The destruction of the temple in Jerusslem was a tragedy for the Jewish people. The temple was the place on earth where God was present! Where could they find God now? In Ezekiel’s vision God has become mobile. The glory of the LORD left the threshold of the temple and rested upon the cherubim. These lifted their wings, and I saw them rise from the earth, the wheels rising along with them. They stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the Lord’s house. With wings and wheels God’s presence was not limited to one place but could travel. The fact that this mobile presence is at the “eastern gate” gives God a straight shot to the exiled Jewish people since Babylon is directly east of Jerusalem. Even the destruction of the temple can’t keep God from being present to Israel. Jesus, of course, has an even more profound understanding of God’s presence. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” God’s presence is not a matter of geography but of fidelity. As you gather in prayer with others trust that God is with you.
