Keep in mind: Ezekiel is writing and speaking to his people who are exiled with him in Babylon. Those people believe they have been sent there because of their sins, and they are right. But they also believe that those left behind in Jerusalem are more righteous than they – otherwise, why wouldn’t they too be in exile?
What we are seeing, however, is God’s abandonment of Jerusalem, signifying the loss of God’s presence and God’s rejection of His people and their land. You begin to see it in chapter nine. There, the glory of the Lord moves from His dwelling place between the cherubim to the doorway of the temple. The cherubim, unaccustomed to leaving their appointed place, appear to stay behind (9:3). Perhaps they could not believe God was really leaving. As you get to chapter ten, the cherubim begin to move and they, along with the glory of the Lord, move to the entrance to the east gate of the temple. By the end of chapter 11, the cherubim and the glory of the Lord have left not only the temple, but the city. God’s presence is no longer there.
On the other hand, the Spirit of the Lord is operating in Babylon, and especially on Ezekiel. The point for the exiles is that those they admire the most, their relatives and countrymen in Jerusalem, are the very ones they should admire the least, and what seems like a curse – exile – is really a blessing, for God is working among them.
It is not always possible to know the difference between a church and a blessing, but if you determine to live under the authority of God, it will not matter. God will deliver.