“Don’t take God’s glory for granted.” This is the warning of Ezekiel’s prophecy to God’s people and to us today. The first half of the book warns us that we have not fully appreciated the depth of our sin and our plight before a holy God. However, it is not all bad news. God’s glory will not just come in judgement, but will also result in salvation. The second half of the book then casts our vision forward to the future restoration of God’s people and the triumphant return of God’s presence amongst them.
At the centre of the book of Ezekiel stands the centre of human history – a bloody wooden cross that simultaneously reveals the horror of our sin and the beauty of God’s glory. The book, therefore, functions as an urgent call to repentance before God and a grand call to life with him.