Not only are these “perilous times” (Second Timothy 3:1-5), they are times that trouble the souls of Christians who seek to honor the Lord. Our nation, which was established on Christian principles, has been declared to not be a Christian nation by our president. Our Supreme Court has declared the Scriptures which define marriage as being between a man and a woman as “unconstitutional.”

In times like these, a Scripture of great hope for me is Ezekiel 9:4;
“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.”

In this passage the Lord instructed a man clothed in linen (an angel?) to place a mark on the forehead of those that sigh about what was going on in Jerusalem. Today, many Christians sigh about what is going on in America and the Church.

Please note that the mark the man clothed in linen was to place on the foreheads of those that sighed was a tav. In archaic Hebrew the tav was a cross, or an “X.” The tav, as the 22nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is associated with the Cross throughout the Word of God. For example, the story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, is a foreshadow of our Heavenly Father sacrificing His only Son, Jesus on the Cross. This is found in Genesis chapter 22. Psalm 22 is a clear description of Jesus on the Cross.

The Lord was marking His followers with the mark of the Cross. I would not be surprised if today Christians were marked with the Cross in some way visible only to the Lord.

Further, the Lord described Israel and Judah at that time as being “full of blood” (Ezekiel 9:9). Today, America has the blood of 40-50 million innocent aborted children on its hands. If the Lord said that the blood of Abel cried out to Him from the ground (Genesis 4:10) how much more the blood of millions and million of infants? America is full of blood.

The timing of the event described in Ezekiel 9 is interesting. The Glory of the Lord was preparing to leave the Temple and depart from the earth when the command of verse four was given. Because I believe in the symmetry of the Bible (that which was opened in Genesis is closed in the Revelation), it is possible, and probable, that a similar command of protection will be given by the Lord as He prepares to return to the earth and the Temple.

Today, not only in America, but around the world Christians are sighing about the rebellion of men and governments against the Lord. Today through abortion, the blood of innocent children is shed not only in America, but in almost every nation of the world. May we be found with the “mark” of the Cross as we await His glorious return.

“Even so, come Lord Jesus!” – Revelation 22:20