… and said to him, "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." – Ezekiel 9:4

Today's Scripture Reading (June 17, 2023): Ezekiel 9

As a society, Christians seem fascinated with the idea of the end times. And part of that belief is the concept of the Mark of the Beast, a mark that will be placed on those who oppose God in the last days and, of course, the number of this Beast – 666. I have good friends that have refused license plates or other random numbers placed on items that contained three sixes in a row. I have never been bothered by the number itself, believing there is something deeper at work here than just the revelation of a specific number. I will admit that I notice when the number appears at random moments in my life. Of course, for students of the Bible, there is some argument over whether we have the number right. There is some indication that 666 might be a misprint, and the actual number of the Beast is 616, but again, I think what is important here is more than just a number.

There is a quality that marks those who oppose God that is found in how we live our lives that is much more important than just a mark placed on our hand or forehead. It always amazes me when I meet someone who would refuse a license plate with 666 on it and yet who is lax in keeping the expectations of God. I suspect that the Mark of the Beast might already be on them, and all that is left is to wait for the day to come when the mark on their foreheads becomes the condemnation of their lifestyles.

In Ezekiel's vision, the prophet sees six men. And one, who is evidently the group's leader, is told to go out and mark the people on the forehead who grieve and lament over the people's sinful behavior. We must note that the truly righteous will always mourn and weep over any opposition to the will of God. We are not to be the followers of God willing to let evil go without noticing or fighting back against sin. For those who are weeping over sin, the man in linen places a mark on their foreheads, and they will be saved.

There is a belief that the mark this man placed on the righteous of Israel was a Tau and that the man in linen was none other than the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. A tau was written in the form of a T or a cross. And some see a deep significance here of the cross being placed on the people of Jerusalem who were to be saved. Others remain unconvinced, arguing that the cross we know now would have had no significance to Ezekiel or the people of his day. But understanding doesn't seem to be a necessary element of prophecy. A case in point might be Isaiah's prophecy that "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Isaiah was not speaking of the birth of the Messiah during the days of Herod, but rather the short time that Israel had before judgment. And yet, we still take Isaiah's words as a prophecy of Jesus.

I am not sure that it matters that Ezekiel would not have recognized the significance of the cross being placed on the foreheads of the righteous. All that mattered was that the Tau, or the cross, was a symbol of life to the people living in Jerusalem during Ezekiel's day and to those of us who see the cross as a symbol of everything that Jesus has done to save us from our sins. And today, the cross continues to symbolize life to all who believe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 10