With the LORD there is Safety

Read Ezekiel 9.

In the previous chapter, the exiled elders in Babylon sat down with Ezekiel in his house.  Presumably, the question on their minds was a further explanation of why Judah had lost everything.  This, then, is part two of the vision God gave the prophet in chapter 8.

What prompted God's judgment against them was their multiple and detestable sins.  In His anger, the LORD unleashed the punishment.  He used the Babylonian army to invade and destroy Jerusalem.  In verse one they are called "the executioners" because that is the role they performed.

The vision showed six men (angelic beings), standing by the bronze altar, ready to strike.  A seventh man, a scribe, carried "a writing case".  In 8:16, there were twenty-five leaders of Judah between the altar and the porch of the Temple praying to a sun god.  Those twenty-five were probably the first victims in the vision, slain for their planetary worship.  With that the glory of God moved from the holy place behind the veil in the Temple to the threshold.  The LORD prepared to vacate the Temple.

Not everyone was doomed for disaster.  There were those, like Jeremiah, in the city who trusted and obeyed the LORD.  They grieved over the sin of their city (v.4).  For these, God ordered the scribe to put a mark each one to set them apart for protection during the killings.

When the LORD looked upon the land He had given to Abraham and his descendants, all He could see was violence and injustice (v.9).  The character of God in such judgments is consistent throughout Scripture.  For example:
1. Before the worldwide flood, God's heart was grieved because "every intention (of the people) was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5-6)  But He protected Noah and his family who had faith in the LORD.
2. Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He led Lot out of the area. (Genesis 19).
3. Before the Great Tribulation strikes the earth, believers will be caught up and taken out of the way. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 4:1)
4. Even during the Great Tribulation, God will have 144,000 chosen Jews to serve Him.  They will be protected by the "Father's name written on their foreheads." (Revelation 14:1)

Hebrews 11 makes it clear that there have been and will be martyrs among believers.  Death is merely the gateway to eternal protection.  Still, the safest place in the world, in any era or time, is in the hands of Jesus.  His grace and care are present to sustain us.  That is why we may trust Him when He repeatedly says, "Fear not."  "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)