A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

05 – The Location of the Four Living Creatures

Moving from a look at the need and the importance of the prophetic scriptures, we are going to dive into Revelations 4-6. A good place to start is with the voice in the midst of the four living creatures. So, speaking from inside of the four living creatures…is the Lamb. Now this should stir your interest greatly because, in the picture of heaven, the throne is central. He who sits upon the throne and the Lamb is surrounded by the four living creatures.

If you were to imagine a court in which there are concentric circles. In the midst of the circle are the throne, and the Lamb, and the One who holds the scroll with seven seals. That would be the epicenter, not only of heaven, but of creation itself, because it suggests that the authority to govern creation is vested in the One who sits upon the throne. Now we know Yahshua claimed, “I have all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). So the living God, who is Spirit, who dwells outside of time, who holds all of creation together in the breadth of His hand, whose Word has upheld the world since it was created and everything in creation, has conferred authority to govern creation to the One who sits upon the throne and the Lamb.

The four living creatures are the next in the circle around the throne. If you think of this as a court, and all authority in the Kingdom is vested in the One who is sitting upon the throne, the next circle of authority is the executive functioning. They do the bidding of the One who sits on the throne, who has all authority. Outside of the four living creatures are the twenty-four elders, twelve being the number of government, times two, represents the government of the Kingdom of God in heaven and on earth.

We need to focus on the four living creatures because they are the executive function of the vested authority of the One who sits upon the throne. The power that is vested in the throne governs all that is in heaven and on earth. But that power does not originate in heaven. It originates in God, who is eternal. Before there was heaven, before there was earth, before the created realm came in to being, God could say, “In the beginning, God.”

It is vital for you to see that the throne is the symbol of the authority that holds creation together. It did not just create things; it continues to hold it together for the purposes for which God created the heavens and the earth. Those purposes are meant to be carried out, executed. The One who has absolute authority or the potential that reveals the absolute or complete authority is the essence of the four living creatures. They are the primary executors of the authority of the throne, and this is by design. They are so connected to the One who sits upon the throne, they operate in the authority of the One who sits upon the throne in the fashion of an ambassador, a messenger, and one who has been tested and proven and who can be deployed to represent the living God.

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A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

It would be very good to remember these things that we have seen and go over them, because we will see in the unfolding of prophetic, that they absolutely represent the authority of the throne. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us through His Son, whom He appointed heir over all things” (Hebrews 1:1-2). That Son is a spiritual man known as Christ, a corporate man. Four is the number of God’s creation, here as the corporate man. That is why we have four living creatures surrounding the One who sits upon the throne, which is the executive authority of God in all of creation, who may claim to have all power in all of creation.

Now, verse 6 of Revelation 4, Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne… (Revelation 4:6a NKJV).

“In the midst of the throne,” meaning, surrounding the throne, in the midst of circles. As I mentioned to you, there are at least three different circles. One is the circle of angels; another is the circle of the twenty-four elders; and inside of that, the third circle and closest to the throne, that which encircles the throne and encircles the One who sits upon the throne, are these four living creatures.

…were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back (Revelation 4:6b).

“eyes in front and in back” means they could see in every direction. Seeing in every direction means you can see the past, you can see the present, you can see the future. So these four living creatures are perfectly aware of what is in the mind of God from long ages past, where those events are in present time, and where they are going in the future. “full of eyes in front and in back” They can see where they have been, they can see where they are, and they can see where they are going.

The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within (Revelation 4:7-8a).

Again, the understanding is that they could see where they have been, they could see where they are, they could see where they are going, full of eyes around and within, seeing everything. Note that when the Lamb is described, He has seven eyes and seven horns, which are a parallel metaphor—seven being the number of completeness—so the Lamb sees everything in the same manner in which these four living creatures see everything. Let’s read the rest of the attributes of the four living creatures here so that we can get the whole picture. Then, we will talk about the lion, the ox, the man, and the eagle.

And they, do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8b) Page 2 of 8

A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

They are fully aware of the eternal things because they can speak of He who was (past), He who is (present), and He who is to come (future). So, they can actually see in every direction.

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:9-11).

The twenty-four elders take their cues from the four living creatures. The four living creatures ordain the timing, and the twenty-four elders execute; they bring the order of things into creation. “For You created all things”…They understand the governance associated with the purpose for creation. This is an incredible picture, in that we did not clearly understand it before nor did we really think about it or focus on it before …this simply means that the time had not come. Now the time has come.

Let us talk about these four living creatures for a moment. The first creature was like a lion. The lion, in physical creation and in heaven, is referred to as the conqueror. Let me go over to chapter 5, and here the question was, “Who should take the scroll from the right hand of the One who sat on the throne, who held this scroll sealed with seven seals?” (Revelation 5:1-2) And it appeared that no one was qualified to do so, and so picking up at verse 4 of chapter 5, John says,

So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns [which means He is all powerful] and seven eyes [which means that He is able to see in everything], which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth (Revelation 5:4-6).

That Lamb, who is announced as the Lion, He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. I wanted to point out that, even in the textual interpretation of the Lion here, the four living creatures, one had a face like a lion and he is standing around the throne at the time of the announcement of the Lion of the tribe of Judah who has overcome. Contextually, this lion (the creature with the face of a lion) is in perfect harmony with, especially if He is going to execute the judgments of, the Lamb who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Hence, we are speaking of rule, the capacity to rule, having overcome. In fact, that is exactly what is said in Scripture: “To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with Me on My Father’s throne” (Revelation 3:21). So the lion is the over comer, therefore, the ruler.

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A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

Now, obviously, looking at these four living creatures, we are not speaking of an actual lion, but rather a creature that possesses the spirit of an over comer, the spirit of a ruler, the spirit of the lion. The second living creature is like an ox. In literature, and here in the Scriptures, the ox is synonymous with one who cannot be turned. We even use the term “stubborn as an ox,” which is one that is not easily distracted, persistent, unyielding we can revisit the Scripture when Paul wrote, “Be you therefore steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). You will see later on when we go to the book of Ezekiel to pick up on these four living creatures, that they do not deviate, they do not turn. They go straight forward and backward, and they do not turn. In other words, this creature, this second living creature, this ox, cannot be turned because it knows where it is going, inasmuch as it sees: “full of eyes in front and in back.” It sees what has been, it sees what is now, and it sees what is to be.

The third living creature had the face like a man. In other words, these characteristics are representative of that which God raised up from the earth in order to bring forth, in the end of the age, that which was in the image and likeness of God. It speaks of the potential of this man who has the spirit of a lion, the steadfastness of an ox, and now the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. This eagle is flying, it is in action, it is seeing. This is the prophetic spirit that sees, being borne on the winds of time. The flying eagle depends upon the winds of the Spirit. He is moving in the realm of the spirit. This is how the prophetic operates. It is borne up on the invisible but real presence of the Spirit of God.

When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to him over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:7-8 NKJV).

Now, if you go back to chapter 6:1, where he is talking about the Lamb opening the seals, this is what he says, …and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, with a loud voice like thunder, “Come and see” (Revelation 6:1).

“I heard one of the four living creatures”...that would have been the lion because he is listed as the first living creature. Now you will say, he just said, “I heard one of the four living creatures say...” But if you go forward from there, he would say in verse 3 of chapter 6,

• “I heard the second living creature saying…” (verse 3); • Then, “the third living creature say…” (verse 5); • Then (where we are now reading), he would say, “He opened the fourth seal, and I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying…” (verse 7).

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A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

So again, the lion is the first one to speak. And indeed, it speaks in a way that allows us to see the first living creature was like a lion. There is coordination between the rulers, the lion...the ruling feature of the four living creatures...and the spirit within us that rules. He is the one charged with declaring the false Christ: the one who rides forth with a bow, and is bent on conquering and to conquer, and given a crown.1 So, amongst the people of God (and this is my point), the spirit that is amongst the four living creatures is precisely able to determine what the truth is, relative to all of these four horsemen who come with varying degrees of ferocity against the people, beginning with appearing as a king.

The king, the spirit of the king within the Body of Christ, typified by the lion, is the one that announces when the false Christ comes riding on a white horse...as it would appear to be the one that he is not...and having crowns, given authority to conquer, and he was bent on conquering, and carrying a bow. So, the spirit within the four living creatures is the one who announces the thing that is its dark counterpart, or the deceiver in the alternative and opposite perspective, or kingdom.

Why am I telling you these minute details? So that you understand that you are not going to be surprised; so that you know that you will know when the deceiver comes.

That is why it is troubling to hear people raised all of their lives under evangelical theology and that kind of teaching, going to church all their lives, reduced to mutterings about, “I hope we will not be deceived,” or “I think it will be like that,” or “I pray to God that this will happen or that will happen.” These are the murmurings of a people stripped of any confidence in the living God.

The things that were written before, according to Romans, chapter 15, verse 4, “were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and the comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.” This is not guesswork, my brethren, this is not supposition, and this is not about conjecture and wishful thinking. This is not about blood moons and other follies that have been debunked. God is debunking the trite, the pretentious, the superfluous, and the ignorant. He is debunking them. They cannot keep from saying what is in their hearts, and they can only say what is in their hearts, because that is all they have.

But you are not of the darkness. 2 This is not talking about nighttime, this is talking about ignorance. That is why God said, “Let there be light.”3 God intended to illuminate all things. All things in creation were made by Him and made for Him,4 and by extension, we are the heirs. 5 This is not a time for foolishness. This is not a time for false loyalties. God wants us to catch every nuance, and He is speaking by the Spirit so that we are not to be deceived. This is how we will not be deceived...not by guessing, not by speculating as to whether some political figure is the antichrist or nonsense like that, which we have always seen. Prophecy has so often been presented in this form of conjecture and speculation, entirely devoid of the revelation by the Holy Spirit.

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A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

But there is manna for the day. Men of understanding will come forth in the end of the age, and they will be given the deconstruction of the mysteries so that they may lead the people of God through the most difficult time of humanity. And yet, for the people of God, the word of the Lord will illuminate their path, and though everything around them is dark, they are neither of the darkness nor of the night, but their path is illuminated as the illumination comes by the revelation of the nuances of God.6

So, • The first of the four living creatures was the lion, and so the lion spoke about righteous rule and the appropriateness of ruling: • the second living creature is the calf (ox): it is the representation of that which is steadfast, that is not subject to being shaken; • the third living creature has the face of a man; • The fourth living creature has the face of an eagle.

Now, you go back and you match these things, and there is much to be seen in all of that.

But as we come to the fourth living creature speaking about Death and Hades, this is the prophetic spirit. It is the flying eagle. So the prophetic spirit releases...or, in the speaking of the prophetic, the announcement is...the pale horse, the name of him who sat on it is Death.7 Why does the word of God prophetically spoken announce the coming forth of the spirit of Death, and Hell following after? Because the word of God brings life, In Him is life.8 It juxtaposes perfectly with death.

So, in a sense, there are five spirits presented, the fourth horseman presenting Death and Hell. Life is in the word, the word of God is life. It is like marrow in the bones,9 the scriptures say. When there is an absence of the word of God, the bones of the slain of Death and Hell are many, very many, and very dry.10 So when God is about to bring back life, it will be the flying eagle that will announce...in the place of the coming forth of Death and Hell...it will be the prophetic word of God that is spoken in the midst of that, because that, you see, that restores life to the people of God.

Book of Ezekiel in the 37th chapter, he speaks of the valley of dried bones, a great army that had been decimated and the bones were very many, and they were very dry.11 Now, when it was time for the bones to live...“Son of man, can these bones live?”12...the answer was, “Lord, You know.”13 And the Lord spoke and said, “Son of man, prophesy to the bones.”14 The wind of the Spirit came and blew over the bones, and they began to be a great army standing up again upon the earth.15

So, back to the teaching from Revelation 6, as he is speaking then, and the fourth living creature speaks, he says, “So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hell followed after him.” My point was that the spirit of prophecy, the eagle, the fourth living creature, is the one who announces this. Page 6 of 8

A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

And power was given to them [to Death and Hell] over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:8b, comments added in brackets).

When a person is “in the spirit,” they are not only in the realm of time and space, and they get to see things that are not typically seen; as are the four living creatures. The ruler, the undeviating standard, the prophetic visionary who sees as God sees, clothed in the face of (as you will see later on) and appearing to have the body of a man, with hands like a man under their wings. The four living creatures had six wings and were full of eyes around and within. When we see the four living creatures again in Ezekiel, chapter 1, they are not in heaven; they are on the earth, and they have four wings: two to cover their bodies and two to spread upward. They move differently on the earth, but in heaven they move in the spirit. We will pick up from Ezekiel, chapter 1, where we see these four living creatures again.

1. Revelation 6:2: “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” 2. 1 Thessalonians 5:5: “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” 3. Genesis 1:3: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.’” 4. John 1:3: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” 5. Romans 8:16-17: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs...heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together”; see also Galatians 3:29: “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” 6. Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” 7. Revelation 6:7 8. John 1:4: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” See also John 14:6a “Yahshua said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’” 9. Proverbs 3:8 KJV: “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” See Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 10. Ezekiel 37:1-2: “The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.” 11. Ezekiel 37:1-2: “The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.” 12. Ezekiel 37:3a: “And He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’” 13. Ezekiel 37:3b: “So I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, You know.’” Page 7 of 8

A Deep Dive Into the Prophetic Scriptures January 2021

14. Ezekiel 37:4: “Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!”’” 15. Ezekiel 37:9-10: “Also He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.”

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