In order to participate in the coordination of the living creatures, we must have the hands of a man. This means that we need to be a proper man. If we are lacking in the proper humanity, there will be problems in our coordination.
This was the situation with a certain brother who insisted on visiting a particular family at a time that was inconvenient for them. The brother was determined to visit this family at meal time, even though the saints in that family felt that meal time was not a suitable time for him to visit. This brother might have had the wings of an eagle, but he did not have the hands of a man. A few days after his visit, we received a report from a family member about what happened. The brother visited the family at lunch time, expecting to be served a meal. However, the wife was sick and could not prepare anything for him to eat. Nevertheless, the brother sat in the house, waiting for lunch to be served, even though the husband was busy caring for his wife and could not provide anything for the visitor to eat. This brother did not have the hands of a man; he did not have the proper humanity. This kind of person cannot coordinate with other saints.
In the vision in Ezekiel 1 we see not only the wings of an eagle but also the hands of a man. The divine revelation shows us that we need to be balanced. No matter how spiritual we may be, we still need to be a proper human. For example, a young brother may be quite spiritual, but when he is with an older person, he must have the proper human respect. If we do not have the hands of a man and if we do not have a balance of spirituality and the proper humanity, we cannot coordinate with others.
Another prerequisite of coordination is having the calf’s hoofs. If a certain brother does not have the calf’s hoofs, his walk will be crooked, and this will make it impossible for him to coordinate with others.
We all need to be clear regarding the prerequisites of coordination. The wind, the cloud, the fire, the electrum, the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, the eagle’s wings, and the man’s hands—all these are the prerequisites of entering into the coordination of the four living creatures.
Let us now go on to consider the practical condition of coordination.
Ezekiel 1:11b says, “Their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.” This indicates that the four living creatures were arranged not in a line but in a square. We have pointed out that in the Bible the wings of an eagle signify the grace and power of God. If the four living creatures were not joined together by the wings to form a square, they could not be coordinated. This indicates that the coordination of the living creatures is in the Lord and by the grace of God.
If as believers in Christ we are not in the Lord and in the grace of God, we cannot be joined to others. But if we abide in God, rely on God, and express God, we can coordinate together in God. Our coordination, therefore, is not based on our ability and talent but on our dwelling in God and depending on God. If we all abide in God, trust in God, and express God, God will become the power and the means of our coordination. We will then coordinate and move in oneness because we are in God.
Just as the boards of the tabernacle in the Old Testament were held together by the gold to be one entity, so the living creatures are joined by the wings to be one unit. If the overlaying gold were removed from the boards of the tabernacle, the tabernacle would collapse. If the living creatures did not have wings, they could not be joined together. The meaning in both cases is the same: We are held together because we are in God. The crucial point here is that the oneness and coordination of the four living creatures depend on the eagle’s wings, that is, upon the grace and power of God. God’s grace and power make the living creatures one entity and are the means by which they coordinate.
This picture of coordination corresponds to the teaching in the New Testament. Romans 12:5 says, “So we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” First Corinthians 12:13 says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.” These verses reveal that we are joined together as one Body and coordinate as one Body because of Christ and the Spirit. If Christ and the Spirit were taken away from us, we could not be one and coordination would be impossible. The coordination in the church requires that we all deny the self and live in the Lord. Without the eagle’s wings we are separated, but with the eagle’s wings we are coordinated.