“Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” — Ezekiel 1:28 (ESV)

Ezekiel was a prophet and priest when the Jews were in Babylonian exile because of their persistent unfaithfulness. Ezekiel’s vision reveals a kaleidoscope of sensational images which are wild and threatening. Wind, fire, and glowing metal. Bronze, coals, and lightning. Gems, wheels, and eyes. The vision presses our faces up to the terrifying, pristine holiness of God.

God’s throne is depicted as a chariot pulled by cherubim: living creatures who guard and uphold His perfection. God’s glory cannot be compromised or domesticated. God Himself will depart and punishment will come.

Ezekiel falls on his face like many before him because the natural response to seeing God is feeling terrified. A mere glimpse of God’s glory led Moses to tremble (Heb. 12:21), the Israelites to bow face-down (2 Chron. 7:3), and Joshua to drop to his face and knees (Josh. 5:14–15). Saul fell to the ground at heaven’s light (Acts 9:3–4).

Whenever we look upon God’s holiness it reveals our own sinfulness at the same time. We fall face down before our holy God in humbled silence.

Yet how can we have a relationship with a God who terrifies us? When we see God through an Old Testament lens, it’s impossible. No matter how hard we try, we continue to sin and are left cowering. We become discouraged with our failure and dissatisfied with religious practices that don’t remove our guilt. Because of this, many people view God as an angry warden.

The solution lies in Ezekiel’s vision when a blurry figure emerges: Jesus. For us, Jesus reaches out His nail-pierced hands and lifts us to stand in His grace. Because He bore the judgment for our sin, we can now stand in His holiness (John 8:12; 10:11–18). Intimate connection with God is restored: we’re welcomed as friends, become coheirs to His kingdom, and are empowered to remain holy and close.

Some people trample on Jesus’ grace as an excuse to sin (Rom. 6:1), but this isn’t grace, it’s deception. We can easily find teachers who make us feel comfortable with unholiness (2 Tim. 4:3–4). When we truly commune with God through His Word and prayer, we discover Him more deeply and desire obedience more genuinely.

May we heed the warning of Ezekiel’s vision to not test God’s patience by attempting to adjust His perfect moral code down to the level of our desires. To remain true to our God-given purpose, we must continually posture ourselves humbly before His glory which will maintain a proper awe of Him and mistrust of ourselves. Ezekiel’s listeners bowed before God in fear, but in Jesus we now bow in ongoing surrender and worship.