Neville Goddard on Ezekiel 9:1-11 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Ezekiel 9 in context

Scripture Focus

1He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.

2And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.

3And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;

4And 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.

5And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:

6Slay 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.

7And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

8And 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?

9Then said he unto me, 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.

10And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.

11And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

Ezekiel 9:1-11

Biblical Context

God commands the men with destroying weapons to mark the foreheads of those who sigh over the abominations, while others are to be slain; judgment begins at the sanctuary and exposes the people's sins. The vision ends with the report that the commandment was carried out.

Neville's Inner Vision

In this vision the city is your mind; the six men are thoughts moving through your inner gate, and the linen-clad scribe is the recorder of your own state. The mark on the foreheads of those who sigh for abominations signals an inner acknowledgment of what you truly refuse to tolerate in yourself. When the glory of the God of Israel rises to the threshold, it marks the moment your awareness shifts from identification with the old to the Presence that judges with mercy. The command to smite is not vengeance but purification: release the old patterns that no longer serve your spiritual health, beginning with the sanctuary—the place you hold sacred in your mind. The one who reports, 'I have done as thou hast commanded me,' is your inner self aligning with the law of your I AM, making room for justice tempered by mercy within your heart.

Practice This Now

Assume the state of the watcher in you who marks what is true about your own mind; revise any self-judgment until you feel the new standard of holiness, and affirm, 'I have done as thou hast commanded me' within.