Ezekiel 1:28
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
This verse closes a symbolic vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, showing living creatures also called cherubim, wheels within wheels, a throne above them, and a brightness round about like a bow in a cloud on a rainy day. The wheels and connected living forms look intricate and like inexplicable confusion to the finite human eye. Yet a hand of infinite wisdom is at work among the machinery bringing perfect order out of confusion. Every wheel is in its right place working in perfect harmony with every other part and with the grand center.
The rainbow-like brightness encircling the throne and surrounding the glory is an emblem and sign of God's mercy, grace, love, and covenant of peace. That mercy encompasses the earth. The rainbow around the throne and above Christ's head signifies God's glory and mercy resting on Christ for the benefit of repentant people. When human wickedness provokes divine wrath Christ intercedes before the Father by pointing to the rainbow in the cloud as evidence of mercy and compassion toward repentant sinners. The rainbow above the throne also represents the union of mercy and justice, by which God offers life through a ransom to the sinful but repentant soul.
The vision shows heaven closely connected with earth and reveals that the Eternal One sits above the cherubim. He reigns above earthly rulers, rules the world, guides the movements of the cherubim and the affairs of nations amid conflict and turmoil. He holds coming events, the destiny of nations, and the concerns of the church in His care. Overwhelmed by the appearance of the glory, Ezekiel falls on his face and hears the voice of one speaking, calling him to rise to receive a warning message for Israel.
The vision holds a deep lesson for every workman that should be studied with humility and earnest prayer. God Himself controls, guides, and instructs His work and can bring order from apparent confusion. So His servants need not trust only in themselves but must depend on the Holy Spirit, look to God in faith and trust in every crisis demanding immediate action. They must refuse desire for power, control, and dictation over what belongs to God, give no glory to human agencies, and each stand at his own post of duty while God in providence prepares the way for work to be done through living human agency.