2: Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
	3: And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
	4: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
	5: Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
	6: He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
	7: And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
	8: Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
	9: And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
	10: So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.
	11: And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
	12: Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

  EZEK 8:12Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

Ezekiel was shocked at the Secret Idolatry! But there was more.... He walked out of the chamber into the court by the gate and saw .. VERSE 13He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Tammuz was the oriental equivalent to Adonis === a lover of Venus!! To this day you can visit the Temple of Venus. Very sensual licentious worship was taking place there and the Bible says the woman were crying for it!

YET MORE?---25 men standing by the Temple Door (with their backs toward the Temple). They were facing the East and Worshipping the Sun! VERSE 17Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

THEN SOMETHING INTERESTING... EZEK 9: 2And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

EVEN IN GOD'S WRATH HIS WAS WILLING TO SAVE!

Here me church... The world will not be to far gone UNTIL the man with the inkhorn can no longer find anybody weeping for Truth! CAN OUR CHURCHES TAKE THIS PLACE IN OUR CITIES! CRY OUT TO GOD!

We see this principle all through the Bible!-----Were there even 10 Righteous in Sodom? 2 Thes 2: 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN HERE...?
**SIN IS PROGRESSIVE! - (certain things lead to others)

	An infection left in the body will MULTIPLY and destroy the body cell by cell.
	Is there a hole in your life? --- some breach in your armor? Some little hole that leads down to the inner court of corruption?
	Holes occur because if Neglect of Consecration or Evasion of small Truths! You don't fall when you sin... you fall when you stopped praying! WE MUST ENDEAVOR TO FILL THESE SMALL HOLES IN! Like a tree surgeon does for old trees... he fills the hole with concrete or tar. Infection & blight must be stopped! WE NEED TO WORSHIP WITH A KNIFE! Solomon said the "little foxes spoil the vines" - it is the little insidious, besetting sins that will drain your gas tank!

Another Lesson.... is the sadness of hypocrisy
Israel had 2 kinds of worship going on...

	One type was public in the Temple Courts
	The other was private idolatry down below!

The Worship ABOVE was just sham worship.... fake, for show Mark 7: 5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Jesus articulated it well... John 4: 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

====== YOU SEE - THE REAL WORSHIP WAS GOING ON DOWN STAIRS! in the chambers of the imagery

** NOW LISTEN: Anybody who reaches high in life will no doubt have a degree of failure & or inconsistency... Our Reach should always be higher then our GRASP! Every man will fall a bit short of his highest aspirations. BUT THAT IS NOT HYPOCRISY! ---- THAT IS HUMAN SHORTCOMING... Hypocrisy is the DELIBERATE living of a lie! Worshipping outwardly like normal while inwardly we worship idols! HYPOCRISY IS MISERABLE MY FRIEND