“And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.” (Ezekiel 43:2 ESV)

The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of a new Temple, one yet to be built. In this vision, the Spirit led him to the Eastern Gate, “And behold,” he saw the glory of God “coming from the east.” This is the same direction by which he had seen God’s glory depart in his earlier vision (Ez.10-11). This “glory” can be none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As John declared, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). For Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). What Ezekiel saw and heard in his vision, John saw and heard with even greater detail in his vision on the Isle of Patmos. John said that His voice was as “the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:15) and that His face shone “like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16). There is a Day coming when we too shall see and hear Him for ourselves. Therefore, stay alert, watch and pray. He is coming again “from the east.”