What does the Lion, the Ox, the Eagle, and the Man represent in the Bible? And why are they mentioned in the Revelations? 

“And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle” Revelation 4:7

This is a description of a Cherub Angel.  The Cherubim’s singular form is Cherub, meaning fullness of knowledge. They are described in (Ezekiel 1:1-13; 10:12-14, 20-22). They are covered with eyes and have four faces, a man, lion, eagle, and a calf, also referred to as a face of the Cherub. They have four wings with the hands of a man. Cherub guard the way to the Garden of Eden and the tree of life (Genesis 3:4). They guard the outside courtyard of God’s Throne room (Revelation 4:4-9)  Source: QOURA

ANGEL Origin of surname

ANGEL, ANGELI, ANGELL
 

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. It may be a surname deriving from a personal nickname or characteristic.
 

Angel is a translation of the Hebrew word Malach. Malakh/Malach means "messenger/angel" in the Bible. The Book of Malachi, the twelfth of the minor Prophets in the Bible, starts with a sentence comprising the personal name Malachi (Hebrew for "my angel"). The name may also be a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives. The surname Malachi is also linked to the Mediterranean port of Malaqui in Malaga in Andalusia, Spain. A number of Jewish family names documented between the 13th and 20th century are based on one or both these sources. Malakh/Malach and Malachi/Malaqui were translated into the Greek Angelos, the Latin Angelus, the Italian Angelino ("little angel"), the Hungarian Angyal and the German Engel (which could also be based on one of the house-signs often found in the Middle Ages in Germany). Malaki is recorded in France, and Angelus in Rome in the 13th century; Emelque and Malaqui in Spain, and Angelino in France in the 14th century; Maleque and Abenmeleque in Spain in the 15th century; Angel in Mexico and Bulgaria in the 16th century; Malqui in Eretz Israel, Engel in northern Bohemia and Malki in Rhodes in the 17th century; Elmalqui in North Africa in the 18th century; Ben Elmalki, Ben Elmalqui and Ben Almalqui in North Africa in the 19th century; and Angyal in the 19th century in Hungary. In the late 16th century Angel is documented as a Jewish surname in Mexico with Fray Angel, also known as LOrenzo Altamirano.
 

Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Angel include the Bulgarian-born rabbi and preacher, Meir Ben Abraham Angel (1564-1647), the 20th century Lithuanian-born American artist, Rifka Angel, and the 20th century French-born American Rabbi Camillus Angel.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
—Genesis 1:1

The most common name for God in the Hebrew Bible is El, meaning “God.” Derived from a Semitic language, the root meaning of El is “might, strength, power.” This name for God occurs widely throughout the Bible.

Sometimes the word el refers to the pagan gods of nations surrounding Israel. When it refers to the one true God, however, the word is always capitalized, meaning “God of gods.” More often (about 2,600 times in the Old Testament), the name El occurs in plural form as Elohim. This form, sometimes called the “plural of majesty,” emphasizes that the God of Israel is “the one true God of the universe.”

The names El and Elohim set the God of Israel in stark contrast with the false gods of other nations, proclaiming them counterfeit and stating that he is the one true God. No wonder the very first verse of the Bible reads, “In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.” No one knows the reason for the plural form here, but the early church fathers suggest it points to the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one God in three persons.

El or Elohim, “the one true God,” declares that our world be-longs to him. We do well to honor him in all that we do and say. How will you do that today?

God, thank you for your marvelous creation! Thank you for your amazing grace! Help us to honor you as the one true God in all that we do and say. Amen.

SOURCE— Kurt Selles

Kurt Selles is the director of ReFrame Ministries and serves as the Executive Editor of Today. He is a graduate of Calvin College and Seminary, and received his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Before coming to ReFrame, he served 19 years in Taiwan and China with CRC World Missions. Kurt later taught missions at Beeson Divinity School, where he also acted as the director of the school’s Global Center.