The Guarding Cherub

The Guarding Cherub

Painting by: Vashti Graham

3d eyes, 3d animal features, and artistic touches by: Rebecca Lancaster

Artist Description:

Cherubim are multi faced, multi winged heavenly beings that guard God’s holiness and carry His throne. They are powerful, not soft or gentle looking. Scripture portrays cherubim not as baby angels, but as powerful heavenly beings with four faces: a man, lion, ox, and eagle. He also states they have four wings and glowing bronze bodies filled with eyes showing God’s endless wisdom and awareness. They move with the speed of lightning and carry the glory of God. In Genesis 3:24 and throughout the Old Testament, cherubim guard holy places and symbolize God’s holiness, majesty, and glory.

Scripture References:

Ezekiel 1:10 “Each had four faces: one the face of a man, one the face of a lion, one the face of an ox, and one the face of an eagle.”

 Ezekiel 1:6 “Each of them had four wings.”

In some places (like in the temple décor) cherubim have two wings, but Ezekiel describes the living heavenly cherubim with four.

Ezekiel 10:12 “Their entire bodies, including their backs, hands, and wings, were completely full of eyes.”

Genesis 3:24 Cherubim guard the entrance to Eden with a flaming sword.

Ezekiel 1 & 10 Cherubim carry the glory of God and move like flashes of lightning.

Exodus 25:18–22 Cherubim overshadow the mercy seat, representing God’s holy presence.

Psalm 18:10 God is described as riding on a cherub, showing their power and closeness to His throne.

Revelation 4: 6-8 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day an night they never stop saying: "Holy Holy is the Lord God almighty, who was and is, and is to come."

Additional Facts You May Find Interesting:

Ezekiel lived around 600 B.C., during the Babylonian exile. John wrote Revelation around 90 A.D., hundreds of years later. They lived in different nations, spoke different languages, wrote for different audiences, and were in completely different historical situations. Yet both describe four symbolic beings around God’s throne with the same four faces (lion, ox, human, eagle), covered in eyes, involved in worship, and connected to God’s glory. That’s not coincidence.

Cherubim are never described as children. Most of us hear cherubim and imagine cute, chubby babies floating around. The Bible said, "Yeah… no." They are not human souls, not babies, and not former people. The cartoon baby “cherubs” you’re thinking of actually come from art history, not Scripture. Ancient Roman art featured putti (plural of putto). These winged baby figures were symbols of love, beauty, and playfulness (associated with classical art, not the Bible). These figures were pagan, often linked to Cupid/Eros. During the Renaissance, artists blended: Biblical themes and classical Roman imagery. Putti slowly got rebranded as “cherubs”. Over time, art history softened theology. So to break that down in summary.... Putti + Renaissance art + time = baby cherubs.

Biblical cherubim: 1. Emphasize God’s holiness 2. Signal that His presence is serious, powerful, and not casual 3. Guard what is sacred

Modern baby cherubs: 1.Emphasize sentimentality 2.Make heaven feel cozy and harmless 3. Are slightly easier to market on Valentine cards

I created this work of art and study as a reminder that faith isn’t meant to be borrowed; it’s meant to be understood. Knowing what we believe and why we believe it truly matters. That means opening the Bible for ourselves, asking questions, and seeking truth instead of relying only on what we’ve been told. When we do that, faith doesn’t just exist; it grows deeper.