Ezekiel 1:6

6. Four faces A man’s face in front, an eagle’s behind, the face of an ox on the left, and of a lion on the right. This is the usual explanation, but Hugo Winckler ( Altorientalische Forschungen, 1896), from a monument recently discovered at Sendschirli which seems to somewhat resemble this description, would draw the conclusion that each one had a human body and “the appearance of a man,” but also that each creature was four-headed; the four heads facing the cardinal points: the four faces of the man looking toward the east, the four lion faces toward the west, the four bull faces toward the north, the four eagle faces toward the south. The fact seems to be that these were symbolic creatures, never intended for pictorial representation.

Four wings The winged sun-disk is the oldest known symbol of deity and was reverenced in Arabia, Babylonia, Phoenicia, and Egypt. Even in Christian times this same symbol was used for the divine Christ by the Copts. Wesley says of the use of these wings: “With two they flew, denoting the speed of their obedience; and with two they covered their body, denoting their reverence.”