PsalmTree

God’s Glory departs from the Temple: Ezekiel 10:1-22

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/ezekiel/10.htm

We will never understand the church unless we understand Israel…

Israel is the Hebrew nation that God chose to reveal is will through, to mankind. We first see the word “Hebrew” in Genesis 14:13 where Abraham was called “the Hebrew.” The word “Hebrew” (‘Ivri in Hebrew) likely derives from “Eber,” an ancestor of Abraham; (Genesis 10–11) or from a root meaning “to cross over” or “from the other side,” possibly referring to Abraham crossing the Euphrates River from Mesopotamia into Canaan. It could also connote a wanderer, nomad, or someone from beyond a boundary.

After Jacob (Abraham’s grandson) wrestled with a divine being (often interpreted as an angel or manifestation of God) at Peniel, he was told:  “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome” (Genesis 32:28). The term became “Hebrew” became synonymous with “Israel”

The Old Testament shows Israel has struggled with God ever since…and will overcome but, not all of Israel; as Paul explains in Romans, “What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.” (11:7). So, God  offered His promise to the Gentiles; “But by their wrongdoing salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”

At this point, we need to understand a critical point; The church has not replaced Israel as recipients of God’s promises…we have “become part” of Israel (spiritually).

“Replacement Theology” (also called Supersessionism) is the Christian theological view that the Christian Church has replaced or superseded national/ethnic Israel as the primary recipient of God’s covenants, promises, and blessings because most Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah. God has set aside national Israel’s special role and transferred the promises (e.g., land, blessing, chosen-people status) to the Church, which is seen as the “new” or “true” Israel.

 In Romans 11, Paul repudiates this claim; he portrays Gentile believers (the “wild olive shoot”) as being grafted into the existing olive tree—representing Israel and its covenants/root (the patriarchs and promises of God)—rather than starting a brand-new, separate tree or fully replacing it. Paul explicitly states God has not rejected His people (Romans 11:1-2), their hardening is partial and temporary (Romans 11:25), and “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). God’s gifts and calling to Israel are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

Paul is saying the exact opposite of supersessionism; Christians have not replaced Israel, we have become part of Israel…God’s covenant people. And, all of Israel will be saved because God will have already pruned the unbelieving branches.

Israel has always found salvation in believing God. In all of our struggles, we overcome when we take God at his word 

Remember Genesis 32; “Your name shall be Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome”

So, we understand the church only when we understand our  history as Israel. We constantly argue with God. We constantly stray from His will and, there is a cost attached; God’s glory will be removed. This is Ezekiel chapter 10. Which brings us to Ezekiel chapter 10…

Explanation: Don’t get bogged down in the details…The description of the "glory of the LORD" in Ezekiel and similar passages is symbolic language meant to communicate theological truths rather than a literal physical portrait. Close your eyes; meditate upon a presence that cannot be ignored. Rest in the reality of 

• Divine holiness and transcendence: dazzling light, fire, and pure stone imagery signal God's absolute otherness, moral purity, and separation from sin.
• Majesty and sovereignty: the throne/imagery communicates God's rule, authority, and kingship over creation.
• Presence and immanence: a figure "like a man" and the mobility of the throne show God is present with and active among people, not distant or absent.
• Power and judgment: fire, lightning, and the departure of the glory (Ezekiel 10) emphasize God’s power to act decisively—both to protect and to punish.
• Omniscience and watchfulness: wheels full of eyes symbolize God’s all‑seeing knowledge and attention to all directions and events.
• Heavenly order and mediation: the cherubim/angelic beings indicate a structured, ordered heavenly court that mediates God’s presence and executes his will.
• Communicative accommodation: anthropomorphic and material images (throne, human form, precious stones) make the divine comprehensible to human senses and language.

The descriptions emphasize an overwhelming, awe‑inspiring presence—majestic, holy, powerful, and unmistakably real—meant to provoke reverence, fear, and recognition of God’s authority and nearness and, if we take it for granted, we will become apathetic and begin looking for the next awesome experience.

When that happens, God’s glory leaves…

Application: Just as with Israel, where every citizen is not a follower of Yahweh,    The visible Temporal Church is not the “Body of Christ”. It is an earthly consortium of people who profess allegiance to Christ. They are all called Christians but all of them aren’t. By this I mean, everybody who affiliates with an earthly congregation and calls themselves a Christian may not be. We become part of the Body of Christ when we are “born of the Spirit” (God’s Spirit comes to dwell with our spirit). From the outside, we can’t always tell the difference but, God can. 

Christians (Israel) today struggles with the same two extremes Israel has always encountered; legalism and lawlessness (antinomianism). 

In Philippians 3, Paul issues a warning against legalism (confidence in human status, religious performance, or legal observance), Calling believers to

“Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers…” (verse 2), Paul is referring to false teachers, especially the Judaizers who were telling believers they needed circumcision and law-keeping in addition to faith in Christ. He warn the Philippians that these people were distorting the gospel by making outward religious identity the basis of salvation. In other words, Paul is not talking about ordinary unbelievers in general, but specifically about teachers who were adding legalism to Christianity.

Scripture addresses antinomianism in several places, most directly in Romans 6, where Paul rejects the idea that grace means we can keep sinning: “By no means!”. It also appears in Romans 3 and Galatians 5, where Paul insists that salvation is by grace through faith, but not as a license to the flesh.

• 1 John 2:3–6 and 3:4–10. John connects knowing Christ with keeping his commands and says sin is lawlessness.
• The clearest place is Isaiah 5:20, which says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”
• Romans 1:18–32 describes people suppressing truth and exchanging God’s truth for lies, which is another form of moral reversal.

I frequently quote Randall Lolly; “The devil doesn’t care which side of the road you fall off…just so you fall off.” The legalists don’t believe it’s possible to fall off the right side (we can’t have too many rules) and the antinomians don’t believe it’s possible to fall off the left side (too much freedom in Christ is impossible). 

They’re both wrong.

Here is where I always refer to Psalm 1; the true path for believers right down the center line defined by calling Christ my Savior and my Lord (Romans 10:9, 10). My relationship with God is based on the finished work of Christ and therefore, I submit my life completely to His will. This means 3 things

1. I never take advice from someone who doesn’t believe in Yahweh
2. I never engage in relationships with people who ignore God’s commands
3. I will never become a cynic when I don’t fully understand God’s will.

It’s important, when reviewing chapter 10, that we understand the”Glory of the Lord” is contingent upon our willingness to live on His terms. When we stray from that center Line; “Jesus only, Jesus always” God’s weighty, visible radiance and honor — the manifest holiness, majesty, and worthiness of God will leave. 

We are on our own…

Prayer: “Lord, God…I come before You acknowledging that I am a prone to living according to my own will, but today I choose to turn from my own way and surrender my life to your Son, Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God, that You died on the cross for my sins, and that You rose again victorious over death. I accept Your sacrifice as payment for all my wrongdoing. I ask You to forgive me, cleanse me, and make me new.

From this day forward, I commit myself fully to You. I make You the Lord of my life. Take every part of me—my thoughts, my words, my actions, my relationships, my future, and my heart. Lead me by Your Holy Spirit. Teach me to follow You, to obey Your Word, and to love You above all else.

I no longer belong to myself; I belong to You. Help me to live for Your glory each day. Strengthen me when I am weak, correct me when I stray, and fill me with Your peace and joy.

Thank You for Your amazing love and for calling me Your child. I trust You completely with my life. In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord, I pray.Amen. ”

Live boldly out there today…