One of the saddest accounts I read in the scriptures is where the presence of the Lord departed from Israel. Ezekiel witnesses the withdrawal of God’s presence from the inner court, the outer court, the temple area, the city itself, and finally, from the land and nation itself.

Ezekiel 8:1-6 It was the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month of our captivity. I was sitting in my house with the older leaders of Judah in front of me. There I felt the power of the Lord GOD. ²I looked and saw something that looked like a human. From the waist down it looked like fire, and from the waist up it looked like bright glowing metal. ³It stretched out the shape of a hand and caught me by the hair on my head. The Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the sky. He took me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple. In the courtyard was the idol that caused God to be jealous. ⁴I saw the glory of the God of Israel there, as I had seen on the plain. ⁵Then he said to me, “Human, now look toward the north.” So I looked up toward the north, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar was the idol that caused God to be jealous. ⁶He said to me, “Human, do you see what they are doing? Do you see how many hateful things the people of Israel are doing here that drive me far away from my Temple? But you will see things more hateful than these.”

[Ezekiel 9:3 NCV ] Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the creatures with wings, where it had been, to the place in the Temple where the door opened. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing case at his side.

[Ezekiel 10:18-19] Then the glory of the LORD left the door of the Temple and stood over the living creatures. ¹⁹As I watched, the living creatures spread their wings and flew up from the ground, with the wheels beside them. They stood where the east gate of the Temple of the LORD opened, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

The message is dark and terrifying. God’s presence withdrawing from His people.

Even though there seemed reluctance from the Lord moving from the temple, to the gate of the city & then to the mountains.

Ezekiel concludes with a word of hope. One day God will bring His people home and give them a heart responsive to Him (Ch 11:16-21). With this last word God’s glory leaves the city. As Ezekiel is carried back to Babylon, he sees the divine presence, hanging over the eastern mountains, waiting.

[Ezekiel 11:22-23] Then the living creatures lifted their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. ²³The glory of the LORD went up from inside Jerusalem and stopped on the mountain on the east side of the city.

It was from this exact same mount that Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:10-12), and he will return there to receive his people (Zech. 14:4).

This picture of the ichabod - really is a picture of the majority of the western church today.

An ichabod church. God’s manifest presence has gone yet we still sing our 3 fast songs, 3 slow songs, communion, offering, announcements, preach for 30 minutes, have a cup of tea & go home. Yes His omnipresence is there – but so is His omnipresence everywhere else.

The distinguishing characteristic of the Church of Jesus Christ is not there – His manifest presence. Even Moses knew this –

There is to be one primary distinguishing characteristic of the people of God. It is not so much the clothes we wear, the style of our hair, or even by the way in which we conduct our lives. But there is a ‘birthmark’ of sorts that should set apart every group of true believers; Moses reveals this birthmark in a dialog with God.

Ex. 33:14 through Ex. 33:16 ( NIV ) The LORD replied, “My Presence (manifest not omnipresent) will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

This is a key of great power in God’s Kingdom. The Presence of God is the distinguishing characteristic that proves we have favour with God! Without it, we are as other men. The Glory of God is the “manifest Presence of God” the visible evidence that the person of God, Himself, has shown up among us.

“The greatest hindrance to Christianity today is Christians who do not know how to practice the presence of God” Billy Graham.

Without this Presence & His unstoppable power radiating out of His Presence – the church is an Ichabod.

The withdrawal of God’s Glory occurred not because of a single sin. This was the sum of many refused opportunities, many refused invitations, and many hardened hearts. Most of the book of Ezekiel is a telling of the reasons for the glory of God departing from the city.

The frightening thing is this.

We continue to ‘do’ church without His presence.

I remember one time after a meeting I conducted in a Church where God broke out in Healings & miracles. On the way to lunch with some senior leaders from a Pentecostal denomination who were at the meeting. One of the ladies said “I just don’t understand” I said “what don’t you understand.” She said “I just don’t understand – 50 years ago we were seeing people saved all the time, people were being healed & delivered, miracles were happening all the time. I just don’t understand how we let it all slip through our fingers”. I responded & said “you know what is even more frightening than that, is – not knowing it had gone.” We just kept on ‘doing’ church.

“Tragically we have produced Sunday events and religious structures, including Pentecostal ones, which call themselves “church” but can be as devoid of the presence of God as the local supermarket. We may fill them with excellent management and musical skills, the latest choruses, and the best technology, we might even experience stirring religious emotions in our services but without the presence of God and the freedom of the Spirit we are functionally disconnected from the head. Our appearance of Pentecostal/Evangelical orthodoxy is increasingly belied by the absence of God’s presence. In fact, we have become expert at conjuring an atmosphere that we mistakenly take to be God’s presence!”##

One minister friend of mine recently said. “I have been to rugby games where the atmosphere could be mistaken for the anointing of God”. (comparing it to what we have in church today -_added)