Contents
Angels are messengers and servants. The assignments they will participate in at The Sign of Jesus’ Coming and thereafter can shed light on what we can expect will happen. There are five different stages to the return of Jesus.
Five Stages
- The Sign of Jesus
- Clouds of heaven
- Angels with the Ancient of Days at their helm
- Jesus himself
- The New Jerusalem
Note: Each stage is accompanied by more and more purifying until all nations have become Kingdom of God-qualified, and those on earth can endure the presence of Jesus.
Rewards
The angels will assist in dispensing the rewards under the direction of The Ancient of Days (explained further down):
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Matthew 16)
In The Revelation of John Jesus made the following promises to the faithful:
1. Can partake of the Tree of Life
2. Will receive a Crown of Life
3. Will avoid the Second Death
4. Will eat the Hidden Manna
5. Will receive a White Stone
6. Will receive a New Name
7. Will be given power to rule over nations, with a rod of iron
8. Will be given the Morning Star
9. Will walk with Jesus
10. Will receive a white raiment, to hide shame
11. Your name will not be blotted out of the Book of Life
12. Jesus will confess you before the Father
13. Jesus will confess you before the angels
14. An open door will be given to you that no man will stop
15. Will be kept from the Hour of Trial if it must come upon the earth
16. Will be made a pillar in the Temple of God
17. The name of God will be written upon you
18. The name of God’s city, New Jerusalem, will be written upon you
19. Jesus’ new name will be written upon you
20. Will sit with Jesus in his throne
21. Will make the hypocrites kneel down before you and acknowledge that you did walk with God
Which ones will be fulfilled immediately and which will come later is unknown. The items in bold may happen right away when the angels arrive. Of particular interest is the “white stone,” which may be a tool that his leaders on earth will have to perform their duties, and if they can partake of the Tree of Life right away, they may become immortal in the “twinkling of an eye.” (1 Cor. 15:52)
Also of interest are the names we will be given, which may or may not be badges of honor or insignias that give clearance and rank. They could be spiritual in nature and spiritually discerned. The “open door” and “rule nations” promises may go hand in hand. On such assignments, no one will be able to thwart or harass them like they do missionaries now.
It’s quite revealing how well Jesus knows human nature when he says the angels will make our critics bow to us and admit we were the ones who were following God. They may even be forced to be our servants, depending on which translation you read. (Rev. 3:9)
Remnant of Jacob
The following prophecy reveals how the righteous (remnant of Jacob, young lion) will be among the unrighteous (many people, sheep, adversaries, enemies). It is both a messianic prophecy (Jesus will be born in Bethlehem) and a millennial prophecy (what happens after The Sign):
2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
7 And the remnant of Jacob (righteous/faithful) shall be in the midst of many people (unrighteous) as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:
11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. (Micah 5)
The righteous who have been burdened by the unfaithful and their evil practices, including witchcraft, soothsaying, idol worship, building wicked cities or strongholds, heathen business, will have no problem taking back what is rightfully God’s. The pagan and the wicked will either conform or be destroyed.
[See also Consequences & Framework for more rewards.]
Resurrection
The righteous dead will be gathered from wherever they are throughout heaven in preparation for their resurrections:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24)
The resurrected who receive positions of leadership will remain on earth. The others will ascend.
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5)
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20)
We will witness both the return of resurrected Bible prophets (and others from that period) and the simultaneous resurrection of others who died in the last two thousand years, including our very own loved ones who have been faithful.
Because God performs things in an orderly fashion, we can expect families on earth to be notified by an angel when a loved one is going to resurrect:
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15)
How much attention the resurrection of strangers and distant relatives will receive is not known. Our recently departed loved ones will no doubt resurrect in an orderly way, which will be accompanied by a brief graveside ceremony.
Sheep & Goats
Under Jesus’ direction, the angels will divide the “sheep” from the “goats”:
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25)
Who are the sheep, and how are they different from the goats?
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25)
The kingdom the sheep receive is prepared for them “from the foundations of the world,” meaning, an earthly kingdom. In the Short Version, the goats get to stay on earth rather than go straight to hell, but they will experience a purifying by the presence of God’s love, as well as enticements from The Mighty and Strong Ones.
According to this parable, we will be judged, not by how well we treated fellow church members, but strangers in need. It’s not how well we loved those who know us and already love us:
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? (Matthew 5)
Ashamed
As is pointed out further down, books are kept of our thoughts and works. God knows who “thought upon Him” and as we saw with the judgments of the sheep and goats, our actions, and in particular whether we defended God and Christ, will determine whether they will defend us:
8 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8; Luke 9:26)
Nothing is worse than denying the Holy Ghost, but hypocrites come pretty close.
Vengeance
As stated above in the Promises section, Jesus knows human nature and what it’s like to be persecuted, and so the angels will take vengeance upon our persecutors:
5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day. (2 Thessalonians 1)
When the glory comes down, it will be edifying to the righteous, but for the unrighteous, it will be a most uncomfortable “fire.” It will be a day of peace and rest to the righteous, but a time of tribulation and vengeance upon the disobedient.
Before Jesus can descend to earth, its inhabitants must be ready to endure his presence. The first time Jesus came to earth, he lived at our level of existence. The second time, we’re required to come up to his. For this reason, there are stages to his coming. Prophecy writers have entirely overlooked this work of preparing the inhabitants of the earth by the angels.
Most leap from tribulations > to the antichrist > to the coming of Jesus on the earth.
Instead of putting Jesus’ descent first and our rulership under him second, we understand from the Five Stages that our rulership and service will begin much sooner with the ministry of angels and, most importantly, by the direction of The Ancient of Days.
Ancient of Days
Please notice in the following revelation the following points:
a. Jesus is not The Ancient of Days; Jesus comes to The Ancient of Days
b. The Ancient of Days is not God
c. The Ancient of Days has one million assistants
d. He will determine who is going in which positions of leadership throughout the earth. He will be in charge; that’s what the books and judgments are referring to
e. Once all nations of the earth have become like kingdoms of heaven (The Lord’s Prayer fulfilled), then, and not before, will it be time for Jesus to come to earth
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7)
So who is The Ancient of Days? We know the resurrected will return to rule on earth, and we know the oldest man is Adam. It only fits that “the first will be last.” (Mat. 20:16) The Ancient of Days is the first man Adam who no doubt will be accompanied by his wife Eve.
Adam
Who is Adam? Adam lived 930 years and directly influenced nine generations of time spanning over 1651 years. That is a good chunk of time compared to our measly 77-year average lifespan today. He lived twelve of our lifetimes, and we don’t know how long he was alone in the Garden of Eden before Eve joined him, or how long he and Eve lived before they fell.
Adam was told he would return to dust; therefore we know he experienced death, not a translation like Elijah. All that we know of Adam and the first 1000 years of earth life is what Moses recorded in the opening chapters of Genesis. There are gaps in what we know of our earth’s history, yet the archaeological record shows a lot was going on during that time.
Instead of visualizing Adam solely based on what the Bible says, we may do well to limit the influence of those facts on our interpretation and incorporate other more elaborate possibilities. How much of what Moses saw and experienced with God did Adam and Eve see and experience with Him? Was it different, if so, how?
Why did Moses leave out so many details of Adam and Eve’s life? Was he commanded to do so by God? The Ancient Aliens Theory puts forth the idea that:
“Extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years” (History Channel).
Who taught Adam the things we take for granted like what to eat, how to prepare food, how to farm, how to write, how to deliver a baby, how to stitch a wound, stop bleeding, set a bone? Did he or his children need glasses? How to govern and discipline, how to set a schedule, how to conduct trades, or create a monetary system, personal hygiene, etc.
How long did it take to teach the first man and woman everything they needed to know in order to establish humanity on earth for generations to come? Whatever that schooling was, and at what level, one can only speculate.
But if he was taught from above like Moses, and taught on a spiritual level similar to what’s coming to earth, then it makes perfect sense that Adam (and Eve) would be the one to return. And it makes sense that he would be the one to set the earth in order before the return of Jesus Christ since God taught him in the first place. From the prophecy of Daniel, we learn what we can expect when Adam returns.
Thrones
The King James Version is one of the few translations that renders verse 9 as “thrones cast down” instead of “thrones set up.” A note in the Amplified Version is of particular interest: “[for the assessors with the Judge],” which will be explored below.
I beheld till the thrones were cast downe, and the Ancient of dayes did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the haire of his head like the pure wooll: his throne was like the fierie flame, and his wheeles as burning fire. (KJV 1611)
I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, (NLT)
“As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. (NIV)
I kept looking until thrones were placed [for the assessors with the Judge], and the Ancient of Days [God, the eternal Father] took His seat, Whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame; its wheels were burning fire. (AMP)
I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; (NKJ)
I behelde, till the thrones were set up, and the Ancient of dayes did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the heare of his head like the pure wooll: his throne was like the fierie flame, and his wheeles as burning fire. (Geneva)
What are these “thrones” or “seats”? As the Amplified puts it, the Ancient of Days is the judge, and his assistants are The Assessors. Who will those assessors be? The answer may be in Revelation 2:26; they will be the faithful:
26 And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; (Revelation 2)
This passage confirms what we learned about the faithful ruling and reigning as kings and priests throughout The Millennium. The use of the words “rule” and “rod” are common in the rulership prophecies.
Psalms 110
The following prophecy is insightful of the period immediately after The Sign appears. People will be “willing” because God’s love will be everywhere. The “rod” means “zero tolerance” for disobedience to God’s strong love. It will be the faithful “assessors” who will put the enemies down in preparation for the day when Jesus will descend:
1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head. (Psalms 110)
The “rod of iron” is what? That can be learned from Jesus:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. (Isaiah 11)
Isaiah 11
The prophecy in Isaiah 11 also refers to a rod. Though this chapter is often understood to be messianic, it applies to the time after The Sign arrives and thereafter when the wolf and the lamb will get along. There are many confirming points of the Cut Short model; therefore, it is cited in full and divided into sections with key words preceding each section with alternate translations for some verses.
1-5
Jesse is the father of David, and Jesus is a descendant of King David, thus the allegory of a family tree. A detail missed by King James translators, however, is that it bore “fruit,” and the prophecy applies to His believers; therefore we changed the pronouns “him” “he” and “his” to the plural “they” “them” and “their.”
[BELIEVERS, GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, JUDGE, REPROVE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SMITE, SLAY, FAITHFULNESS]
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
1 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. [NLT]
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. [NASB]
1 And a rod hath come out from the stock of Jesse, And a branch from his roots is fruitful. [YLT]
1 After this there shal come a rod forth of ye Kynrede of Iesse, and a blossome out of his rote. [Coverdale, 1535]2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon them, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make them of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and they shall not judge after the sight of their eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of their ears:
4 But with righteousness shall they judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and they shall smite the earth with the rod of their mouth, and with the breath of their lips shall they slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of their loins, and faithfulness the girdle of their reins. (Isaiah 11)
6-9
The only thing that will cause the animals to change will be when The Sign of Jesus’ Coming arrives and after that as the glory of God is poured out; this is how we know this prophecy pertains to that period and not Jesus’ first coming.
[ANIMALS AT PEACE]
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: (Isaiah 11)
9
The earth will become full of the knowledge of the Lord after The Sign of His Coming.
[EARTH FULL OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD]
9 …for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11)
10
Note that the verse begins “in that day” meaning, AFTER The Sign of Jesus’ Coming and thereafter. Jesus will then be represented on earth by his rulers mentioned in Verses 2-5. The “Gentiles,” i.e., the non-believers, will “seek” out the source of The Sign and his love and angels, which will be “glorious.”
[ENSIGN of the people, GENTILES, REST, GLORIOUS]
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious [*].
10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.” [NKJV]
10 In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. [NLT]
10 Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious. [NASB]
10 And there hath been, in that day, A root of Jesse that is standing for an ensign of peoples, Unto him do nations seek, And his rest hath been–honour! [YLT]
10 Then shal the Gentiles enquere after the rote of Iesse (which shalbe set vp for a token vnto the Gentiles) for his dwellinge shalbe glorious. [Coverdale, 1535] (Isaiah 11)
11
At the time of The Sign and thereafter, a second attempt will be made to recover the spiritually lost:
[HAND 2ND TIME, RECOVER PEOPLE]
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 11)
12
The “ensign to the nations” will be a formal orchestrated approach carried out by the Ancient of Days, much like how nations have Embassies in other nations around the world. From these, the faithful will rule as prophesied in many places, not just Isaiah 11.
[ENSIGN for the nations, GATHER]
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
12 He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. [NLT]
12 And He will lift up a standard for the nations [NASB]
12 And He hath lifted up an ensign to nations, And gathereth the driven away of Israel, [YLT]
12 banner [NKJV, NIV] (Isaiah 11)
13-16
The birthplace of Christianity was Israel. Even today she and her inhabitants (predominantly Jews) are under attack. At The Sign of Jesus’ Coming and after that, Israel will be loved, admired, cherished, supported, and served.
[ENVY stop, ADVERSARIES cut off, SHOULDERS of others, SPOILs, OBEY them/RULE others]
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. (Isaiah 11)
Believers need not assume they will be called to such a lofty position if they themselves are lacking any of the traits spelled out above. On the other hand, if you do have those traits, you will be called to help the Ancient of Days assess the people of earth.
Wheels
What does this expression “wheels as burning fire” mean? Here is the text:
9 …his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. (Daniel 7)
The word “wheel” and its plural form is mainly found in Ezekiel and appears to be Ezekiel’s way of describing a motorized vehicle of some sort:
15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
16 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.
17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
19 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.
20 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.
21 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.
22 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.
23 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.
24 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.
25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
26 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 as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27 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.
28 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)
The second most popular wheel text is also found in Ezekiel:
8 And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.
9 And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.
10 And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.
11 When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.
12 And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.
13 As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.
14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.
16 And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.
17 When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.
18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.
19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.
21 Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
22 And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward. (Ezekiel 10)
What is of interest is the use of this wheeled/motorized vehicle by cherubim. Do angels need vehicles to perform their duties? Does God use technology? There is, of course, a difference between God and angels, and what God Himself uses or needs to use, and what angels need to use.
It’s not hard to wonder why cherubims may be in need of a space vehicle. For example, Elijah was taken from earth in the flesh in a vehicle referred to as a “chariot.” Jesus and his angels will return in the “clouds of heaven” the same way he went up into heaven – in a “cloud.”
A “cloud” came down on Mt. Sinai and followed over the children of Israel and provide shade for them as they wandered through the desert by day and light by night. One can only imagine what all the practical dynamics of God’s administrations have been, currently are, or in the future will contain.
One camp assigns all functionality to the Spirit by God or his angels. At the other end of the spectrum, some attribute entirely to the use of technology. The truth may be a combination, as it says above, the Spirit activated the wheels and the wheels powered the craft.
Wouldn’t it be marvelous if higher technologies could only be powered or operated by the Holy Spirit? Which would provide a safety mechanism that they would never be used against God or for things not compatible with God’s Spirit, i.e., love.
Based on Ezekiel, we may conclude that the Ancient of Days may be arriving in a Holy Spirit-directed, “wheeled,” inter-dimensional vehicle upon which sits his throne. Whether his one million assistants will be “carpooling” with him or appearing in their own transports is not known, but there is a reference to multiple vehicles arriving all at once:
26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
Isaiah 5)
One can easily imagine how the wicked will be removed while reading that prophecy with “wheels like a whirlwind,” which is, of course, referring to flying, inter-dimensional craft. The phrase “bows are bent” means they are ready for battle, and their arrows being “sharp” means the will be precise about their prey and whom they will remove or “carry away.”
“Not be weary” means they will be using a type of technology and power source that never stops or breaks. Also, the sky is “darkened,” possibly because of the size of the craft and the sheer number that arrives.