Ezekiel 8:6

He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? namely, the members of the house of Israel in erecting and worshiping a picture devoted to idolatry. Even the great abominations that the house of Israel, the members of the covenant nation, committeth here, that I should go far off from My Sanctuary? being obliged to forsake His own seat of worship on account of the fact that it was now entirely devoted to idolatrous practices. The north gate of the Temple was called the Gate of the Altar probably because the sacrificial animals were brought in there, to be slaughtered near this entrance. But turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.