Ezekiel 9:8
And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
Ezekiel is left alone in the midst of the slaying, and he falls on his face crying out whether God will destroy all the remaining remnant of Israel in pouring out His fury upon Jerusalem.
The slaying destroys those without God's mark and spares those marked on the forehead because they sigh and cry over the abominations among God's professed people, and the destruction begins at His sanctuary.
This prophecy of judgment will be literally fulfilled to the letter very soon in stern realities that will shortly come to pass.
It applies to the church's closing work and the sealing of the 144,000, when those who grieve over sin receive the mark while the great mass of lukewarm professing Christians without the seal meet bitter disappointment.
It therefore calls those now asleep with great truths revealed to them to humble their souls, be converted, and prepare, for time is short and every case will soon be decided for eternity.
The Vision's Judgment Scene
While the slaying goes on Ezekiel is left alone, and he falls upon his face and cries out to plead whether all the residue and remnant of Israel will be destroyed in the outpouring of fury upon Jerusalem. Those without God's mark are slain, while those marked on the forehead are spared because they sigh and cry over the abominations among God's professed people. They present a faithful remnant who grieve over the sins in the church and in the land. That destruction begins at God's sanctuary.
With special emphasis on verses 4-6, the slaying in Jerusalem portrays the fate of men of responsibility who have not glorified God by faithfulness and integrity. It shows the thorough work that the Lord God of Israel will do at the appointed time. The judgment will reach those who persist in unrepented wrongdoing, including people in positions of responsibility. Its fulfillment among the institutions in view depends on whether their leaders undergo a thorough change of heart, for without that transformation they face the judgment described in the chapter.
Coming Literal Fulfillment
Ezekiel 9, including this cry of the prophet, is a prophecy of judgment that will be literally fulfilled to the letter very soon. It points to stern realities that will shortly come to pass, and belongs to solemn warnings of imminent judgment whose events are soon to take place. It means God will soon pour out His fury in slaying judgment upon Jerusalem and upon the residue of Israel, and the time for that fulfillment is short.
It is part of a solemn account of God's work and its sacred, fearful results, showing Ezekiel left alive amid the slaughter, fallen upon his face and pleading that God not destroy all the survivors and remnant of Israel in His fury against Jerusalem. These warnings are neglected, and in the day of God the great mass of lukewarm and half-hearted professing Christians will meet with bitter disappointment because they do not have the seal of the living God upon their foreheads. The vision applies to the closing work of the church and to the sealing of the 144,000, in which those without God's mark are slain beginning at His sanctuary while the marked are spared, so that those who grieve over the sins of the church receive the mark and those who excuse wrongdoing and oppose its reproof fall in the destruction.
Call to Repentance
The verse applies to people now who are asleep while time is passing, who have great and important truths revealed to them yet refuse to humble their souls and be converted and to bring those truths into individual experience. The Lord will not bear long with such refusal, and will not bear much longer with those who act in this way. Time is short, and God is calling them to hear, to receive His message, and to be converted before it is too late. Soon, very soon, every case will be decided for eternity.
The events it describes are soon to take place, and every soul needs to prepare for them. The chapter is the basis for delivering God's warnings to people who are acting against the light they have received, whether they will listen or refuse to listen. That warning must be spoken, for silence would leave the one who should speak answerable for the blood of those who are lost.