The Glory of the Lord
Ezekiel 8-11
The Book of Ezekiel contains many important and very interesting prophecies. Ezekiel, the typical Son of Man, was one of the three great prophets of the terrible period of the destruction of God’s kingdom and the beginning of the dreadful, evil, metallic, robot image of the dark and cruel Gentile times-the kingdoms of men, now coming to a close. These three prophets were Ezekiel and Jeremiah, both of the priestly line ministering respectively to the Jews in Babylon and to the Jews in Judea and Jerusalem, and Daniel, of the royal line at the Babylonian and later in the Persian court. All had vital work to do for God’s people. It is clear that Daniel was providentially raised to high authority both in the Babylonian and Persian governments to protect the interest of God’s people, just as Esther and Mordecai were a little later, and Nehemiah, cupbearer to the king. All this was just over 2500 years ago at the beginning of the 7 times, or 2520 years of the Gentiles, in the last years of which we now live.
Ezekiel 10 marks a great and tragic turning point in Israel’s history-the departure of the glory of Yahweh from the Temple and from Jerusalem, never to return for over 2500 years until the erection of the Millennial Temple that Ezekiel describes in his last nine chapters. This chapter 10 is part of the vision that extends from chapter 8 through chapter 11.
The vision was in the sixth year of Zedekiah, the last king, just about 3 ½ years before the final Babylonian siege in which the city was taken and destroyed. The glory of God-the Shekinah presence between the Cherubim over the mercy seat in the Most Holy-had to be removed before the Temple and city were destroyed. It may be asked, “Was there not a restoration and a rebuilt temple after the 70-year Babylonian exile? What of the glory then? Did they not rebuild the temple at the urgings of the prophet Haggai? And were there not high priests and temple services in the days of Nehemiah? And was there not a temple in Christ’s day, which he called ‘my Father’s house’?” This is true, but the glory never returned, either to the royal throne or to the priesthood.
Ezekiel said in chapter 21, just about this same time, “Remove the diadem, and take off the crown…it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is.” The word here translated diadem refers to the high priest’s headdress-the mitre. Apart from here this word only occurs in Exodus and Leviticus, and it is always translated mitre, and always applied to the priesthood. The high priest in Nehemiah’s day was a wicked politician in league with the enemy, as were the priests in Christ’s day. Truly they sat in Moses’ seat, but they were a generation of vipers. God’s glory was not in their Herod-built temple. And truly God said to Haggai, of the temple rebuilt under Zerubbabel in the return from Babylon, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, and in this place will I give peace.” But He also says when and how this will be accomplished, when He says, “I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land: And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory.” That day we know is yet to come.
We know when the glory will return, because Ezekiel, who saw it leave, also saw it return in prophetic vision by the way of the east gate into the glorious House of Prayer for All Nations, as he describes in his closing chapters.
The vision we are studying begins in chapter 8. This is Zedekiah’s sixth year, because it is the sixth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, and Zedekiah followed Jehoiachin on the throne. Ezekiel is in Babylon with the captives, but the spirit of God lifts him up and takes him in vision to the Temple in Jerusalem. And he is shown there four abominations.
Verse 5, of chapter 8 - “The image of jealousy”-an abominable idol in God’s Holy Place. And God says in verse 6, “Seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary?” God is manifesting to the prophet, to be transmitted to the remnant in Babylon for both their warning and their comfort, why the glory is to leave the Temple, and the nation and the city to be destroyed.
Next, in verses 7-13, Ezekiel sees seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel performing abominable idolatries in the Temple. Here is the top rulership of the land-the 70 elders, which shows the nation’s hopelessly corrupt condition. And next, in verse 14-15, he sees women weeping for the heathen idol Tammuz. And next, in 16-17, he sees 25 men with their backs to the Temple worshiping the sun, right at the door of the Temple.
Now we are told at each step that the succeeding abomination is worse-worse than the one before. Why the women would be considered worse than the 70 leading elders of the nation we are not told. But we do know that there were very vile rights performed in connection with this idol Tammuz and with women in heathen temples generally. There was no place for them there at all.
The 25 men that he sees last are the climax. Who then do these 25 stand for? They could be and probably represent the leaders of the 24 courses of the priesthood, plus the high priest. And, if this is so, it could explain why in God’s sight this is the worst of all. This was at the inner court, right at the door of the Temple, where none but the priests were ever to be allowed to go (again indicating that it was priests). It was not until the time of Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, that the actual Temple itself was profaned with idolatry. Hezekiah destroyed this and cleansed the Temple. It was brought back again even more wickedly by his son, Manasseh, and his son, Amon. Then came Josiah who again cleansed the Temple and the land. But as soon as Josiah was dead, it came back in full-flood. Of the last four kings, Josiah’s three sons and his grandson, all were wicked and the land increasingly corrupt.
Chapter 9 continues this vision. We know that this is not an actual event at this time, but a vision-a representation. It was fulfilled, generally speaking, five years later when the Babylonians broke into the city. In this chapter the judgments on the idolaters are portrayed.
Verse 1 - “He cried also in mine ears.” The he who speaks to Ezekiel all through this vision is the enthroned manifestation of God that Ezekiel saw above the Cherubim in chapter 1. This manifestation appears to him at the beginning of this current vision in 8:2, “Then I beheld a likeness as the appearance of fire: from his loins downward fire and from his loins upward brightness.” The fire of judgment for those cast down for wickedness, and the brightness of glory for those exalted for righteousness.
As we begin chapter 9, this personage-the manifestation of God-calls for the custodians for the city of Jerusalem to come forth with their slaughter weapons, whereupon (verse 2) six armed men appear. Who are these? History tells us that the agency God was about to use for this judgment was the Babylonian army. The number six points to a human agency.
It is significant that when the destroying Babylonian army broke into the city, just five years after this vision, as Jeremiah records in 39:3, that six princes of the king of Babylon entered and sat in the middle gate to oversee the operation. Six men with slaughter weapons, for they were the heads of the army.
But in this vision, there is a seventh man portraying the divine side of the picture. He is clothed in linen-righteousness-and carries writing equipment. Before the destroyers are allowed to begin their mission, this man is instructed (verse 4) to mark the forehead of everyone in the city who righteously mourns for the abominations that were done. There is nothing haphazard about the operations of God. He overlooks nothing and makes no mistakes. Not one true grain of corn is ever allowed to fall to the ground with the sifted out chaff. There is great comfort in this-this man with the writer’s inkhorn.
Anyone looking the events in Jerusalem with natural eyes would never have dreamed that God was carefully looking and controlling what happened to every individual. But we note that the only ones spared were those who sighed and cried for the abominations.
Sighing refers more to internal feeling; crying more to the external manifestation. The word here for sigh is also translated mourn and groan. “Blessed are ye that mourn.” There are many words in Hebrew for cry; the one here is always associated with suffering and mourning. It is that type of crying.
It was not enough to just refrain from the abominations. Neutrals are no good to God or man. There had to be a complete separation from the abominations, and from those who committed them, and a mourning and crying out against them, to be spared by God in this terrible day of judgment upon Jerusalem. Neutrals, or those who are lukewarm, are never safe and never get any joy or satisfaction out of life.
To please God and to have joy in life, we must be enthusiastically all the way over on the side of goodness and righteousness. The things of God are so great and so marvelous that there is nothing more pitiful, more unreasonable than a half-hearted Christadelphian.
The righteous mourners, having been marked for protection, the order goes forth (verses 5-6), “Go through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity, slay utterly old and young, and begin-begin-at my sanctuary.”
This vision is representative and not actual. We are not to suppose that when the Babylonians broke into the city, they killed all the wicked and spared all the righteous. We are being shown God’s ultimate judgments. Actually, we are given the picture that the righteous had already been taken out of the city-taken to Babylon. In this way they were marked in the forehead. This is shown in such records as Jeremiah’s two baskets of figs-the good taken away; the rotten left in the city. This was the general picture of God’s deliverance of His true people at this time, but it was not obvious to the natural eye. It looked like those in the city were the favored ones, and those carried into slavery and into captivity were the unfavored ones. It had to be not obvious to the natural eye, or there would be no exercise of faith. Jeremiah suffered and died with the wicked remnant, because that was the work that God appointed for him to do.
Verse 7 - “And he said unto them (unto these six men with slaughter weapons), Defile the house-defile the house, that is the Temple of God-and fill the courts with the slain.” The house, or Temple, was already thoroughly defiled by the abominations committed there. God was now about to confirm that defilement by filling it with the slain bodies of the defilers. The glory was about to depart from the polluted sanctuary.
Back in verse 3, just before the beginning of these judgments, is the first indication of the departure of the Shekinah Glory of the presence of God that had dwelt so long over the mercy seat between the Cherubim. “And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub…to the threshold of the house.” It left the Most Holy Place and paused at the doorway. We note that it departs slowly and reluctantly in stages, showing God’s sorrow and mercy, giving opportunity for some indication of repentance and reform. But there was none. The cherub, or Cherubim, mentioned in 9:3, refers to the golden Cherubim in the Most Holy, which the glory is leaving.
As chapter 10 begins, the vision of the Cherubim and the sapphire throne of glory that Ezekiel first saw in chapter 1 at the beginning of his ministry now reappears. It is of course the same Cherubim as the golden Cherubim of the ark, as regards the significance and identity of whom are represented. But the Cherubim Ezekiel sees in vision are far more detailed. They are alive and active. In fact, life and activity are their principle characteristics. They are preeminently the Livings Ones-the Living Creatures. In the representation of them there is constant, rapid, lightening-like motion, and ceaseless activity. They are more fully described in chapter 1. In a large way, chapter 10 is a brief repetition of the details of chapter 1.
Ezekiel first sees (1:4) storm and clouds coming from the north. These are the judgments coming upon Jerusalem. Out of them come fire, and out of the fire come the Cherubim. They are four-fold. They are basically in human form with a human face at the front. But each of the four has three other faces-one on each side and one at the back-a lion, an ox, and an eagle, besides their man’s face. And they also each have four wings, and calved feet, and they have hands under their wings. They are arranged in a square with their backs inwards, and each facing outwards in a different direction. Under each one is a wheel, so formed as to be able to roll in any of the four directions without turning. Together they form a chariot-the Chariot of the Cherubim. They are the vehicle and the dwelling place and the instrument of God.
Brother Thomas has very beautifully demonstrated that the Cherubim are a pictorial representation of the Memorial Name-Yahweh Elohim-He Who Will Be Mighty Ones-God manifested in a glorious multitude of whom Christ is the nucleus and the Head. In their general description, and their number four, and their name as Living Ones, they are identified with the four Living Ones of the Revelation. In their name as Cherubim, they are identified with the guardian of the Garden of Eden and the golden Cherubim that overshadowed and were of one piece with the Christ mercy seat, the cover of the ark of the testimony.
The aspect of light and motion comes out very clearly in the description of them in chapter 1: Verse 4 - the fire enfolding itself, that is, in constant but controlled movement. Verses 13-14 - “The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps,” or torches. The fire “went up and down among the living creatures…and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.” Lightning travels at the speed of light and electricity-the fastest motion known in the natural universe. Besides motion, there is tremendous brilliance and glory, like ceaseless lightning flashes. Verse 24 - Their noise was like the voice of mighty ones-the noise of great waters-the noise of a host.
In the Mosaic Tabernacle and the Solomon Temple, they rested-golden and motionless. And the Glory of God rested quietly upon them. This is the ideal state of peace with God. It does not indicate, however, any lessening of living activity, for these are still the Living Creatures that rest not day and night from worshipping and glorifying God, as they are described in Revelation 4. But it does indicate absence of militant judicial activity. When they rested, they let down their wings, and they were silent.
The Cherubim in Ezekiel’s visions are aroused. They have a terrible work to perform in the earth, beginning at the sanctuary of God. The primary application was the destruction of Jerusalem-the breaking up of the nation and a scattering and slaying of the people. But the antitypical application is the judgments to come upon the earth in the last days of God’s wrath and recompense.
How do the glorified saints, who are still today mostly in their graves and far from any glory, how do they figure in the judgments upon Jerusalem 2500 years ago, as the Living Creatures? All live unto Him. All things are for their sakes. All things are in answer to their righteous prayers. Similarly we find the Living Creatures in the Revelation, directing the judgments upon Rome-both pagan and papal. IF we are the true children of God, and we can be, IF we are prepared to give our lives wholly and unreservedly to Him, then the whole course of human history is but working out our welfare and our glory-the glory of the Cherubim. It has no other purpose at all for existence. Our glory, of course, being for and to the glory of God.
As chapter 10 begins, the throne and Cherubim appear again to Ezekiel. And the likeness on the throne told the man in linen to take fire from between the Cherubim and scatter it over the city of Jerusalem. Here the punishment of Jerusalem is connected with the Cherubim. It comes from them.
The cherubim were standing (verse 3) “on the right side of the house.” The house or Temple faced east. The right side was the south side. Right and south always being associated in Hebrew, and the left side was the north side. Note that all the way through chapter 8, the abominations were on the north, or left hand side-the side of rejection. The Cherubim were on the right side-the south side.
In 10:4, “the glory of Yahweh went up from the cherub over the threshold of the house.” This appears to be a repetition of 9:3. But the wording is a little different. Lifted up, as we see in the margin, instead of gone up, and over instead of to, in relation to the threshold. Clearly, it is a further step in the sad departure in God’s glory from Israel. It begins to be lifted up away from them.
Verse 5 - “And the sound of the cherubim’s wings was heard even to the outer court.” This is a sad part. The outer court was the court of the Gentiles. Jerusalem said in Lamentations, which is Jeremiah’s description of this very time, “All mine enemies have heard of my troubles, and they are glad.” And Jeremiah says of this time, in Jer.22:8-9, “Many nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord.” “The sound of the Cherubim’s wings was heard even to the outer court.”
Israel was chosen to be very close to God. Their conduct either glorified or shamed Him before the nations. They could not be neutral, from their very position. We are in the same position. We can either bring glory or dishonor upon His Name by our conduct in the sight of the world-the outer court. And because Israel did not have the wisdom to be a faithful witness to God’s glory, they had to be made a witness to His wrath and His righteous judgment. Once they had been brought specially close to God, they could no longer be neutrals or escape from their great responsibility. We have been called near; we cannot run away and hide from God. There is no going back. It is a tragedy when the sins and follies of God’s people give the heathen occasion to reproach and rejoice.
In verses 18-19, the glory of Yahweh withdraws still further from the threshold to the outer east gate. It is leaving, we note, by the way of the east. The Cherubim depart with it, like the people of God being taken out of Sodom.
Chapter 11 is still part of the vision. In verses 22-23, the Cherubim and the glory leave the city entirely and stand on the Mount of Olives to the east of the city. At this point, Ezekiel is taken back to Chaldea, and he does not see the glory ascend from the Mount of Olives. Perhaps there is significance and promise in this. The Lord has withdrawn from the city, but we know He is never far from it, even in its desolation.
It was from the Mount of Olives that Jesus approached the city for his last visit, which ended in his rejection and death. While they sang, “Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord,” he wept, for he knew the sad reality that faced this city. And just under seven weeks later, it was from this same spot-the Mount of Olives-that he ascended to heaven. The true living glory of Yahweh, rejected by the people was withdrawn, that the city might again be destroyed and be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
In chapter 43, in the middle of his description of the new temple to be built-the House of Prayer for all Nations-Ezekiel sees the glory return. In 43:2, “And, behold, the glory of God of Israel came from the way of the east.” Verse 3 - “And the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar.” This was the vision of the Cherubim and the sapphire throne and the rainbow. Verse 4 - “And the glory of the Lord came into the house.” And verse 5 - “filled the house.” Verse 7 - “And he said…I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name shall they no more defile.” This is the coming of Christ, as the glory of the Lord. “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives.” And he shall come as the King of Glory to the welcoming gates of Jerusalem, which thenceforth shall be the Holy City, for from that day its name shall be THE LORD IS THERE.
Bro. G.V.Growcott
