Ezekiel Chapter 9
Wednesday, 12/31/25 at 09:12
Solitary Man
Solitaryman.substack.com
20251006
Eze 9:1 He cried also in mine ears (in my hearing) with a loud (gaw-dole) voice, saying, Cause them that have charge (custody, oversight) over the city to draw near, even every man (eesh) with his destroying (mash-khayth – destructive, only time in OT) weapon in his hand.
Chapters 8 through 11 all refer to one event, and should be treated as such. If you recall, chapter 8 was all about Yahweh giving Ezekiel 4 specific examples of particularly odious transgressions that the people of Judah were regularly engaging in before God’s eyes. The chapter ended with a vow by Yahweh that he would most certainly repay this wickedness with an appropriate recompense, as God’s anger was roused beyond measure.
In this chapter we now will find out exactly what that recompense entails. Ezekiel is made to be an observer of what has been decreed in the heavenly realm. We see that God, using a loud voice indicative of his current emotional state, calling forth certain ‘men’, who will act as his instruments of destruction.
It will become clear that the men here are actually angels. Destroying angels. Not cute, cuddly, feminine looking, curly haired little 3 foot children, but beings that would strike terror into any sane individual. Angels were often represented, and took the form of, men in the bible (never women, so quit saying human or person – be free of the odious stench of feminism in all its forms!). By stating that these were men, it also prefigures exactly what being God would actually end up using in the natural to carry out his wishes, as the Babylonian men would be sent to manifest what is being decided here.
We will see that God will show Ezekiel what is occurring in the spirit realm. In some way, form, or fashion, these people marked for destruction would be literally ‘slain in the spirit’, only not in a manner that any charismatic has ever heard of. No, the prophet would witness these fierce soldiers of heaven, in the form of men, go about and slay multitudes of Judeans. Young and old, male and female, most were destined to perish, and in some fashion, the angels went forth and executed the will of God. Now whether this occurred at a time before the actual death of these people by the Babylonian army, or perhaps they worked hand in hand with the pagan soldiers, guiding their hands as to who to kill and who to spare, we cannot say for sure. All we do know is that Ezekiel was given a rare vision of something that is hidden from most of us. Thus, whether Ezekiel’s spirit was actually at Jerusalem, or if he was given a vision from where his body was in Chaldea, is not certain. Looking at the end of chapter 11, one can make a case either way.
Sometimes angels do directly kill, as in the case in Hezekiah’s day.
2Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
No man smote these soldiers. As in heaven, so it was on earth. Most of the time what occurs in the heavenlies, has a distinctly separate physical event that follows. How that all works is a mystery.
God shouts a command for those who have custody, or oversight, of the city of Jerusalem to draw near and receive their marching orders. This goes to show that at least some heavenly beings are assigned to specific territories. This can apply to good, as well as evil spirits. Each one is to have some sort of weapon in his hand, whose primary use is to slaughter with. We have been taught that angels are these super nice guys, who invisibly protect us from harm. Not always. As with many things that we have been taught, we’re often not given the complete story. Angels serve God, not men. God may direct angels to help us, but they are not ours to command. I have heard some stupid stuff in my day, where certain believers want to go and command their angels to do such and such. Such pride, arrogance, and presumption will not take you very far in the kingdom of God!
Eze 9:2 And, behold, six men came from the way (deh-rek) of the higher (el-yon – most high) gate, which lieth toward the north (tsaw-fone), and every man a slaughter (map-pawts – a smiting to pieces, only time in OT) 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.
The writer was among them, but not of them. Thus there were 7, a number often seen as perfection, or completion, such as the 7 spirits of God found in Revelation.
This ‘higher gate’ is succinctly explained by Barnes:
The higher gate – The north gate of the court of the priests. The temple rose by platforms; as there was a north gate to the outer and also to the inner court, the latter was probably distinguished as the “higher gate.” It was built by Jotham (2 Kings 15:35).
2Ki 15:35 Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.
Each one of these angels had a slaughter weapon in his hand. The word used here leaves no doubt as to the purpose of the instrument they carried. This was no defensive weapon – it had one purpose only, and that was to kill.
The seventh was different. He seemed to be in charge, or in authority. Initially you would think that he was some sort of heavenly recorder, but we shall see that his primary function was quite different.
Most likely the fact that these angels came by the way of this priestly gate indicates the priestly role that they were performing. That is, they were executing a special order, something that was the direct will of the Lord. Note also that the seventh was clothed in linen, a priestly garment. It’s almost as if, since the Levitical priests had abdicated their duty to Yahweh, that God had to send these heavenly ones to execute his will upon the nation. Levitical priests were to be the protectors of God’s presence, and therefore, his holiness. This chapter brings to mind the story of the golden calf. What did the Levites do once Moses had confronted the nation with their gross sin?
Exo 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
Exo 32:27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
Exo 32:28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any righteous Levites left in Jerusalem, it seems, so Yehovah has to call upon the heavenly host to execute his fierce wrath upon the ungodly at this point in time.
The inkhorn was a rectangular box, maybe 9 inches long, just over an inch high, and contained the instruments of writing. It was common for a man to attach it to his girdle in some fashion.
Obviously this man was different from the six. Clothed in linen, he will be marking the righteous, and by implication, recording their names. Some Jewish commentators believe this was the angel Gabriel. For the New Testament believer, we see this personage as Christ himself, based on what this man will be called upon to do.
Eze 9:3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up (ascended) 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;
The most sensible interpretation of the meaning of this location of the glory of the Lord, is that we will see a progression here as we continue to examine this event. The glory of God was supposed to be found in the Holy of Holies. The glory was supposed to reside between the cherubim found upon the mercy seat. Now it has ascended from there and is found at the threshold of the temple. What this is clearly portraying is that the presence of God has begun to depart out of its place. We will see it continue to depart further and further away, as the story unfolds.
This teaches us that God is somewhat reluctant to give up on his people, and thanks be to God that this is so! Even after example after example of obscene abominations of a particularly egregious nature, God is leaving his place in stages. Hoping to see same repentance, some contrition from his people, we can envision him looking back, and seeing if anyone is even noticing that the glory of God is departing.
Sadly, in this instance we shall see that his departure will not stop, nor even be delayed.
As God begins to leave his place, he knows he must take action. Sin cannot be winked at forever. He calls out to the man, the one we believe is the Son of Man himself. The writing case is mentioned once again, indicating that what will occur will be recorded, and not forgotten.
Do we not see God act in the same way in his church? Initially, God was literally present in his congregations, as in Acts 5, when Ananias and Sapphira were immediately slain when they brazenly lied in the real presence of God. Over time, God moved away to the entrances of churches, seeking a place where he was welcomed. He moved further away, but still in your nation, waiting for repentance, so that revival could occur. Then he moved to our nations borders, still protecting us from a spiritual invasion, but not much else. But now he has departed to a far off location, and left us alone.
Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set (scratch, imprint) a mark (tawv – signature) upon the foreheads of the men that sigh (aw-nakh – groan, mourn) and that cry (aw-nak – shriek, groan) for all the abominations (to-ay-baw) that be done in the midst thereof.
The mark is literally a tau, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Apparently, in the older versions of Hebrew which were still in use at this time, this mark was in the shape of an x, or a cross. Early Christian apologists such as Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, and Jerome, made much stress upon the use of this sign of the cross as a sign of divine mercy. Note that it is those who mourn over the sins of the land that are shown mercy, not the foolish ones who see nothing in the character of God but blessings and love.
Is not this a phenomenal type and shadow of the future mercy of God that would be manifested to all mankind at the cross? Here we find the preincarnate Christ himself going forth before the destroying angels, marking with a cross those who are his own. And who are his own? Those who had perfect temple attendance? How about those who sacrificed the biggest and the best animals at offering time? It must have been those who contributed the largest donations for the upkeep of the temple! Surely all the priests and Levites engaged in temple service, they must have been prime candidates? Well, it must have been those who simply loved everyone, and judged no one, and accepted one and all, regardless of lifestyle or behavior!
No, no, and no. Jesus, on the direct order of his Father, marked the forehead of every one that groaned, mourned, and literally shrieked in anguish over all the morally disgusting filth that they were witnessing all around them. Jesus would single out not all the nominal believers, or the faithful temple goers, but only those whose heart was broken and in mortal anguish over the abominations that were being committed in the land. Only those who truly understood just how awful sin was, and who spent time mourning and grieving for what they saw, would Jesus spare from the coming slaughter.
There are a lot of types and shadows that we can draw from this. First, only sincere believers shall be spared from God’s wrath. Maybe this is a hint as to who goes up in the rapture. The rapture is to spare the church from the worst of God’s wrath. This story is all about God’s wrath. Only the most devoted are spared. One could rightly claim that those who mourn and grieve are also engaging in serious intercession for the land. Are we interceding as we should? But first and foremost, exactly how much does wickedness really bother us? Have we gotten used to it? Do we simply shrug it off? Do we keep lowering our standards, for example as far as what we watch on TV and on the internet, reasoning that if we don’t compromise a little, then we won’t have anything to watch anymore? Exactly where do we stand as far as how much evil really torments our own soul?
We are so familiar with, and about, the mark of the beast in Revelation. Well, here is a mark that you certainly don’t want to miss out on! As with everything in scripture, context is everything. There are bad marks, and then there are good ones. We shall see what happens to those without this mark as we continue reading.
Eze 9:5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite (naw-kaw – strike, beat, slaughter, kill): let not your eye spare (khoos), neither have ye pity (khaw-mal):
After Yehovah tells his son to mark those who are truly his own, he then turns to the destroying angels and commands them to go and slaughter everyone else. He specifically warns them to show no mercy, nor have any pity.
This seems alien to the Laodicean ear. We hear so much about the power of love. Love, love, love, will always prevail. Love will win the day. Even if someone hurts us, just love them. No matter what, just love, because God is love. That’s all he is – just love, and love alone.
Blah, blah, blah. Time to put away your Joel Osteen greatest hit collection, and shoob back into the word! Forsake the purveyors of half baked half truths, and gird up the loins of your mind like real men! When unrepentant sin is in the house, there is nothing for it but death. This is why you cannot reason with, negotiate with, or cut a treaty with, the truly wicked. I can guarantee you that Israel’s latest attempt at a treaty with Hamas will not last. In fact, any treaty Israel signs with any Islamic state is doomed to fail. Islam is the ultimate definition of a wicked religion, an evil ideology masquerading as a religion, and the only thing that is guaranteed is that they will betray whatever is good and wholesome. It is the religion of the devil, and the sooner the Christian world comes to grips with the reality of this fact, the sooner we can begin to resist and possibly escape its enslavement. For too long, we have brainwashed our own children into thinking that the Crusades were a great evil, when in fact, the opposite was true. The Crusades saved the west. They allowed the west to survive and flourish for several hundred more years. Without the Crusades, the west would have turned Islamic centuries ago.
This is what it looks like in heaven, when God’s people refuse to repent. There comes a moment when Yahweh must release those terrifying angels of judgment. And just because they happen to hang out in heaven in their spare time, does not mean that they have forgotten how to kill. And kill they will.
Eze 9:6 Slay (haw-rag – destroy, put to death) utterly old and young, both maids (bride, virgin), and little children, and women: but come not near (naw-gash al al – not not come near) any man upon whom is the mark (tawv); and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before (paw-neem) the house.
Yehovah is not done instructing these fearsome beings. Exactly who does Yahweh want dead? He wants to kill the old. He wants to destroy the young. He wants to slaughter the maids – the brides and the virgins. He wants to kill the little children. He wants to wipe out all the women. The only exceptions that he makes are those that his son has marked for preservation. Without that cross of Christ marked on your forehead, denoting that you really belong to him, you are doomed. You will be slaughtered by the angels of God.
I find it interesting that the judgment of covid started with the world killing the old in nursing homes and hospitals.
These executioners were to begin at the house of God. Take out those who are supposed to represent Yehovah. So they began with the ancients at the temple. This probably is the same group that were worshipping all the detestable creeping things and all other animals in a secret place in the temple. They were the leaders of the people, who were to set the example in behavior. They would be the cabal of their generation. God says to take them out first.
A verse such as this should make us tremble as never before. Only the cross of Christ clearly visible on you will spare you. It is interesting that Jesus places the cross on the forehead of his own. This represents the most prominent place on the body. Those who belong to Jesus will be distinctly visible to the rest of the world. Jesus did not place the mark on the sole of your foot, or on any hidden part of your body. If you truly belong to Christ, the mark of a true Christian will be visible to all.
And no, it has nothing to do with a priest making the sign of the cross on a baby during infant baptism. It is amazing the things in the bible of a purely spiritual significance that man wants to pervert and transform into some sort of dead, legalistic ritual. Your baptismal certificate is not a ticket to heaven. Nor is your sinner’s prayer. I believe there is another significant reason that the mark is placed on the forehead. Why not on the heart? Aren’t we supposed to ask Jesus to come into our hearts?
As in all things in life, we must choose. Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve. Have you made that choice? That final choice, the one where there is no turning back? Have you put your hand to the plough, and are you pressing forward towards the mark of the high calling in Christ? Or have you still left a back door open? Have you left yourself an out, if the going gets too rough? The going is about to get very rough, so now is the time to make sure that you are going all the way with Jesus, come what may.
Eze 9:7 And he said unto them, Defile (taw-may – contaminate, pollute) the house, and fill the courts with the slain (khaw-lawl – pierced, profaned): go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew (naw-kaw) in the city.
Yehovah wants these angels to defile the place where he once resided. He wants the temple to be filled with corpses. Any contact with a corpse rendered one unclean. How much more when the corpse was in the temple itself! It seems as if Yahweh wants to make a very public and powerful statement. Since his people did nothing but defile the most holy place on earth with their idols, so God will now defile it in such a way as to render it permanently unusable. Filling the temple with the dead would render it as a place as inhospitable for the presence of God as possible. Only the total destruction and eventual rebuilding of it could ever render it acceptable as a place of worship once again.
I find it interesting that when the temple was rebuilt, as we read about in Haggai and other places, there was never a mention that the shekinah presence of the Lord ever returned to the Holy of Holies, as it did when Solomon dedicated the temple. I am not saying it did not return, only that the bible does not record it. Who knows if this utter desecration that was decreed by Yahweh here, made the temple permanently uninhabitable. Maybe only in the Millennial temple yet to come, and spoken of in great detail by Ezekiel himself, will the true presence of God return. But that will occur because Jesus himself will come and take his place there.
So these angels went out and slew. They did not hesitate. They did not have a committee meeting. They did not consult their own denomination’s doctrinal stance as to whether or not God was more than just love. They did not hold an ecumenical council, to decide what to believe about God’s word, and what to reject. No, they simply obeyed God. And that is what we are all called to do. Regardless of how pleasant or unpleasant the task. Regardless of whether or not it lines up with your church’s doctrine. It does not matter what your friends or family think. God has spoken, so go and do.
Eze 9:8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying (naw-kaw) them, and I was left, that I fell (naphal) upon my face (paw-neem), and cried, and said, Ah (Alas) Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy (shaw-khath) all the residue (sheh-ay-reeth – remnant) of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury (khay-maw) upon Jerusalem?
Can you imagine having to watch this? What if God took you out of your body, or granted you a vision, where America or Canada or whatever country you happen to live in was decreed to be destroyed? What if you saw these angels swinging their sword, and all the pastors and prophets in the land are beheaded? Then they move onto the old, and then the young. The girls and the boys. Even all the babies. We see a select few spared, but not many. We’ve been taught that babies and young children are innocent. But here, God doesn’t think so. At least as far as being exempt from the slaughter.
So Ezekiel is watching all this. Finally, he can’t take it any more. The immensity of what he was witnessing causes him to fall on his face and cry out to God. And indeed, what other options do we have? Shall we curse God, and die, as Job’s wife counsels? Or plug in your cell phone, and pretend nothing is happening, as most do today?
Ezekiel turns to the only one who can alter the decree. He does not argue with God, nor reprove him. He merely asks him if it is his intention at this time to kill them all! In your immeasurably hot anger, shall you not stop until we’re all dead?
Eze 9:9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity (aw-vone – moral perversity) of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding (meh-ode meh-ode – vehemently vehemently, or utterly utterly) great (gaw-dole), and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness (moot-teh – a stretching or distortion due to iniquity, only time in OT): for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
Yahweh is gracious enough to answer, though he does not owe Ezekiel, or any of us, an explanation about what he chooses to do. The moral perversity of Judah is utterly utterly immense, and the shedding of innocent blood is off the chart excessive. Also, Jerusalem is distorted, or stretched so far out of normality, that he is left with no other option but to wipe it all out.
And yet, the main reason is the mishpat, or verdict, or decision, the people have come to, here at the end of their long season of unrepentant sin. They have concluded that Yehovah has forsaken the earth. Therefore, Yehovah sees nothing. Therefore, nothing matters. There is no consequence. There is no god, so there is no point or purpose in anything. Since God doesn’t care about his creation, having abandoned it, then there is no judgment, so who cares what we do or don’t do?
As a side note, notice that God still treats Israel as a living entity, as he speaks of Israel and Judah. Though the people are long gone off the northern lands, God remembers their iniquity, and will always remember it. Only the blood of Jesus can make God forget one’s sin.
Note that the blasphemy is reversed from Ez 8:12:
Eze 8:12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
In 8:12, it is as if God has neglected his people in their misery. In 9:9, they go further and deny his providence, so therefore they can now sin fearlessly. A nation that has fallen into such a belief has no road back to restoration whatsoever. There is nothing left to do but to burn it all. Jesus Christ himself also speaks of such a people:
Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you depart from the living God, there will come a time when what you believe will become so rotten and twisted, that there will be left no hope to ever return you from whence you fell. The people of Judah had reached that point. They were beyond revival. They were beyond an awakening. They were incapable of being redeemed anymore. There was nothing left to revive, or wake. They were to be put under the ban, or haram.
This was exactly what God had decreed for the Canaanites. Their culture had reached the point of no return. That was why Joshua was instructed to kill them all. Yes, even all the babies. What we find so abhorrent and repugnant in our feminized and apostasized culture of today, is an eternal, unchangeable principle of the kingdom of heaven. There comes a point in time when something has become irredeemable. God then calls it haram, or under the ban. That is, it is set apart for destruction by fire.
This is all to teach us about the permanence of hell. Souls that refuse to repent during their life are irredeemable. They are cast into the fire. In the same way there are people and places that are irredeemable on this earth. There is no hope of revival or repentance for them (it). As far as God is concerned, they are already in the fire.
One of the most irksome sacred cows that is continually regurgitated in the pulpits is that no one has gone too far in sin to be saved. God’s love is so great, so infinite, that no matter who you are and what you’ve done, you can always repent and come to Jesus.
That is pure garbage. While Jesus died for all, many more than we can imagine have passed the point of no return. If the current events here in 2025 have not convinced us of this awful truth, then I don’t know what will. Even so, we cannot know with certainty that in any individual case whether or not that imaginary spiritual line has been crossed. However, we certainly are commanded to judge people by their fruit. Think about Hamas. Do you think the vast, vast majority of them have any chance of repentance? Cooking babies alive in a microwave, while the parents watch? And the vast, vast majority of Palestinian citizens, cheering and rejoicing over every gruesome video of unarmed Jews being tortured, raped, and slaughtered? And the multiple millions of leftists in the west, cheering on Hamas, and believing every lie that they speak? Do you really think that a large portion of these vile creatures have any hope of finding real repentance?
We don’t seem to understand the nature of evil as the bible teaches. I believe that this is one of the most intense chapters in the entire bible. Almost no Christian is willing to touch it. They see God ordering the slaughter of babies, and in their heart, absolutely reject that God. But what they are doing is also rejecting Jesus himself, as he is the one with the inkhorn, preserving his own, all the while clearing the way for the destroyers to do their work. God kills babies in this particular instance because as far as God judges, it is the right thing to do. If we as a nation choose to engage in the worst form of blasphemy and abominations, then we deserve every judgment that the bible warns us about. Do you think your children shall be exempt as casualties, when you choose to forsake the protection of God, and instead worship God’s enemies? Why do you think that God will spare your children, just because they happen to be of a certain age?
Does all this offend you? Do you think I’ve lost my mind? Perhaps. But I am only going where the text takes me.
I warned you Ezekiel is a unique book. It will take us to places that are never visited. No church will teach you these things. Almost no one else will speak of these things. But I will.
It is up to you to decide what to do with these things. Shall we tear out the book of Ezekiel, or shall we humbly submit to the awful truths of all of God’s word? Shall we embrace the truth about the terrible price of walking in evil, or shall we continue to pretend that God’s love will keep us from these kinds of consequences? After all, we’re Americans (or Westerners)! We’re the best Christian nations on the planet! Surely God loves us too much to do anything like this to us. Didn’t he pour out all his wrath on the cross?
If your nation behaves as Judah behaved, then your judgment shall be as Judah was judged. God does not play favorites. He does not show partiality. He has placed this book in the bible for a reason. And that is to warn all of mankind to not engage in this type of behavior. Otherwise, you too shall perish.
Eze 9:10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare (khoos), neither will I have pity (khaw-mal), but I will recompense their way (deh-rek) upon their head.
Yahweh reiterates once again that no, I am not just love. I am also a jealous God, and a God of wrath. I am a God of justice, and judgment. I show mercy to the humble and contrite, but wrath and ruin to the impenitent. I will not spare anyone, no, not even one, when a nation walks a path such as Judah has chosen to walk. My pity shall not be found in this case. Instead, since they were devoid of mercy, no mercy shall be shown them. Since pity was not found in their midst, pity shall not be given. They simply will reap what they have sown. Sow nothing but evil, reap nothing but evil.
Eze 9:11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported (shoob) the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
Note here that in this type of total judgment, all are slain but a very few. Ezekiel is unable to change God’s mind. This special person (whom we believe is really Jesus) reports back that everything was done according to your command. That is, all but those few who were marked were killed.
This is a different time than the time of Abraham, or Moses, or David, or even Amos, when their intercession lessened the judgment. We need to apply the appropriate scripture to the appropriate season. That is why if I hear someone claiming 2 Chr 7:14 one more time, I believe I will scream. That was early in Israel’s history. This is at the end of their sin cycle. The rules change. As the duration and severity of a nation’s sins pile up, so does the possibility of restoration.
While any one individual may yet find escape from eternal punishment, there comes a time when the consequences for a nation are set in stone, and are irrevocable.
As of 2025, western civilization is at such a place.
Solitary Man
