Slaughter of the Idolaters
9:1 Then he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
God made a call to his executioners. This call was made to angelic beings, who are appointed to carry out God's will for Jerusalem.
9:2 And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.
The six angelic beings entered through the northern gate, or the Gate of Benjamin, because it faced the land of the tribe of Benjamin. It was also called the New Gate, because it was the newest gate. The angelic beings come from the north, because this is the direction where Babylon would come from during their invasion of Judah. The six angelic beings carried battle axes, or kill weapons. The angel clothed in linen was an angelic leader. The Talmud recorded that this was Gabriel, but there is no biblical evidence for this identification. The ink was the tool of a scribe. They were standing in front of the altar of sacrifice.
9:3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn by his side.
Before the angels begin their execution, the Shekinah Glory moved from His seat between the two cherubim in the Holy of Holies towards the front door of the temple building.
9:4 And Jehovah 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 over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.
The angelic leader with the ink was to go into the city of Jerusalem and mark the believing remnant with a "tav.” The tav is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The paleo-Hebrew tav is a cross. Many Bible teachers use this verse to predict the cross, but this is spiritualizing the passage. Notice that only the righteous had the mark put upon them. The purpose of the mark was to protect their lives. Cain also had this mark. The 144,000 will also have a mark on their head to protect them from death during the Great Tribulation.
9:5 And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity;
The execution angels were to go through the city and slay every person who did not have the mark. They were to start at the sanctuary where the idolatry was more rampant. They were to have no pity.
9:6 slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house.
The executing angels began to slay the elders at the sanctuary. They also slew all ages and classes of people.
9:7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city.
The temple was profaned with the dead bodies.
9:8 And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord Jehovah! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy wrath upon Jerusalem?
Ezekiel interceded with prayer and asked Jehovah a question.
9:9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of wrestling of judgment : for they say, Jehovah hath forsaken the land, and Jehovah seeth not.
Jehovah gave His answer. The sin of Israel was too great. They had filled the land with innocent blood. The city was full of perversity. They had misinterpreted the judgment of God from the first and second deportation. They thought that God had left them to survive and repopulate Israel. They were going to find out that God was not absent at all. He was active as the Judge and Executioner of the curses of the Abrahamic Covenant.
9:10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way upon their head.
God would not spare His judgment. He would not have pity on the citizens of Jerusalem. They would get the type of judgement which they deserved.
9:11 And behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
The angelic leader reported that he had completed his mission.