By: Obed Pineda
In Ezekiel 9:1-6, the Bible speaks about those who received a mark on their forehead identifying them as the people who would be spared from God’s rod of punishment against the sins of Judah. Those who were sealed for salvation obtained this blessing because they were, “the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it” (Ezekiel 9:4). It is evident in their reaction toward the wickedness they witnessed in Jerusalem that God had marked them because they lived a faithful and obedient life before Jehovah God. This was not the first time that the merciful Father spared those who bewailed the wicked state of their peers, as demonstrated by the example of Lot (cf. Genesis 19:1-29). The inspired Peter verifies that God, “delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)” (2nd Peter 2:7-8). Peter’s inspired words prove that the level of wickedness in the cities of the plain had overflowed heaven’s cup of wrath, just as the Lord had explained to Abraham that He would do (cf. Genesis 18:20-33). Let us remember that Ezekiel 8-11 is all one vision and it culminates with the following dreadful description: “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim” (Ezekiel 10:18). The climax of this vision is where we can see how Judah’s sinful ways have finally caused God’s patience to boil over, forcing Him to conclude that His house in Jerusalem must be destroyed. God’s presence has now left the temple, allowing its destruction by the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Remember that this account was given by God to His prophet prior to Jerusalem being destroyed. Ezekiel was witnessing God metaphorically having his bags packed and waiting there at the door for His beloved Jerusalem, His wife Zion, to repent and ask Him to stay. Instead, she quickly pushed Him out of His own house by being unfaithful to Him therein (cf. Ezekiel 8:16-18). What God was showing Ezekiel was how sin had permeated all through Jerusalem to the point that it had even corrupted His very house. It is one thing to be surrounded by evil and wickedness, but it is a worse matter when it creeps inside your own home. The woe of seeing it contaminate someone who belongs to you, such as a parent or a child, is an undeniably a cruel and bitter cup to drink. The beloved apostle speaks about a similar situation that happened to the Master, Jesus, in John 13:2. One of His own, too, was tainted by the adversary’s evil influence. However, it is valuable to realize that it was Judas who opened the door and allowed Satan’s entry into his heart (cf. John 13:27). Jesus was able to perceive the moment that Judas made up his mind about selling Him over to the chief priests. Clearly, it is one thing to be tempted, but it is wholly another thing to give in to temptation, as illustrated by Judas opening the door of his heart to sin. It is wise to keep in mind that God should be the One who sits on the throne of our hearts. It should be His Word that guides our lives and the decisions that we make; not our emotions (cf. Proverbs 4:23-27). When we allow our anger, resentment, or desires to take control of the throne that belongs to God, we are putting self above Him. This is when He is pushed out of His own house (cf. Luke 11:21-26). Observe how Christ binds and removes the wicked influence of sin. Still, when He is not allowed to remain in the heart of the one He healed, sin returns to infest and contaminate, as shown in Ezekiel 8. Keep in mind that in this chapter, the LORD thrice states to the prophet that what followed were “greater abominations” than the previous ones he had just seen (Ezekiel 8:6, 13, and 15). This parallels with the Master’s warning of the unclean spirit bringing, “with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:26, cf. 2nd Peter 2:20-22). One must also heed the danger that from the outside, everything seemed to belong to God, but this was in appearance only. After Ezekiel dug into the wall and found a hidden door inside the temple, he walked through it and found who truly sat on the throne of the priests’ hearts (cf. Ezekiel 8:7-12). There was hypocrisy among the leaders of Israel because, in the presence of the people, they feigned to serve God. Conversely, in the privacy of their own home they did the quite the opposite. Sadly, this bad habit of vain worship continued into the days of our Lord since the Pharisees would stand in the corners and lead long prayers for everyone to see (cf. Matthew 6:5). This they did because they coveted the title of Rabbi even though their worship was false; one of hypocrisy (cf. Matthew 23:1ff). Like in the days of Ezekiel, God had long left the hearts of the Pharisees and the scribes because they had become obstacles that prevented their followers from entering the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Matthew 23:13). However, it is also wise to acknowledge the warning that the mark placed among those who lamented over society’s wickedness, could also be blotted out if they did not remain unspotted until the very end. One can easily become hypnotized by the lie that is temptation and fall into the clutches of the adulterous woman (cf. James 1:13-16). Israel’s wickedness slowly progressed from having one idol in his house to a full-blown spiritual adultery. They chose to leave God, their Husband, to remain in an adulterous relationship with idolatry. They cheated on God with their own desires, provoking Him to leave His house. When we entertain sinful thoughts, they will only become more and more potent with the time they remain in our mind’s eye. The moment a wicked thought enters our mind, we must purge it immediately with the holy Word of God. When the dreadful departure of the glory of God takes place, what follows is the harvest of woe and righteous punishment (cf. Ezekiel 11:1-13). God personally comes against His people as He told the prophet He would (cf. Ezekiel 8:18). Currently, the world continues to increment in its sinful ways. Nonetheless, we must beware not to heed their enticing call to join them and turn our backs to God while facing toward idolatry. The apostle Paul wrote that in his lifetime, “our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Romans 13:11b-12a). If our salvation was considered to be close during the first century, how much nearer is it in our current century? For this reason, those who have been sealed by the blood of Christ, we must ensure that His seal is still upon our foreheads when He returns (cf. Ephesians 4:30, 2nd Timothy 2:19, 1st Peter 1:1-5).