In this stirring chapter, God teaches Ezekiel that He will leave Jerusalem, and reside with His people in exile. There He will be a "small Temple" a "mikdash me'at" and He will reside among them until it is time to bring them back home. Then the people will gather in Israel with a humble heart, one dedicated to unity and living in God's ways.

In this terribly graphic and ominous chapter, Ezekiel describes his vision as God's presence is lifted by His chariot out of the Temple. This represents God's "journey" from the Temple to Babylon. The people have defiled His Temple, it is no longer God's house. The fires taken from God's chariot will now consume and destroy the desecrated House of God.

Ezekiels virtual journey to the Temple in Jerusalem continues, as he now witnesses the departure of God from the cherubs. As God leaves, he instructs the destroyers to begin the defilement of the temple and show no mercy to the sinful people of Jerusalem. Those who do show remorse however, are marked and spared.

God takes Ezekiel on a flight to Jerusalem to see the extent of the corruption that has overtaken the people. The temple itself is being defiled in the worst possible way. Ezekiel invokes the images of Deuteronomy in his attempt to get the people to hear his message.

Ezekiel continues to try and convince the people that the time of destruction of Jerusalem is upon them. The time is now, not in 100 years or in some distant future, but now. Individuals can save themselves if they learn the proper lessons, but the Temple and the people residing in Israel are doomed. Only in Babylon will the salvation sprout one day, but all that sprouts in the land of Israel now will be calamity.

Ezekiel reminds the people that all of this has been predicted in the Torah many years ago. This should come as no surprise. "It was not for nothing that I told you all of this!", God reminds the people (See verse 10 in this chapter).

God continues to ask Ezekiel to do another symbolic act, this time to teach the most awful lesson of all. A terrible destruction is going to befall the people of Jerusalem, and very very few will survive.

God asks the prophet to perform several symbolic acts to convey the message of the impending destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel displays his humility and that he is suffering alomg with the people.

God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman over the Jewish people. You must deliver the message, and the people will choose if they want to listen and avert catastrophe, or if they will ignore it and suffer the consequences. We learn that every individual is responsible for his/her deeds regardless of the surrounding environment, and the watchman is responsible to deliver the warnings.

Ezekiel cannot bring himself to eat the bitter scroll, so God has to feed it to him. He then eats it as if it was sweet as honey, though its' contents were anything but sweet. God says, once you internalize this message, then speak my words to the people. Though they are stubborn and obstinate, you will be just as stubborn as they.