Nik’s Notes

This blog has turned into something a bit longer than it seemed to be originally. The entire thought takes about 3 seconds to complete in my mind, but as I write, it just seems to develop and more scriptures apply in ways I never realized. So I do apologize for the length.

On to Ezekiel 9.

I hope no one is going to be too disappointed when I don’t have a grand unveiling or big thought that no one ever thought of before. It’s really just all in scripture. And it’s not a single thought. It’s a whole host of ideas and principles and prophecies that intersect to make the modern conception of the mark of the beast (as I see it) to be far too superficial. Ezekiel 9 is really just the icing on the cake - showing the application of a mark in the forehead to be an allegorical thing rather than a very physical thing. It is entirely possible that there may be a physical outworking of such a mark, but the mark itself is, I believe, far greater than any tattoo, card or microchip.

I see chapter 9 as being where the rubber hits the road. This is where the action happens and all that leads up to it (revealing of idolatry, visions of abomination and prophecy of judgment) is culminated in something immense. Surely that description fits the scene in Revelation 13. We have the idolatry (beast and false prophet forcing worship of beast and/or image), we have the actual abominations being carried out (all the world worshipping the beast - v12) and we have the mark being placed in the foreheads (vv15-18). The actual carrying out of judgment doesn’t take place until the next chapter or two. But it is all in place for the judgment to be carried out. And so it is in Ezekiel 9. I’m going to treat this chapter a little differently and just step through it making comments along the way - instead of selecting key verses.

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.
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.
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;
Ezekiel 9:1-3

Wow! A vision of six men doing a work. Obviously a heavenly vision of things taking place in an unseen manner, but with (as we will see) very visible after effects. The Lord is preparing for judgment. Terrifying, really. When the presence of the Lord draws back, it is something of which no good can be immediately seen. Though judgment may be unto correction, that correction in which the Lord withdraws is awful and not in any way to be sought. The urgency is such that even the LORD is yelling (v 1)! Those that have charge over the city - the guardian angels, so to speak, of the city are being called to do a work that will lead to great destruction. If Israel had seen the things going on in the heavenlies and the preparation for slaughter, would they have gone to other gods? Would they, knowing the terror of disobeying God have done the things they had done? Let us consider our own relationship to God and where He dwells. Is He dwelling in our hearts? Is He withdrawing? Are the conditions being prepared for awful judgment or can we yet turn back and maintain the covering He has over us? Or, can we with confidence say that “The Lord is my refuge.”. As a nation, that seems hard to assert. But if individuals turn that way, then it can be so again. If we were to see what rebellion does, would we be so quick to allow it? To embrace it? To forget God? This preparation is so much like the calm before the storm. There is no turning back now and only disaster lies ahead. Oh, such an awful portending! All six men that have charge over the city are now prepared with weapons of slaughter - to use UPON the city. And one of them was clothed in linen - with an inkhorn in his hand. His job was to be very important. A matter of life and death for many - very literally. Linen, apparently, connoted a priestly office. And Daniel (10:5; 12:6,7) identifies it with Michael the Archangel specifically. Yet this one in linen who had a pen also had a weapon of slaughter. It is somewhat reminiscent of the scene in Egypt when all those that had the blood of the Lamb on their doorposts were passed over by the Angel of the Lord. There is something here in separation. There is something here in an invisible realm that HAS TO go beyond a physical card or mark. And so, let us go on to the verse that probably is the key - if there is one - in showing the spiritual nature of the mark.

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.
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:
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.
Ezekiel 9:4-6

How utterly awful. Swift, terrible justice. Brutal and unyielding. The holiness of God erupting in vengeance for prolonged and stiffnecked idolatry. And what is the dividing? There is a MARK put in the FOREHEADS of those that are to be spared. Yes, inverted from the Revelation “mark”, but the principle is transparently the same. We would expect that. The mark is one of identification - thus the identification with God is one of ultimate preservation whereas the identification with the beast in Revelation is one of ultimate judgment by God. But should we be surprised at this? Not at all. The mark and the seal are closely connected. A letter, in days gone by, was sealed with a mark. It was sealed in wax (or some such sealant) and stamped with a mark that was unique to the owner. Kings used it in sending messages to show who was sending the message such that the messenger bore the same authority of the King. This is nearly the identical meaning of the word “apostle”. An ambassador with the full authority of the King. So the seal and the mark, together, show ownership and identity. Though it may not be necessary, I include here a couple examples of the ownership of God being shown in the form of seals :

If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.
I Corinthians 9:1

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 1:21,22

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption
Ephesians 4:30

All this is just to belabor the point of sealing, marking and identification. It is a matter of allegiance and servitude and lining up with. In short, it is a matter of worship. And it is clear what sets these marked in Ezekiel apart from the rest. They sigh and cry for the abominations done in Jerusalem. These are they that are so aligned with God that all that is done of idolatry grieves them as it grieves God. They have not gone after strange gods and have not gone into idolatry. They are not perfect, but the heart of their worship is pure and single - it is God Himself. So when examining the mark of the beast, to put it to a very superficial thing is missing the point. For without the worship, what does a piece of paper, a card or a microchip mean? The closest physical analog I can see is found in ancient Rome (surprise!). The Caesar demanded worship. He had set himself up as a god. Granted, he wasn’t in the church, so he could not be considered antichrist in a technical sense, but he certainly did demand worship. And anyone who wanted the ability to literally buy or sell had to simply say that he was their lord. No more no less and a paper was given them that allowed them to buy and sell. Needless to say, many Christians refused to do so and they were not only not allowed to buy or sell, but often killed in horrendous ways. The name of the paper escapes me, but I can certainly find the reference if needs be. All that is to say that there is a physical analog, but in that case one can see the spiritual connection. So to assert that, for example, VISA or some National ID card is worshipping the beast (ignoring the identity of the beast with a specific ruling agency) is to omit the spiritual aspect - or at least risk doing that. If, by taking some such card or identity etc… I am worshipping anything but God then, yes, absolutely. It is NOT to be taken. But too many identities of the mark are taken too lightly or too superficially and without any sort of thought and understanding. Again, there may be things that would identify one with a work reminiscent of Babel. This, too, is to be avoided. My personal feeling is that the United Nations is a Babylonish entity and any notable allegiance with it carries serious consequences. Certainly giving national sovereignty away in favor of UN action is wrong. So I don’t say that end-times people are off and should simply preach spiritual principles. But we must also be careful that what is being preached and taught about prophecy is spiritual - no matter how much the means may SEEM to serve scriptural ends.

One other remark about that passage. Notice in verse 6 the phrase “…begin at my sanctuary…”. How clearly this is echoed by Peter in his letter :

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?
I Peter 4:17

If the parallel with the scene in Ezekiel 6-9 is not apparent, it is because one still cannot see the spiritual principle undergirding the mark, idolatry and subsequent judgment.

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.
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?
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.
And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
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.
Ezekiel 9:7-11

As the short chapter closes, not even the pleas of the prophet can stay the Hand of God any. The command has gone forth, the Lord has removed Himself, the decree issued, the preparations made and the slaughter completed without any reserve. It is not something that pleases the Lord to do, but it is a necessary thing. It is something that is required of an obstinantly perverse and wicked (because idolatrous) people to answer for their spiritual harlotry. Again notice that verse 8 is speaking of blood in the land and perverseness. But the heart of it is not that, the heart of it is very spiritual. It is idolatry set up in the very place where God should be. So we should expect that any such like prophecy of someone setting themselves up in the temple of God showing themselves to be God would not be simply a politician or philanthropist demanding tribute, but such a deep, penetrating deception that what and who is worshipped is replacing God even to being evidenced in the very inner circles of faithful men. It is not, in its time, a blatant contradiction of the truths of God, but a seemingly good movement or belief that gradually shows the true fruit of its existence. Over time, gradually, by flatteries, signs and wonders is the temple corrupted as wolves in sheep’s clothing enter and beguile the simple. And the strong man is bound while those with smooth tongues pervert the gospel ever so slightly. And years later, when the iniquity of such perversion has come to the full, the blood of martyrs is evidenced as proof of the treachery of what once seemed so innocent. The beast has deceived many along with the false prophet and because of the powers of deception continues to blind the eyes, hearts and minds of far too many. Her name is Mystery Babylon and she is false religion riding in the guise, alternately and often at the same time, of national and spiritual authority. When false religion in any form creeps into the church it immediately begins its work. And not until it is too late is it recognized by many. Those that would point out its cancerous influence are quickly and harshly (like the prophets of old) ignored and persecuted. When it comes to the full, God must deal with her swiftly and harshly. So in one day is she dealt a crushing blow that wipes her out and staggers the dwellers on the earth. Those that partake of her harlotries are devastated and will find judgment for their idolatry. But those that come out of her, I believe, are those of whom it is said :

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
Rev 15:2-4

Is this not manifestly the identical character of those that sigh and cry for the abominations done in the midst of the temple of God?

Having put this up, I anticipate the possible need for a 4th part - focusing entirely on that last passage. But that’ll have to wait a bit.