible. Psalm 99:1 says, "The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!" 2 Kings 19:15 says, "O LORD, the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art the God, Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth." And Psalm 18:10 says that God "rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind." Likewise, there are cherubim that stand near the throne of God to guard God. In the last lecture, I told you that I would explain the reason why the archangel Lucifer was called "the anointed cherub who covers" in Ezekiel 28:14. Just like the cherubim that stand near the throne of God to escort God, Lucifer was also near God all the time.
Since Lucifer also played the role of the cherubim like this, Ezekiel called Lucifer "the anointed cherub." In addition, there are records about the cherubim as guards. Here, to guard refers to the activity of observing the surroundings to prevent an enemy's surprise attack or unexpected invasion. Genesis 3:24 says, "So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life." Now, “So God drove the man out.” Who is that man? He drove out Adam and Eve, and “on the east side of the Garden of Eden, He placed cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” Why does God have cherubim protect it?
Since there is a reason to protect it. You know where Paradise is and where Eden is. Eden is in the 2nd heaven, and the evil spirits who hold the power of the air are also in the 2nd heaven, and cherubim are guarding Eden and their border to the east. Because evil spirits can eat the tree of life and live eternally, the east of Eden is guarded to prevent them from entering. Before that, Adam guarded this place, but he was kicked out because of his disobedience, so God made cherubim and a flaming sword guard this place. So, the Garden of Eden still exists, and the flaming sword is the fire of the Holy Spirit, and if something is touched by this fire of the Holy Spirit, it will burn up. If the enemy devil is touched, it will burn up. It's not about dying. they lose their abilities and everything. That's why a flaming sword and cherubim are guarding it. They are perfectly protecting the tree of life. After God the Father drove Adam and Eve out of Eden, he put cherubim on guard at the east of the Garden of Eden.
To be more specific God had them guard the tree of life that once anyone eat, then he can live forever. Even if you eat the fruit from the tree of life and live forever, you can still die. What will you die from if you eat? If you eat a fruit from the tree of good and evil like Adam and Eve did. Now, from what do the cherubim protect the tree of life? It is the evil spirits that are in the second heaven. There is the Garden of Eden in the second heaven, but also an area where the evil spirits dwell. After Lucifer's rebellion, she and evils spirits stay and work in the 2nd heaven during the period of the human cultivation Ephesians 2:2 says, "[in which] you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." Students, and you adults who follow the customs of this world, those who love this world, as it’s said in the bible “follow the customs of this world and follow the prince of the power of the air,” that is, the enemy, the devil and Satan, who holds the power of the air, is in control over you. It’s the fact.
Evil spirits and the devil, the enemy devil, control people's thoughts and make them love the world, so people bad mouth sin, judge, and condemn. It continually says “of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." In this verse, "the air" refers to the second heaven, and there is an area there where the evil spirits are the residents. God the Father has the cherubim guard the way to the tree of life so that the evil spirits cannot come close to it. Of course, heavenly armies, such as Michael, and other heavenly host also manage the job of watching and guarding. However, their guarding is different from the guarding of cherubim. The fact itself that the cherubim are guarding a specific area prevents the evils spirits from even looking over at it.
For example, a house that is kept by fierce and ferocious dogs is somewhat different from a house that is watched by a doorkeeper Since the main job of cherubim is "escort and guard," they also have proper dignity and authority. Then, why did God create various cherubim, not just one kind? Just as there are many different kinds of animals in this world, also many different kinds of cherubim. It indicates how capable of God the Father is creating so many creatures. It shows that the creativity of God is unlimited; there is no limit and it is endless. In other words, the existence of cherubim shows that the power and the divinity of God the Father is so huge and great. Moreover, cherubim are the symbols of God the Father's glory and dignity.
For instance, there were patterns that symbolized kings. A pattern that was printed on a document or clothes revealed the authority and dignity of a king. Likewise, the existence of the cherubim of itself exemplifies God’s dignity and authority. Earlier, I said that there are ranks among cherubim, and those in higher ranks provide escort to the throne of God all the time. These cherubim of this high rank have such great dignity and authority. Therefore, the existence of these escorting cherubim demonstrates the glory and dignity of God all the more greatly. For example, when a king went on a trip, the line of the people who escort and guard the king was very long. The chariot carrying the king was also large and magnificent, and even among the soldiers escorting the king looked powerful. However, imagine a scene of a king was alone riding on a horse.
It probably looks shabby right? Likewise, the dignity and glory of a king can be sensed differently when the king is escorted and when he is not. By the way, in the old days, the size of the escort was also different according to the person who was escorted. The authority of an emperor was different from that of a king. Among princes the authority of the crown prince was different from that of other princes. Also, the size of guarding was different among emperors. The number of escorting soldiers as well as their ranks was different. When there were a king and a prince, the soldiers of higher rank escorted the king. According to the rank of soldiers, the object they escorted was also different. By the same token, the world of cherubim also has different ranks according to their authority and dignity. Moreover, the order among the cherubim is stricter since their main job is to escort and to guard.
Therefore, once an order is given, they execute the orders strictly and explicitly like robots It is somewhat different from form that of angels and how cherubim obey given orders. For example, well trained dogs obey their masters an order is given right away. When a master throws something and tells his dog to get it, the dog bolts to get it like a bullet out of a gun However, say, the master gives the order to his servant. Of course, the servant will obey the master, but it is somewhat different from the dog's obedience. This is the difference between angels and cherubim. Here, the action of dogs is to the cherubim as that of the servants would be to angels. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. God is sitting above the cherubim, and when He moves, the cherubim also move together to escort Him. Simply speaking, there are always cherubim near God.
And so, God established the figures of cherubim or their patterns to be put into the tabernacle and the Holy Temple. God comes upon these places, the Tabernacle and the Holy Temple. God set the figures) of two cherubim to be hammered at the two ends of the Ark of the Covenant. Exodus 25:18-22 says, "And you shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat.
And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give to you. And there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel." The mercy seat is the space that is covered by the wings of the two cherubim that face each other. This mercy seat was the place where God came and made His presence. God had the of cherubim craved not only on the mercy seat but also in many parts of the tabernacle.
Exodus 26:1 says, "Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman." When King Solomon constructed the Holy Temple, he placed the cherubim in the inner house where the ark was placed. On the olive wood the figures of cherubim were craved that were 10 cubits high, and overlaid them with gold. 1 Kings 6:27 says, "And he placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one was touching the [one] wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. So their wings were touching each other in the center of the house."
He also carved cherubim on the walls and doors of the inner house and outer house of the Holy Temple. Likewise, the carvings and patterns of cherubim also exist in the Holy Temple and in the tabernacle where God dwelled. It is to show that cherubim are always with God in the spiritual realm. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Let me introduce some of the most prominent cherubim. Among the cherubim, the dragons and 4 living creatures are of the highest of the ranks. They were in the leading positions among cherubim, and they stayed closest to God the Father. However, their roles and duties were a little bit different. Let me tell you about the dragons first. In this world, the dragon is known as one of the imaginary animals. However, the dragon is not an imaginary animal, but an actual being that is alive in the spiritual realm. The people of the world say that the dragon is like a huge snake covered with scales; it has four legs with antlers of a deer and ears of a cow.
However, the appearance of the dragon that God created in the beginning was so beautiful and lovely. To God the Father, the dragon was like a pet that receives the love of its master. When I was praying in 1983, God told me about the dragon. First, there was a vision. God the Father was sitting on His throne, and at that time, His face was vaguely visible. And I couldn't look at him straight His beautiful dress was spread underneath Him, and His feet were covered by smoke that was like a smoke from dry ice. Father God was sitting on a throne, and the bottom of his robe was spread out, and it looked like it had been covered with dry ice. However, the smoke was shining much more brightly than that of dry ice. By the way, 4 dragons encircled this throne of God and they were shining with many different colors of lights. God the Father was leaning on the throne and caressing the feathers of the dragons.
The people of the world say that dragons are covered with scales, but they originally had very soft feathers. Just as jewels reflect light as they hit them, each and every feather shone many different colors of dazzling lights. The beauty of dragons was beyond the description. Such dragons encircling the throne of God were like adornments that brought out the glory and beauty of God the Father all the more greatly. In addition, dragons were in leading positions among cherubim, and thus their dignity, and power were so great. And there were many servants that were under the command of the dragons. The servants of the dragons had various shapes like that of animals, and they were also beautiful. However, dragons were deceived by the craftiness of Lucifer and came to stand against God. In other words, when a rebellion occurs, the traitor bribes the king's associates.
This is because the work can be accomplished by bribing the king’s entourage in power and getting their help. I will eventually tell you how Lucifer deceived the dragons. If you know this process, you will understand when people who had good faith fall into delusion. How could the dragons, who were loved by God, fall for Lucifer's trick? Why do people fall into delusion when they clearly know that this action is a sin and a path to hell? Because they still remain so selfish and greedy, they fell into deception. Therefore, there should be no such evil nature in one's heart. The dragons that stood against God were cursed, and their appearance became terrible and ugly. Those beautiful dragons have lost their former appearance and have now become hideous and scary.
The dragons' servants also stood against God, and thus they were also cursed and came to have ugly appearances. So, they are described as beasts in the book of Revelation. They were animal shaped before, not angel shaped. They ended up becoming ugly animal appearances as they are. As Lucifer's servants the dragons and their servants became part of the world of evil spirits. Lucifer became their head, the dragons became the next powers to help Lucifer, and the dragon's servants became evil spirits. They have hindered the kingdom of God during the period of human cultivation. These are the evil spirits who hold the power of the air in the Bible. There are countless cherubim under Lucifer, and even today, they are hindering you from going to heaven and preventing you from achieving the kingdom of God. If you are not awake, they will roam around and devour you. In Revelation 12:7-9, there are scenes the dragon and his dark angels fight against the army of Archangel Michael.
It says, “There was war in heaven, and Michael and his angels fought with the dragon.” There is now a war between the heavenly army led by Michael, the commander, and the dark forces led by dragons. In the latter part of the verse it is said, “The dragons and their angels fought, but they are defeated; they found no more place for them in heaven.” In the end, the spirits of evil are defeated. So, the Book of Revelation explains that they are kicked out of heaven and come down to earth during the 7-year tribulation. It says ““And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who has deceived the whole world, and he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with it.” As it says, they will be driven out to the 1st heaven, the earth. You just have to remember that God the Father was fond of the 4 dragons and loved them so much.
How would we have known these scenes of spiritual battle between the heavenly armies and evil spirits in the Book of Revelation if God the Father had not deciphered them? I can preach like this because God unraveled them. Now, I am introducing the 4 living creatures that are also in leading position. The bible mentions about them in quite a detail. Especially, in Ezekiel chapter 1,10 and Revelation describes the appearance of the Four Living Creatures in detail. The first record of the four living creatures is found in Ezekiel Chapter 1, and Ezekiel says he saw them by the river Chebar. Ezekiel 1:5 says "And within it there were figures resembling four living beings" He saw them in his house for the second time, and this record is found in Ezekiel Chapter 10.
In Ezekiel 10:20, he says, "These are the living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim." This means that four living creatures also belong to cherubim. As he saw them for the second time, he says that they are the four living creatures that he saw by the river Chebar last time. He confirms that the 4 living beings are not angels, but cherubim. The four living creatures are the leaders of cherubim, and they are under the direct supervision of God the Trinity. Therefore, they normally stay close to the throne of God. The four living creatures are the heads of God's cherubim and play the role of overall command of the cherubim. When natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions occur in this world, many cherubim under these four creatures move. Revelation 4:6 says, “Before the throne was a sea of glass like crystal, and around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes before and after.”
Their front and back are full of eyes. In some parts of the Bible, they are called as "the cherubim," but if the cherubim are in a close to God, chances are that it may refer to the 4 Living Creatures. For instance, Psalm 80:1 says, "Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, Thou who dost lead Joseph like a flock; Thou who art enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!" "The cherubim" in this verse refers to the 4 Living Creatures. The 4 Living Creatures encircle the throne of God and guard it. And they receive orders from God directly and carry them out. Therefore, they have tremendous authority and power. They also have many cherubim under their command, and they control them. I said earlier that it is the cherubim that guard the tree of life in the Garden of Eden.
These cherubim are also under the command of the 4 Living Creatures. The position of the four creatures is compared to that of the head of the Presidential Security Service or a king’s top security leader. This bureau was in charge of investigating and questioning of a felon under the direct order of a king. For example, the criminal that committed the grave sin of rebellion against the king was taken care of by this bureau. So, the authority of a king’s guards was much more powerful than the police.
This is because it deals with crimes against the country. they received the king's orders directly, and if you are judged to be guilty, and were taken to this department, the torture is much more painful. During the royal era, they would break the bones of criminals, press large rocks on their knees, or burn their flesh with fire. …. If you did not confess as they wanted, they eventually tortured you by cutting off your limbs. … When a slave betrayed and harmed his master, he was put to trial by a town court. However, if someone stood against a king, he was questioned by this bureau. Likewise, when someone commits sin that has directly something to do with God, the 4 Living Creatures work at the order of God. Blaspheming and speaking against the Holy Spirit are such grave sins. Blaspheming and speaking against the Holy Spirit are sins that directly interfere with God. It is because the Holy Spirit is God Himself. When someone commits sin that stands against God directly, the 4 Living Creatures take care of the sin. I will tell you more about the appearance and duties of the 4 Living Creatures in the next lecture.
In addition to the dragons and the 4 Living Creatures, the Bible records other cherubim. Ezekiel 41:18-19 mentions about cherubim that have two faces. It says, "And it was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, a man's face toward the palm tree on one side, and a young lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around." The 4 Living Creatures have 4 faces, but the cherubim in this verse have two faces. In addition, Isaiah 6:2 mentions about "Seraphim," and they are also another kind of cherubim. Likewise, there are many different kinds of cherubim, and the four Living Creatures are the leading cherubim among them, serving God directly . Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. The spiritual realm is immeasurably deep and wide. And the spiritual beings that are mentioned the Bible have something to do with the human cultivation. We have taken a brief look into the spiritual realm by collecting the small pieces of information about them in the Bible by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Since the spiritual world is located in a higher dimension than that of this world, it becomes spiritual strength to you when you know it more and more.
Furthermore, the more your heart becomes spiritual, the more you can have spiritual authority on this earth. Just as the darkness goes away as the light shines, as we fully achieve our spiritual mind, difficulties in life such as poverty and disease disappear.
Therefore, I hope you will long for the spirit all the more, and that you will come into the spirit. As a citizen of heaven which is the spiritual world, not of this world, may everything go well with you and may the blessing of prosperity come upon you, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray! [Amen]
