{"id":3273,"date":"2025-05-06T12:37:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T12:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/?p=3273"},"modified":"2025-06-10T21:27:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T21:27:13","slug":"who-are-the-four-beasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/2025\/05\/06\/who-are-the-four-beasts\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Are The Four Beasts?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve established already, in \u201cCan God Save Devils and Angels?<\/a>,\u201d that the four beasts are four angels. But that just renames them, it hardly says who they are.<\/em> What do they do? Why are they in the throne room of God? Why these four, not the seven?<\/p>\n

According to Ezekiel and John, these angels have four faces – man, ox, lion, and eagle. But this almost has to be completely symbolic, as no human has ever seen a bird-faced angel or an ox-faced angel. This means that the face they show to us is always the human face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As said above, they all faced in one direction, and pointed one face towards God\u2019s throne. If they always face the human face outward, it means they face the bird face – the \u201cmessenger of God face\u201d – inward. Which is why God sees angels as eagles (<\/span>Exodus 19:4<\/span>,<\/span> Revelation 12:14<\/span><\/strong>, etc.).<\/p>\n

No one knows exactly what the Hebrew word nesher<\/em> translated as \u201ceagle\u201d really means. It might be a vulture, based on descriptions of it being bald in Micah 1:16<\/span><\/strong>. Regardless of what it is, it is indeed unclean (<\/span>Leviticus 11:13<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The NT eagle (which the Bible connects to the Hebrew nesher<\/em> by using it to describe the same face of the same angels) is almost certainly a vulture, since it is pictured as a carrion bird in Matthew 24:28<\/span><\/strong>. Eagles are killers, not scavengers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That said, I\u2019ll keep using eagle since that\u2019s what all the translations say, but bear in mind it is probably not what we call an eagle today.<\/p>\n

THE FOUR FACES OF THE TABERNACLES<\/h3>\n

Back in Numbers, Israel was told to camp in a very specific order around the tabernacle; Levi was to take the whole central area, and the rest of the twelve tribes would camp as shown in this chart below:<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

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Numbers 3:2<\/span><\/strong> Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father\u2019s house<\/strong>: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. And on the east side<\/strong> toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah<\/strong> pitch throughout their armies\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Bible makes a big deal about camping under the banner – flag – of each tribe. Now the fact is, no one knows what these banners were. The assumption is that they each had some identifying feature, an animal or a fortress or something like that, related to the prophecies of Jacob or Moses.<\/p>\n

We do know that Jesus was a \u201clion of the tribe of Judah,\u201d and that Jesus was \u201can ensign to the Gentiles.\u201d Thus, it\u2019s a pretty good bet that Judah\u2019s was a lion. Following that logic, Ephraim, who inherited Joseph\u2019s blessing, would be pictured as a bull:<\/p>\n

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Deuteronomy 33:17<\/span> His glory is like the firstling of his bullock<\/em><\/strong>, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth…<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Given that, we\u2019d expect to find a bull on the flag of Ephraim. So the face of a lion was to the east, and a bull was to the west. Now that\u2019s important because…<\/p>\n

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Ezekiel 1:10-12<\/span><\/strong> As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side<\/strong>; they four also had the face of an eagle.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you put yourself looking at the camp of Israel from the southern side, you would see a lion on the right side, and an ox on the left side! Just like you see when you look at an angel!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ezekiel first mentioned the face of a man – which must be because it was the one closest to him, as it was always the face shown to man. If we compare this to the tribes around the tabernacle, we\u2019d expect to find the banner of Reuben had a man on it.<\/p>\n

Again, we have no idea what it was. The only obvious imagery in Reuben\u2019s blessing is water, which has led many people to use water on his banner. But given this reason to look<\/em> for an association with the face of man, we see another image in the blessing:<\/p>\n

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Genesis 49:3<\/span> (WEB)<\/strong> Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might<\/strong>, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Also, the name Reuben means \u201cbehold a son.\u201d Comparing this to a description of Jesus, many similar phrases are used:<\/p>\n

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Hebrews 1:2-3<\/span><\/strong> …his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person<\/strong>, and upholding all things by the word of his power\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So it wouldn\u2019t be hard to see that Reuben had a man – or rather, a son – on his banner. This logic is far too weak to believe on its own, but given the pattern of the angelic faces and the Israelite camps we do<\/em> know about, this is strong enough to fit.<\/p>\n

DAN\u2019S BANNER<\/h3>\n

The fourth face must be the one that faces towards God\u2019s real throne in heaven – on the sides of the North. And that face should be, to follow the pattern of the angels, an eagle. Unfortunately, we have nothing to connect Dan\u2019s banner with an eagle. On the contrary, we have a very strong reason to believe it was a serpent!<\/p>\n

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Genesis 49:17<\/span><\/strong> Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path<\/strong>, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So how can we reconcile this contradiction? Well, as it happens, eagles are the natural enemies of serpents! (<\/span>Revelation 12:14<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span> Therefore, the idea of an eagle replacing<\/em> a serpent isn\u2019t far-fetched at all<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That leads us to the fact that Dan isn\u2019t represented among the tribes saved in Revelation 7<\/span><\/strong>. Dan\u2019s banner couldn\u2019t fly in the first resurrection since Dan won\u2019t be there! Which is why it says of Dan \u201cI have waited for thy salvation, O LORD\u201d<\/em> (<\/span>Genesis 49:18<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. So the serpent flag must be REMOVED!<\/p>\n

And since God hates empty spots in His twelves (<\/span>Acts 1:15-26<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>, a new banner will be there in its place. And what would remove a serpent, but their natural predator, the eagle?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The tribe who replaces Dan on the Revelation 7<\/span><\/strong> list is Levi, who no longer needs to dwell in the buffer zone around the temple, since the firstfruits will all be holy (like Israel was originally supposed to be – Exodus 19:6<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Therefore, Levi should move into the space created by Dan and it would be Levi\u2019s flag, not Dan\u2019s, who is on the north side of the temple. As Peter said, \u201chis bishoprick let another take\u201d<\/em> (quoting Psalms 109:8<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The original quotation in Psalms went on to add \u201cLet his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out\u201d<\/strong><\/em> (<\/span>verse 13<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. This is precisely what happened to Dan, whose banner was a serpent, in Revelation 7<\/span><\/strong>. And exactly what happened to Judas Iscariot into whose heart the serpent<\/em> entered!<\/p>\n

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Luke 22:3<\/span><\/strong> Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So the flag of Dan\/Judas must be cut off, and replaced with another tribe. Angels are pictured as birds because they\u2019re messengers of God:<\/p>\n

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Ecclesiastes 10:20<\/span><\/strong> Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So then any<\/em> messenger of God could be pictured as a bird!<\/p>\n

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Malachi 2:7<\/span><\/strong> For the priest\u2019s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So since both<\/em> the Levites and angels are messengers of God (and types of each other), they BOTH can be pictured as birds!<\/p>\n

And finally, both bring the spirit of God to man, which, as we all know… appeared as a bird (<\/span>Matthew 3:16<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. Therefore, Levi\u2019s flag would have a bird on it – the fourth and last face of the angel!<\/p>\n

CHIEF PORTERS<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve established that these four beasts – better translated four creatures – are actually angels; and that, as they surround the throne in heaven, so their flags surrounded the throne in the wilderness. But why are they there? What do they do?<\/p>\n

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1 Chronicles 9:23-28<\/span><\/strong> So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, namely, the house of the tabernacle, by wards. In four quarters were the porters<\/strong>, toward the east, west, north, and south… For these Levites, the four chief porters<\/strong>, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them<\/strong>. And certain of them had the charge of the ministering vessels<\/strong>, that they should bring them in and out by tale.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The four beasts are, simply put, the four chief porters of the heavenly temple of God. The title \u201cchief<\/em> porters\u201d is important, because it means they have other<\/em> porters under them – other angels that help them do their job.<\/p>\n

And we know these beasts \u201cwere full of eyes within\u201d<\/em> (<\/span>Revelation 4:8<\/span>)<\/span>,<\/span> and since eyes are symbols for angels (<\/span>Revelation 5:6<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span>.<\/span>. each \u201cbeast\u201d had a host of angels under his authority!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

These four beasts are not the seven archangels, because we saw them already in Revelation 4:5<\/span><\/strong>, in the same room at the same time. These same angels are mentioned in Zechariah 6:4-8<\/span><\/strong>, where it says \u201cthese are the FOUR spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.\u201d<\/em>So these \u201cfour spirits of the heavens<\/em>\u201dare clearly different from the \u201cseven spirits of God.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In Revelation 6<\/span><\/strong>, each beast shows John one of the four horsemen – probably because each of the beasts\/porters is responsible for the actions of that horseman. In fact, it is likely that these porter-angels are<\/em> the four horsemen (just as they were in Zechariah)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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1 Chronicles 9:17<\/span><\/strong> And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Interestingly, these porters have some awful names. They are, respectively, translated into English as \u201cRetribution, Insidious, Oppressor, My brother is a gift.\u201d So seeing them as the four horsemen of the Apocalypse isn\u2019t hard, when you compare them to the meaning of your average Hebrew name (God is good, gift of God, deliver me, etc.).<\/p>\n

Also interestingly, the porters were the sons of Korah, the rebel who died in Numbers. Since it said that all Korah\u2019s house died there, these are sons who stood apart from their father\u2019s rebellion (<\/span>Numbers 16:24-27<\/span>,<\/span> Numbers 26:10-11<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span> Thus, they have already proven themselves capable of rebelling against an evil father<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

THE JOB OF A PORTER<\/h3>\n

Contrary to the modern English meaning \u201cbearer of burdens,\u201d porters didn\u2019t carry things, they opened<\/em> things. They were named for opening the doors (from the Latin portus<\/em>), and their chief job was to open and close the gates morning and evening.<\/p>\n

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1 Chronicles 9:19<\/span><\/strong> And Shallum… the son of Korah, and his brethren… the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But they weren\u2019t just openers, they were guards. For once the gates were open, these \u201cporters\u201d stood there at the gate, to prevent Gentiles and unclean people from entering the temple grounds:<\/p>\n

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2 Chronicles 23:19<\/span><\/strong> And he set the porters at the gates<\/strong> of the house of the LORD, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The porters are given charge over a particular gate, and their job is to challenge those who try to enter, to see if they are clean or unclean, shepherds or thieves:<\/p>\n

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John 10:2-3<\/span><\/strong> But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But one man can\u2019t stand guard indefinitely, so he had to have others to trade off with him; and because there were so many porters, David had them work by courses, like the other priests. Giving each of them a chance to be gatekeepers for a week at a time! (<\/span>2 Chronicles 8:14<\/span>,<\/span> 2 Chronicles 23:4<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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2 Chronicles 35:15<\/span><\/strong> \u2026and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is, essentially, a continual royal guard such as exists at Buckingham Palace today. Weekly, the guard rotates and a new one comes in. I\u2019m sure I don\u2019t need to point out the connection to the previous article \u201cThe Dominion of Angels<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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1 Chronicles 9:33-34<\/span><\/strong> And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night<\/strong>. These chief fathers of the Levites were chief throughout their generations; these dwelt at Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

They guard the gates day and night, even though they are closed at night. The actual opening of the gates was the job of those \u201ceyes,\u201d lower-ranking porters (of which there were roughly a few hundred, depending on the era – 1 Chronicles 9:22<\/span>,<\/span> Ezra 2:42<\/span><\/strong>, etc.).<\/p>\n

This left the \u201cchief of the fathers\u201d free to supervise wherever they needed, day or night. They lived nearby, in the temple itself (<\/span>verse 27<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

BEYOND DOORMEN<\/h3>\n

But there\u2019s more to their job than just opening and closing doors.<\/p>\n

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1 Chronicles 9:29-32<\/span><\/strong> Some of them [porters] also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices. And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices. And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were made in the pans. And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

These Levitical porters didn\u2019t actually offer<\/em> the holy things, but they prepared them, ground and mixed the spices and ointments, managed the oil, wine, flour, and so on; even baked the shewbread and other bread offerings.<\/p>\n

Some, or all, of these porters were also involved in the singing in the temple (<\/span>1 Chronicles 15:16-18<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>, and singers and porters are mentioned together often (<\/span>Nehemiah 12:47<\/span><\/strong>, for instance), and were probably both under the rule of the chief porters.<\/p>\n

In fact, they seem to have basically run all non-sacrificial aspects of the temple, subject only to the Aaronites. You might compare them to sergeants in the army, who do all the real work, but make none of the decisions.<\/p>\n

There is an enormous amount of work to be done behind the scenes in the temple. In the same way, an enormous amount of work has to happen to make the universe run, and to move God\u2019s plans forward. And these chief porters, and the \u201cmany eyes\u201d who are under them, are tasked with doing most of it.<\/p>\n

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Revelation 15:6-7<\/span><\/strong> And the seven angels came out of the temple\u2026 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials<\/strong> full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Note that the beast – one of the porters – gave them each one of the vials (probably actually shallow bowls) which were filled with the wrath of God. Obviously this is symbolic, but equally obviously it represents something real.<\/p>\n

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Genesis 15:16<\/span><\/strong> But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Note how the idea of \u201cfull\u201d is used to reckon sin. Remember also that these chief porters are over the preparation of the ointments and holy oils and incenses and wine. Which one of these things, in particular, represents \u201cGod\u2019s wrath\u201d is pretty easy, actually, since the angel tells us in context:<\/p>\n

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Revelation 14:8-10<\/span><\/strong> And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath<\/strong> of her fornication. \u2026 If any man worship the beast … The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God<\/strong>, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So when Babylon feeds the world wine, they get drunk, and that angers God. But this wine also represents the blood of the saints that she kills (<\/span>Revelation 17:6<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. That makes God gets angry – the blood \u201ccrieth to him from the ground\u201d (<\/span>Genesis 4:10-11<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But how exactly are the angels involved in that? Well, who do you think told God that Abel was murdered? Who caused their sins to be NOTICED by God, and \u201cbrought it before Him?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jonah 1:2<\/span><\/strong> Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So when, say, Sodom sins, an angel notes it. He tells his boss, who tells his boss, the chief porter, who tracks it in a ledger of some sort. Symbolically then, for each sin a drop of blood-wine is added to the bowl labeled \u201cGod\u2019s wrath.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Luke 11:50-51<\/span><\/strong> That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world,<\/strong> may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And when the bowl gets full of the sins of the Amorites, or Ninevah, or Babel, or Sodom, and so on\u2026 the Angel takes it to God, and then God commands the angel to pour their own sins<\/em> back on their heads.<\/p>\n

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Revelation 16:6<\/span><\/strong> For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Jeremiah 2:19<\/span> Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee<\/em><\/strong>: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Proverbs 1:29-31<\/span><\/strong> For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way<\/strong>, and be filled with their own devices.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But it also works the other way. Angels note righteousness, as well:<\/p>\n

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Proverbs 5:21<\/span><\/strong> For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Proverbs 15:3<\/span><\/strong> The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And this righteousness is noticed, and recorded<\/strong>, in heaven.<\/p>\n

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Proverbs 22:12<\/span><\/strong> The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge<\/strong>, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Which is why Jesus told us…<\/p>\n

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Matthew 6:20<\/span><\/strong> But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

These chief porters, and their millions of underlings, are charged with keeping track of things, noting the good and evil of a person, of a people, of a nation. And when it gets too much, and the cup of wickedness runneth over, God has to pour some of it back on their heads.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, when the righteousness of a person, a people, or a nation become too great, their righteous acts have to be acknowledged. And these angels keep track of that, too.<\/p>\n

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Acts 10:3-4<\/span><\/strong> He saw in a vision\u2026 an angel of God<\/strong> coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

All of those silly things in the temple like the preparing the incense correspond to something real that the angels do, like carrying the prayers of the saints. The counting of tithe can correspond to angels tallying things like the giving of alms (charity). And so on.<\/p>\n

All of this, and much more, is supervised by the four creatures, the four spirits of heaven, who stand before the God of all the Earth.<\/p>\n

THE SHEEPFOLD<\/h3>\n

As quoted above, Jesus portrayed porters as guarding the flock, opening the gates only to Him, and to the sheep (<\/span>John 10:2-3<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. The sheepfold is an obvious metaphor of the nation of Israel, the church, and particularly for us, the temple grounds.<\/p>\n

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1 Chronicles 9:17-18<\/span><\/strong> And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief; Who hitherto waited in the king\u2019s gate eastward:<\/strong> they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The chief of the chief porters is given the most important gate of all; the east gate. Now this is the exact same image as we see from one of these same \u201cgates\u201d and one of these same \u201cporters\u201d who must open the same \u201csheepfold\u201d gate for this same prince in…<\/p>\n

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Ezekiel 46:1<\/span><\/strong> Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Ezekiel 46:2<\/span><\/strong> And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings<\/strong>, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So the \u201cchiefest\u201d porter, named Shallum, was given charge of the prestigious east gate; the gate that would correspond to the lion-face of the heavenly porter. The gate that pointed directly at the tribe of Judah, with their lion banner, which is where Jesus was supposed to come from! (<\/span>Genesis 49:10<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Revelation 21:12<\/span><\/strong>And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels,<\/strong> and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel<\/strong>: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Knowing all this, we know that these \u201ctwelve angels\u201d at the gates are the twelve porters, each of whom is responsible for opening the gate only to those who belong there,<\/em> and defending the flock against all who don\u2019t!<\/p>\n

And of those twelve, the porters who occupy the central position on each wall are the chief porters, who are responsible not only for their gate, but also for the one on their right and left hand of their wall. Which means that each porter has a total of three gates under their command!<\/p>\n

So just as in the banners of the tribes, the tribe\/angel in the position of honor – Judah, Ephraim, Reuben and Dan – was put in charge of the other two on each side. This is very important, because it means that these four<\/em> creatures ACTUALLY represented twelve<\/em> creatures!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Which means when John saw \u201cfour creatures, full of eyes,\u201d what he saw represented twelve high-ranking porters, including four who led the others!<\/em><\/p>\n

FOUR CHIEF APOSTLES<\/h3>\n

Now that we know the four beasts picture twelve different<\/em> archangels on a different chain of authority, we see that the twelve apostles each has a spiritual counterpart in the porters.<\/p>\n

And just as there were four chief porters, of whom one was overall chief (the east gate), so the apostles have three easy favorites – Peter, James, and John. These were inseparable throughout the four<\/em> gospels, always mentioned first.<\/p>\n

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Galatians 2:9<\/span> KJV<\/strong> And when James, Cephas [Peter], and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me…<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

James was martyred early, and a different James, brother of Jesus is added to the list of \u201cpillars of the church\u201d (<\/span>Galatians 2:9<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. So James, James, Peter and John made four chief apostles leading the twelve<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You could probably make an effort to connect these apostles to the faces of the angels if you tried; Peter was impulsive and stubborn, traits you might associate with the bull; James seems to have been head of the church in Acts 15:13<\/span><\/strong>, and also listed first in the verse above, both of which imply he was the leader, thus the Lion.<\/p>\n

John was the one Jesus loved, and spoke more about the holy spirit than any other, and outlived the others. Thus, John as the eagle would make the most sense. That leaves the final James, brother of John, about whom we don\u2019t know much. But by elimination, he would have to be the man face.<\/p>\n

This might be completely wrong, but what\u2019s interesting is that if true, it would mean that James and John got their wish after all. Because when Jesus sits on the mercy seat, He faces east. And John is to His north, and James to His south.<\/p>\n

On His right hand and His left.<\/p>\n

\n

Mark 10:35<\/span>, 37<\/span><\/strong> And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying… Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Verses 38-40<\/span><\/strong> But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s not a flat \u201cno.\u201d In fact, Jesus asked them if they could fulfill the requirements, they said they could, and He said they would. But then He said it wasn\u2019t His to promise. But He didn\u2019t say \u201cno,\u201d and at least in this symbol, it looks like His Father said \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE MEANING OF DOORS<\/h3>\n

The twelve porters\/angels\/apostles opened doors<\/em> that led to a holy place. So they either helped people who belonged get in, or prevented the unworthy from entering. So what could a door<\/em> mean in the symbol of God\u2019s church?<\/p>\n

\n

John 10:7<\/span>, 9<\/span><\/strong> Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep\u2026 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So if Jesus is the door, He is the way into the flock.<\/em><\/strong> The way INTO God\u2019s Kingdom. But He is not<\/em> the porter, quoted above, who opens the door. So those who open Jesus<\/em> to the world, those who make Him easy to understand, and easy to accept, are the porters!<\/em><\/p>\n

And these same porters have a job to not<\/em> open Jesus up for those who don\u2019t belong; not to cast their pearls before swine, not to give that which is holy to the dogs, because dogs and swine don\u2019t belong in the holy city! (<\/span>Revelation 22:15<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

To determine those who \u201chave a sin unto death,\u201d and refuse to pray for it; to loose – or refuse to loose – things on Earth. These porters, then, are clearly the spiritual government of God\u2019s church – the apostles and, in inferior, Levitical type, the \u201cfour wind\u201d angels.<\/p>\n

These angels created empires which allowed arts, industry, and religion to prosper – and which created a place where God\u2019s church could grow, face deception, and overcome.<\/p>\n

Which is really what the apostles did, by gathering together a following, which gave young Christians a place to grow and, in time, a place to resist deception and overcome (see \u201cKeep the Sabbathy Sabbath<\/a>\u201d).<\/p>\n

Actually, that\u2019s not quite right. Because the church was run by the twelve apostles AND the seven deacons.<\/p>\n

TWELVE AND SEVEN (TY)<\/h3>\n

Throughout the Bible the symbol of twelve and seven or seventy is specifically repeated at least five times in totally unrelated contexts; the twelve wells and seventy palm trees of the Exodus; the twelve princes of Israel and the seventy elders; the twelve loaves of shewbread and the seven candles; then later the clearly-related 120 loaves and 70 candles of Solomon\u2019s temple.<\/p>\n

This is obviously a very important pattern, and there is clearly a strong connection between twelve and seven (ty). I\u2019ve discussed them extensively in my paper \u201cThe Twelve and the Seventy<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

And here we\u2019ve found a new, higher type – the seven angels of the golden candlestick, and the four (twelve) spirits of the heavens. To understand their relationship with each other, think about why the deacons were created.<\/p>\n

\n

Acts 6:2-4<\/span><\/strong> Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWaiting tables\u201d in this context meant sitting at tables to provide food for widows and so on. The contrast is clearly between the spiritual work – prayer, teaching the gospel, etc, and the physical work – distributing physical food, taking care of tithes and offerings, and so on.<\/p>\n

So the seven deacons were the physical<\/em> rulers and the twelve apostles were the spiritual<\/em> rulers. The seven deacons, obviously correspond to the seven archangels who are the kings of the Earth.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Daniel 7:2-3<\/span><\/strong> Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea<\/strong>. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Wind is ruwach,<\/em> which is usually translated as \u201cspirit\u201d in the Bible. So literally, the four spirits of the heaven<\/em> – just like Zechariah called the four chief porters – \u201cstrove upon the great sea.\u201d The great sea, or many waters, represent all nations and peoples (<\/span>Revelation 17:15<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And it was because<\/em> of the strife between these four great spirits that the four earthly<\/em> beast empires came out of the sea. The four world-ruling kingdoms, which have shaped the destinies of mankind, were created by the \u201cstriving\u201d of these four porters against one another.<\/p>\n

In the exact same way that the seven other<\/em> spirits have shaped attitudes of ages and regions, these four (or rather, twelve) seem to have created empires.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what it says, but it\u2019s a bit contradictory. The apostles were clearly the spiritual leaders, and the deacons the civil. And yet in Revelation 1:20<\/span><\/strong> it\u2019s clear that the seven angels were over the church – the eyes on the body of Christ. So how can the twelve also<\/em> be spiritual leaders?<\/p>\n

PORTERS AND PRIESTS<\/h3>\n

Back to the example in Acts, the deacons and apostles had different spheres of responsibility within the same organization.<\/em> It\u2019s not like the seven worked for the Romans or something. In fact, Philip and Steven were both prominent preachers, among the seven. It just wasn\u2019t their primary<\/em> function.<\/p>\n

The job of the seven was to be responsible<\/em> for the \u201ctables\u201d for the church, and the job of the twelve was to be responsible<\/em> for the \u201cword\u201d for the church. But both sets worked for the betterment of the church! They just focused on different aspects within it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Seen in that way, you can see that the job of the seven angels<\/em> is to handle the \u201ctables\u201d for the world, and the job of the twelve angels<\/em> is to handle the \u201cword\u201d for the world. The seven take care of the physical needs, while the twelve handle the spiritual needs. Thus the seven angels are kings of the Earth, and the twelve porters are priests.<\/p>\n

But that oversimplifies it, for as I pointed out, Philip and Steven did some great work for the spiritual needs, even though their job was to dole out physical food to widows! Both the deacons and the apostles spread the word of God by preaching!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thus both the seven and the twelve, despite their distinct responsibilities,<\/em> are in fact priests!<\/em> This explains why kings offered sacrifices themselves.<\/em> Because the Levites replaced the firstborn as rulers of Israel (<\/span>Numbers 17<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>, and Aaron in particular as ruler over them.<\/p>\n

If and when the Levites failed to do that job well, God raised up a more-civil spiritual ruler, like Gideon, who set the nation back on track again, and then left them once more in civil charge of Israel.<\/p>\n

Now think about this; excepting when there was an active judge, and after the death of Moses and Joshua, Aaron was the absolute ruler of Israel. He, and His family, were quite literally a royal priesthood!<\/em> (<\/span>1 Peter 2:9<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Never thought about that scripture that way before, did you? They were, as TLT translated it, \u201cpriests who are kings.\u201d But all of the Levites weren\u2019t kings – only the Aaronites had actual power. Therefore, it is the Aaronites who were \u201cpriest-kings,\u201d and the other Levites who were simply \u201cpriests.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve said that the twelve are priests, specifically the porters and non-Aaronite sons of Levi. And I\u2019ve said that the seven are kings, but that\u2019s not quite true. They are actually priest-kings,<\/em> the sons of Aaron, a ROYAL priesthood!<\/p>\n

PRIEST-KINGS<\/h3>\n
\n

Numbers 16:40<\/span><\/strong> To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company\u2026<\/em> (also Leviticus 1:5<\/span><\/strong>, etc.).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

No one – most especially the seed of Korah, who were the chief porters – was allowed to offer \u201cincense\u201d before the Lord. And as far as I can tell, no one but the sons of Aaron were allowed to kill sacrifices with a few notable exceptions like kings – and not always kings (<\/span>2 Chronicles 26:18<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So a tiny handful of men, sons of Aaron, killed all the sacrifices, and offered all the incense. And since Israel sinned a lot, a great deal of work fell on a very few people. That\u2019s why God gave them, as a gift, the other Levites to help them!<\/p>\n

\n

Numbers 8:19<\/span><\/strong> And I have given the Levites as a gift<\/strong> to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation…<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The twelve porters handle all the menial work in the temple, but do none of the sacrifices. We\u2019ve established that the twelve porters correspond to the twelve beasts, and therefore by elimination we\u2019d expect Aaron\u2019s family to correspond to the seven top angels. We can confirm this in an unexpected way.<\/p>\n

\n

Revelation 15:5-6<\/span><\/strong> And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple<\/strong>, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This has been staring us in the face since the Bible was written. These seven angels come out of the temple wearing golden girdles!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Exodus 28:40<\/span><\/strong> And for Aaron’s sons<\/strong> thou shalt make coats [of fine linen, verse 39<\/span><\/strong>], and thou shalt make for them girdles<\/strong> [golden ones, verse 8<\/span><\/strong>], and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Exodus 39:2<\/span>, 5<\/span><\/strong> And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

No one but the sons of Aaron wore golden girdles<\/strong> on their golden ephods (vests)! These were in fact identifying garments for the high priesthood!<\/p>\n

\n

Exodus 28:2-5<\/span><\/strong> …And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty\u2026 a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle<\/strong>: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest\u2019s office<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And no one but the sons of Aaron could have been offering in the temple building itself! The job of all other priests were under the command of the four chief porters, and they prepared<\/em> these vials so that these seven angels sons of Aaron could offer them!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Revelation 15:7<\/span><\/strong> And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The chief porter, taking the bowls of wine<\/em> that the thousands of Levites under him had prepared, gave the seven angelic sons of Aaron the tools they needed<\/em> to offer the sacrifice that it was their job, as priest-kings of the Earth, to offer!<\/em><\/p>\n

We know that Aaron was a type of the angelic Aaron, who in turn is a type of Jesus. Therefore as Jesus had \u201cseven eyes,\u201d the \u201cseven spirits of God,\u201d we\u2019d expect to find Aaron pictured with seven sons. In fact, he didn\u2019t – only four. But like Jesus, he was left with only two righteous ones after the others rebelled against God!<\/strong><\/p>\n

HUMBLED ANGELS<\/h3>\n

As these seven angels – the seven angels of Revelation 2-3<\/span><\/strong> – go out and pour their bowls full of the wrath of God back on the heads of the sinners in the world, only a few of them approved of God\u2019s judgment!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Revelation 16:4-7<\/span><\/strong> And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus<\/strong>. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar<\/strong> say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Of all the seven, none of the others had any comment. Now we\u2019ve shown that these seven are the kings of the Earth from Psalms 82<\/span><\/strong>, and from that we know that none of them did the job God gave them right. Some did better than others, some actually did the best they could…. But none of them are qualified to rule the Earth any more than you and I are.<\/p>\n

And as the third angel, the angel of water, poured out God\u2019s judgment on the people he had failed to rule properly,<\/em> this angel says \u201cYes Lord, you\u2019re right to do this because I couldn\u2019t solve this problem without you!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

After he says that, another angel, \u201cfrom out of the altar\u201d chimes in and says, \u201cYes, Lord, what He said.\u201d Now I\u2019ve had a lot of employees whom I\u2019ve corrected, and most of them don\u2019t thank you for showing them what a bad job they did building, say, a greenhouse. Most take the correction sullenly, trying to explain why it wasn\u2019t their fault, or that\u2019s exactly what they did and it didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

But these two archangels realized that they weren\u2019t qualified<\/em> to do this, and they THANKED God for correcting their mistakes! One angel of water, and one angel from the altar:<\/p>\n

\n

Revelation 14:18<\/span><\/strong> And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire<\/strong>; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So if we have an angel who is like water, like the holy spirit, like the nature of God, Michael. And we have another angel who is like fire, like zeal, like Gabriel. One who is a warrior by nature, and tells the other angel it\u2019s time for war<\/em> (<\/span>verses 19-20<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A WORLD WITHOUT DOORS<\/h3>\n

But the war will end. And these two angels who were humbled by their failure will be better prepared to do it right the next time. The other five will be demoted or killed.<\/p>\n

The world will be purified, and managed, and the four chief porters, or their replacements, will help make that happen. But the porters will not always be needed. Indeed, the church, as such, will not always be needed.<\/p>\n

Because the job of a porter is to close the gates in the night; so when night is replaced with eternal light, what would be the point?<\/p>\n

\n

Revelation 21:23-27<\/span><\/strong> And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there<\/strong>. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And what need is there of guards at the gates, when everyone outside is holy? For before the Father comes, Jesus will have to get rid of death and hell, and therefore sin, which causes them both (<\/span>1 Corinthians 15:25<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Hebrews 8:11<\/span><\/strong> And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There will clearly be no need for gates, much less porters, because no one will need to be brought into the kingdom of God… and no one will have to be kept out.<\/p>\n

\n

Isaiah 11:9<\/span><\/strong> They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

THE REVELATION<\/h3>\n

Revelation is, by its very name, a REVEALING, an UNSEALING of the book. The primary theme of the book is the opening of the seven seals<\/em> – the seven TYPES of deception these angels, inadvertently or otherwise, put over the world. And by doing that, REVEALING the truth to all who have eyes to see!<\/p>\n

The course of understanding the things in these past six papers has been, for me, a continual facepalm moment. I spent three hours trying to prove that the seven and the twelve were the different classes of priests, and honestly not doing a great job of it…<\/p>\n

Only to find that Revelation 15<\/span><\/strong> showed the seven doing things that any six-year-old who visited the temple could have understood. Things which I already knew<\/em> only priests could do, if only I\u2019d thought about it.<\/p>\n

When God wrote Revelation, He did so in EASY<\/em> symbols, to anyone who asked the obvious questions. How hard is it, really, to read \u201cTo the ANGEL of the church at… I know THY works, I have not found YOUR works perfect, YOU must repent?\u201d<\/p>\n

How hard is it, really, to see that angels can be saved when we see ANGELS saying \u201cyou have redeemed US with your blood?\u201d I mean, come on!<\/p>\n

How sealed, really, is the knowledge about the angelic priesthood when God shows us seven angels in a temple, offering incense, wearing clothes that only Aaron could wear? I mean really, how SEALED is that? It\u2019s a REVELATION!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Revelation 22:10<\/span><\/strong> And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

God told Daniel to seal the book, but He told John NOT to seal it! It\u2019s an OPEN book, and all you have to do is just READ it for what it says, and ask the obvious questions. So this is not something I\u2019m proud to understand. This is something I\u2019m ashamed took me this long to understand.<\/p>\n

Imagine how I feel about the rest of you.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve established already, in \u201cCan God Save Devils and Angels?,\u201d that the four beasts are four angels. But that just renames them, it hardly says who they are. What do they do? Why are they in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[13,24,44,32,18],"class_list":["post-3273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coolest","tag-angels","tag-doctrine","tag-kingdom-of-god","tag-revelation","tag-righteousness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3273"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3320,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273\/revisions\/3320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}