Saving "mark" on forehead: A CROSS?

Terry

Ezekiel 9:4

“Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” In the script used during Old Testament times it was either in X shape or a + shape.

Vidqun

Terry, I looked it up and you're right.

Bauer-Leander Heb. 449f (on p. 450); the last letter of the Old Canaanite alphabet was written in the shape of a St. Andrew’s Cross; this amounted to a simple mark, which was actually the mark of a herdsman; an etymological connection can be made with Arb. taww individual, separate item, cf. Bauer-Leander Heb. loc. cit. (KBS).

jonahstourguide

Off topic a bit but saw this on abc online news in Australia today.

Good for a laugh??

https://images.scribblelive.com/2022/3/19/93a6d6c6-36be-4961-a2b2-4172345a97cb.jpg

Seems a light behind the priest created an interesting shadow.

Here is the full article.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-20/vladimir-putin-invasion-ukraine-politics-holy-war/100921102

jtg.

The WTS has actually said this: "The act of baptism is a vital part of “the mark” that identifies you for salvation.—Ezekiel 9:4-6." and this "Bible prophecies show that God views such ones as marked to survive the execution of his judgment soon to come upon this wicked system of things. (Ezekiel 9:1-6; Malachi 3:16, 18) Are you “rightly disposed for everlasting life”? (Acts 13:48) Is it your earnest desire to be marked as one serving God? Dedication and baptism are part of that mark, and they are essential for survival." and this "Only those ‘marked’ for salvation will survive into Jehovah’s new system. (Ezek. 9:2-6) How happy those who submit to this ‘marking’ for survival will be because of their dedicated relationship with Jehovah God, as symbolized by water baptism!" Don't you know this can only be the right answer because the WTS said so?

Vidqun

Hi Blondie, good to hear from you. According to context, first and foremost application should belong to those earmarked to survive the Babylonian occupation, especially the destruction of Jerusalem. The chapter before discusses the disgusting things being done in the temple. The chapter after describes how God and throne accompaniment abandon Jerusalem. To add to this, there is no reference of this occurrence in the NT. So, to apply this to the individual's survival of this system is a long shot. In my mind it's a case of going beyond the things that were written (cf. 1 Cor. 4:6b). Peter did connect the survival of a person with baptism though, but connecting it to the survival of Noah and family (1 Pet. 3:20, 21).

Terry

Two of the most - let's call it - knuckleheaded teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses are Jesus wore no beard and
Jesus died on a stake. They've addressed and corrected the first one but persist in the second one.
Quote-mining of reference texts shaped their argument for many years but the Worldwide Web put an end to getting away with that.
The Watchtower announced Jesus on the magazine banner until it didn't (substituting Jehovah).
Jesus was worshipped in the Charter until it wasn't.
The hijacking of Pastor Russell's followers began in earnest in 1916 and has continued to 1931.
The GB is our Mediator and Jesus is theirs.
What a heist!
The definition of "blasphemy" is giving what rightly belongs to God to somebody else.

blondie

Vidqun, "Hi Blondie, good to hear from you. According to context, first and foremost application should belong to those earmarked to survive the Babylonian occupation, especially the destruction of Jerusalem. " I'm not trying to disprove the WTS belief on this, just that the WTS is deceptive when they say they don't teach that only jws will survive Armageddon, and because they say the "mark" for survival is baptism as one of jws. I understand that the context is totally different, but then the WTS has almost always ignored the context of any scripture they use to support their strange beliefs.

waton

according to the latest review in this week's book study, the mark for survival, for the other sheep and destruction in Mat 25 will be administered by Jesus just before the goat's destruction, and not during the H2H ministry of jws, as previously taught.

blondie

waton, that is interesting as to the slant the WTS is putting on the "mark for survival." Of course, the WTS has said that status at baptism has to be maintained until when "armageddon" breaks out, not "once saved, always saved" other religions teach. I will look that up, which book is that? I notice in 2017 the WTS said this: "

The great crowd will receive the mark when they are judged as sheep during the great tribulation"
(That makes sense based on what they have said previously about the mark. The WTS teaches that when the great tribulation breaks out (GT) that ends the possibility of people being baptized as jehovah's witnesses, and jws then being judged by god as being really qualified. (just reporting not supporting). The time between the GT and armageddon then will be a period of time that supposedly the governments will try to get rid of all religion, even try to destroy jws. Is this confusing, yes, especially if you have to edit previous statements the WTS has said about Ezekiel 9. The WTS even teaches that "anointed" jws must be faithful until their death to be rewarded with being resurrected to heaven. Thanks for sharing that update, can you point me to where that was said?)

blondie

waton, I found it on the Watchtower Online Library. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102017189#h=3:0-27:0 (Interesting the old congregation book study is a discussion of every updated, clarified, adjusted teaching of the WTS). I looked at a couple, and it seems that the WTS has a lot of house cleaning to attempt.

Saving "mark" on forehead: A CROSS?

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