GOD'S VEHICLES - CLOUDS, WHIRLWINDS, PILLARS (Part 2)

God warned Moses’ brother, Aaron, that he would die if he went into the holy place of the tabernacle, because he, the LORD, was going to be in a cloud upon the mercy seat. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.” (Leviticus 16:2)



In II Samuel, David, in a prayer, describes God as being in the dark clouds. “And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.” (II Samuel 22:11-12) The clouds are spoken of in the Psalms. “Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” (Psalms 97:2) “Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:” (Psalms 104:3)



Elijah the prophet, who was depressed at a certain time in his life had an extraordinary thing happen to him in the end. He never died a physical death, but instead was taken by God. We read of him later appearing with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration in the New Testament. How was he taken? What was it that took him? Elisha the prophet, his successor, witnessed Elijah’s departure. He described him as being taken up in a whirlwind. “And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elisha went with Elijah from Gilgal.’ (II Kings 2:1)“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (II Kings 2:11)



The word “whirlwind” is used 22 times in the Old Testament. We find that Job, at two different instances, spoke with God through something that appeared to be a whirlwind. What was it? “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, ” (Job 38:1)“Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind,” (Job 40:6)



Isaiah also describes seeing what he called seraphims as well as The LORD. “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.



Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:1-8



Ezekiel gives the most intriguing description of a type of vehicle found in the scriptures. It’s a little difficult to understand, but remember a donkey and a cart are the extent of his knowledge at that time. Again he begins with a whirlwind. He speaks of wheels that are on their sides, and then describes a wheel inside the wheel. The color amber, mentioned in verses four and twenty-seven, is described in the Strong‘s Hebrew dictionary as a shining substance, amber or electrum or bronze (highly polished bronze). In verse eighteen, Ezekiel describes the wheels as being “very terrible”, meaning awesome, as well as very tall or high. Could the “rings full of eyes” be something like windows? The expression, “turned not as they went,” to Ezekiel could have meant they didn’t turn their heads like he would think of a horse turning their head as they turn. These just went one way or the other, without turning their heads. When reading this description, we need to consider that part of the time he was speaking of the vehicles and part of the time of the beings on the vehicles. The part where he speaks of the “straight legs” or their “wings coming down,” could mean some sort of landing gear coming down. One other thing to consider is the mentioning of four heads. These were also symbols used by the twelve tribes of Israel. These creatures could have been vehicles with the four symbols on each side. We can’t know for sure what it all means. Perhaps you can decipher more information from it when you read it.

“And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and everyone had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straightforward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straightforward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures: and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of flash of lightning.

“Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

“And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness of the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 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.” (Ezekiel 1:4-28)



A brief statement, concerning the throne and the wheels, is what Daniel described in the 2nd part of Daniel 7:9 “His throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire.”



Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah the prophets, all three speak of the Lord coming in spectacular vehicles. Would we be prepared, if and when this was to happen? “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.” (Isaiah 66:15) “Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! For we are spoiled.” (Jeremiah 4:13) “And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.” (Zechariah 9:14) And, as we read previously of God coming with twenty thousand chariots or vehicles. Repeating: “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.” (Psalms 68:17)



There are several places in the scriptures, which speak of Jesus coming on the clouds. One being in the book of Revelation, we read: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:7-8)