The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

The third living one is represented as having a face like the face of a man. It is this feature
that specially distinguishes this living one from the others. It will be interesting as well as
profitable in discovering the significance of this symbol to have in mind that in ancient
sculptures it was quite common to see the head of a man with the body of an animal. It is
evident that these were employed as symbols. Many of these were discovered by Mr.
Layard in the ruins of Nineveh. Referring to their use as symbols, he states:
"I used to contemplate for hours these mysterious emblems and muse over their intent and
history. What more noble forms could have ushered the people into the temple of their
gods? What more sublime images could have been borrowed from nature by men who
sought, unaided by the light of revealed religion, to embody their conceptions of the
wisdom, power, ubiquity of a Supreme Being? They could find no better type of intellect
and knowledge than the head of a man; of strength, than the body of the lion; of rapidity
of motion, than the wings of a bird. These winged, human-headed lions were not idle
creations, the offspring of mere fancy; their meaning was written upon them. They had
awed and instructed races which flourished 3000 years ago. Through the portals which
they guarded, kings, priests, and warriors had borne sacrifices to their altars, long before
the wisdom of the East had penetrated into Greece, and had furnished its mythology with
symbols long recognized by the Assyrian votaries."
There is quite a general agreement that the aspect of a man in this vision denotes
intelligence, wisdom, as "It is this which distinguishes man from the creation beneath
him"; and if the explanation of the symbol is that of the administration of the government
of God, . . .
". . . then the meaning of this emblem is that the operations of the government of God are
conducted with intelligence and wisdom. That is, the Divine administration is not the
result of blind fate or chance; it is founded on a clear knowledge of things, on what is best
to be done, and what will most conduce to the common good. Of the truth of this there can
be no doubt; and there was a propriety that in a vision designed to give to man a view of
the government of the Almighty, this should be appropriately symbolized."
"The fourth living one was like to a flying eagle." Keeping in mind the thought that it is a
front view of these living ones that is being described by St. John, and their bodies would
of course seem to him to be "in the midst," or under the throne, there would be no
impropriety in supposing that the form of the body of this living one is not described. The
body may have, like the others, formed a support to the throne and be the same as the
others.
"As in the case of the other living beings, so it is to be remarked of the fourth living
creature also, that the form of the body is unknown. There is no impropriety in supposing
that it is only its front aspect that John here speaks of, for that was sufficient for the
symbol. The remaining portion, 'in the midst of the throne,' may have corresponded with
that of the other living beings, as being adapted to a support. In further illustration of this,