09 June 2005 Devotion for Today “Is There Life on Other Planets?” Ezekiel 10:9-12
From this passage I can recall the old gospel spiritual, “Ezekiel saw a wheel a rollin’, way up in the middle of the air.” I have to admit I never understood that song very well. Up to now I have found Ezekiel’s prophecies seemingly bizarre. Of course the language of the prophecy is highly symbolic, whereas Jeremiah and Isaiah’s prophecies were stated in a more literal fashion. But I did mention that Ezekiel is a very difficult book to read as well as to understand. I have had some speculate that Ezekiel saw a “UFO” and that his prophecy was a revelation that there is life on other planets. Hardly. The world Ezekiel lived in had not discovered all that there was on their own planet to be concerned with whether there was life on other planets.
God is not concerned with us discovering whether there is life on other planets or not. These things will not be in the Bible. The Bible is concerned with man’s eternal salvation. So when we read of points plainly made, or symbols, as in the scriptures we read, the point is still the same. God is saying something about salvation through the cross. We do not need to think that we will never understand certain passages. God would not have given them to us if we were to never find out their meanings. He wants us to understand their meanings.
There is really nothing fanciful about the Bible’s symbols. They simply point, in some way, to the cross. Read the Word of God with that in mind, and the Lord will reveal to you the meaning. In this series of scriptures we read was that the cherubims were covered completely with "eyes."
When God wants to get our attention, He will present to us some seemingly odd things. He wants us to stop and take notice so He can then show us something.
You might ask why does He not simply say it in plain language? Why use symbols?
Jesus told the disciples that it is not for the Pharisees to know the things of the Kingdom. But it was for the disciples to know. And as we said earlier, intellectualism is not the key, for the Pharisees were the intellects of their day. It is a matter of the heart, not the head.
God does not cast His pearls before swine. The Bible is symbolized in certain places for this reason. God reveals it only to those who are sincerely seeking Him.
Moses saw a strange sight, and turned to look at the bush that was on fire, but not being burned up. Then God was able to talk to him. John turned to see a strange sight in a vision, and then saw Jesus in candlesticks as Jesus then proceeded to talk with Him in the Book of Revelation.
The symbolic nature of the world is all around us if we would just be open to it. Everything in creation also points to the cross. Have a blessed day.
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