Then He1 called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city2 draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.” And suddenly six men3 came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and The Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men4 who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”
To the others5 He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city. So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?” 6
Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”
Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.” 7
Take Away: Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
(Proverbs 14:34)
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1 Jesus, pre-incarnate, in one of Ezekiel’s visions. See: Ezekiel 9
2 Jerusalem, long before the Babylonian siege and invasion during 597–605 BC/BCE
3 Angels
4 Righteous
5 Destroying angels
6 About a century before this vision occurred, Jews in Israel (the 10 northern tribes of the split nation) had been invaded, killed and/or captured during the Neo-Assyrian invasion, God’s punishing judgments for their un-repented sinfulness. In Ezekiel’s vision, the same types of judgments were being spiritually enacted for Judah, the remaining 2 southern tribes of the split nation.
7 Years later, folk who were ‘spiritually slain’ in Ezekiel’s vision were physically slain or otherwise died during the several years of siege and eventual invasion of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Folk who were ‘spiritually marked’ were spared, and were carried off as captives/slaves to Babylon. This group included Daniel and his 3 friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Ever heard of them? ;o)
