Wiersbe comments that " If all you do is look at the sins of the land, you will end up very discouraged. Do as the prophet did: lift your eyes higher and get a new vision of the throne of God (Jer 17:12)."

And so Ezekiel again sees the glorious appearance of the majesty of God (almost certainly the pre-incarnate Christ in the glory that He had before His incarnation) to inspire us with a holy awe and dread of God and to fill us with His fear as we get a glimpse into the invisible world via these incredible descriptions. Although much of this chapter repeats or overlaps with the description of God's chariot throne in Ezekiel 1, it would be a shame to read this chapter and be bored by the repetition. This is the God of the universe Ezekiel is describing. If nothing else is gleaned from this chapter, let a slow reading of it at least prompt a desire to worship the Worthy One and then to go forth and to live in a manner worthy of His majesty glory herein revealed in only a small degree.

Matthew Henry commenting on this description writes that "here is enough to oblige us all to the utmost reverence in our thoughts of God and approaches to Him, if we will but admit the impressions this discovery of Him will make."

"I looked" Ezekiel was called to be a "watchman" (Ezek3:17, 33:2,6-7), and here we see him faithful at his post like the "lookout" described in Isaiah who said "O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower, and I am stationed every night at my guard post."

Would all of His saints be so alert and focused, for all have been given the charge to at least "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." (Pr 4:23-notes)

We all need to pray that we might have the attitude of God's watchmen like Ezekiel and Isaiah and like Habakkuk who said "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved" (Hab2:1)

IN THE EXPANSE THAT WAS OVER THE HEADS OF THE CHERUBIM: (Ezek 1:22, 23, 24, 25, 26) (Ezek 10:20; 11:22; Ps18:10; 68:17,18; Ep1:20; 1Pe3:22)

"in the firmament that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something looking like a sapphire stone, in form resembling a throne." (Amp)

"I saw that on the arch which was over the head of the winged ones" (BBE)

"I looked at the dome over the heads of the living creatures" (GNB)

"In the expanse" (raqia) is described in (Ezek 1:22) as "like the awesome gleam of crystal" This description is similar to that in Exodus where the elders "saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself" (Ex24:10)

"Over the heads of the cherubim"

Matthew Henry comments that "God is above the head of the cherubim, in respect not only of his dignity above them, but of His dominion over them. Cherubim have great power, and wisdom, and influence, but they are all subject to God and Christ." Elsewhere we read the description of  "the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts Who sits above the cherubim..." (1Sa 4:4)

SOMETHING LIKE A SAPPHIRE STONE, IN APPEARANCE RESEMBLING A THRONE, APPEARED ABOVE THEM: (Ezek 1:22,26; Ge18:2,17,22,31; 32:24,30; Josh 5:13, 14, 15; 6:2; Jer13:6,8; Jer13:18, 19, 20, 21, 22; Jn1:18; Rev1:13)

"there appeared above them something looking like a sapphire stone, in form resembling a throne." (Amp)

"there was seen over them what seemed like a sapphire stone, having the form of a king's seat" (BBE)

"what appeared to be a throne of blue sapphire above the crystal surface over the heads of the cherubim." (CSB)

"above them was something that seemed to be a throne made of sapphire." (GNB)

Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God is similar but not identical to what he had seen in (Ezek1:1–28).

"Something like a sapphire stone" (lapis lazuli, azure blue, sky blue) parallels Ezekiel's description in (Ezek1:26) where he writes that "over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance, and on that which resembled a throne, high up was a figure with the appearance of a man," again an carefully worded attempt by the finite mind to describe the infinite One, the glorious Messiah.  In another apocalyptic book, John describes his experience this way: "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance." (Rev 4:2,3) Notice that different stones (lapis lazuli ~ sapphire) are employed, for no description of beauty is sufficient to describe God's radiant throne. Let us bow down to the One so matchless in form and beauty, and ponder the precious privilege we have as believers to "draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16) Have you drawn near today? Do you have some genuine need that you have not brought before Him? He is able!

"He spoke" that is, the Lord, the preincarnate Messiah. Notice that in contrast to chapter 1, this time Ezekiel does not even attempt a description of the Lord.

"Man clothed in linen" in the previous chapter (see Ezek 9:2,11) had performed an act of mercy (putting a mark on those who sign and groan and who were to be spared) but here his actions are associated with judgment on Jerusalem.

ENTER BETWEEN THE WHIRLING WHEELS UNDER THE CHERUBIM: "Go in between the wheels, under the winged ones" (BBE)

"Whirling wheels" (galgal) often refers to chariot wheels (Isa 5:28).

AND FILL YOUR HANDS WITH COALS OF FIRE FROM BETWEEN THE CHERUBIM: (Ezek 10:7) (Ezek 10:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,16; 1:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20) (Ps 18:12,13; 140:10; Isa 6:6,7; Rev 8:5)

"and get your two hands full of burning coals from between the winged ones" (BBE),

"and fill the hollow of thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim" (Darby)

"Coals" (gahelet) In chapter 1 Ezekiel had described "In the midst of the living beings (cherubim) there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire." (Ezek1:13)

In the present context, the coals of fire are associated with judgment in contrast to the coal that brought cleansing to Isaiah's lips in Isaiah 6, the prophet recording "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven." (Isa 6:6, 7)

Had Judah sought God's mercy and obeyed His Word, the coals would have brought cleansing not calamity.  They had refused the grace, mercy and redemption of God, so now must bear the judgment of God, as must all who "think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Ro2:4)

McGee draws this parallel between the coals from between the cherubim and the cross of Christ "It is just as simple as this: God sent His Son because He loves you. Because He is holy, He had to pay the penalty for your sin and mine; He had to die on the cross. Christ is the propitiation, He is the mercy seat for our sins—not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. There is a mercy seat which you can come to, but, if you reject it, the judgment of God must come upon you. Christ bore your judgment, and that is the only way God forgives you. It is not because you are a sweet little boy or a nice little Pollyanna glad-girl. You are a sinner and in rebellion against Him. The best that Christians can say today is that we are saved sinners; we are not superior people at all."

AND SCATTER {THEM} OVER THE CITY" AND HE ENTERED IN MY SIGHT: (Ezek 20:47,48; 24:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14; Isa30:30; Jer24:8, 9, 10)

"and get your two hands full of burning coals from between the winged ones and send them in a shower over the town. And he went in before my eyes" (BBE)

"He did this as I watched" (CSB),

"I watched him as he followed the LORD's instructions" (CEV)

Ezekiel later records the LORD's words "Behold, I am about to kindle a fire in you, and it shall consume every green tree in you (ancient Palestine was heavily forested), as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched, and the whole surface from south to north will be burned by it. And all flesh will see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched." (Ezek 20:47-48)

In 2 Kings, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, a servant of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and literally fulfilled (at least in part) Ezekiel's prophecy for "He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire." (2Ki25:9)

The picture of scattering coals over the wicked city of Jerusalem  reminds one of God's judgment on the wicked cities in Genesis, Moses recording that "the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven and He overthrew those cities and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground" (Ge 19:24-25)

Craigie commenting on the "coals" adds that "God’s burning purity may hold either threat or promise. To those that seek to walk in God’s way, the coals of God may purify and heal, as Isaiah discovered in his great vision of God in the temple (Isa 6:6). But the same coals may consume the impure, as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah had discovered to their cost (Ge 19:24). The tragedy of Jerusalem was that it was going the way of those sinful cities of the Dead Sea valley."

The picture of scattering coals over Jerusalem for judgment is paralleled in John's description of the final outpouring of God's wrath in Revelation where "the angel took the censer and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake." (Rev 8:5)

"Right side" (yamiyn) generally in Scripture is used as a reference to the "south" side and it is translated "south" by several of the translations.

Golden carvings of cherubim were placed over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 25:18, 19, 20, 21, 22), which represented the actual throne of God as seen here by Ezekiel. Apparently one of the responsibilities of the cherubim is to carry God’s throne.

THEN THE GLORY OF THE LORD WENT UP FROM THE CHERUB TO THE THRESHOLD OF THE TEMPLE: (Ezek 1:28; 9:3; 11:22,23; Nu16:19) (Ezek 43:5; Ex40:35; 1Ki8:10, 11, 12; 2Ch5:13,14; Hag 2:9; Rev 15:8)

"The dazzling light of the LORD's presence rose up from the creatures and moved to the entrance of the Temple" (GNB)

"The LORD'S glory rose from the angels to the entrance of the temple" (GWT)

"The Glory of the LORD" was God's visible manifestation of His presence. This exact phrase appears 36 times in the NASB (which book has the most occurrences?). Click here to read the verses and for an interesting study, make a list of the "why, what, when, where and how" observations that are associated with the appearance of His glory. Apparently from the days when the glory had filled the Tabernacle of Moses and later the Temple of Solomon's, "the (Shekinah) glory of Jehovah" had been a visible reminder of God's presence in the Holy Place. In Ezekiel 9-11 we see the Shekinah glory departing the Holy Place between the cherubim and hovering over the threshold of the temple.

"Went up from the cherub to the threshold" appears to be a repetition of a similar movement in Ezek 9:3 where Ezekiel records that "the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple."  Ezekiel adds later that "the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim." (Ezek 10:18)  from whence "the cherubim departed" until "they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD'S house. And the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them." (Ezek 10:1)

Other Scriptures repeatedly emphasize that the LORD Who is "enthroned above the cherubim" (click Scriptures).

Craigie comments that 'this first step in God’s evacuation of His temple is forced upon Him. He does not want to move, but is evicted by an evil people. The ultimate privilege of religion is the presence of God, however elusive. The most awful loss is the removal of that presence. But Ezekiel makes it clear that the divine presence is not lost without cause, but only as the consequence of the steadfast pursuit of evil"

AND THE TEMPLE WAS FILLED WITH THE CLOUD AND THE COURT WAS FILLED WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD:  

"Then the cloud filled the Temple, and the courtyard was blazing with the light" (GNB)

"and the brightness of the LORD'S glory filled the courtyard" (GWT)

"Filled with the brightness" describes God's glory as radiant, brilliant, sparkling in luster so that not one square inch of the courtyard failed to manifest His glory. This is a foretaste of that future day Habakkuk prophesied of when "the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Hab2:14), that day when "the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one." (Zech 14:8)

In these verses we see that the cloud equates with “the glory of the Lord” which now as from the very outset (see initial appearance of the Shekinah cloud of glory Ex13:21, 22 which as Matthew Henry puts it was a “constant standing miracle” cf Ex16:7), was the visible symbol of God’s presence. 

We see a striking contrast to the completion of the tabernacle and the completion and dedication of Solomon's Temple, for in both instances the glory of the LORD filled the structures, and was confirmation that all the work for setting up God’s dwelling place had been properly done. Here in Ezekiel the beginning stages of the departure of God's glory were in a way also a testimony of all the evil that had been done in His Temple, forcing Him to leave His dwelling place and His beloved city.

In Exodus God made reference to the Tabernacle stating "I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated (set apart from secular or common use and unto God and His use) by My glory." (Ex29:43) Judah refused to be consecrated or set apart by His Shekinah glory and even turned their backs on His glory in the previous chapter choosing instead to worship the creation (a sun) rather than the Creator (the Son). (Ezek 8:1ff).

How sad the contrast between these actions of apostasy by the leaders and the actions of the spiritual leaders on the occasion of the completion of Solomon's Temple: "Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. And all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (2Chr7:1-3)

MOREOVER, THE SOUND OF THE WINGS OF THE CHERUBIM WAS HEARD AS FAR AS THE OUTER COURT, LIKE THE VOICE OF GOD ALMIGHTY WHEN HE SPEAKS: (Ezek 46:21; 1Ki7:9; 2Ch4:9) (Ex19:16,19; 20:18,19; Dt 4:12,13; Job 37:2-5 Ps29:3-9; 68:33; 77:17; Jn 12:28,29; Heb12:18,19; Rev10:3,4)

"Sound of the wings" in chapter 1 was "like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp...." (Ezek 1:24)

"Like the voice of God Almighty" or El Shaddai. What is His voice like? The psalmist says "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters." (Ps 29:3) At Mt Sinai "when the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder" (Ex19:19) The Lord Himself ask Job "do you have an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like His?" (Job40:9)

IT CAME ABOUT WHEN HE COMMANDED THE MAN CLOTHED IN LINEN, SAYING, "TAKE FIRE FROM BETWEEN THE WHIRLING WHEELS, FROM BETWEEN THE CHERUBIM," HE ENTERED AND STOOD BESIDE A WHEEL: (Ezek 10:2; Ps80:1; 99:1)

THEN THE CHERUB STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND FROM BETWEEN THE CHERUBIM TO THE FIRE WHICH WAS BETWEEN THE CHERUBIM: (Ezek 10:6; 1:13)

"His hand" Earlier Ezekiel had described the appearance of the cherubim writing that "Under their wings on their four sides were human hands..." (Ezek 1:8)

TOOK SOME AND PUT IT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ONE CLOTHED IN LINEN, WHO TOOK IT AND WENT OUT: (Ezek 41:23, 24, 25, 26)

The account is silent about his scattering the coals of fire over the city, but this is assumed. So here we see the man in linen previously the agent of mercy to the righteous (Ezekiel 9:2, 3, 4), now being used by the Lord to bring punishment on the evildoers.

THE CHERUBIM APPEARED TO HAVE THE FORM OF A MAN'S HAND UNDER THEIR WINGS: (Ezek 10:21)

Isaiah records that "one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs." (Is 6:6)

THEN I LOOKED, AND BEHOLD, FOUR WHEELS BESIDE THE CHERUBIM, ONE WHEEL BESIDE EACH CHERUB; AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE WHEELS WAS LIKE THE GLEAM OF A TARSHISH STONE: (Ezek 1:15, 16, 17) (Da10:6; Rev21:20)

AS FOR THEIR APPEARANCE, ALL FOUR OF THEM HAD THE SAME LIKENESS, AS IF ONE WHEEL WERE WITHIN ANOTHER WHEEL: (Ezek 1:16; Ps36:6; 97:2)

"the same likeness" is the Hebrew word echad which stresses unity while recognizing diversity within that oneness. As JFB comments that "In the wonderful variety of God's works there is the greatest harmony"