Ezekiel describes in great detail and awe what occurred: “In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, when I was in the community of exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened, and I saw visions of God…[Ezek 1:4] I looked, and lo, a stormy wind came sweeping out of the north—a huge cloud and flashing fire, surrounded by a radiance; and in the center of it, in the center of the fire, a gleam as of amber…”
As the cloud approaches closer, Ezekiel sees four “living creatures,” or living beings, each with human-like characteristics but with four faces, four wings, and a single straight leg with a calf’s hoof. The hands of the creatures were visible to Ezekiel from underneath their wings. Because they had four faces, corresponding to the compass points, they did not need to turn to encounter a new direction. Ezekiel described the faces as a human face in front, a lion’s face to the right, an ox to the left, and an eagle in back.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Ezekiel’s account of the chariot is the wheels. He said, “[Ezek 1:15] As I gazed on the creatures, I saw one wheel on the ground next to each of the four-faced creatures. As for the appearance and structure of the wheels, they gleamed like beryl. All four had the same form; the appearance and structure of each were as of two wheels cutting through each other.”
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