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 men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it (Ezekiel 9:4 NKJV).
Do you sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in our country? Every time I turn on the TV or listen to the radio or read a newspaper, I know I do. God seeks people who are disgusted by sin and wickedness. People who are no longer attached to this world and the things of this world. People who are anxiously awaiting His coming.
Currently I’m reading through Ezekiel (Very cool book with lots of heavenly visions!) and I came across this verse. It stopped me because I remembered a similar verse in Revelation.
Revelation 9:4 (AMP) to be exact. (Hmm, 9:4; I wonder if that means anything.)
They were told not to injure the herbage of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only [to attack] such human beings as do not have the seal (mark) of God on their foreheads.
The story in Ezekiel continues with a band of angels going through Jerusalem and slaying everyone who didn’t have the mark of God on their forehead. That may sound cruel, but at this point in history, God has had enough of Israel’s idolatry and wickedness. After he gave them multiple opportunities to repent, they still refused. This sad tale reminds me of another story in the Bible, the first Passover in Egypt when the angel of death killed all the firstborn of the land but passed over the homes sprinkled with the blood of the sacrificial lamb. (Ah, and here’s the secret to acquiring the mark—trust in the Lamb who shed His blood for you) This was after God gave Pharaoh multiple chances to repent and let the Jewish people go.
God always gives second chances, doesn’t He? And thirds and fourths and fifths . . . and on and on. He has much more patience than I’ll ever have. Thank goodness, or I may not be writing this now! But when His patience runs out, He must enact His justice. He can do no less. For if He weren’t a God of justice, then He wouldn’t be holy or good. There are two sides to every coin. Most people love to talk about God’s mercy and love and grace. But flip the coin over, and you have His justice and His wrath. You’re either on one side or the other. In God’s grace, or under His judgment.
I believe God marks His own people even today. It’s not visible to us in the natural world; but in the spiritual world, it’s right there on our foreheads for all to see. And it’s bright and growing brighter as we walk closer to God. Demons growl at the sight of it. Satan shrinks from it.
In fact, he hates it so much, he created a counterfeit, like everything he does.
Also he compels all alike, both small and great, both the rich and the poor, both free and slave, to be marked with an inscription stamped on their right hands or on their foreheads (Revelation 13:16 AMP).
This is the mark of the beast. You want the first mark. You don’t want this one. The mark of God leads to life; the mark of the beast to death.
So, commit your life to the Captain and allow him to mark you with His brand!
MaryLu Tyndall