Mike,

Can you help me understand what’s going on here in Ezekiel 9:5-7 with this sighing and crying and mark on the foreheads?

Thanks,
P____

Hi P____,
Thank you for your question. You ask me:

Can you help me understand what’s going on here in Ezekiel 9:5-7

Let’s look at those verses. I am including verse 4 for the sake of establishing who is doing the speaking:

Eze 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.
Eze 9:5 And 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:
Eze 9:6 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.
Eze 9:7 And 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.

The only way you will understand this or any other verse of God’s Word is to remember these words of Christ:

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Where did these word originate? ” And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city…” That’s right, these are words which have “proceeded out of the mouth of God,” and you and I and every man who has ever lived will, in time, “live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” by which “man must live.”
In this particular case, there are those mentioned in these verses who die because they do not have the mark of God upon their foreheads, and there are those who do not die because they do have the mark of God upon their foreheads, and because they do “sigh and cry for the abominations that be done in the midst of the city… Jerusalem.”
If we are, as Christ declares, to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”, how is it possible to live both the dying for not bemoaning the atrocities being committed in the midst of the city and the living because of having the mark of God and bemoaning the atrocities that are being committed in the midst of the city? To the natural man the answer to that question is nothing less than believing in contradictions, but to the man of the spirit, it is a very simple matter of “living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
By “comparing spiritual with spiritual” the man with the mind of the spirit knows that he is the first Adam before he becomes the second Adam. He is likewise Cain who kills his brother, before he becomes Abel who dies in obedience to the words of the Lord. We are all first guilty of nailing our Lord to the cross before we repent and die to the flesh by living our lives as if resurrected “in Christ.”

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Rom 6:13 Nor yet be presenting your members, as implements of injustice, to Sin, but present yourselves to God as if alive from among the dead, and your members as implements of righteousness to God. (CLV)

There is no contradiction at all in seeing that we are all first spiritually dead, before we become alive in the spirit of Christ. That is how we “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” We first do every evil word, and then we repent and Christ lives His life of dying to the flesh within us. It may appear to the natural man to be a contradiction, and indeed, life in Christ is the exact opposite of life in the first Adam, but it all makes perfect sense to those who are given eyes that see and ears that hear.

1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Now, in order to understand what is being said in Eze 9:4-7, we must keep in mind that we “must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” We must keep in mind that we must keep and live, both the dying because of not bemoaning the atrocities in Jerusalem, and we must keep and live, the living because we have the mark of God and do bemoan the atrocities committed within the city of the Lord.
I am going to give you three New Testament examples of how this principle of living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God is applied by the holy spirit to Christ Himself. Then we will see clearly what is happening there in Eze 9:4-7.
Here is the very first scripture in the New Testament which is quoted out of the Old Testament. Let’s look at what the New Testament writers affirm is a prophecy of Christ’s birth:

Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Mat 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

There it is. Matthew simply states, under inspiration of the holy spirit, that the verses in the Old Testament which say that Christ would be called Emmanuel are a reference to Christ’s birth. But Christ was not called Emmanuel. Joseph and Mary were both told to call Him ‘Jesus.’ Now let’s go back and look at that prophecy in the Old Testament, and see if that really is what the spirit is saying. Here are the verses to which the holy spirit refers in Mat 1, concerning the birth of Christ:
You may very well say to me that these two prophecies have nothing in common with each other, and that is exactly what any physical Jew would say. To the natural man these two prophecies seem to have very little in common, but that is also true of virtually every Old Testament prophecy which the New Testament says is a reference to Christ. I cannot cover them all in this e- mail, but I will deal with these first three examples of this phenomenon cited here in the first two chapters of Matthew. Here is the Old Testament prophecy which Mat 1 affirms is a reference to the birth of Christ.

Isa 7:1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, [ that] Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
Isa 7:2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
Isa 7:3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;
Isa 7:4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
Isa 7:5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
Isa 7:6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, [ even] the son of Tabeal:
Isa 7:10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
Isa 7:11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
Isa 7:12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
Isa 7:13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

To the mind of the natural man who does not believe that we “must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” this does not appear to have anything at all to do with the birth of Christ. This whole story is about a conspiracy on the part of the two kings of Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel, to invade and destroy Judah and Jerusalem. Ahaz, the king of Judah, is so frightened that we are told, “his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.” The message from God to Ahaz is that Ahaz does not need to fear because some virgin is going to have a child, and “before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.” In other words the two kings to the north of Ahaz will be removed before the son of some virgin is old enough “to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”
Yet according to the holy spirit, Christ had to live by these words and be born of a virgin, and according to the holy spirit, these verses in Isa 7 are actually a reference to the birth of Christ.
Now let’s look at our second example of how the Old Testament is interpreted in the New Testament, so we can see how we are to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Let’s look at the very next time the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament:

Mat 2:13 And when they [ The “wise men from the east”] were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Now let’s look once again at how these verses use Old Testament words in a way that demonstrates that we and “Christ in us… must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Here is the only place in all of the Old Testament where the statement “I… called my son out of Egypt” is to be found:

Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

The natural man will ask, what does Israel have to do with Christ? The answer is that Israel has everything to do with Christ, as much in every way as Christ’s disciples have to do with Christ. That is the principle to which Christ referred when He told the devil “Man… shall live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Mat 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Those who receive those who Christ sends are actually receiving Christ Himself. Just how serious a matter is it that we come to know who are and who are not Christ’s? Here is just how crucial it is that we be able to properly “try the spirits whether they be of God.”

Mar 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Here is just how much Christ identifies with those who He says are “His body and His flesh.”

Act 9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Act 9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
Act 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Act 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Christ says we are Him. “Why persecutest thou Me?”

Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Physical Israel was, at the time of Isaiah and at the time of Hosea, God’s kingdom on this earth. To attack Israel was to attack Christ. To blaspheme Israel was to blaspheme Christ. Whether past, present or future, that which is Christ’s is Christ Himself. Those are not my words, they are His words, and He now says that we are “His flesh and His bones.”
Here is what He says to us about the past:

Mat 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

“This generation”, as the next chapter demonstrates, is ” he that readeth.” “This generation” is not just that generation in which Christ was on this earth in a body of flesh.

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, ( whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

“This generation does not pass away, till… he that reads understands [ that] man must live by every word of God.” That is what Christ means when He says “My words shall not pass away.”
Here now is what Christ teaches us about the application of His words to our future:

1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

“All things” and “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God… things present and things to come,” are all one and the same thing. They are “My words which will never pass away.”
Such is the case also for the present:

1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

The emphasis of scripture is upon the present. Time and again, in the book of Revelation, Christ tells us that He is, He was and He will be, but the ‘is’ part of who He is, is always primary and is first in the vast majority of the cases:

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace [ be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Christ does not want us to read His Words and put any of them in the distant past or the future. “All thing are ours… thing present and things to come.” But “all things, also includes “all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias.” But Christ wants us to primarily think of Him as He who is, as the “I Am” God who is here and is near. We are never to forget that all things are ours, past and future, but His presence is primarily how He wants us to see Him and His Word.
Now, notice the context of Hos 11:1. Let’s look at what other “words that proceed out of the mouth of God by which man shall live” are right there in Hos 11:

Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Hos 11:2 As they [ Moses and Aaron] called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Hos 11:3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.
Hos 11:4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
Hos 11:5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.

It has all been predestined for all men. We will never go back to Egypt, but we will go “into Babylon.”
How does Christ apply “Israel to Himself?” How does Christ apply the sins of Israel to Himself?” He does so by taking our sins upon Himself, so that God can truly say “I called my Son out of Egypt. We are His Israel:

Gal 6:15 Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do– submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!
Gal 6:16 All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God – his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them! (MSG)

“As they called them they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.” That is what we all do as we are “coming out of Egypt”. It is each of us, even if we are God’s “very elect”, who Christ says are Himself, it is we who have first, while we are still “in Adam”, been guilty of “the blood of all the righteous men, and prophets from Abel to Zacharias.” It is all ” in me, that is in my flesh.” I am “the man” spoken of by Nathan the prophet, and it is only by acknowledging these Biblical truths that we must all give an account of the deeds “done in his body.”

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

Until we can see that each of us “are the man” being spoken of on every page of scripture and in every verse of scripture, we still do not know where “the revelation of Jesus Christ” begins or where it ends, because the revelation of Jesus Christ begins in Gen 1:1 and it ends in Rev 22:21. Even the boring genealogies are just more proof that we and our Savior are both of Adam, “the Son of Man.”
Now let’s look at the third Old Testament scripture which is quoted here in the first two chapters of Matthew. It is found in the very next few verses after the angel tells Joseph to take “the young child and flee to Egypt.” Here is yet another very revealing verse of scripture which leaves the natural minded man thinking that the writers of the New Testament were simply quoting and applying Old Testament verses completely out of context.

Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
Mat 2:17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
Mat 2:18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

It is common knowledge to all who are familiar with the geography of Palestine that Bethlehem is just about as far south and west of Jerusalem, as Rama is north and east of Jerusalem. How is it that the New Testament writers can seemingly take any part of the nation of Israel and make it apply to the events surrounding the life of Christ? How can they seemingly take the different events that took place in the lives of the various kings of Israel, be it King David or King Ahaz, and apply those events to the life of Christ? How is it that the writers of the New Testament can take Israel’s coming up out of Egypt and apply that to the life of Christ? There is a spiritual principle involved in doing this, and that principle is expressed in Mat 4:4 and Luk 4:4.
The answer is simple. The simple answer is that every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God is applicable to Christ and all who are in Him, from Gen 1:1 to Rev 22:21. We should each feel that ‘I am the man’ being spoken of on every page and in every verse of scripture if we are in Christ, because it is all about Him. It is all, every single verse and every single word, a part of the revelation of Jesus Christ. The first Adam consists in Christ, and the last Adam is Christ and His Christ.

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [ they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

With this in mind let’s go to the verses in question. I have added verse 4 just so we could see more clearly what is being said in these verses:

Eze 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.
Eze 9:5 And 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:
Eze 9:6 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.
Eze 9:7 And 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.

Again, let me ask you; From where did these words in Eze 9: 4-7 come? The answer to that question is in the first words of verse 4, “And the LORD said unto him…” Like all of God’s Word, these really are “words that proceed from the mouth of God,” and therefore you and I, if we are in Christ, “must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
What do these words concern? They concern Israel, and in particular they concern those who are in Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Who is that today? What is the ‘I am” application of these words of our Lord which “shall never pass away? Where is the true Jerusalem today?

Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

It is the “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children” which is the first Adam which we all first are. So those who do not have the mark of God in their forehead, represent us at that time of our walk. That is the time when we are committing “the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” What has to happen to us before we can receive the mark of God in our foreheads? We first must come to see ourselves as those who have been slain by the words which “the Lord said unto Him.”

Eze 9:6 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.
Eze 9:7 And 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.

You and I are “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children,” before we can become “Jerusalem which is above…” “The ancient men” is our “old man… the first Adam… the dead who bury their dead,” who we all first are.
That is right, the scriptures teach that a spiritually dead person is physically alive and physically capable of burying his physically dead:

Mat 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Mat 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

The man who is spiritually alive has the mark of God in his forehead, but he is dead to the things of this world and of the flesh:

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
Rom 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [ in] the oldness of the letter.

“When you were in the flesh” means ‘When you thought as the flesh thinks.’ None of this makes any sense to the natural man. It is all counter intuitive. The natural man reasons that you simply cannot die in order to live, and yet that is exactly what the spirit teaches:

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

If God gives you “eyes that see and ears that hear” spiritual truths, then these things will make perfect sense. But God has given “eyes to see and ears that hear” to only a very few people, and many who do see and hear spiritual matters have not been given the ability to “try those spirits to see whether they be of God.”

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

These “spirits” we are to try are words and doctrines which are being spoken by “many false prophets.” We must be able to distinguish the words of Christ from the words of the Adversary. Both are spiritual words, but one spirit cannot go all the way with the words of Christ and will twist and distort the doctrine of Christ rather than believe that “you shall surely die”. There is no way around that truth. We must first die to the flesh, before we can ever hope to be alive in Christ.
Those verses in Ezekiel are but an earlier, less distinct, version of these verses in Revelation, where it becomes clearer that it is all within:

Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Rev 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment [ was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

“The earth” is us as “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children” which we all must first be. Here are the verses which demonstrate this truth:

Jer 22:1 Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
Jer 22:2 And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

“These gates” are the gates of Jerusalem where “the throne of David” was located. It is in this same chapter, speaking to the same subjects, that we see these words:

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
Jer 22:30 Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man [ that] shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

Physical Israel, with a physically pedigreed king, is no longer God’s people, and just like Adam previoius to physical Israel, physical Israel was merely a type and a shadow of that for which God is using all flesh to typify and to foreshadow. It is all “types of us” who must all face the death of our old man, and give up the physical pedigree of being a physical Jew, and become the true Jew, the true Israel of God, by beginning with the ancient man and slaying all the different parts of that old nation which is all within us.

Eze 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.
Eze 9:5 And 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:
Eze 9:6 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.
Eze 9:7 And 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.

Here is the truth of what this is all about:

1Co 10:11 Now all this befalls them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained.
1Co 10:12 So that, let him who is supposing he stands beware that he should not be falling.

I hope this has helped you to see that this is all typical of us “upon who the ends of the ages are come.”

Your brother in Christ,
Mike