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 brazen 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; 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 (verses 1-6).
Who are they who are called to execute the judgment? Six men came from
the way of the higher gate, one of them clothed in linen had a writer's
inkhorn by his side, while the others had slaughter weapons in their
hands. They were not human beings but angels. The city was given over
into their hands. Angels were therefore used in God's judgments of the
past. They will be used in the coming judgments. "The Son of Man shall
send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all
things that offend and them which do iniquity" (Matt. xiii:41). "For the
Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels" (Matt.
xvi:27). "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess.
i:7-8). Throughout the book of Revelation angels are seen carrying out
the judgments of God. Especially are we reminded here of the seventh
chapter of the last book of the Bible. Four angels are seen there
holding the four winds of the earth. Then there appeared a fifth angel
having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the
four angels: "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" (Rev.
vii:1-3). One hundred and forty-four thousand were then sealed. The
sealed ones in Revelation with the mark on the forehead constitute the
faithful remnant of Israel who witness during the tribulation. Those who
die the martyr's death will have part in the first resurrection, because
they did not worship the beast nor received his mark on their foreheads
(Rev. xx:4). Those who will be kept through the tribulation will be the
nucleus of the Kingdom on earth. We notice a striking correspondency
with this vision of Ezekiel. Judgment is to fall upon all the apostates
in Jerusalem, but the men that sigh and cry on account of the
abominations were to be marked by the angel with the inkhorn and escape
the impending judgment. Their sighing and weeping was the evidence that
they did not share the abominations of idolatry but were true to
Jehovah and His worship. And may we not forget that now in Christendom,
in the midst of the dark days of apostasy and the soon coming
tribulation and judgment, there is a faithful remnant, who sigh and cry
and to whom the Lord has given a special promise: "Because thou hast
kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of
trial, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell on
the earth" (Rom. iii:10).
The word "mark" in the Hebrew is "Tav," the last letter in the Hebrew
alphabet. Its literal meaning is "cross." This letter "T" was a cross in
the older Hebrew script as well as in the Phoenician and Samaritan. The
Egyptians also used a cross in their language; with them it was a sign
of life. Ancient Jewish tradition gives the information that the blood
sprinkled in Egypt on the doorpost (Exodus xii:23) was in the form of a
cross. All this is interesting. To this we may add that in Genesis
iv:15, the mark set upon Cain, an entirely different word is used.
"Begin at my sanctuary" was the command. There the responsibility rested
and there the judgment had to begin. 1 Peter iv:17 may here be
considered. "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."