And as I watched the living creatures, I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of their four faces...
Ezekiel 1:15-21

What is this wheel beside the living creatures?

THE HIGH AND DREADFUL WHEELS

Scripture Reading: Ezek. 1:15-21
After the experience of the wind, the cloud, the fire, the electrum, the four faces, the eagle's wings, the man's hands, the calf's hoofs, the burning coals, the burning torches, the divine fire going up and coming down, and the lightning flashing, there is something more. Out of the experience of all these things comes the wheel. According to Ezekiel 1, by the side of every living creature there is a wheel. The wheel is so high that it is dreadful. It is dreadfully high. We all realize that a wheel is for moving, not in an ordinary way, but in a special way. When we are at home and we walk from the kitchen to our bedroom or to our living room, we do not need a wheel. But, when we travel a distance, we need a wheel. When we do something to fulfill a purpose, we need a wheel. Therefore, the move by a wheel is not an ordinary move, but a special move with a purpose. The wheel implies a move with a purpose.

TO EXPRESS THE LORD
The four living creatures are the manifestation and expression of the Lord in a corporate way. In every way they express the Lord. Because the Lord on the throne looks like a man, the four living creatures expressing Him also look like a man. Because the Lord on the throne looks like burning fire, the four living creatures also look like burning fire. This tells us that the living creatures are the expression of the Lord. Whatever the Lord is, they express. Because the Lord is living, they are living. The Lord Jesus is the living God, and they are the living creatures. The Lord Jesus looks like a man, and they also look like a man. The Lord Jesus looks like burning fire, and they also look like burning fire. They are the expression of the Lord.

FOR THE MOVE OF THE LORD
In these verses the four living creatures are not only for the expression of the Lord, but also for the move of the Lord. The Lord Jesus moves on the earth by them. Whenever a church is proper and truly expresses the Lord, having the proper coordination with the fire going up and coming down, the move of the Lord will be with that church. If a church claims to be proper and yet has no move of the Lord, something is wrong. If there is no increase in number year after year and no growth in life among the members, it indicates there is no move with that church, and it indicates there is something wrong with that church. If a church is proper, it will have a great wheel at its side.

MANIFEST TO ALL
If a local church has a wheel, there is no need for it to claim that it has a wheel. Everyone will see its move. Its claim to having some move of the Lord may indicate that it does not actually have a move of the Lord. No one needs to declare or testify, "look at the move of the Lord among us." If there is a move, it will be manifest to all. Everyone can see the great wheel, high and terrible. The wheel is at the side of the living creatures for all to see. If we have a wheel that is high and dreadful, there is no need to claim that we have a wheel. The wheel is simply there. Every local church needs to have such a high and dreadful wheel beside it.

INDIVIDUALLY AND CORPORATELY
Not only does every proper local church need to have a wheel beside it, every proper individual believer must also have a wheel. The living creatures have several ways to move. First, they can move by flying because they have the wings of an eagle. They can also move by walking on the calf's hoofs. But these two ways of moving are simply to have an ordinary move. When they need extra power to move in a special way, they must move by a wheel. Suppose on your job you are moving daily by the eagle's wings and the calf's hoofs. Your co-workers can see that you have something powerful which is strengthening you. You are able to bear things that others cannot. You are able to endure things that others cannot because you have the eagle's wings. They also can see that in your character and your behavior, you are honest, straight, frank, and sincere, having no crookedness. In their conscience, they will be convicted and convinced by you. They will see your move in such a way. They will see the eagle's wings and the calf's hoofs upon you.
But in addition to this kind of move with you, there should be also another kind of move, an extraordinary kind of move, the move of a wheel. After a period of time, some of your co-workers should be caught by the Lord for the church life. The move of the Lord should be with you at your job. This is the move of a wheel. If you should work at a job for one year, two years, three years, or even ten years, and nothing happens, that indicates there is no move of the Lord with you. You are lacking a wheel. If you have the eagle's wings and the calf's hoofs, you should also have a wheel. If there is no wheel with you, probably you do not have the eagle's wings. You have only the human hands. Neither do you have the calf's hoofs; rather, you have the man's crooked feet. It may be that on your job you are not such a proper human being; you are somewhat worldly, and the move of the Lord is not with you.
Brothers and sisters, wherever you go, you must have a high and dreadful wheel by you. When you move into a city, eventually there should be a wheel in that city. When you move into a country, there should be a wheel in that country. The wheel will prove that you are proper, having the eagle's wings and the calf's hoofs. If you do not have the eagle's wings and the calf's hoofs, you are not qualified to have a wheel standing beside you. If you would have a wheel standing beside you, you must be a proper living creature. You must experience the blowing of the Spirit as a stormy wind from the north. You must experience the overshadowing and remaining of the Spirit as the cloud. You must experience the burning of the Spirit, and you must gain much electrum. Furthermore, you must have the four faces expressing Christ in an adequate way and the eagle's wings by which you can move. You need to have the calf's hoofs to walk in a very straight, sincere way. The result will be that a high and dreadful wheel is beside you. That wheel is the move of the Lord. Consider the Apostle Paul. By reading his writings and by reading the book of Acts, we can realize that the Apostle Paul considered himself less than the least. Even his name, Paul, means little. Paul was a little man, yet with him were the eagle's wings, the calf's hoofs, and also a high and dreadful wheel.

THE WHEELS BEING UPON THE EARTH
Let us now consider the wheels in detail. First, it says that the wheels are upon the earth (1:15). Never expect that the move of the Lord will be in the heavens. God needs a move on the earth. God needs a move in the United States, in New Zealand, in Australia, in Africa, and in Europe. He needs a move upon the earth.

HAVING THE APPEARANCE OF BERYL
Furthermore, all the wheels look like beryl (1:16). According to Daniel 10:6, beryl was the appearance of the Lord when He was moving. This reveals that within the move of the wheels is the appearance of the Lord. Wherever the wheel goes, it brings the appearance of the Lord to that place. If a wheel is with you at school or on your job, it will bring the Lord's appearance there. People will be able to see the beryl, the appearance of the Lord.

HAVING THE SAME APPEARANCE
All four wheels have the same appearance, the same likeness (1:16). This tells us that the move of the Lord has the same likeness and appearance—whether it is through us, through the church in Los Angeles, through the church in Houston, through the church in Seattle, through the church in Chicago, through the church in Toronto, through the church in Cleveland, or through the church in any other place. All the moves bear the same appearance of the Lord. Therefore, the likeness of all the wheels is the same. If the church in Houston has a likeness that is different from the church in Los Angeles something is wrong. All four wheels have the same likeness. Sometimes people in a local church think that they need to build up their own local distinction, that they need to build up something typically, uniquely local. But we must see that all four wheels bear the same likeness. Do you think that the wheel moving in New Zealand will be altogether different in appearance from the wheel that is moving in Los Angeles? Do you think that the wheel in New Zealand bears one likeness, and the wheel in the United States bears another likeness, and the wheel in Germany bears a third likeness? All must bear the same appearance. Some people might say that the churches in New Zealand are simply following the church in Los Angeles. But the church in Los Angeles must also follow the churches in New Zealand. All the local churches must be mutual followers of one another (1 Thes. 2:14).

BEING DREADFULLY HIGH
All the wheels are dreadfully high (1:18). We should never make ourselves great. We all must be little ones. The wheel beside us, however, must be so high that it is dreadful. We should not have a small wheel only two inches in diameter. In our city there must be a high wheel, dreadfully high, that will surprise all of Christianity. All the wheels must be so high that they are dreadful.

BEING FULL OF EYES
The high and dreadful wheel is full of eyes (1:18). According to the spiritual experience, this is absolutely correct. If a church has no move and no wheel beside it, surely that church will also be blind. If you have no move and yet you claim you have some move, you are blind. You have no eyes. On the contrary, if your church has a high and dreadful move, within that move there will be many eyes. You will have the insight and the foresight and all kinds of sight. If you are a Christian having no wheel and only knowing how to behave properly, to love your job, to love your family, to love your home, to do things well, and you do not care for the wheel, you are a blind person. If you mean business with the Lord for His move today on this earth, you will have foresight and insight and all kinds of sight. You will be full of eyes. This is why the Apostle Paul was so clear. He was clear about the present time; he was clear about the future; he was clear about the world situation; he was clear about the Word, about the church, about the physical things, the spiritual things—he was clear about everything. He was a person full of eyes. Some Christians do not have even half an eye. Some of the local churches have no eyes. They are fully blinded. This is because they do not have the wheels, the move of the Lord. The more we have the move of the Lord, the more we will be enlightened. The more we move, the more we will be able to see.

During the past years I have done much traveling. I have traveled throughout China, America, and Europe. The more I traveled, the more eyes I received. The more move you have, the more you can see. In 1958 I traveled through thirty different countries. By that traveling I received many eyes; I saw many things. Do not be covered by your environment. Do not be like a frog at the bottom of a well—able only to see what is directly above you in a very narrow way. You must jump out of the well and travel so that you may have more sight. The wheel is full of eyes. As it goes it sees; as it runs it sees. If it stops running, it stops seeing. The church must be like this. We see by going on. The more we go on, the more we see. It may be that today we can see only this much, but tomorrow we will go on and we will see more. If we drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles, we will see many things. But if we stop driving, we will stop seeing. We Christians must always be moving people. The church must move in order to see.

A WHEEL WITHIN A WHEEL
Ezekiel 1:16 says that the wheel looks like a wheel within a wheel. This is very significant. When we speak of a wheel, we say that the circumference is the rim, that the center is the hub, and between these two are the spokes. Thus, you have the rim, the hub, and the spokes. But in this chapter there is no hub and there are no spokes. Rather, there is a wheel within a wheel. In James 5:17 we are told that when Elijah prayed, he prayed with prayer (Gk.); there was a prayer within his prayer. This is the wheel within a wheel. This means if the church is proper and the church is moving, that within the church's moving there will be the move of the Lord. In your move is the Lord's move. While you are moving, the Lord is moving in your moving.

The inner wheel is the source of the power for moving. The inner wheel is the motor which makes the wheel move. If your move is genuine, it must be that within your move is the move of the Lord. Every wheel has a hub which turns the wheel. If the hub stops, the wheel stops. The hub is the little wheel within the rim of the big wheel. The big wheel turns because the little wheel is being turned. In the church life, the Lord Jesus is the hub and we are the rim. The Lord Jesus is the wheel within the wheel. If the churches are not moving with the Lord, they have no way to go on because there is no wheel within the wheel. But when the churches are moving with the Lord Jesus, He becomes the wheel within the wheel. Nothing can frustrate or stop that move.

THE WHEEL FOLLOWING THE LIVING CREATURES
It is meaningful to see that the living creatures do not follow the wheel, but that the wheel follows the living creatures (1:19). This is in contrast to Christianity's concept which tells people to wait until the Lord moves and then they can move. I have been burdened by the Lord to tell His children that there is no need for them to wait for the Lord to move. The Lord has been waiting on you for two thousand years. Are you ready? If you will go on, the Lord will follow you. The creatures do not follow the wheels, but the wheels follow the creatures. When the creatures move, the wheels move. When the creatures stop, the wheels stop. When the creatures are lifted up, the wheels are lifted up. If we do not exercise, there will be no wheel, but if we say, "Hallelujah, let us go!" the wheels will follow us. We must have the confidence, the assurance, and the faith to go on boldly. If we go on boldly, the wheels will follow us. Do not wait for the Lord to move. The Lord has been waiting for us to move. If we will go on, the Lord will follow. Let us go and take the land! Let us go and take the country! Let us go and take the earth!

THE SPIRIT BEING IN THE WHEEL
Here is another wonderful point. The wheels follow the creatures and the creatures follow the Spirit, but the Spirit is in the wheels (1:20). It is hard to tell who follows whom. Hallelujah, we are following Him and He is within us. One day when we meet Him we will say, "Lord we followed You," but the Lord will say, "No, I followed you." Who can tell who followed whom? If we have the wheel with the coordination, it is really difficult to say who followed whom. We are one with the Lord, and the Lord is one with us. The Lord follows us, and we follow the Spirit, and the Spirit is in the wheels.
This is the Lord's move today on the earth; this is the Lord's recovery. Remember, we must have the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum; we must be the living creatures with the four faces, with the eagle's wings, with the calf's hoofs, with the hands of a man, having the fire burning as the coals and as the torches, and we must be coordinated as one. Then, we will have a high and dreadful wheel in our local church.

How about in the church in Toledo? We will continue to see more ....

THE WIND, THE CLOUD, THE FIRE, AND THE ELECTRUM

Scripture Reading: Ezek. 1:4; Psa. 75:6, 7a; Ezek. 37:9; John 3:8; Acts 2:2, 4a; Exo. 24:16a; 40:34; Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29; Ezek. 1:27a, 28; 8:2b, 4; Rev. 4:3a; 22:1

FOUR MAIN THINGS
Ezekiel 1:4 covers four main things: the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. The Bible is a book full of pictures revealing to us God and the spiritual things. Because God is Spirit, He is very abstract and mysterious. Without a picture, it would be rather difficult for us to understand God and spiritual things. The Bible uses many types, figures, and pictures to describe and portray to us the spiritual things. The book of Ezekiel is especially a book of pictures. The visions Ezekiel saw were absolutely related to God and to spiritual things. Through the figures and pictures, the invisible, spiritual things become visible to us. Chapter one of Ezekiel has many figures and pictures. Verse four alone covers four figures: the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. The picture in this one verse is better than a thousand words. Let us consider these figures in detail.

THE STORMY WIND

From the North
First of all, the wind came from the north. Why did the wind come from the north, and not from the south, or from the east, or from the west? The answer is in Psalm 75. There it says that the lifting up, the promotion, comes not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but that God judges. What does this prove? This proves that God is at the north. Even in geographical terms the north is always up. North is not down; north is up. Of course, God is always up. When we are going north, we say we are going up. This means that when we are going north we are going to God. The wind from the north means that the wind came from God. God is the source of this wind. The dwelling place, the habitation of God, is the very source of all spiritual things. The wind came from the north, from the habitation of God.

Signifying the Spirit of God
The Hebrew word for wind is ruach. Ruach may be translated wind, breath, or spirit. In the King James Version, this same Hebrew word, ruach, is translated into all three of these words in Ezekiel 37. In verse 9 of that chapter, ruach is translated into wind; in verses 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, ruach is translated into breath; and in verses 1 and 14, ruach is translated into Spirit. It is very difficult for the translators to decide whether in a certain verse it means the wind, the breath, or the spirit. The decision must be made according to the context. Ruach, which in 1:4 is translated into wind, is nothing less than the powerful Spirit. It is not just a wind, but a stormy wind.

On the day of Pentecost there was a rushing, mighty wind which filled the house where they were sitting (Acts 2:2). Then all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. No doubt the mighty, rushing wind is just the powerful Spirit. In John 3:8, the Lord Jesus said, "the wind blows..." Some versions point out in their footnote that this word wind is translated from the Greek word pneuma. The Hebrew word ruach is exactly the same as the Greek word pneuma. Pneuma is also translated into wind, breath, or spirit, depending on the context of the verse. Thus, what the Lord Jesus said may also be translated as "the Spirit blows..." In Ezekiel 1, the wind is a figure, a picture of the mighty Spirit of God. This is not a weak wind, but a strong, stormy wind.

All our spiritual experiences always start with a spiritual storm. Even when you were saved, there was a storm. Perhaps you were a student who was caring for nothing but studying, playing, and simply going to school. But one day a storm came to you. A stormy wind blew upon you and turned you upside down. This caused you to consider: "What is the meaning of human life? Where did I come from? Where shall I go?" This was the blowing of the stormy wind.

Surely all the saved ones experienced a storm at their conversion. I can never forget the storm that I experienced. I was a young man under twenty years of age and full of ambition. I was studying hard in order to have a good future. But one day I listened to a gospel message and a stormy wind blew upon me and turned me upside down. Didn't you also have such a storm? Whether you are young or old, you all had such a storm. Not only at the time of our salvation, but also even after we were saved we had many storms. Some of the dear ones in the local churches were missionaries on the mission field or Christian workers. One day a storm came and turned everything upside down. This caused them to seek the Lord desperately and eventually to come into the local churches.

Not only at our conversion, but at every turn of our spiritual life a storm comes to us from the Lord. Praise the Lord! It is not bad—it is really grace to have a storm coming from God. Praise God! He is a God who gives us the storms. Many storms come to us from the north. I cannot tell you how many storms I have received. Every storm is worthwhile to recall. I do believe that when we are in eternity, we will recall the storms. The storms will be a pleasant remembrance to us. As we follow the Lord, many storms will come to us. Hallelujah! The stormy wind is just God Himself. He blows upon us to bring a storm into our life, into our work, and into our church.

THE CLOUD
The cloud always follows the stormy wind. If you have the wind, surely you will have the cloud. What is the meaning of the cloud? By considering the history of the people of Israel it is easy to understand the meaning of the cloud. After the Israelites came out of Egypt, they arrived at Sinai, camped there, and set up a tent for God. Then God's glory descended upon that tent. All the people saw that the cloud was covering the tent of meeting. That cloud was a figure of God covering His people. That was God brooding over His people. The cloud is just the brooding God. He comes as the wind, but He stays as the cloud. By His staying as a cloud, He is covering, overshadowing, and brooding to give us the enjoyment of His presence. This is to produce something of Himself in our daily life. It is wonderful! Whenever we experience God as the blowing wind, we also have the sensation that He is overshadowing, covering, and brooding over us. The blowing of the wind brings the presence of God to us in the form of a heavenly cloud. The presence of God is just the heavenly, brooding, and overshadowing cloud.

Surely you have experienced the Lord in such a way. In your morning watch or in your pray-reading, the stormy wind came and blew upon you. Then following the blowing wind came the cloud. Perhaps the cloud even lasted the whole day. All day long you had the sensation that something was following you, covering you, brooding over you, and overshadowing you. You had the sensation of the enjoyment of the Lord's presence all day long. I have experienced this many times. In my morning watch, the stormy wind blew upon me. The Lord came to me from the north like a blowing wind. Right away, I received the Lord's presence as a cloud. The presence of the Lord was covering me like a cloud. His presence then became my enjoyment. All day I was experiencing His covering and enjoying His presence. We must all have this kind of experience. When you come to the Bible, do not seek after the teachings or the doctrines. You have to say, "Lord, blow upon me and grant me the overshadowing cloud. Lord, grant me the wind and grant me the cloud."

THE FIRE
Ezekiel saw that the cloud which overshadowed him was covered with fire flashing continually. This is really according to our experience. When the stormy wind comes from the Lord and the covering cloud with the overshadowing presence of the Lord remains, there is also the sensation that something within us is shining and searching and burning. Under such an enlightening, flashing, shining, and searching, we realize that our attitude toward certain brothers is wrong or that other things are wrong before the Lord. Under the searching of the Lord's presence we are exposed. We condemn ourselves and confess our shortness. Then the searching and shining will burn within us to burn out all the negative things. If you experience the Lord in such a way, there is no need for me to tell you that you are wrong with a certain brother. If I tell you, you might be offended and not take my word. But even if you are not offended and you take my word and you go to the brother to get clear with him, that means nothing as far as the inner life. We must be under the searching of the Lord's presence. Under the condemnation of His shining, we will be willing to say, "Lord Jesus, burn me up. I am good for nothing. I am only good for being burned. Lord, burn out my disposition; burn out my intention; burn out my self-aim; burn out my motives; burn out my goal; burn out this and burn out that." What is this? This is the real experience of the inner life. This is not just some teaching.

After ministering the word of the Lord to the Lord's people for many years, We have found that mere teaching never works out anything. You and I all need the blowing of the wind; we need the overshadowing of the Lord's presence; and we need the searching, burning of this fire. The wind is the Lord Himself; the cloud is the Lord Himself; and the fire is also the Lord Himself. When He comes, He comes as the stormy wind. When He remains with us, He remains as the cloud. When He burns and searches, He burns and searches as the consuming fire. No one can experience the Lord as the blowing wind, covering cloud, and as the burning fire without having a real change and transformation.

Once an item is consumed by fire, only ashes remain. That is a real transformation and change. We all need the transformation by fire. We need to be transformed by being burned. Our God, the Lord Jesus, is not only the living water, but also the consuming fire. Many Christians enjoy Ezekiel 47 because in that chapter is the flowing river. But the flowing river is not the first thing in Ezekiel. The first thing is the burning, consuming fire. In chapter one is the fire; in chapter forty-seven is the river. The fire always comes first. What is the source of the fire? It is from the blowing wind plus the covering cloud. The fire does not come to us directly. God always comes to us as the blowing wind and stays with us as the covering cloud. Then under His covering we are exposed by His shining. Under such a shining we would confess, "Lord, I am just good for nothing. I am only good for being burnt. Oh Lord, burn me, Lord! Burn me out! Burn out my old nature! Burn out my self, my disposition, my attitudes, my goals, my aims, my motives, my intentions, my relationships with other people, my worldliness. Lord, burn all these things out of me." One such burning is better than a thousand teachings. I do not have much trust in the teachings, but I would like to see all of you burned by the Lord.

THE ELECTRUM
But this is not all. God's intention is not just to burn us and turn us into ashes. Our God has a good purpose. Out of the fire comes the glowing electrum. The word electrum is very difficult to translate. No other language has an equivalent to this Hebrew word. J. N. Darby says in his note on Ezekiel 1:4 that some would suggest that electrum is a kind of shining metal, a mixture of gold and silver. One Jewish version also uses this word electrum. Electrum is a metal that is a mixture of gold and silver. The King James Version renders it as amber because the color of this shining metal is the color of amber. Amber is a color somewhat like the color of gold. Praise the Lord for His revelation of this word. It is not merely gold nor merely silver, but gold mixed with silver.

In the book of Revelation we can see the same principle. There is the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). On the throne is not just the Lamb and not just God, but the Lamb-God. This is the Lamb-God, the redeeming God. In Genesis 1, He was solely God having nothing of the element of redemption within Him; but in Revelation He is the redeeming God, the Lamb-God.

In Revelation 4:3, God is on the throne. His appearance is like two kinds of precious stones—jasper and sardius. Sardius is red and jasper is a green crystal. The red color of sardius signifies redemption and the crystal green of jasper signifies God's divine nature. This picture shows us that God looks like both jasper and sardius. He is no more just God, having only the divine nature; He is also our Redeemer.

These two illustrations from the book of Revelation help us to understand the electrum. Our God is not merely a divine Being represented by the gold. He is now the electrum—gold mingled with silver. By putting all these items together, we have such a clear picture of our experience. First we experience the blowing wind; next we enjoy the covering cloud; then we experience the burning and consuming fire. The result is that the electrum is produced. Something is so shining, so precious! As the electrum, He is everything to us. Jesus is our God and He is our Lamb. Jesus is our jasper and He is our sardius. This is the electrum. We must experience God as the spiritual wind, as the overshadowing cloud, as the burning fire, as the Lamb, and as the glowing electrum. By passing through this kind of experience, we become the vision of the glory of such a God. When people look upon us they can see the wind; they can see the cloud; they can see the fire; and they can see the electrum. Whenever we meet together, we must be the vision of God. We must be the vision of the glory of the electrum. We do have something shining, something glowing, something so precious, so dear, like a treasure. We just cannot tell whether He is merely God, or whether He is the Savior. He is everything to us—He is the electrum.

THE BASIC EXPERIENCE
This is the first vision seen by Ezekiel. Among all our experiences in life, this is the most basic. As we go on through this chapter we will see other categories of our experiences, but this is the first and most basic. We must ask the Lord for the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum! We do not experience these things once for all. Rather this cycle must be repeated again and again. First comes the wind, then the cloud, then the fire, and then the electrum. A few days later, the wind comes again with the cloud, with the fire, and with more electrum. In a sense, we Christians have no rest in our spiritual experiences. I have been a Christian for over 45 years and I have never had any rest. Always there has been the blowing, the covering, the burning, and then the receiving of something as the electrum. Suppose this cycle would be stopped. That would be awful! In our experience this cycle should never be stopped. The more often we can experience this cycle, the better. Every day we should have a cycle. Every day we should experience the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. This is the real experience of the inner life and this will bring in the growth in life.

THE ELECTRUM
But this is not all. God's intention is not just to burn us and turn us into ashes. Our God has a good purpose. Out of the fire comes the glowing electrum. The word electrum is very difficult to translate. No other language has an equivalent to this Hebrew word. J. N. Darby says in his note on Ezekiel 1:4 that some would suggest that electrum is a kind of shining metal, a mixture of gold and silver. One Jewish version also uses this word electrum. Electrum is a metal that is a mixture of gold and silver. The King James Version renders it as amber because the color of this shining metal is the color of amber. Amber is a color somewhat like the color of gold. Praise the Lord for His revelation of this word. It is not merely gold nor merely silver, but gold mixed with silver.

In the book of Revelation we can see the same principle. There is the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). On the throne is not just the Lamb and not just God, but the Lamb-God. This is the Lamb-God, the redeeming God. In Genesis 1, He was solely God having nothing of the element of redemption within Him; but in Revelation He is the redeeming God, the Lamb-God.

In Revelation 4:3, God is on the throne. His appearance is like two kinds of precious stones—jasper and sardius. Sardius is red and jasper is a green crystal. The red color of sardius signifies redemption and the crystal green of jasper signifies God's divine nature. This picture shows us that God looks like both jasper and sardius. He is no more just God, having only the divine nature; He is also our Redeemer.

These two illustrations from the book of Revelation help us to understand the electrum. Our God is not merely a divine Being represented by the gold. He is now the electrum—gold mingled with silver. By putting all these items together, we have such a clear picture of our experience. First we experience the blowing wind; next we enjoy the covering cloud; then we experience the burning and consuming fire. The result is that the electrum is produced. Something is so shining, so precious! As the electrum, He is everything to us. Jesus is our God and He is our Lamb. Jesus is our jasper and He is our sardius. This is the electrum. We must experience God as the spiritual wind, as the overshadowing cloud, as the burning fire, as the Lamb, and as the glowing electrum. By passing through this kind of experience, we become the vision of the glory of such a God. When people look upon us they can see the wind; they can see the cloud; they can see the fire; and they can see the electrum. Whenever we meet together, we must be the vision of God. We must be the vision of the glory of the electrum. We do have something shining, something glowing, something so precious, so dear, like a treasure. We just cannot tell whether He is merely God, or whether He is the Savior. He is everything to us—He is the electrum.

THE BASIC EXPERIENCE
This is the first vision seen by Ezekiel. Among all our experiences in life, this is the most basic. As we go on through this chapter we will see other categories of our experiences, but this is the first and most basic. We must ask the Lord for the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum! We do not experience these things once for all. Rather this cycle must be repeated again and again. First comes the wind, then the cloud, then the fire, and then the electrum. A few days later, the wind comes again with the cloud, with the fire, and with more electrum. In a sense, we Christians have no rest in our spiritual experiences. I have been a Christian for over 45 years and I have never had any rest. Always there has been the blowing, the covering, the burning, and then the receiving of something as the electrum. Suppose this cycle would be stopped. That would be awful! In our experience this cycle should never be stopped. The more often we can experience this cycle, the better. Every day we should have a cycle. Every day we should experience the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. This is the real experience of the inner life and this will bring in the growth in life.

THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES

Scripture Reading: Ezek. 1:5-6, 26; Rev. 5:9b; John 5:25; Col. 2:12-13; Phil. 2:7-8; Mark 10:45; Rev. 5:5; Exo. 19:4; Isa. 40:31; Phil. 4:11-13

Ezekiel is a book of pictures portraying the spiritual things. In the last chapter we saw four things: the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. These four items are pictures portraying what God is to us. In our experience, God is like a blowing wind and like a cloud—brooding, hovering, and overshadowing us. He is also like fire, shining upon us and enlightening us. By burning us, He sanctifies us. This kind of burning is the real sanctification. We do not need to "take time to be holy"; we need to be burned. If we mean business with the Lord in desiring to be sanctified, we must be willing to be burned. "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). He is a jealous, sanctifying God. Furthermore, God is to us like glowing, shining electrum. Electrum signifies the compounded God. Today the God Who is in us has more than simply the divine nature. The gold of the divine nature has been compounded with the silver of the redeeming Lamb. For the Jews, God is typified merely by gold, but for us Christians, God is gold mixed with silver. He is electrum.

THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES
Not Dead, But Living
Now we come to Ezekiel 1:5: "Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man." Pay particular attention to the first word in this verse, "also." Not only does electrum come out of the fire, something more also comes out. The wind brings in the cloud; the cloud enfolds the fire; and the fire produces the electrum plus something more. "Also" refers to the four living creatures. When we experience God as the blowing wind, the overshadowing cloud, the burning fire, and the glowing electrum, we become the four living creatures. We were dead, but we have become living creatures. We not only have God as the electrum, but we ourselves also become living.

The Lord Jesus said that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall live (John 5:25). Paul said that we were dead, but that God has made us alive (Eph. 2:5). The more we have the cycle of the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum, the more we will become living. Every time we are blown by God and overshadowed by God, burned and consumed by God, we are enlivened. If you are not so alive in the meetings, it proves that you are short of the experience of this cycle. The more we have the experience of this cycle, the more we will be living.

Today's Christianity always likes to have a quiet service. If you would like to have a quiet service, you had better go to a cemetery. That is the quietest place because everybody is dead and buried. But we must be noisy. Only those who are living can make noise. Even if you offered a million dollars to the dead ones and asked them to be noisy, they could not do it. We must be living. We must be noisy because we have experienced God as the wind and the fire with the blowing and the consuming. How can we be quiet? We cannot be quiet because we are the real living creatures. The word "living" in Hebrew has the same root as the word "life" in Genesis 2, where it refers to the tree of life. How can we, the creatures, become living creatures? By experiencing God as the tree of life, we will have something living within us. A living element, a living factor, will be in us. This living thing within us will continually make us living.

Four in Number
The picture in this verse portrays us not only as being living creatures, but also as being four in number. Why does it not say five or six or ten living creatures? It is very significant. Many verses in the Bible show us that the number four signifies man as the creature. Revelation 5:9 is particularly clear. It says that the Lord has redeemed us from four sources: from every kindred, every tongue, every people, and every nation. Furthermore, Revelation 21 shows us that the New Jerusalem has four sides—the north, the east, the west, and the south—and that each of the four sides has three gates. This means that from every direction on the earth we can enter this city. The number four symbolizes that we are the people redeemed from many kindreds, tongues, peoples, and nations. In the eyes of God, we are the four living creatures.

A Corporate Expression
These living creatures are not reckoned as individuals; they are counted as a group. All of them are counted as one entity. Later we will see that these living creatures are the expression of the one man on the throne. They do not express this man in one direction only, but in every direction. We know that on this earth there are only four directions—north, east, west, and south. This means that we as the four living creatures are not only the unique expression of Christ, but also the complete expression of Christ. We express Christ in every direction, toward every side. We are the four living creatures expressing Christ in an adequate and complete way.

BEARING THE APPEARANCE OF A MAN
The main point of Ezekiel 1:5 is that each of the four living creatures bears the appearance of a man. This word may not be pleasing to many religious friends because they would like to be angels. Perhaps we all think that it is better to be an angel than to be a man. Which would you rather be, a man or an angel? I am afraid that many of us would prefer to be an angel. God, however, has enough angels. But God is short of men. God does not appreciate the angels so much. The angels are His servants. When He tells them to go, they go. When He tells them to come, they come. Do you know that we also have our own angels? When Peter was released from prison and went to Mary's house, some said that it was his angel. Peter had an angel and we also have angels. Angels are not that precious; they are our servants. We must drop our concept that it would be good to be an angel. Rather we need to see how glorious, how marvelous it is that we are men. We should tell the whole universe, "I am a man. I am a VIP. I am the center of the universe. I am the meaning of the universe." It is not a small matter to be a man.

If we would not desire to be like angels, at least we would desire to be like God. Many Christians practice day and night to be like God. But God wants to be like us. He even became a man. Today in the heavens, the Lord Jesus who is God is still a man. A man is upon the throne (Acts 7:56). God is the Creator of the universe, but He needs an expression. Without man, God has no expression. The millions of angels could never be the expression of God. God needs a corporate man to express Him. Never despise the fact that you are a man.

There are four men in the Bible: the first man, the second man, the new man, and the manchild. We were the first man by birth; we became the new man by regeneration; and now there is the prospect that we may become the manchild. This ministry is not only for the new man, but for the manchild as well. Though some today may talk about the expression of Christ, few realize what the real expression of Christ is. The Christ whom the church must express is the man upon the throne. If we are going to express Christ, we must realize that Christ today is a man. We do not express merely God; we express God in a man. The church is the expression of Christ, not merely the expression of God.

Ezekiel 1:26 tells us that the Lord today is a man on the throne. We as the living creatures express Him as a man. He is the man on the throne, and we also bear the appearance of a man. All the living creatures bear the appearance of a man. It is man who fulfills God's plan. It is man who expresses God. It is man who defeats Satan. It is man who brings the kingdom of God into the human race. Today God needs a man. We may want to be like God, but God wants to be like us. He became a man, and today He is still a man. The religious teachings in Christianity encourage you either to be like an angel or to be like God. But the revelation of God unveils to us that God's desire is to have a man.

Remember that the subtle one tempted the first man by telling him that if he would take of the tree of knowledge, he would be like God (Gen. 3:5). From that day, the concept of being like God has been in our blood. All of fallen mankind has the concept of wanting to be like God. Devilish teachings such as Buddhism and Taoism always encourage people to be something other than man. God in His redemption and salvation has no intention of making us anything other than man. God's redemption and salvation are to bring us back to the beginning and to recover us to being a proper man. We are the living creatures, yet we bear the appearance of a man. Never behave as an angel. Whatever you do, whatever you say, whatever you express, you must be a man. Today God needs a man. He became a man, and He is still a man. We, the living creatures, also bear the appearance of a man.

Each of these four living creatures has four faces. If we saw someone with four such faces, we all would be frightened. Suppose he had the face of a man in the front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back. Would you not be frightened? Yet this is exactly what we must be. We all must have these four faces.

THE FACE OF A MAN
The first face is the face of a man, because we ourselves are men. Since we are men, we should look like men. We were created as men, but we were corrupted, poisoned, and damaged by the fall. Therefore, we needed the Lord's redemption. By the Lord's redemption, we were brought back to the proper humanity. Strictly speaking, the humanity we have now is not ours but His. We have the humanity of Jesus within us. Among the Chinese people there is a kind of saying that it is difficult to be a man. They feel that it is preferable to end the human life by death and to become something else. But this concept is absolutely different from the Lord's salvation. The Lord's salvation is to make us proper men. Some of the husbands might say, "I am tired of being a husband." But you must realize that the Lord's salvation is to make you a proper husband on the earth. If you are a wife, the Lord's salvation is to make you a proper wife. If you are a parent, the Lord's salvation is to make you a proper parent. If you are a child, the Lord's salvation is to make you a proper child. Hallelujah, the Lord's salvation is to make us proper human beings! Thus, we all must bear the face of a man. Occasionally, I have seen some seeking ones, particularly sisters, who do not seem to be human beings. They are so "spiritual" that it seems they are strange creatures—half human and half angel. They even practice this kind of behavior. Sometimes I upset this kind of situation by causing them either to laugh at me or to become angry. Then they became real. Once a dear sister whom I knew quite well came to me in a peculiar way—as half human and half angel. Because I was really unhappy with that, I said to her, "Sister, I know that you are always not right with your husband." Immediately she blew up. "What!" she said, "Brother Lee, you are a brother and you always take the side of the brothers!" Then I said to her, "Now I am happy." The half angel was blown away by my speaking.

We all prefer to be something else. The sisters especially like to be something else, but we all need simply to be human. Never pretend to be something else. You must be what you are—a man. But this is not to be human by your own humanity, but by the Lord's humanity. We need to have the face of a man. Please read the four Gospels again and notice that Jesus was a person with the proper humanity. Many who read the four Gospels only pay attention to the miracles worked out by His divinity; they never pay attention to the things worked out by the Lord's humanity. I like to see the beauty shown in the Lord's humanity. For example, John 4 relates how the Lord Jesus was traveling with His disciples to the city of Samaria. Because He was tired and thirsty, He asked His disciples to go into the city to buy something to eat, while He rested. After they were gone, the Samaritan woman came. What a marvelous picture! He was the Almighty God, yet He was behaving Himself like a normal man, without any hint that He was God. When He asked the woman for water, He gave no indication that He was anything more than a man. That woman even rebuked Him, and He was willing to suffer her rebuke. The four Gospels record many stories like this. The Lord Jesus behaved Himself like a normal human being, bearing the face of a man. Today, we too must bear the face of a man.

THE FACE OF A LION
We also must bear the face of a lion. A lion in the Bible signifies boldness, vigor, strength, and victory. What does this mean? In our Christian life we need first to be a man. At our school, in our office, among our neighbors, we must be a man. But we must also be a lion. If in the office you are a proper man, it will draw people to you. When they are drawn to you, they will be the germs corrupting you. They will like you and invite you to participate in evil things, such as movies. At that time you must not behave as a man, but as a lion. Toward anything sinful or worldly, we must be as bold as a lion. All the people working in your office should know that if they talk to you about going to a movie, you will behave like a lion. People always consider that the Lord Jesus was gentle and mild. But at least once He was not gentle. When He went into the temple and saw all the moneychangers, He whipped them. He was mad. Furthermore, one day He called those Pharisees a generation of vipers (Matt. 23:33). He was bold and vigorous, even mad. He was really like a lion. In Revelation, He is called "The Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5). We all must have the face of a lion.

THE FACE OF AN OX
We need not only the face of a man and the face of a lion but also a third face, the face of an ox. Though you may be always as bold as a lion in your office, that alone will never convince people. You need to be balanced by having the face of an ox. What is an ox? An ox is one who is willing to bear the burden, to do the work, and even to sacrifice himself. We all must have such an appearance, such a reality of serving others, bearing the burden, caring for the responsibility, even sacrificing our life. If you are working in an office, and are on the one hand a proper man, on the other hand as bold as a lion, and you are also faithful in bearing responsibility, you will leave a good impression upon others. You must learn to behave yourself not only like a proper man or like a bold lion, but also like a serving, suffering ox. When the office is dirty and your colleagues start to clean, you must take the lead to clean. You should even clean more than others. You must show that you are willing to sacrifice, to help others, and to serve others. Then you will have the reality of the face of an ox. You will not only have the appearance of a man or a lion, but also of an ox.

THE FACE OF AN EAGLE
Finally, we also need a hidden face. In the back, not easily seen by people, we need the face of an eagle. In the Bible, an eagle always signifies a powerful, transcendent God. God is transcendent, buoyant, and powerful. Nothing can suppress Him. Nothing can oppress or depress Him. The more you try to suppress Him, the more He flies to the heavens. This is the meaning of the eagle and the eagle's wings. In Exodus 19, God told His people, "...I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." We must be like an eagle. We must not allow anything to suppress us, to hold us, or to depress us. Whether it be persecution or praise, we would never be overcome. It is more difficult to overcome praise than persecution. Many of us can overcome persecution, but not peoples' praises. Nevertheless, whether people persecute us or praise us, we must fly away on the eagle's wings.

When the Lord Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes, they came and tried to make Him king. But the Lord Jesus could not be held because He had the power of an eagle. You can never hold Jesus. Neither should a Christian be held by anything. One believer may be held by poverty while another is held by riches. As a proper Christian, we should not be held by anything. Neither riches nor poverty mean anything. We should be like Paul, who knew how to be abased and how to abound. Whether he was rich or he was in want, he did not care. Everywhere, in everything, he could do all things in Him who empowered him (Phil. 4:11-13). Paul had the wings of an eagle. He bore the appearance of a man, a lion, an ox, and also an eagle.

EXPRESSING CHRIST
These four faces—the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle—simply portray the life of Christ. The four Gospels are a biography of Jesus. Why are there four Gospels? It is because one, Luke, shows Him as a man. Another, Matthew, shows Him as a lion. Mark shows Him as an ox, and John shows Him as an eagle. This four-fold life is the life of Christ. All the living creatures are the corporate expression of Christ. As Christians, we must be the living creatures who are a corporate entity, expressing Christ exactly as He was on earth. While He was on earth, He was living in these four aspects: as a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. Today we must be such an expression of Christ.