The Lion - displays The Father as The Most High Authority. No one or anything is higher.
On Earth, no one could challenge Yeshua/Jesus’ authority - even the winds and seas obey Him, even the demons are subject to Him, never have we heard anyone speak with such authority.
Hey, I've read a few posts back that you wrote now. I am writing this with big intro to explain how I got there because of other folks as well but this post really made things click for me...
People often think that cherubim and seraphim are some special beings, but there's another proof in the Bible that they represent the divine attributes.
Another forum member pointed out to me that the mercy seat in the Old Testament being Jesus grave. Two angels on top of it with wings touching are shown at resurrection at Jesus' head and feet. But what do they represent:
Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed
each other.
Truth, aka righteousness is meting out justice for sins. Mercy aka peace is forgiveness for sins. In Jesus grave, the two have met each other - God provided forgiveness while meting out punishment for sin. They kissed each other, which is represented by the cherubim wings touching tips above the Mercy seat. They are placed on different sides of the Ark, which itself represents judgment according to God's law (represented by tablets), this is why another nation was judged and plagued when they stole the Ark, and these two divine attributes are complete opposites meeting in God. Now the angels at Jesus' grave (mercy seat, as Christ rose as the ruler giving mercy while the law was appeased through death) were angels, but they clearly represent these two divine attributes and that's what they stand in for.
It caught my attention also how they touch wings in other visions, as well as on Tabernacle curtains (both inside and out, representing God being omnipresent) a lot of people think that they are some special angels but I am not really convinced.
Some other points I've been considering:
- They go forward like a lightning, this is compared elsewhere in the Bible to the movement of Jesus' coming.
- They don't turn, this kind of movement suggesting steadfastness, righteousness (unwavering), prosperity (always progress, not going back).
- They move like a flash, instantly, suggesting omnipresence or at least transcending space.
- Their wings touching, maybe representing connection of all life through the Spirit (air element aka wings).
- Lion, again Jesus is called the lion of Judah and appears as such in the parable of Samson, honey representing eternal life that came with the death of the lion (being sweet and incorruptible). The only other case of lion is satan looking to devour, which doesn't fit heaven.
This is the Bible defining itself.
Similar for lightning, it's either Son of Man, or satan. And satan isn't in heaven. So it makes sense that this might represent God's attributes.
- Eagle is also compared to God in the Bible "I carried you on eagle's wings". This likely represents the Holy Spirit (air element, heights), or maybe God as deliverer (the Bride in Rev. grows two wings like an eagle to escape from calamity).
- Man - this likely represents the image of God. Man is the only living creature that walks upright. It might represent righteousness and balance. Man has right and left foot, yet going straight and not swaying like a monkey, again with balancing suggesting justice, "the straight narrow way, not to the right or the left". This is capacity of man as opposed to beast. This also fits with Son of Man being the Judge and saints with Him. But I was confused with the ox, the puzzle kept resisting me I thought maybe power and fruitfulness (seed of Israel shown in 12 bulls around the sea of bronze at the Temple), I did not think priest... I wrote you a PM about it before I read all your comments here, so it's a bit clearer now how you arrived there, but would like more explanation nonetheless how did you come to ox to mean priest and provision...