Ezekiel 9

CHAPTERS 9 AND 10THEME: Shekinah glory prepares to leave temple; Shekinah glory fills the holy place; Shekinah glory departs

Ezekiel 9:2

SHEKINAH GLORY PREPARES TO LEAVE THE TEMPLEIn chapter 9 the Shekinah glory prepares to leave the temple at Jerusalem. I believe that from the days of Manasseh there was the coming and going of the Shekinah glory. God is merciful; He doesn’t, in a petulant mood, give up on people. God is long-suffering and not willing that any should perish. “Six men came from the way of the higher gate.” These six men are angelsI see no other explanation for them. Angels are used by God in the judgment of this world. They are associated with the nation Israel and have nothing to do with the church. On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit camenot angelsand when the Lord Jesus Christ comes to take the church out of the world, there will be no angels with Him. However, when He comes to the earth to establish His Kingdom, He will send forth His angels. We read in Mat_13:41, “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all the things that offend, and them which do iniquity.” Then in Mat_16:27: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Finally, Paul wrote: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2Th_1:7-8).

After the third chapter in Revelation, there is no mention of the church which had been previously mentioned frequently. Why? The church is gone from the earth, and angels have taken over the judgment upon the earth. “And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub.” That is, it had gone up from the Holy Place. The “cherub” were above the mercy seat. This is where the glory had been, but now it lifts up. The glory was a token of the presence of God, and it is now departing.

Ezekiel 9:4

God has said, “Mark out the men who want these abominations and are seeking after them. I am going to judge them.” But this man with the inkhorn marks out those “that sigh and that cry for all the abominations.” These are the remnant which God will save in that city.

Ezekiel 9:9

It was as if the people were saying, “God is blind, and He can’t make it to the earth.” That is the same as those who say today that God is dead. It may be easy to say that God is not out there and He doesn’t know what is going on in the earth, but when you really think about it, it is absurd. My friend, just because you haven’t seen God and have seen no evidence of Him is no proof that He does not exist. I have never been to Tokyo, Japan, but I believe there is a great city by the name of Tokyo in Japan. I have never been there, and I can act as if it’s not there, but the fact remains that it does exist. Just because a man has had no intimate relationship with God does not mean that God does not exist.

The people of Israel were trying to say that God had forsaken the earth. Why? Because they had forsaken God.

Ezekiel 9:10

The destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and the burning of the temple were frightful things. Why did God do it? He has said, “I will recompense their way upon their head.” God is running things, my friend; and, if you are out of step with Him, it might be well to get in step with Him. If I saw a lion coming down the street toward me, I wouldn’t meet him head on. I would turn and be going the same direction as he was going as far ahead of him as I could go! You can defy God if you want to, but may I say to you, the chariot of the Lord is riding triumphantly, and God have mercy on you if you get in His way.

Ezekiel 9:11

There were those who were picked out for judgment, and there was the remnant which was to be saved. Our God is merciful when men will turn to Him; that fact makes His judgment actually more frightful.