CHERUBIMS

The Cherubims of Glory Part 4 of 8 Pastor Gary Garner

VEILS, VOICES AND VEHICLES

The study of cherubims is not a lightweight subject; it is very significant because of what is said here in Genesis 3.

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Notice that it didn't say "to keep out." The word means "to protect, to guard." It is important to study this, because cherubims as well as this flaming sword are to guard the way to the tree of life. In Revelation 3 we discover that the tree of life is available to him that overcomes. We are going through the scriptures and studying the attributes of cherubims. (Review) First we discovered that cherubims are not angels, which is contrary to what tradition has taught us. The word angel is almost always translated from the Hebrew or Greek word that means "messenger." There are physical angels in the world. The Book of Revelation was to be distributed to the angels of the churches, or the pastors. There are times when the word angel really speaks of a human being. But there are also angelic creatures, which we won't study now. The Bible never says that cherubims are angels, so we have to study the subject as it is distributed to us in the whole of the Bible to come up with what God's Word says about it. It is important because, after all is said and done, we are going to come back here and show you that these cherubims speak to us of redeemed believers who guard the tree of life.

The first question I would ask is, "How did God put redeemed believers in the garden back there right after Adam transgressed?" I would say that He put them back there the same way that Jesus was crucified from the foundation of the world. He put them the same way that that sword speaks of the Word of God before the Word of God was given to us in written form. This is God's plan revealed in Genesis chapters one, two and three. It is God's plan revealed in prophetic, symbolic ways, and then put in motion throughout the scripture.

We have looked at cherubims in two places so far. We have looked at them as they are associated with the mercy seat, and as they are associated with the coverings. We found out a lot as we discovered that the mercy seat, as a picture of Christ (Romans 3, Hebrews 9); we discovered in Exodus 25 that these cherubim were first of all in the mercy seat, which speaks of us being in Christ, or believers being in Christ. Traditional angels are not in Christ. We see that they were of the mercy seat, in other words, made out of it, just like we are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. We said that they look toward the mercy seat, which points to the fact that we as redeemed people are constantly to be looking at the sacrifice represented by the blood there on the mercy seat. The last time we looked at the cherubims in the coverings over the Holy Place. We discovered that there were four coverings. The bottom covering was this white linen covering, which speaks of righteousness; and cherubims were embroidered in that white linen. That speaks of our hope, our goal, where we are headed. We who have died in Christ are to look up, because as we look up we see where we are going.

(End of review)

Tonight we will look at cherubims in the veil.

And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made. And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.

The veil is the entrance into the Most Holy Place. The Tabernacle of Moses was a physical picture of the spiritual dwelling place of God that we are becoming. In Hebrews 9 it says that those things that were made that could be seen were pictures of the spiritual house of God in the heavens, which points to the church. The Tabernacle of Moses had three compartments. The outer court portrays the church in the wilderness. The church didn't really begin on the day of Pentecost. The Bible says that those people who walked through the wilderness were called the church in the wilderness. That was the beginning. I think the church began when Abram was called out of Ur of the Chaldees, or out of Babylon. He is the father of us all in the natural; we are Abraham's seed.

The outer court pictures the age of the law, because the fence was five cubits high and three hundred cubits around, which speaks of 1500 cubits. There were 1500 years from the time that God gave Moses the pattern for the tabernacle till he comes to the door. The door is Christ in John 10:9, where Jesus said, "I am the door." When Jesus showed up, the age that we identify as the law ended. Jesus was the entrance into another way of dispersing God's self. He dispersed Himself in a way in the law; He dispersed Himself. He had to deal with people in the natural, because they were not born again, so He had some laws and some consequences that were of natural character. Why? Because these were natural people that He was dealing with.

But then after 1500 years, the door showed up. So Jesus is the exit and the entrance. The door is a way out of something and a way into something. He said, "I am the way." The age of the law, the way of dispersing God's self to people is ended, and something new is beginning. That door there, the entrance into the Holy Place, is also called "the hanging," and it speaks to us of the cross. When Jesus went to the cross and subsequently was raised, it began what we have termed "the church age."

These are really limited ways to describe what God is doing, because when you call that age the age of the law, that assumes that we are not under any kind of law today. We are under some kind of law today. Not the law, but we are under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. There is no such thing as being under absolutely no laws. You are under some laws that govern what works in this particular dispensation.

The door represents what the law pointed to. Everything the law pointed to was fulfilled in Christ. Matthew five says, "Jesus said, I didn't come to do away with the law; I came to fulfill it." I am what the law pointed to, in other words. If the door in the Tabernacle of Moses, which was the entrance into the second room in that dwelling place, represented the end of the law, in other words, what the law was designed to represent, wouldn't the veil represent what the church age is designed to produce? If the door, which speaks of Christ in His appearing two thousand years ago, if it represented what the law was to bring to pass,… See, there's a purpose. God never does things without a purpose. There's a purpose for the law; it was designed to produce all of the things, the manifestation, the fullness, … that which all of those things pointed to was summed up in Christ

There is something that the church age is designed to produce. The church age is represented by the Holy Place. Ten by ten by twenty; two thousand cubits. Two thousand years from the door to the veil. You and I are sitting there today, sitting here today at the end of that second day, at the end of two thousand years. So if the pattern continues as it has been in times past, we are right at the veil, and it is time for another appearing. Whatever the church age is destined to produce is about to be manifested, and it is seen by that veil.

We know that the veil and the door are made of exactly the same materials. They are exactly the same size. They have the same colors: blue and scarlet and fine twined linen and purple. The blue speaks of Christ's heavenly character. The purple speaks of His royal character. The scarlet speaks of His identification with our sin. The white linen speaks of His righteousness. Exactly the same size; exactly the same colors. Only at the veil, there are cherubims embroidered into that particular entrance. So that tells us that something is to be seen that wasn't seen at the door.

We are looking today at the end of two thousand years…see, when Paul talked about the cherubims in Hebrews 9, some translations indicate that it wasn't the time to actually talk about them. Some translations indicate that they just didn't have time in that letter to talk about them; other translations indicate that it just wasn't the time to talk about them. I believe it is the time to talk about them now, because we are right there. Some people are looking into Christ, and here's the point: if the door speaks of Christ, then the veil speaks of Christ also, but something in Christ is seen as pointed to by these cherubims. What is seen in Christ are the believers in Christ, the believers of Christ, and the believers who look toward Christ. That speaks of believers; that is important because the veil is rent in Matthew 27 at the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and if there are cherubims in the veil, and those cherubims point to believers in Christ, then what is seen at the veil is not only the crucifixion of Christ, but it is the crucifixion of all of us who are in Him.

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.

The veil was rent, not from the bottom to the top. It is was rent from the top to the bottom, meaning this was a godly thing. God did this; this started in heaven. This was a heavenly thing.

We hear this so much that it doesn't really impact us, because it is the way we think constantly, but actually what we are dealing with here in the rending of the veil is seeing ourselves crucified with Christ. That is what we are talking about. That is the only thing that removes the veil, and that is the only thing that produces the glory of God in the midst of the cherubims behind the veil. You've got them in the ceiling, you've got them behind the veil where the glory of God is resting. How do you get from here, the hope, to there, the fulfillment? You go through the cross. The crucifixion of Christ.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh…

The veil represented His flesh. God not only rent the veil, but rent His flesh. Why is that important?

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Compare thus verse with Hebrews 10:20. His flesh and the veil was rent. Who was crucified? We were crucified.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Notice it says "have crucified" - past tense. That is not something you do; that is something that Christ did. If it wasn't, then nobody would be Christ's until his flesh was crucified. When the veil was rent and His flesh was rent, since He was representing us, that was the rending of our flesh, the crucifixion of our flesh. We need to see ourselves crucified. The cherubims are people; the cherubims represent that kind of individual.

Let's look at a second one. This is the second place that we see this word, and this is connected with the voice of the Lord. Here is God speaking to Moses from between the cherubims.

And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims, and he spoke unto him.

Notice he says "the voice of one." How could this be the voice of one speaking from between the cherubims? It is beautiful; it is perfect that way. Let's look at Revelation chapter one. We will see how this is in perfect harmony with what the scripture says about the believers. We won't take the time to look at what John said, but he said he was the voice of one. The reason that's so significant is because a voice is never seen. You don't see the voice. It portrays pointing to one … it is coming from one that doesn't seek to be seen. You hear a voice, but you don't see a voice. The voice is pointing to something else.

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

His voice. Here is a voice, but the voice is as the sound of many waters.

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Every time this phrase "many waters" is referred to in the Book of Revelation, it speaks of lots of people. This is in the case of Babylon. It's the same way in Revelation 19:6 .

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Notice that the voice is like unto many waters. Let's look at Ezekiel chapter one. We are going to look at this later on in our study when we look at the living creatures here that are the same things; they are the cherubims. This is the same picture, except they are called "living creatures" here. These are the cherubims, except Ezekiel didn't see a metal box made by Bezaleel; he saw the spiritual thing. He is writing down what he saw in the spiritual.

The scripture says that the veil was made with "cunning work." If you look that word cunning up in the Hebrew, it is the word that is translated "thinking." The veil is made by a thinker. That is important to us; it has some reason and rhyme to it. There is a systematic way to think about the gospel. The entrance into the Most Holy Place was made by somebody who had some thought. That's the way it was in the natural; we know that the entrance into the Most Holy Place can be reasoned. There is a way that it can be reasoned. God is a thinker, and He expects the body of Christ to be thinkers also.

And when they went, I heard the voice of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

Sound familiar? Remember that Moses heard the voice of one from between the cherubims. That speaks to us of the voice of one. Many, many, many people, but one voice. He is the one. Let's look at Ezekiel 43:2. This is the same picture. We are going to show you how they all point to, speak of, symbolically of a more excellent ministry that has the voice of one that is in union with Christ, that is of Christ, that is crucified with Christ, entered into His redemptive work, always looking at His redemptive work, always speaking as that one.

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a voice of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

Remember the glory of God was in the midst of the cherubims? Here is the glory of God coming from the way of a brand new day. You and I ought to be able to see the light of the east, the light of a new day. That is what we are sharing. The voice of one: the whole world speaking one thing. The whole world sounds the same thing. Jesus said, "You will know my voice when you hear it; the voice of a stranger you will not follow. You will know it's my voice."

John the Baptist said, "I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness; prepare ye the way of the Lord. Do you know where he got that? He got that from Isaiah chapter 40; he is just quoting Isaiah 40. He said, "Isaiah talked about me." That's pretty bold. But the Word of God talks about us. The Word of God talks about this generation represented by that veil. The Word of God says there will be a people up there, and when you get there, you will see it. It is talking about seeing somebody in Christ.

That is the neat thing; you don't see this until you get there. Then when you get there, you say, "What is this?", and then you say, "Well, that's me and Him." That veil represents a people that see themselves in Christ, crucified in Christ. That is a big revelation; that is the big revelation, because there is life back there. In the outer court, Jesus said, "I am the way." In the Holy Place, Jesus said, "I am the truth." In the Most Holy Place, Jesus said, "I am the life." "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Hallalujah!

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

Notice the head of the cherubims and sapphire stone. Sapphire is a stone that was for the child Simeon, which means "he who hears." Isn't it amazing that the hearing was in the head of the cherubims?

And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. An he went in in my sight.

Where did they get the coals? That is what brings revival, when the cherubims are responsible for throwing the coals of fire, which speaks of the finished work, over the city, which is the church.

Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory. And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

Sometimes we think that those guys out in the outer court don't hear anything. (side 2) …We've got this great revelation…no…This speaks of… By the time you realize you're in Christ and who the cherubims are, their voice is heard into the outer court, into the people who are in just what we would call "born again." Praise God for it!

We've got time for one more here, but we don't have time to get to the best one.

So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

This tells us that the Lord dwells in the midst of the cherubims. The Lord dwells there; the Lord rests there.

Two scriptures right off the top of my head here.

The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble; he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

He has found a place of rest. We talk about rest a lot, but what we are really looking for is the resting place of God. We will never find a place of rest until we find that place where He rests.

Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest?

The latter part of the Book of Isaiah is chapter after chapter talking about the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. This sixty-sixth chapter is the consummation of the Feast of Tabernacles, and we have a picture of what it produces in its wonder and its glory. What He is saying here is, "You are going to build Me a place that I am going to come to rest in? No; I am building it." He says, "I am the One Who is building it.

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

He's saying, "I made heaven, and I made earth, and you are going to build Me a house?" Notice he says, "But to this man will I look." He is saying that His rest is going to be in a Person; it is going to be in a Man. It's a many membered man; Jesus is the head of that Man. It is the same picture as all of the temples. When these temples, which picture the temple that we are, are completed, then Jesus comes to rest in them.

Let's get the fourth one. What have we talked about so far? We've talked about cherubims in the veil. We've talked about cherubims in the voice. We've talked about cherubims as a dwelling place, a place of rest. In Second Samuel chapter 22, we are going to talk about cherubims as a vehicle of the Lord. We may have to finish this next time, but I wanted you to see this.

And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly…

This is speaking of the Lord. For an explanation of that, let's look at the Song of Solomon, chapter three, and we will close with this. I know that you understand that the Song of Solomon is a picture about the relationship between the King and the church as it grows. The King is looking for a resting place.

King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

He made himself a dwelling place. God is making Himself…the King is making Himself… Ephesians 2:10 says we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. I am going to challenge you; I want you to think this one out. What does it means when it says that King Solomon made himself a chariot ? Notice that he made the chariot of the wood of Lebanon. The word Lebanon means "white." What does white point to? Righteousness. He made himself a chariot out of the wood of righteousness. Isaiah 61:1-3 call the believer "trees of righteousness." God makes Himself a chariot out of trees of righteousness, which we are.

He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

This is a picture of the ark of the covenant, the lid and the cherubs. There is the wood. Then it says he made the pillars; that is the cherubs. The pillars, the columns: there are two. He made the pillars thereof with silver, which pictures redemption. The wood was covered with gold, which is divine nature. He made the covering of purple. What is the covering of the ark of the covenant? What is the lid? It is the mercy seat; He made it with royalty. That is speaking of Himself. The midst thereof was paved with love. Right in midst of this royal … if this is the lid, and it's purple, that's the king. Right in the midst of it he says that it is paved with love. The mercy seat is paved with love. What is that? It is His blood. Romans 5:8 says that God commended his love toward us. He paved the mercy seat with His blood, with love. Why? This is the key. The wings were heard out into the outer court. Why did He do all this? Why is He making this vehicle? Why is He making you into a person who, when you speak, it will be the voice of one? For the daughters of Jerusalem. The daughters of Jerusalem are old carnal, sensual people who said, What is your beloved more than any other beloved? You are being fashioned for them; you are being created for them. Not better than them, but for them. He is making a chariot that He can ride into the city upon. The wings are heard out in the outer court. When the whole thing was done, didn't that laser beam of light shoot into the outer court? It pictures … the people in the outer court who haven't understood the cross, who haven't realized what has been true of them all along, daughters of Jerusalem. That is what these cherubims are for. That is what they represent.

Trees of righteousness made into a box, covered with gold. A king paved with love, silver pillars. Ruth came to trust in that. The king Boaz said to her, You've come to trust under His wings. You've come to trust in what I see under there. I've come to trust in the blood and what He has done more than anything I have done or haven't done. I have come to trust in the blood of Jesus more than anything I will ever be or not be. I have just flat out come to trust. If it isn't with that pavement of love that I am going to be saved, I just won't be saved. If it isn't with the pavement of love that is on the mercy seat, I just won't grow. It is going to be Him. The Bible says that He made it. He made it. He made Himself a chariot, a place to ride in. He is doing the work. Why? Because He loved the daughters of Jerusalem.

We have discovered that there is a lot of whittling away that has to be done on the vessels who God chooses. You don't just wake up one day and hear God say, "Well, you've become a chariot, so I am going to choose you." No, He says that you are going to be one.

It's kind of like the garments of the high priest. The garments of the high priest were passed on from son to son to son. They never changed the garments of the high priest. One day I was thinking, what if the son and the high priest are not the same size? They never altered the clothes. They just chose somebody that would fit in them. The chariot has to be made, has to be formed and fashioned. Some things have to be removed; some things have to be added. The pillars thereof, which speak of those cherubims, what were they? They were silver; they were redemption. That is what produced them.