Visions Of God

By O. Alfonso McKinley

In a search to understanding the "four living creatures" in the fourth chapter of the book of "Revelation", I felt I needed to know more about the "one sitting on the throne". In Ezekiel chapter one, the prophet said he saw "visions of God" and later in the chapter went on to say, "this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." I came to the conclusion that the one sitting on the throne is God and that He is the Supreme Moral Authority, the Supreme Intelligence, and the Ultimate Source of all Energy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098019761

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VISIONS OF

GOD

O. Alfonso McKinley

ISBN 978-1-0980-1975-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-2468-0 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-0980-1976-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2020 by O. Alfonso McKinley

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Introduction

The book of Genesis begins with the statement; In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth( Genesis 1:1). No attempt is made to describe or explain God. However, we can come to some understanding of God by observing the created earth and the things in it.

In the epistle to the Romans, we read:

What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. (Romans 1:19–20 NKJV)

We can also look up into the heavens and learn about God. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalms 19:1).

In this book, after examining biblically recorded attributes and characteristics of God, we will attempt to look upon the earth, then turn our gaze into the heavens to see the things that God will show us about Himself.

Chapter 1

Who Is God?

Who Is God?

Who is God? Just what do we know about Him? This is a question that has perplexed and intrigued mankind throughout the ages.

Ezekiel’s Vision of the Appearance of the Divine Glory

As we begin, I want to refer to the statements of an individual in the Scriptures who, it would appear, had a personal visible encounter with God. Reading from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel:

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. (Ezekiel 1:1)

Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. (Ezekiel 1:28)

Who Was Ezekiel?

Ezekiel was one of the great prophets of Israel. He was the son of Busi, of priestly descent, and was carried away captive into exile to Babylon in the year 599 B.C.—i.e., in the eleventh year before the destruction of Jerusalem—along with King Jehoiachin, the nobles of the kingdom, many priests, and the better class of the population of Jerusalem and of Judah including political and military leaders and skilled craftsmen, numbering some 10,000 captives. He was one of the Jewish exiles who settled at Tel-Abib, on the banks of the Chebar.¹

While in captivity he had this great vision. In the first verse of chapter one, the prophet declared that he saw visions of God. From there he went on to describe the vision, and at the end of the chapter, in verse 28, he concluded the description of the vision with the statement, This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. There is no doubt here that what Ezekiel saw was a vision of God. What do we know about God?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines God as a being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions.²

The Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia states that God is the center and focus of religious faith, a holy being or ultimate reality to whom worship and prayer are addressed. Especially in monotheistic religions, God is considered the creator or source of everything that exists and is spoken of in terms of perfect attributes—for instance, infinitude, immutability, eternity, goodness, knowledge, and power.³

Theologians speak of the Attributes of God as being omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

Omnipotent: being all powerful; having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force. God’s power is His ability to accomplish His purposes and carry out His will in the world. He can do what needs to be done in any circumstance.⁴

Omniscient: all knowing; having total knowledge; knowing everything. It also includes His ability to know what is best for each and every one of His creatures.

Omnipresent: all-present; present everywhere simultaneously.

God as present with us, God is present in His world in a unique manner. He is never separated from any part of His creation. As spirit, God has the perfect capability of being present everywhere in the world at once. The Bible speaks of God’s presence in two major ways: in space and in relationships.⁵

The God of Creation—Creator

The Bible’s references to God for the most part, however, is creator. The first affirmation of God in the Scriptures begins with the fact of His creatorship: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). All of Scripture and faith itself rests on the foundation of the fact that God is the creator of heaven and earth.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20, NKJV)

The above citation gives emphasis to the biblical affirmation of God as creator. The starting point of faith is the acknowledgement of the fact that God exists, and the evidence of His existence is demonstrated by the fact of the created earth and heavens. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)

Testimonials

God’s creatorship is widely recognized throughout the Bible, as many of the personalities of the Bible both in the Old and the New Testaments testify that He is the creator.

The Testimony of Jonah. Jonah tried to escape from God because he did not want to preach to the Ninevites as God commanded him. Instead of going inland to Nineveh, he went out to sea on a ship bound for Tarshish. God sent a strong storm against the ship, the sailors feared for their lives and began to pray to their gods, then they called on Jonah to pray to his God, and then they realized he was a stranger whom they knew nothing about, so they enquired of him:

Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you? (Jonah 1:8)

Jonah stood up and gave his testimony and declared that he was a Hebrew, and that he served the God of heaven who made the sea and dry land. So he said to them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land (Jonah 1:9). Jonah declared that God was the creator of heaven, earth, and sea.

The Testimony of Hiram King of Tyre

Hiram was the son of Abibaal (my father is Baal) and was nineteen years old when he succeeded his father as king of Tyre on the Phoenician coast, just north of Israel. When David became king of Israel, Hiram sent congratulatory gifts to him, including men and materials to build a palace. The friendship between the men grew. The close relationship continued into Solomon’s reign, and the two men made an agreement which resulted in the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.⁶

In answer to King Solomon’s letter of request for men and material to build the temple in Jerusalem, Hiram king of Tyre replied with an answer that was remarkable coming from a gentile pagan. Remember, he was the son of Abibaal (my father is Baal). His reply is recorded in 2 Chronicles 2:11–12.

Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them. Hiram also said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal house for himself!

He has added his voice to all the faithful who worship the God of creation.

The Testimony of Hezekiah

Hezekiah was one of the good kings of Israel; it is said of him that…

He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. (2 Kings 18:5–6)

The Siege

Having massed his army outside Jerusalem, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent a letter of threat to Hezekiah the king of Israel, demanding the surrender of the city. On receiving the letter, Hezekiah went to the temple and spread out the letter before the Lord and prayed. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth (Isaiah 37:15–16).

Hezekiah in his prayer testified and declared that God is the creator of heaven and earth. It is evident that God answered the prayer of Hezekiah. The next morning when Sennacherib awoke, he found 185,000 of his men lying dead in their tents. Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead (Isaiah 37:36).

Stunned and demoralized, Sennacherib gathered his few remaining soldiers and marched back home only to be later assassinated by his own sons (Isaiah 37:37–38). The God who made heaven and earth moved on behalf of King Hezekiah and the people of Israel.

The Testimony of the Apostles

The apostles in the New Testament also gave testimony to the creatorship of God. Peter and John, after healing the lame man at the gate called Beautiful and speaking to the people, the rulers arrested and threatened them and forbade them to preach anymore in the name of Jesus. After their release, they rejoined the other disciples and told them what the rulers said. Having heard of the threats, they joined their voices in prayer and prayed to God who made heaven and earth and sea. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them (Acts 4:24).

Jonah testified that God made the sea and the dry land. Hiram king of Tyre and King Hezekiah declared that God made heaven and earth. The apostles brought it all together and proclaimed that God made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.

The Apostles’ Creed

The early Christian church affirmed their faith in the Apostles’ Creed. Containing a brief summary of the teachings and sets forth the doctrine of the Apostles, the first line states, I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed also affirms God as creator. The first two paragraphs read,

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Chapter 2

God’s Moral Relationship to the Universe

Moral Relationship

It would appear that in Ezekiel’s vision, God made a physical appearance to him, and in so doing is giving us a glimpse of His relationship to the physical universe. How does God relate to the physical universe? Could it be that in this vision, God is giving us some insight into this relationship?

From the Ten Commandments given to Moses in Exodus 20, we find that God has a moral relationship to the universe; so before we try to come to some understanding of His relationship to the physical universe, let us consider first the subject of God’s moral relationship to the universe.

Psalm 119 the longest of the psalms has a unique and distinctive feature about it. In every verse, except verse 122, we find one of the ten expressions: word, saying, testimonies, way, judgment, precept, commandment, law, statute, truth.⁷

These are all synonyms for word, that is, the word of God. We read,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world. (John 1:1–4, 9)

God equates His word with Himself; His word is the expression of Himself. By His word, He created all things, and His word is the source of life.

The importance of the Word of God cannot be overstated. Examine the remarks of Jesus.

He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto