Through the Bible – Day 319

_1-3I am Ezekiel—a priest and the son of Buzi.

Five years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been led away as a prisoner to Babylonia, I was living near the River Chebar among those who had been taken there with him. Then on the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, the heavens suddenly opened. The LORD placed his hand upon me and showed me some visions.

₄I saw a storm blowing in from the north. Lightning flashed from a huge cloud and lit up the whole sky with a dazzling brightness. The fiery centre of the cloud was as shiny as polished metal, ₅and in that centre I saw what looked like four living creatures. They were somewhat like humans, ₆except that each one had four faces and four wings. ₇Their legs were straight, but their feet looked like the hoofs of calves and sparkled like bronze. ₈Under each of their wings, these creatures had a human hand. ₉The four creatures were standing back-to-back with the tips of their wings touching. They moved together in every direction, without turning their bodies.

₁₀Each creature had the face of a human in front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of a bull on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back. ₁₁Two wings of each creature were spread out and touched the wings of the creatures on either side. The other two wings of each creature were folded against its body.

₁₂Wherever the four living creatures went, they moved together without turning their bodies, because each creature faced straight ahead. ₁₃The creatures were glowing like hot coals, and I saw something like a flaming torch moving back and forth among them. Lightning flashed from the torch every time its flame blazed up. ₁₄The creatures themselves moved as quickly as sparks jumping from a fire.

₁₅I then noticed that on the ground beside each of the four living creatures was a wheel, ₁₆shining like chrysolite. Each wheel was exactly the same and had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it, ₁₇so that they could move in any direction without turning. ₁₈The rims of the wheels were large and had eyes all the way around them. _19-21The creatures controlled when and where the wheels moved—the wheels went wherever the four creatures went and stopped whenever they stopped. Even when the creatures flew in the air, the wheels were beside them.

_22-23Above the living creatures, I saw something that was sparkling like ice, and it reminded me of a dome. Each creature had two of its wings stretched out towards the creatures on either side, with the other two wings folded against its body. ₂₄Whenever the creatures flew, their wings roared like an ocean or a large army or even the voice of God All-Powerful. And whenever the creatures stopped, they folded their wings against their bodies.

₂₅When the creatures stopped flapping their wings, I heard a sound coming from above the dome. ₂₆I then saw what looked like a throne made of sapphire, and sitting on the throne was a figure in the shape of a human. ₂₇From the waist up, it was glowing like metal in a hot furnace, and from the waist down it looked like the flames of a fire. The figure was surrounded by a bright light, ₂₈as colourful as a rainbow that appears after a storm.

I realized I was seeing the brightness of the LORD's glory! So I bowed with my face to the ground, and just then I heard a voice speaking to me.

₁The LORD said, “Ezekiel, son of man, I want you to stand up and listen.” ₂After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the LORD said:

₉Just then, I saw a hand stretched out towards me. And in it was a scroll. ₁₀The hand opened the scroll, and both sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.

₁The LORD said, “Ezekiel, son of man, after you eat this scroll, go and speak to the people of Israel.”

_2-3He handed me the scroll and said, “Eat this and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate the scroll, and it tasted sweet as honey.

₄The LORD said:

₁₂The Spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the LORD started to leave, I heard a loud, thundering noise behind me. ₁₃It was the sound made by the creatures' wings as they brushed against each other, and by the rumble of the wheels beside them. ₁₄Then the Spirit carried me away.

The LORD's power had taken complete control of me, and I was both annoyed and angry.

₁₅When I was back with the others living at Abib Hill near the River Chebar, I sat among them for seven days, shocked at what had happened to me.

₁₆Seven days after I had seen the brightness of the LORD's glory, the LORD said:

₂₂The LORD took control of me and said, “Stand up! Go into the valley, and I will talk with you there.”

₂₃I immediately went to the valley, where I saw the brightness of the LORD's glory, just as I had seen near the River Chebar, and I bowed with my face to the ground. ₂₄His Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the LORD said:

₁From James, a servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Greetings to the twelve tribes scattered all over the world.

₂My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. ₃You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. ₄But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

₅If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking. ₆But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. _7-8If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all.

₉Any of God's people who are poor should be glad that he thinks so highly of them. ₁₀But any who are rich should be glad when God makes them humble. Rich people will disappear like wild flowers ₁₁scorched by the burning heat of the sun. The flowers lose their blossoms, and their beauty is destroyed. That is how the rich will disappear, as they go about their business.

₁₂God will bless you, if you don't give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.

₁₃Don't blame God when you are tempted! God cannot be tempted by evil, and he doesn't use evil to tempt others. ₁₄We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. ₁₅Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead.

₁₆Don't be fooled, my dear friends. ₁₇Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing. ₁₈He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.

₁₉My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry. ₂₀If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things that God wants done. ₂₁You must stop doing anything immoral or evil. Instead be humble and accept the message that is planted in you to save you.

₂₂Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it. ₂₃If you hear the message and don't obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror ₂₄and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. ₂₅But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don't just hear and forget.

₂₆If you think you are being religious, but can't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and everything you do is useless. ₂₇Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.