"And the Lord 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 for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Slay utterly old and young, both maids, 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 ancient men which were before the house."
What Ezekiel sees, is for his time and for mine. So I was curious about the people to be preserved that were marked. Yet, in Revelations I read of the mark of the beast and what happens to them.
"And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
(Revelations 13:15-17)
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimestone."
(Revelation 19:20)
"And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image."
(Revelations 16:2)
So what is the difference between the people that are marked? It is whom they are worshipping. In Revelations they are worshipping the beast and not the Lord. It is the beast's mark they identify with, and the Lord destroys. The people marked in Ezekiel have the Lord's mark upon them. They fear the Lord not the beast. It is sad that little children are included in both groups. I had not noticed that before. It seems the blessing or curse then would be upon the heads of the parents.
"And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents."
(Doctrine and Covenants 68:25)
Day 1386
No comments:
Post a Comment