Marking on the forehead (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.”

Ezechiel 9:4 - King James

 

⚪ Marking until 1916 by Charles Russell, through his publications
⚫ Marking from 1918 by the servant class, via the message "millions..."
⚫ Marking from 1934/1935 by members of the anointed remnant, through baptism

 

 

⚪ Marking until 1916 by Charles Russell, through his publications

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. — The center of Christendom is the nations of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Scandinavia. Hither and thither, traveling and preaching for nearly forty years Pastor Russell obeyed this command; and through the printed page of books, tracts and newspapers he went into every corner of the world. "Set a mark", literally "set a ‘tav' upon the foreheads." The "Tav" was the twenty-second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in its earlier form had the shape of a cross (+)." The forehead signifies the intellect (Rev. 7:3; 14:1). Pastor Russell's great work was to imprint indelibly in the minds of certain ones the truth about the Cross, the sacrifice of the Christ, Head and Body, and the part of the Church therein. It was the duty of the clerk or officer of an oriental army to mark the people, either for slaughter or to be left untouched. The "mourners in Zion" (Isa. 61:3) are those faithful ones in Christendom that appreciate that conditions are evil in churchianity, perhaps without understanding just how. All these are to be marked in their minds with the knowledge of the Present Truth.

Source : 🇺🇸 The Finished Mystery, page 418 et page 419 + Cover

9:11. And, 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. — Pastor Russell was faithful to his great task of writing and publishing the Truth and imprinting the "tav" of Present Truth in the minds of the spirit-begotten. In October, 1916, he died, and beyond the veil has, ere this, undoubtedly, reported la the presence of Christ that he has dona the work be was given to do.

Source : 🇺🇸 1918 - The Finished Mystery, page 420 + Cover

 

⚫ Marking from 1918 by the servant class, via the message "millions..."

[...] the “servant” class that must bear to them the precious truths of the kingdom, that they may see the way to go and what to do. The work of the “servant” class, pictured by the man in linen and with the writer’s inkhorn, is therefore clearly and definitely marked out. [...]
that there must be a world-wide public witness work done by the ‘faithful servants’ of the Lord. The Lord’s standard for the people must be lifted up. [...] and his “servant” class is permitted to give the testimony which causes the people to take sides for or against the Lord and his kingdom.- Matt. 25:31-46.
It was early in the year 1918 that, for the first time, the slogan was sounded: “Millions now living will never die.” Within a very short time after a public lecture on this subject was delivered, “the goats” got busy and shut up many of the Lord’s “servant” class in prison and for a time effectually stopped the work. Then in the year 1919 the Lord again revived his work and brought forth those devoted to him to engage in it. Shortly thereafter, to wit, in the year 1920, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society published a book under the title “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”. This book was printed in a number of languages, and millions of copies were distributed throughout Christendom and put in the hands of order-loving people. With the coming of the year I922 the witness work of the Lord was getting well under way, and within a short time there was a world-wide witness given by public lectures on the subject “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”; and this was done in many countries of Christendom.
Furthermore the Lord provided the radio to broadcast the truth, and today, in spite of much opposition, the message of the kingdom is being more widely broadcast than any other information given by radio. Within ten years the message of the kingdom of God, put in book form, has had a wider circulation and publication than any message ever issued by any other organization on earth. Many persons of good will who are under the power of Satan’s organization have received the truth and accepted it as true, and are thus marked in their foreheads, that is to say, have been given an intelligent understanding of and concerning God’s purpose to establish bis kingdom for the vindication of his name and for the blessing of the people. [...] The duty of the “servant” is to obey the commandment and go throughout Christendom and do the ‘marking’. [...] proof that the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is doing the work which the Lord commanded should be done and which was foreshadowed in the vision given to Ezekiel.

Source : 🇺🇸 1931 - « Justification - Tome 1 » page 108 + page 109 + page 110 + page 111 + Cover

 

⚫ Marking from 1934/1935 by members of the anointed remnant, through baptism

Consistently, then, in 1934, or three years after the release of the book Vindication (Volume I), the magazine The Watchtower published in its issue of August 15, 1934, the article entitled "His Kindness." In this it clearly set forth, on pages 249, 250, that even the "other sheep" of the present time must be made up of those who have dedicated themselves to God through Christ and who have symbolized that unconditional dedication by being immersed in water, like Jesus. This, at the earliest, marks the point where the work of the anointed remnant began in marking the foreheads of those whom God would choose to spare alive during the "great tribulation" upon antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem, Christendom. Why? Be· cause prior to that the work toward these consisted merely of imparting Biblical knowledge to them. (Matthew 24: 15·22; Mark 13:14·20) But even at that time the "other sheep" of the present time were not identified as being the same ones as those who make up the "great multitude" or "great crowd" as foretold in Revelation 7: 9·17. Hence up till that time no organized effort was made to gather the "other sheep."
In the following spring, however, there came an event that definitely marked out that the work of the modern-day man "clothed with linen, with a secretary's inkhorn at his hips," had at last begun, Where was this? At a general convention of Jehovah's witnesses at Washington, D.C. There hundreds of persons who did not feel entitled to a heavenly inheritance with Christ wspan class="ombre">presented themselves for water baptism to symbolize that they had decided to enter into a dedicated relationship with Jehovah through Christ. What was it that powerfully moved them to do this in a mass baptism? This: On Friday afternoon, May 31, 1935, the then president of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society gave to the conventioners an address on "The Great Multitude," and in this he explained Revelation 7:9-17 (AV) . He showed that the ones making up that "great multitude" would not be a spiritual class with a heavenly hope under the 144,000 joint heirs of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 7: 1-8) Instead, they would be an earthly class, with an earthly Paradise hope, namely, the "other sheep" of the Fine Shepherd Jesus Christ. Next day came the baptism.

Source : 🇺🇸 1971 - « The nations shall know that I am Jehovah » How ? page 177 + page 178 + Cover

WHEN THE ‘MARKING ׳ BEGAN

When did the modern-day ‘marking’ work as foreshadowed by the work of the ‘man clothed with linen’ begin? At the earliest, it began when, in its issue of August 15, 1934, The Watchtower published the article entitled “His Kindness.” Prior to this, in 1931, through the Biblical book Vindication, published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, it had been shown to the dedicated, anointed followers of Jesus that they had the ‘marking’ work to do. In that same year they had embraced the Scriptural name “Jehovah’s witnesses,” suggested in the Bible at Isaiah 43:10-12. It was as if Jehovah were commanding them: “Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem [as foreshadowing Christendom], and you must put a mark on the foreheads of the men that are sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done in the midst of it.”—Ezek. 9:4.
In 1934, in the above-mentioned article “His Kindness,” Jesus’ words at John 10: 16 were considered: “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold [the “little flock” of heavenly heirs]; those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.” It was first seen that the “other sheep” of the present time must be those who have dedicated themselves to God through Christ and who have symbolized that unconditional dedication by being immersed in water, like Jesus.
Why, during the three years from 1931 to 1934, was the ,marking’ work not done? Because, prior to 1934, the work toward these persons consisted merely of imparting Bible knowledge to them. Only from 1934 on was it clearly understood that the “mark” entailed much more.
In the spring of the next year, 1935, the ‘marking’ work really began on an organized basis. At a general convention of Jehovah’s witnesses in Washington, D.C., the understanding of the “great crowd” as pictured in Revelation chapter seven was clarified. In an address on “The Great Multitude” the then president of the Watch Tower Society explained that these were not a heavenly class, as described in the first eight verses of this chapter, but, rather, were persons to whom God extends the hope of everlasting life on a paradise earth. Hundreds were powerfully moved that day to present themselves for water baptism.—Rev.7:9-17.

Source : 🇺🇸 1972 - « The Watchtower October 15 1972 page 637 + page 638 + Cover