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 Sermon > Lecture Messages |
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Title |
Lecture on Genesis Ver.2(15) - Spiritual Beings (4) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Genesis 1:1 |
Date |
2009-11-13 |
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Scripture
Genesis 1:1
[1] In the beginning God created heavens and the earth
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is 15th Lecture on Genesis.
I explained that there are two kinds of spiritual beings that God command; 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 created 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.
Angels take care of many varied jobs, but cherubim are mainly in charge of "escorting and guarding"
There are ranks and orders in the world of cherubim as well.
Cherubim in higher ranks escort God the Trinity.
An escort is someone who assigned to travel with someone in order to watch and protect them.
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 that guard (as a precautionary measure against something or someone).
So here, the function of guarding is to stand near a place or object in order to watch and protect from any unexpected attack of the enemy.
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."
After Adam and Eve had committed sin, God the Father drove them out of Eden and He stationed the cherubim on guard at the east of the Garden of Eden.
To be more specific, He had them guard the way to the tree of life from which the fruit of eternal life is borne.
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 there is also an area where the evil spirits dwell.
This is the place where the heavenly beings that followed Lucifer in Lucifer's rebellion and became evils spirits stay and work 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."
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 stationed the cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden so that the evil spirits cannot come close to it.
Of course, among angels, the archangel-commander of the heavenly armies, 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 created various cherubim, not just one kind?
Just as there are many different kinds of animals in this world, there are also many different kinds of cherubim.
This fact 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, formerly 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 dignity and authority.
Earlier, I said that there are ranks among cherubim, and the cherubim 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 goes on a trip, the line of the people who escorted and guarded the king was very long.
The sedan chair that the king rode in was also big and splendid, and the soldiers who were guarding the king also revealed both dignity and authority.
However, imagine a scene of a king was alone riding on a horse.
Would it not seem to be somewhat demeaning?
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.
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 ranks, and their authority and dignity is also different according to the ranks.
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.
Even though angels also obey completely, it is somewhat different from how cherubim obey given orders.
For example, well trained dogs obey their masters as soon as an order is given.
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.
In the same situation, 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.
To begin with, God set the figures of two cherubim to be hammered at the two ends of the mercy seat on top 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 patterns of cherubim 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, he carved the figures of cherubim 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 comes (to establish His presence).
It is to show that cherubim are always with God in a close proximity 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 indistinct.
His beautiful dress was spread underneath Him, and His feet were covered by smoke that was like a smoke from 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, authority, 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 deceit and craftiness of Lucifer and came to stand against God.
I will eventually tell you how Lucifer deceived the dragons.
The dragons that stood against God were cursed, and their appearance became terrible and ugly.
Some of the dragons' servants also stood against God at the command of the dragons, and thus they were also cursed and came to have ugly appearances.
As Lucifer's servants the dragons and their servants became part of the world of evil spirits.
They have hindered the kingdom of God during the period of human cultivation.
There is a scene in the Bible where the dragon and his servants were waging a war against Archangel Michael's army.
Revelation 12:7-9 says, "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."
All you have to do is just remember that dragons were the cherubim that were originally in the closest proximity to God and loved greatly.
Now, I am introducing the 4 living creatures that are also in leading position.
The bible mentions about them in quite a detail.
Especially, Ezekiel Chapter 1 and 10 describes the appearance of the Four Living Creatures in detail, and Revelation also mentions about them in many parts.
The first record of the four living creatures is found in Ezekiel Chapter 1, and Ezekiel the Prophet says he saw them by the river Chebar.
Beginning with "And within it there were figures resembling four living beings" in Ezekiel 1:5, he describes their appearance in detail.
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."
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 relatively close to the throne of God.
Revelation 4:6 says, "[and] before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind."
In some parts of the Bible, they are called as "the cherubim," but if the cherubim are in a close proximity 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.
When compared to a position of this world, the positions of the 4 Living Creatures are equivalent to the heads of the Royal Bureau of Judicial Affairs in Korean history.
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 royal authority was taken care of by this bureau.
When a slave betrayed and harmed his master, he was put to trial by a 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.
That's why Jesus said in Matthew 12:31-32 that "blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven," and that "whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come."
It is because the Holy Spirit is God Himself.
When someone commits sin that stands against God directly, the sin was taken care of by the 4 Living Creatures.
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. They serve God in the closest proximity.
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 realm is located in a higher dimension than that of this fleshly world, the more you know about it the more it becomes spiritual strength to you.
Furthermore, to the extent you cultivate your heart into the spirit you can have spiritual authority on this earth.
Just as the darkness goes away as the light shines, to the extent you cultivate your heart into the spirit, the problems in your life such as poverty and diseases will go away.
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 which is the fleshly 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] |
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