What Ezekiel saw in his vision was extraordinary. It was “otherworldly” (in that no one had ever seen such things) and one could see why some would entertain the view that he saw a “spaceship” and creatures that could be considered “aliens” in that they were “not of this earth.” But as we shall see, he saw a “glowing chariot” that many, including this writer, believe was God’s “throne-chariot” which was being carried along by “living creatures” who were “angels” (which are identified in chapter 10 as “Cherubim”). Due to the length of this chapter, I will only cite certain verses along with brief comments.

“Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with RAGING FIRE ENGULFING ITSELF; and BRIGHTNESS was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the COLOR OF AMBER; out of the MIDST OF THE FIRE” (verse 4). This description surely sounds like images we have seen in movies where “spaceships from outer space” are seen with brilliant LIGHT flying through the sky at amazing speeds. But if we consider the very last few verses of the chapter we see this is NOT describing a spaceship, but rather the “GLORY of the LORD.” Here is what we read in verses 26-28, “And above the firmament over their heads was the LIKENESS OF A THRONE, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. Also, from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the COLOR OF AMBER with the appearance of FIRE all around it…the appearance of fire with BRIGHTNESS all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the BRIGHTNESS all around it. This was the appearance of the LIKENESS OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD.” What Ezekiel saw was GOD HIMSELF seated on a throne in all his majestic glory!

“Also from within it came the likeness of FOUR LIVING CREATURES” (verse 5). Were these strange aliens or were they angels? If you compare what is said of them in this chapter with the CHERUBIM (a certain order of ANGELS) in chapter 10 you should be convinced they are indeed “one and the same living creatures.” In verse 6 and we read that “each one had four faces” and these are explained in verse 10, “the face of a man…the face of a lion…the face of an ox…and the face of an eagle.” In chapter 10 verse 14 we read, “And each one had four faces, the first face of a cherub, and the second face of a man, and the third face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.” Thus these are NOT “four aliens as depicted in Sci-Fi movies”; they are “four cherubim.” What do the “four faces” represent? I believe God intended these angelic beings to symbolize the ATTRIBUTES OF GOD: His INTELLIGENCE (man), MAJESTY (lion), POWER (ox), and SWIFTNESS (eagle).

We are also told “each one had FOUR WINGS” (verse 6 with 10:5, 8, 12, 16, 19). After giving his description of them in chapter 10 he states emphatically, “This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I KNEW THAT THEY WERE THE CHERUBIMS.” This should convince all who bow to the authority of Scripture that we are dealing with ANGELS, NOT ALIENS! In 1:11 we read, “Their WINGS stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.” The “two wings covering their bodies” reminds us of another class of ANGELS called SERAPHIM who were seen by Isaiah worshipping the Lord. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood SERAPHIM; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is FULL OF HIS GLORY.” In both visions (Ezekiel’s and Isaiah’s) the primary thought is the “glory of the Lord” and the reverential worship of Him by angels.  (DO)  (690.1)