The four living creatures in Ezek. 1 are in a wonderful coordination and one accord, and there’s fire moving among them; they have the appearance of the sanctifying God, and they manifest a glorious and majestic condition.
Each of the four living creatures had four wings: with two they covered themselves, and two were joined together to the adjacent living creatures; they were coordinated together and they moved and even ran together like lightning.
Humanly speaking, it is not easy to have a three-legged race; you need to coordinate with the other person to walk together – just imagine how difficult it would be to have four living creatures move together in oneness!
However, these four living creatures were so well-coordinated that among them there were coals of fire burning, and burning torches. If we as living creatures in the church life learn to coordinate in spirit and oneness with the saints, doing everything through the cross and by the Spirit to minister Christ to others, we will burn and we will burn one another – there will be the divine fire burning in us and among us.
As we fellowship and coordinate together, the Lord burns away anything that is not of Him; both good things and negative things in our being will be exposed, and anything that is not of God will be eliminated by the fire in fellowship.
As we fellowship and coordinate together, the divine fire will burn among us and we will be made fervent, intensely hot; any lukewarmness or coldness will be eliminated, and we will be burning intensely for the Lord.
It is from this fire burning among us and in us in coordination that the church has the power and the impact; this fire produces the one accord, which is the master key for all the blessings in the New Testament.
As the Lord burns in us and among us in our fellowship and coordination, we also are enlightened and can enlighten others.
In our coordination as living creatures we are enlightened by the Lord concerning many things, and He burns away many natural, negative, and fleshly things; therefore, we become full of light, bright, and able to enlighten others concerning what the Lord has enlightened us.
Allowing God to Move Freely among us to have the Appearance of the Sanctifying God
The fire that burns among the living creatures is not static but always moving; our God is a consuming fire, and when we as living creatures coordinate and fellowship together, we should allow Him to move freely among us.
The One sitting on the throne has the appearance of a man; from the loins downwards (signifying His move) He has the appearance of fire, and from the loins upwards (His feeling, thoughts, desires) He has the sight of electrum (see Ezek. 1:26-27).
At the same time, among the living creatures there are burning coals and burning torches, and fire is going up and down among them.
As we fellowship and coordinate, being open to the Lord and allowing Him to move freely among us, there’s the divine fire going up and down; He has a way to burn away anything that is not of Him, and He enlightens us and makes us bright and full of light and fire.
The fire among the living creatures has its source in God’s burning fire; it is not a man-made fire or a natural fire, but it is the fire from God. Therefore, the likeness of God is burning fire (Ezek. 1:27) and the likeness of the four living creatures is also burning fire (vv. 13-14), indicating that the living creatures have the likeness of God’s sanctification.
God is holy, and when we touch Him – both personally and together in coordination – we are being sanctified to the extent that we become like God in sanctification.
The Lord Jesus said, You therefore shall be holy, even as your heavenly Father is holy; when we live by the Father’s nature within us and allow the Lord to move freely in our fellowship and coordination, we become like God in sanctification, and we bear His likeness to express Him.
The more we allow the Lord to burn us and enlighten us as we fellowship and coordinate with the saints, the more we have God’s likeness and express Him. Furthermore, the fire is bright (Ezek. 1:13); this indicates that in their coordination the living creatures manifest a glorious and majestic condition.
![The likeness of God is burning fire [Ezek. 1:27], and the likeness of the four living creatures also is burning fire [vv. 13-14]. This indicates that the living creatures have the likeness of God’s sanctification. They are like God in sanctification. From this we see that the more we are burned and enlightened, the more we have God’s likeness and express Him. W. Lee, Life-study of Ezekiel, p. 76](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/The-likeness-of-God-is-burning-fire-and-the-likeness-of-the-four-living-creatures.jpg?resize=450%2C450&ssl=1 "The likeness of God is burning fire [Ezek. 1:27], and the likeness of the four living creatures also is burning fire [vv. 13-14]. This indicates that the living creatures have the likeness of God’s sanctification. They are like God in sanctification. From this we see that the more we are burned and enlightened, the more we have God’s likeness and express Him. W. Lee, Life-study of Ezekiel, p. 76")
In our daily Christian life and church life we need to do many things here and there; however, even when we are about to be busy and do many things, we need to have the realization that we need fellowship and coordination with our fellow living creatures.
When we stop, even when we tend to be busy, to fellowship and coordinate, we will have the fire burning bright among us, and we will manifest a glorious and majestic condition, becoming the expression of the sanctifying God.
Such a situation is beautiful and radiant, and it should be the normal condition of the church.
When we come together, we all should be the living creatures bearing God’s likeness, and there will be no problems but rather, we will love one another, serve one another, and care for one another in love, allowing the Lord to freely move among us and be manifested in us.
Lord Jesus, may the fire burn and move up and down in our fellowship and coordination. Make us willing to allow You to burn in us, burn among us, and enlighten us with Your divine fire and light in our coordination. Lord, sanctify us both personally and in our fellowship and coordination together with the saints. Make us the expression and manifestation of the sanctifying God who operates in us, burns in us, and enlightens us. Lord, may there be a glorious and majestic condition among us as we become Your manifestation corporately!
Having Special Light for Special Situations and having the Power and Impact in our Coordination
The living creatures ran to and fro like the appearance of a flash of a lightning bolt (Ezek. 1:14). On the one hand there’s the brightness and light, which indicates that God as fire burns among us and as light He shines in us, and on the other hand there’s the lightning and flashing of lightning.
Lightning and flashing of lightning is special, often related to storms and darkness. In a normal situation, the church should be full of God’s burning and enlightening with brightness; however, at special times – in emergencies or crisis – there may be “flashing of lightning”.
At special times the Lord may shine with a special light that flashes suddenly and causes others to be astonished (see Matt. 24:27).
The more we coordinate and fellowship by denying the self, bearing the cross, and living in resurrection, the more we have God’s light in a normal way, and sometimes even flashing of lightning when there’s a special need.
Ezekiel 1:14 says, “And the living creatures ran to an fro like the appearance of a flash of a lightning bolt.” This indicates that the living creatures, having such a coordination, being the burning coals and the burning torches, and having the fire going up and down, will not walk but run. They run because they have the power and the impact. In some churches, however, there is no running. Instead, there is fighting. In other churches the saints are either sitting or squatting. In still other churches they may be crawling. A proper church is a church that runs. Witness Lee, Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 7
Wow, the church should run! When we have a proper coordination and allow the divine fire to burn us and the divine light to enlighten us, we will no longer live in our natural man, no longer fight or argue, and no longer merely stand: we will run, even run fast like a lightning bolt.
When there’s a proper coordination, the church will run like lightning, and the church will give light to others.
Every local church should be like this, and we all need to be such ones who are living creatures in coordination, having God as fire and light burning and shining in us and among us.
When others see us, they will see light and fire: we will run, and we will manifest God as light. This moving in coordination with the light and fire is the proper church life.
This coordination will bring in the Lord’s presence and His blessing, and it will keep the church in a proper balance, preventing it from going to the extremes.
When we are in such a good and proper coordination, the Lord has a free way to move in and among us, and His presence is with us at all times.
We should be like a lightning bolt in our fellowship and coordination, allowing God to freely move among us as the divine fire and light, and we will have the power and the impact.
Lord Jesus, may all the local churches be full of the divine fire burning and the divine light shining, so that there would be the appearance of a lightning bolt in the church’s move. Keep us in a proper coordination with the saints, allowing the divine fire to run up and down, so that we may be burned and enlightened. Lord Jesus, gain a proper coordination among the saints in the church life, a coordination that will allow You to move like lightning among us and keep us in Your presence under Your blessing!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by brother Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 7 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel (1), msg. 4 (week 4), The Coordination of the Four Living Creatures.
- Hymns on this topic:
# With the cloud continually a fire does flash / Burning us! Burning us! / It exposes sin, the soul life, and the flesh, / Burning us! Burning us! / Let it burn! the jealous flame of God; / Let it burn continually! / Let it burn! this all-consuming flame; / Let it burn us thoroughly! (Hymns #1200)
# Come, O seven Spirits, come, / Thy recovery work be done! / Burn and search us thoroughly, / All the churches are for Thee. / Burn us, search us, / All the churches are for Thee! (Hymns #1122)
# “Keep the incense burning,” / Hourly let it rise, / Till from opened heavens, / Till from flame-swept skies, / Fire shall fall and kindle / All hearts to a flame; / Making us a glory / To our Savior’s name. (Hymns #790)
About aGodMan
Among the coordinated living creatures, who are burning coals and burning torches, there is the fire going up and down. This indicates that the fire is not static but is always moving, because the fire is God Himself. Whenever the church is properly coordinated, burning as coals and enlightening as torches, there will be the divine fire going up and down.
The fire among the living creatures has its source in God’s burning fire. God’s fire is not next to the living creatures; it is above them. There is fire with the living creatures because in their fellowship they allow God to move freely among them. Thus, the fire in their fellowship is the likeness of God’s fire.
The likeness of God is burning fire [Ezek. 1:27], and the likeness of the four living creatures also is burning fire [vv. 13-14]. This indicates that the living creatures have the likeness of God’s sanctification. They are like God in sanctification. From this we see that the more we are burned and enlightened, the more we have God’s likeness and express Him. (Life-study of Ezekiel, p. 76, by W. Lee)
Amen Lord, burn away anything that isn’t You.
Amen we need the Body Life
AMEN!