The Vision of Abominations in the Temple

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📖 Ezekiel Chapter 8 – Complete Bible Study Outline (KJV)

Title: “The Vision of Abominations in the Temple”

By Pastor Joel – Open Heaven Christian Church – Fisher, Arkansas

God’s revelation of hidden idolatry among His people and the provocation of His holy jealousy.

🔹 1. Background and Setting (Ezekiel 8:1)

“And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month…”

  • Timeline: About 14 months after Ezekiel’s first vision (Ezekiel 1:1), during his exile in Babylon.

  • Location: Ezekiel is sitting in his house, with the elders of Judah before him.

  • Supernatural Moment: The hand of the Lord falls upon him, initiating a spiritual vision.

🔹 2. The Divine Transportation (Ezekiel 8:2–4)

“And behold a likeness as the appearance of fire… and he put forth the form of an hand…”

  • He sees a fiery figure: Possibly the pre-incarnate Christ (compare Ezekiel 1:27).

  • Ezekiel is spiritually transported “between the earth and the heaven” to Jerusalem.

  • He sees the glory of God by the inner gate of the temple—a place where God once dwelled, now polluted by sin.

🔍 Main Vision: Four Abominations in the Temple

God shows Ezekiel four progressive abominations, each worse than the one before, committed in the very house of God.

🔸 Abomination #1 – The Image of Jealousy

Verses: Ezekiel 8:5–6

“…even at the door of the gate… was this image of jealousy…”

  • What Ezekiel sees: A large idol placed at the entrance of the temple.

  • Why it’s evil: It’s called the “image of jealousy” because it provokes God to jealousy (Exodus 20:4–5).

  • Application: Spiritual idolatry—anything placed in God’s rightful place—still provokes Him today.

🔸 Abomination #2 – Secret Worship of Idols by Elders

Verses: Ezekiel 8:7–13

“…every man in the chambers of his imagery… the Lord seeth us not…”

  • What Ezekiel sees: 70 elders (leaders) worshipping unclean animals and pagan images on the walls of a secret chamber.

  • Key figure: Jaazaniah, possibly symbolic of political corruption.

  • Sin exposed: They think God doesn’t see them—spiritual deception and hypocrisy.

  • Lesson: Hidden sins are still seen by God (Hebrews 4:13). Leadership carries responsibility.

🔸 Abomination #3 – Women Weeping for Tammuz

In the Bible, Tammuz is not a central figure, but he is mentioned as a pagan deity in Ezekiel 8:14. There, the prophet Ezekiel witnesses women weeping for Tammuz in the temple, which is depicted as an abomination. This indicates that the practice of mourning for Tammuz had infiltrated Jewish worship, drawing people away from the true God. Tammuz was a Mesopotamian god of vegetation and fertility, and his myth involved his death and descent into the underworld, followed by a period of mourning, often by women, before his return. 

Verse: Ezekiel 8:14

“…behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.”

  • What Ezekiel sees: Women mourning a false god, Tammuz (a Mesopotamian fertility god).

  • Why it’s tragic: Instead of mourning over sin, they mourn for a false deity.

  • Spiritual meaning: A picture of misplaced emotion and affection—a form of emotional idolatry.

🔸 Abomination #4 – Priests Worshiping the Sun

Verses: Ezekiel 8:15–18

“…five and twenty men… their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east…”

  • What Ezekiel sees: 25 men (possibly priests) turning their backs on God and worshipping the sun.

  • Ultimate rebellion: The very ministers of the temple replacing God with nature worship.

  • Severity: This is the climax—God says He will not hear their prayers (v. 18).

⚖️ God’s Judgment Declared

Verse: Ezekiel 8:18

“Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity…”

  • Divine anger: God’s response is fury, no pity, and no mercy because of repeated rebellion.

  • Even loud cries of prayer will not move Him at this point.

✝️ Spiritual Lessons and Application

🔑 1. God Sees Everything

  • Even the hidden chambers and private imaginations (v. 12) are exposed before God.

🔑 2. Leadership Corruption Destroys a Nation

  • The elders and priests, instead of leading people to truth, lead them to sin.

🔑 3. Idolatry Is Always a Heart Issue

  • Idolatry may not always be physical; anything that replaces God in loyalty, affection, or worship is idolatry.

🔑 4. False Religion Provokes God

  • Blending paganism with true worship corrupts and defiles what is holy.

🔑 5. Judgment Begins in the House of God

  • Ezekiel 9 (the following chapter) shows judgment starting at the sanctuary.

🧠 Key Study Questions

  1. Why do you think God showed Ezekiel the abominations one by one, getting worse each time?

  2. In what ways does modern Christianity struggle with similar forms of idolatry or compromise?

  3. What are some “images of jealousy” in today’s culture or even churches?

  4. Why is it important to guard our private thought-life (the “chambers of imagery”)?

  5. How should we respond when God reveals hidden sin—whether personal or communal?

When we think about what has happened in many churches today, we see no difference between what took place in Ezekiel’s day and today. Today many churches are filled with idolatry, especially the “god of money” and “power” to deceive the flock with false religious doctrines that denies the deity of Jesus, but also deny the word of God and replace it with doctrines that promotes another “god” as the Elders did in Ezekiel’s vision. They provoked the Lord to anger, the Lord brought judgment upon them.

🙏 Prayer Focus

  • “Lord, cleanse our hearts of anything that provokes You to jealousy. Help us to worship You in spirit and in truth. Remove every hidden sin and give us courage to confront idolatry, in our lives and in our nation.”

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