Four Living Creatures

December 13

Daily Bible Reading: Revelation 4

Verse of the Day: Revelation 4:7 – “And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.”

In today’s reading, we come upon four living creatures who are around the throne of God. These creatures show us a continuity within the Scriptures. We first find these descriptions in Ezekiel 1: 4 – 10. They are introduced as Cherubim or angels.

We can also see in this description that the four living creatures carry a connection to the four Gospel accounts. Matthew portrays Jesus as a king, or we could see a lion. In Mark, Jesus is portrayed as a servant. In Luke, Jesus is portrayed as the perfect man, and finally, in John, Jesus is shown as Deity. Deity is often represented as a mighty Eagle.

Only under the unifying hand of God could writers so far separated maintain a beautiful imagery.

Prayer: Spirit, may I see Jesus in all the Bible.