**The Glory Departs: A Vision of Judgment and Hope**

The prophet Ezekiel sat by the Kebar River, his heart heavy with the burden of the Lord’s word. The exiles of Judah murmured in despair, their homeland ravaged, their temple defiled. But the Lord had not abandoned them—He would speak again, revealing both His righteous judgment and the promise of His presence.

As Ezekiel waited, the heavens trembled, and the familiar vision returned—the four living creatures, their wings outstretched, their faces aflame with divine purpose. Beside them, the wheels, vast and full of eyes, moved in perfect harmony with the Spirit. Above them, the expanse shimmered like crystal, and upon the sapphire throne sat the likeness of a Man, radiant with the fire of glory.

Then the voice of the Almighty thundered, “Go in between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.”

Ezekiel watched as a man clothed in linen, a heavenly messenger, obeyed the command. He moved with solemn grace, stepping between the fiery beings, their wings humming like the roar of many waters. The cherubim stretched forth their hands, and the coals—gleaming like molten jewels—were placed into the linen-clad one’s palms. The fire did not consume him, for it was holy, a purging flame of divine judgment.

As the coals were taken, the glory of the Lord, which had once dwelled in the midst of His people, began to shift. The sound of the cherubim’s wings grew louder, like the voice of the Almighty when He speaks. The wheels, inseparable from the living creatures, turned in unison, lifting the throne-chariot of God from its place.

Ezekiel’s breath caught in his chest as he realized what was happening. The Shekinah—the visible presence of the Lord—was departing from the temple in Jerusalem. The cherubim, the wheels, the burning fire—all ascended slowly, deliberately, as if reluctant yet obedient to the will of the Holy One.

The prophet fell to his face, overcome with awe and sorrow. The Lord was leaving His sanctuary. No longer would His feet rest upon the threshold of the house where His name had dwelled. The sins of Israel had driven Him forth, yet even in judgment, there was purpose. The fire that would scatter over the city was not merely destruction—it was purification. The Lord would not forsake His people forever.

As the vision faded, Ezekiel knew this was not the end. The glory would one day return, for the Lord is faithful. Though He disciplines, He does not abandon. Though He judges, He restores. And so the prophet waited, trusting in the promise of the One whose presence is both fire and refuge.

Thus the word of the Lord came to pass, and Ezekiel bore witness to the solemn departure of glory—a warning to the wicked, a lament for the righteous, and a hidden hope for the days of restoration yet to come.