“Take The Mark” Ezekiel 9:1-11
(Ezekiel 9:4-6) "And the LORD said to him [one of the four cherubim], 'Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark [literally, "a tav"] upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.' And to the others he said in my hearing, 'Pass through the city after him, and smite; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity; slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.' So they began with the elders who were before the house."
What it actually says is to place a tav on the foreheads of the righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem. Tav is one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and in ancient script it looked like the Greek letter chi, which happens to be two crossed lines (like an "x") and which happens to be the first letter in the word "Christ" in Greek Christos). The Jewish rabbis commented on the connection between tav and chi and this is undoubtedly the mark Revelation has in mind when the servants of God are sealed in it. The early Church Fathers seized on this tav-chi-cross-christos connection and expounded it in their homilies, seeing in Ezekiel a prophetic foreshadowing of the sealing of Christians as servants of Christ. The question then becomes how did they mark the Christians with a T or X? I don’t know how they were marked with T or X but it appears to be very important to be marked. Let us look at or text on this Ash Wednesday.
1. God gives instruction to use weapons of destruction
9 God shouted to the leaders in charge of punishing the city.
Each leader had his own weapon of destruction in his hand.[a]
2. Ezekiel saw the day of Gods fierce anger and vow of judgment
• Vs 2 six men walking on the road from the upper
• Ezekiel saw Each man with his own deadly weapon in his hand.
• Ezekiel said, One of the men wore linen clothes.[b] He wore a scribe’s pen and ink set[c] at his waist.
3. Ezekiel sees some amazing sites especially the holiness of God
• Those men went to the bronze altar in the Temple and stood there.
• 3 the Glory of the God of Israel rose from above the Cherub
• Then the Glory went to the door of the Temple and stopped when he was over the threshold.
4. God speaks he called to the man wearing the linen clothes the scribe’s pen and ink set.
• Vs 4 the Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem.
• God says, " Put a mark on the forehead"
• The mark goes on those who feel sad and upset about all the terrible things people are doing in this city.”
5. Consider what happens to those who don't have the mark
• Vs 5-6 those who do not have the mark are killed.
• Note It doesn’t matter if they are elders, young men or young women, children or mothers—you must use your weapon and kill everyone who does not have the mark on their forehead. Don’t show any mercy.
• Don’t feel sorry for anyone. Start here at my Temple.” So they started with the elders in front of the Temple.
6. There is a day of judgment for the unmarked there is a day
• There is a day of sorrow, sadness, heart break.
• We must understand there is a day a terrible day, a horrific day, a broken day, a day God separates the sheep from the goats.
• 8 Ezekiel says, I bowed with my face to the ground and said, “Oh, Lord God, in showing your anger against Jerusalem, are you killing all the survivors in Israel?”
7. Note: Judah committed terrible sins the city is filled with crime; they say the Lord has left and cannot see our doings,
• 10 God says they are receiving the punishment they deserve!”
• 11 Then the man wearing linen clothes and a scribe’s pen and ink set spoke up. He said, “I have done what you commanded.” It is over it is finished
8. In conclusion to avoid rejection, Take the MARK .
• God says to find the men, who sigh, or gasp, or shutter as well as those that mourn or weep at the abominations of the people of God.
• God said mark those to spare, who are truly broken over the sins of the saints.
• Are we broken because our America has turned into a nation that once served God, beloved now we question Gods reality, does He even exist?
• WE will take the Mark because we are Preparing, we are reconciling, Repenting, we will deny ourself
• I take the Mark oh God I will pray for our nation, I will fast for our people, I will listen Oh God at your commands, I will kneel in your presence. Amen!
