"The four living creatures"
Revelation 4:6b-8
In the centre, round the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all round, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘ “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,” who was, and is, and is to come.’
What are the four living creatures, are we to take these descriptions literally or pictorially?
The language used in Revelation is without doubt complicated and mysterious making it extremely difficult to understand. Many people have offered various meanings to the verses contained within its pages, often linking them to the events of the day, only to find out soon afterwards that these interpretations were incorrect.
And the main reason is that the language John uses is mysterious and visionary, that describe wonderful creatures and beasts that boggle the mind. It’s worth noting that a lot of the imagery used is also found in the Old Testament (See Ezekiel 1:10)
But back in the 2nd century St Irenaeus of Lyon (130AD-202) was the first to associate the four Gospels with the four living creatures that surround the throne of God. Irenaeus proffered that “the gospels could not be more or less in number than they are, since there are four zones of the world in which we live and four physical winds, while the Church is spread over all the earth and the pillar and foundation of the Church is the Gospel, and the Spirit of life, it fittingly has four pillars everywhere, breathing out in-corruption and revivifying man. From this it is clear, the Word, the artifices of all things, being manifested to men gave us the Gospel, fourfold in form but held together by one Spirit. As David said when asking for his coming, ‘O sitter upon the cherubim show yourself. For the cherubim have four faces and their faces are images of the son of God.
For the first living creature it says was like a Lion, signifying his active and princely and royal character.
The second was like an Ox, showing his sacrificial and priestly order,
The third had the face of a man, indicating very clearly his coming in human guise.
And the fourth was like a flying eagle making plain the giving of the Spirit who broods over the Church.
Now the Gospels in which Christ is enthroned are like these”
The four Gospels described as four living creatures, cherubim, angels or messengers,,, messengers! The words contained within their pages, when we read them with open and receptive hearts are indeed living and breathing as the Spirit of God fills them with life, revivifying the hearts and souls of all who seek the truth the way, and the Life.
Amen