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described as comprised of animal and human forms, are always associated with the
Divine presence and purpose. The fact that the structure of Gen. 3: puts the serpent and
the cherubim in correspondence should make us consider what the parallelism teaches.
There is a passage in Ezekiel 28: that will throw light upon the subject. Ezekiel's
prophetic lamentation upon the king of Tyrus uses language that goes beyond the
possibilities of any human king.
"Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum (thou art the finished pattern), full
of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God. . . . thou
art (wast) the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the
holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found
in thee" (verses 12-19).
We believe that this passage can find its fulfillment in but one person Satan. As a
fallen being he is introduced into the narrative of Gen. 3: He had, by then, been
deprived of his character of the covering cherub, and after the fall of Adam the cherubim
appear--this time a combination of symbols taken from the six days' creation. "By pride
fell the angels". Lucifer, son of the morning, said,
"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. . . . I will
be like the Most High" (Isa. 14: 12-14).
Here, the king of Babylon is linked with this supernatural being, like the king of Tyrus
was in Ezek. 28: His temptation to man was along similar lines, "Ye shall be as God".
It would seem from a due consideration of these things that into the place forfeited by
Satan, the cherubim of Gen. 3: were placed. It appears from Ezekiel that one of the
functions of the cherubim was to "cover". Heb. 9: 5 speaks of "the cherubim of glory
shadowing the mercy seat", and I Kings 8: 7 tells "the cherubim covered the ark",
showing that this was in some measure continued. The cherubim occur in the symbolism
of the Tabernacle and of the Temple (Exod. 25: 18-22; 36: 35; I Kings 6: 23-29).
They are specially connected with God's dwelling place (I Sam. 4: 4; II Kings 19: 15;
I Chron. 13: 6; Psa. 80: 1; 99: 1; Isa. 37: 16), and throne (Ezek. 1: and 10:).
The description given of the living creatures in Ezek. 1: is the description of the
cherubim (see 10: 20). Ezekiel tells us that they had "the likeness of a man" (1: 5). They
had four faces, and one was the face of a man, one of a lion, one of an ox, and one of an
eagle (1: 10). These cherubim are seen under the throne, which had the appearance of a
sapphire stone, and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of
a man above upon it. The cherubim are particularly connected in Ezekiel with the
purposes of God pertaining to Israel. The departing, and the returning glory (3: 23 and
43: 2) is associated with them. The living creatures of the book of the Revelation
(wrongly called "beasts") are likewise associated with the throne, the glory and with
Israel, and also, forming a link with Genesis, the living creatures are closely associated
with creation. The serpent is judged and set aside, while the cherubim are placed to
preserve the way of the tree of life. The long line of redemptive purposes, passing from
Eden to the Tabernacle, from the Tabernacle to the Temple of Solomon, from the