Six Men
In the 9th chapter of Ezekiel, we find that God commanded six men to execute divine judgment on the chosen people of Israel. One of them, clothed with linen, had a writer's inkhorn in his hand. God commanded this man, "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 for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof" (Vs.4). God then commanded the other five men, "Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark….." (Vs.5-6)
The six men in the vision are those chosen by God for doing God's will. The names of these men or their nationalities are not revealed here. They are neither spirits nor angels but men in flesh. Each of the five men holds "a slaughter weapon in his hand". God chooses five men to execute His wrath on the rebellious nation of Israel. They are not literally five men. This means that God chooses a small group of men to execute His judgment on the thousands of His people. This small group of people is so merciless that they kill old men, children and women. This group is equipped with deadly weapons for destroying the rebellious children of God. The weapon used by this group is ordained of God.
Man clothed with linen
God is a sovereign God. He chooses "five men" to punish His own people. However, there is another man who is different from these five men. He is clothed with linen and holds a writer's inkhorn in his hand. He is a man of God and a true minister of the Word. This shows that there are still a very small group of God's ministers through whom God wants to protect those who are obedient to Him – who "cry for all the abominations" committed in the courts of the Temple of God as seen by Ezekiel in the earlier vision.
The ministers of God likened to the man clothed with linen are humble and lead a very simple life. They are commonplace people like John the Baptist crying in the wilderness. They prefer to remain in the wilderness. If the people of God want to save themselves from the hands of these five men, they have to go to the wilderness in search of such ministers of God. These ministers preach the truth with the result that those who hear the truth are convicted of their sins and iniquities and thus repent in sackcloth. Those who obey the truth would get a mark on their foreheads.
The five men execute divine judgment only after the man clothed with linen puts his mark on those people who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done in the temple of God. The man clothed with linen puts a mark on the foreheads of them who cannot tolerate such abominations that take place in Jerusalem. The five armed men shall not come near any one on whom this mark is put.
Dearly beloved, will you heed to the true ministers of the Word who are still a minority in your nation preaching the truth? Will you sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done in your nation by the church leaders, ministers of the gospel and the political rulers?
Intercession by the prophet
We find the prophet falls on his face and pleads before God for not judging His people. But God is stubborn and does not relent. He simply tells the prophet, "The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not"
No prophetic intercessor can stand in the gap and plead to God for saving the rebellious children of Israel, who have hardened their hearts without repentance, from the hands of these five men. Finally, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reports the matter, saying,"I have done as Thou hast commanded me".
by Job Anbalagan