Verse 7
The four creatures probably represent four classes of created beings: wild beasts, domesticated animals, human beings, and flying creatures. Together they may picture all creation praising God, or God’s sovereign control over all aspects of His creation, or both.
Each creature also seems to possess different qualities that are appropriate in their service of God. John described these as the outstanding qualities of animals that everyone can identify. Lions are strong (cf. Psalms 103:20), oxen are servants (cf. Hebrews 1:14), men have intelligence (cf. Luke 15:10), and eagles are swift (cf. Daniel 9:21). Each animal listed is the head of its species.
"The four forms suggest whatever is noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest in animate nature." [Note: Swete, p. 71.]
Some of the early church fathers compared these creatures to the four Gospels, but they had different opinions about which beings represented which Gospels. Some commentators have taken this further and have suggested that each creature represents a different aspect of Christ in each Gospel. Others take the beings as symbolizing attributes of God. Still others connect them with the four chief signs of the zodiac. Some believe they represent Israel, because there is some connection with the pictures on the standards of Israel’s tribes (cf. Numbers 2:2; Numbers 2:10; Numbers 2:18; Numbers 2:25). Others see them as representing four outstanding apostles or other glorified men.
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