Sounds pretty gruesome, doesn't it? Remember, this is prophecy for the last days and the killing is spiritual, not physical. And it doesn't matter who you are, if you don't have the cross, you are a dead man
Students of Revelation chapters 7 and 8 will fully understand the this chapter in Ezekiel. Those who are new to studying His Word with us will have this foundation, will have eaten and tasted this meal, though it may take a little time to digest, when they study Revelation.
Let's do it.
He is the One who has the voice like Thunder (Rev. 14:2). In fact the Living Bible has it: "Then He thundered, Call those whom I have given the city! Tell them to bring their weapons with them." (I hope their weapons were registered and had child proof safety latches and proper warning labels on them.)Ezekiel 9:1
He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
These weapons are "destroying" weapons and "slaughter" weapons (vs. 2), i.e. weapons that "dash in pieces".
[2] And, 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 brasen altar.
Do not think that to be unusual that they are called men, for angels are often called "men" in the Bible. Even the name "Gabriel" means "man of God". Notice also that the "one among them", which means the "one in the midst of them", therefore the 7th angel (7 being the number of spiritual perfection), is dressed in linen, symbolic of purity, and has an inkhorn used for "marking", while the other six have destroying weapons.
We will see that in a way, salvation is applied to the one with the inkhorn.
They have all come from the "higher gate" or the "most high gate" which lies toward the north, where God is, and they stand at attention beside the brazen altar, which is the altar of burnt offerings where sacrifices were slain, not the altar of incense which was of gold. They reverently await the command of the Lord.
And here He comes:
The glory of God rose up from the "mercy seat" where the cherub was, and went to house of God, to the Temple, and He called the man clothed with linen to give him his orders.[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;
There is a two-fold emphasis of the city, Jerusalem, which is the scene of divine judgments. Also notice that the "mark" is to be placed on the men (and women) who "sigh and cry" for the abominations, which means that they are the men and women who SAW THE ABOMINATIONS in chapter 8, SEE?Ezekiel 9:4
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.
So what is this "mark"?
Would you believe it is the 22nd
letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet (alphabet)?
Well, don't believe it until you
have checked it out for yourself.
Here is the word "mark" from Strong's
Concordance.
In ancient Hebrew the "tav" was originally written in the form of a "cross", like our "t".tav, tawv, Hebrew 8420; from Hebrew 8427 (tavah); a mark; by implication a signature :- desire, mark.
We also know from the 7th chapter of Revelation that "Out of the midst of Jerusalem", symbolic of home base for the house of Israel, there will be a 144,000, 12,000 from each tribe, who will be "sealed" with the Word of God JUST BEFORE the 6th Trump sounds and the spiritual slaughter, by Satan, begins (Rev. 7:1-3).
If you don't have a "tav" in your forehead you are in big trouble. Church won't help, sunrise services won't help, helping out at the annual church chicken barbeque won't help, reading catechisms won't help, casting out devils in His name won't help. If you remain Biblically illiterate, you won't be saved by the "tav".[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:
Sounds pretty gruesome, doesn't it? Remember, this is prophecy for the last days and the killing is spiritual, not physical. And it doesn't matter who you are, if you don't have the cross, you are a spiritually dead man![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.
But if you do have the seal of God then no harm can come to you. The same thing is written in Revelation 9 concerning those who have the seal of God, His Word, in their minds.
Did you catch back in Ezekiel 9:6 where the Lord said the slaughter was to begin?Rev. 9:4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
They were to begin at His sanctuary.Woe to the preachers, teachers, pastors, those who wish to be called reverends, holy fathers, and sanctimonious windbags. There are already multitudes with those titles who do not have a "tav", and they are going to really be "slain in the spirit", FIRST, for playing church and watching the sun come up, etc, instead of feeding their flocks the Word of God line by line, meal after meal! They are first in line for the whipping post!Ezekiel 9:6
.... and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
So the angels with their destroying weapons began at the house of the Lord and did their thing.1 Peter 4:17
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Hey, Ezekiel was the only priest left in the sanctuary! Wow! The depth of the slaughter even caught him by surprise.Ezekiel 9:7
And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.[8] And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah (for they are not the same house even to this day) (no matter what your pastor says!) is not just great, it is exceeding great. The word "perverseness" is better translated "apostasy". The "land is full of blood" is as expression like chapter 37's "dead men's bones" or "dry bones", i.e. they are spiritually dead.[9] Then said He unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
The iniquity of the house of Israel
and Judah is "religious adultery"!
And you all know where the house
of Israel and Judah are today, don't you!
Read (LIVE LINKS)to->>> "The Stone Kingdom" and log unto #1020 or #1064
That's exactly what God said He would do in the last verse of chapter 8:[10] And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
It is going to happen exactly as it is written for in the next verse we have record of the final report being filed, mission accomplished to the "t".Ezekiel 8:18
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.
Jesus Christ said the very same thing when He finished His work:Ezekiel 9:11
And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
That's the attitude of a Christian, to do as their Father commands them. He told us to study and rightly divide His Word, and to learn the parable of the fig tree,John 17:4
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
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