When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
The wheels went straight forward on any of their four sides without turning aside. They belonged to a wheel within a wheel whose many faces and intricate movements look like confusion and entanglement to finite eyes, yet out of that seeming confusion perfect order is brought as every wheel stands in its right place in exact harmony with all the rest. That harmony exists because the hand of infinite wisdom and the Spirit of God is among and beneath the wheels, so the machinery of earth and heaven moves under His control and not by independent human power. This wheel-like complexity is the complicated course of human events, through which God rules the world and guides the affairs of nations, overruling evil rulers and counteracting Satan to bring good to His faithful people. He Himself likewise directs and controls His work done through human agents, so each worker is only an instrument to stand at his post and do his appointed part without grasping for power that belongs to God, until the living wheels accompany His cloudy chariot upward toward the holy city.
The Wheels in Motion
When they went, they went straight forward upon their four sides, able to move in any of the four directions without turning around to change course. The living wheels beneath the cloudy chariot share this motion as it rises, crying Holy as they go, and they rise with it upward toward the New Jerusalem while wheels and wings proclaim holiness. Their steady movement without turning is part of an ordered working of providence, in which even what appears confused is brought into perfect order because God's hand is beneath the workings of the world.
The setting is a wheel within a wheel, with many sides and many faces to every wheel, joined to living creatures in a way that looks intricate and unexplainable. To the finite eye that intricacy looks like confusion and entanglement, and its movements cannot be traced by human reasoning. Yet the wheels and living creatures work together in an intricate but perfectly ordered way, illustrating direction by God even when His order is difficult to understand.
Out of that apparent confusion perfect order is brought, with every wheel in its right place and moving with exactness. Every wheel works in complete harmony with every other wheel and with every other part of the machinery, so that what first appeared confused is seen to be coordinated movement. The arrangement moves with exactness and harmony rather than disorder, and its harmony remains even while it moves in every direction without turning.
That harmony exists because the hand of infinite wisdom is seen among the wheels and beneath them, even beneath the wings of the cherubim, and His divine hand is placed upon the wheels. The Spirit of God moves and directs the wheels, guiding them and bringing harmony out of confusion, so that what looks like complete entanglement moves in complete harmony. In this way the whole machinery of earth and heaven moves under God's control and direction, and not by independent human control, with each wheel directed by the hand of God.
God's Rule Over Events
The wheel-like complexity is the complicated course of human events, and it shows that God rules the world and guides the affairs of the earth amid the conflict and turmoil of nations. His hand is beneath the workings of the world, bringing perfect order out of apparent confusion. The wheels move in every direction without turning, yet they move with exactness and complete harmony because the Spirit of God guides and directs them.
Heaven is closely connected with events on earth. Heavenly beings maintain wakeful vigilance and unceasing ministry in connection with beings on earth, acting at His command and word. Different work and employment enlists the energies of those messengers.
Through that ministry God exercises eternal justice by a powerful influence not under human control. Myriads of glorified beings stand ready at His word to overrule the power and policy of evil rulers and evil men, to counteract Satan's plans, and to bring good to His faithful people. Men may think they are directing matters, but higher than human influences are at work, and those who do not know God cannot comprehend His movements, though His servants know He is working.
God cares for those loyal to Him, holding the course of coming events and the destinies of nations and the church in His hands, and He knows every person. His divine hand is placed upon the wheels, so that what looks like complete entanglement moves in complete harmony, each part doing its specified work yet with individual freedom of action. The confusion comes when men misuse God-given talents and inventive genius, leave the guardianship of Christ for the prince of darkness, and try to explain creation, providence, plagues, earthquakes and famines by human philosophy and laws of nature without appealing to God, whereas the laws of nature are harmonious and conform with all His working, and the living and true God is necessary everywhere to maintain that order.
God's Work and Final Journey
Ezekiel chapter 1 holds a deep and important lesson for every one of God's workmen and should be studied carefully with humility and earnest prayer. The wheels within wheels look like confusion to the finite eye, yet a hand of infinite wisdom is at work amid the wheels. Out of that apparent confusion perfect order is brought, with every wheel working in its right place in perfect harmony with every other part of the machinery.
God himself directs, manages and controls his work done by human agents, and in providence is preparing a way for it to be done. Every human worker is only an instrument in his hands, to stand at his post of duty and act his part for this time knowing God is his instructor. Different work and employment enlists the energies of heavenly messengers, who maintain wakeful vigilance and unceasing ministry in connection with beings on earth while God's hand guides the wheel within a wheel. The intricate and unexplainable movements are brought into perfect order by God's hand, with every wheel directed by him working in perfect harmony with every other wheel.
No human instrumentality should seek after too much power and try to control the work, for these things belong to the great I AM. To do so is to leave the mighty Worker out of methods and plans and to fail to trust him for the advancement of the work. God governs the work even when its workings and order are difficult to understand, and human agents should do their appointed part without trying to control what belongs to God.
The living wheels accompany the cloudy, winged heavenly chariot as it rises upward toward the holy city and New Jerusalem. The chariot rolls upward with wheels beneath it and wings at its sides. The wheels move with it in any direction without turning. As they move, wheels and wings cry Holy and give praise to God, joining the heavenly procession of angels and saints toward the holy city.
The wheels went straight forward on any of their four sides without turning aside. They belonged to a wheel within a wheel whose many faces and intricate movements look like confusion and entanglement to finite eyes, yet out of that seeming confusion perfect order is brought as every wheel stands in its right place in exact harmony with all the rest. That harmony exists because the hand of infinite wisdom and the Spirit of God is among and beneath the wheels, so the machinery of earth and heaven moves under His control and not by independent human power. This wheel-like complexity is the complicated course of human events, through which God rules the world and guides the affairs of nations, overruling evil rulers and counteracting Satan to bring good to His faithful people. He Himself likewise directs and controls His work done through human agents, so each worker is only an instrument to stand at his post and do his appointed part without grasping for power that belongs to God, until the living wheels accompany His cloudy chariot upward toward the holy city.
The Wheels in Motion
When they went, they went straight forward upon their four sides, able to move in any of the four directions without turning around to change course. The living wheels beneath the cloudy chariot share this motion as it rises, crying Holy as they go, and they rise with it upward toward the New Jerusalem while wheels and wings proclaim holiness. Their steady movement without turning is part of an ordered working of providence, in which even what appears confused is brought into perfect order because God's hand is beneath the workings of the world.
The setting is a wheel within a wheel, with many sides and many faces to every wheel, joined to living creatures in a way that looks intricate and unexplainable. To the finite eye that intricacy looks like confusion and entanglement, and its movements cannot be traced by human reasoning. Yet the wheels and living creatures work together in an intricate but perfectly ordered way, illustrating direction by God even when His order is difficult to understand.
Out of that apparent confusion perfect order is brought, with every wheel in its right place and moving with exactness. Every wheel works in complete harmony with every other wheel and with every other part of the machinery, so that what first appeared confused is seen to be coordinated movement. The arrangement moves with exactness and harmony rather than disorder, and its harmony remains even while it moves in every direction without turning.
That harmony exists because the hand of infinite wisdom is seen among the wheels and beneath them, even beneath the wings of the cherubim, and His divine hand is placed upon the wheels. The Spirit of God moves and directs the wheels, guiding them and bringing harmony out of confusion, so that what looks like complete entanglement moves in complete harmony. In this way the whole machinery of earth and heaven moves under God's control and direction, and not by independent human control, with each wheel directed by the hand of God.
God's Rule Over Events
The wheel-like complexity is the complicated course of human events, and it shows that God rules the world and guides the affairs of the earth amid the conflict and turmoil of nations. His hand is beneath the workings of the world, bringing perfect order out of apparent confusion. The wheels move in every direction without turning, yet they move with exactness and complete harmony because the Spirit of God guides and directs them.
Heaven is closely connected with events on earth. Heavenly beings maintain wakeful vigilance and unceasing ministry in connection with beings on earth, acting at His command and word. Different work and employment enlists the energies of those messengers.
Through that ministry God exercises eternal justice by a powerful influence not under human control. Myriads of glorified beings stand ready at His word to overrule the power and policy of evil rulers and evil men, to counteract Satan's plans, and to bring good to His faithful people. Men may think they are directing matters, but higher than human influences are at work, and those who do not know God cannot comprehend His movements, though His servants know He is working.
God cares for those loyal to Him, holding the course of coming events and the destinies of nations and the church in His hands, and He knows every person. His divine hand is placed upon the wheels, so that what looks like complete entanglement moves in complete harmony, each part doing its specified work yet with individual freedom of action. The confusion comes when men misuse God-given talents and inventive genius, leave the guardianship of Christ for the prince of darkness, and try to explain creation, providence, plagues, earthquakes and famines by human philosophy and laws of nature without appealing to God, whereas the laws of nature are harmonious and conform with all His working, and the living and true God is necessary everywhere to maintain that order.
God's Work and Final Journey
Ezekiel chapter 1 holds a deep and important lesson for every one of God's workmen and should be studied carefully with humility and earnest prayer. The wheels within wheels look like confusion to the finite eye, yet a hand of infinite wisdom is at work amid the wheels. Out of that apparent confusion perfect order is brought, with every wheel working in its right place in perfect harmony with every other part of the machinery.
God himself directs, manages and controls his work done by human agents, and in providence is preparing a way for it to be done. Every human worker is only an instrument in his hands, to stand at his post of duty and act his part for this time knowing God is his instructor. Different work and employment enlists the energies of heavenly messengers, who maintain wakeful vigilance and unceasing ministry in connection with beings on earth while God's hand guides the wheel within a wheel. The intricate and unexplainable movements are brought into perfect order by God's hand, with every wheel directed by him working in perfect harmony with every other wheel.
No human instrumentality should seek after too much power and try to control the work, for these things belong to the great I AM. To do so is to leave the mighty Worker out of methods and plans and to fail to trust him for the advancement of the work. God governs the work even when its workings and order are difficult to understand, and human agents should do their appointed part without trying to control what belongs to God.
The living wheels accompany the cloudy, winged heavenly chariot as it rises upward toward the holy city and New Jerusalem. The chariot rolls upward with wheels beneath it and wings at its sides. The wheels move with it in any direction without turning. As they move, wheels and wings cry Holy and give praise to God, joining the heavenly procession of angels and saints toward the holy city.