In Ezekiel 9, the prophet describes a vivid inner vision. A man clothed in linen, carrying a writing kit, is told to go through Jerusalem and mark the foreheads of those who “sigh and cry” over what is taking place there. Those without the mark are removed.
Read psychologically, and in line with Neville Goddard’s revelation of the law of assumption, this is not a prophecy of outer destruction but a description of an inner sorting of states of mind.
Jerusalem: The Teaching of Peace
Jerusalem means “teaching of peace”, and symbolically it represents the inner self-imposed doctrine you are living by — the assumptions, beliefs, and self-concepts that govern your experience of life.
When Ezekiel speaks of abominations within Jerusalem, he is not describing immoral behaviour, but states of mind that contradict peace: fear, resentment, self-pity, effort, and the belief that life is happening to you rather than from you.
This is the mind out of harmony with itself.
The Scribe: Awareness at Work
The man clothed in linen is not an external angel. He represents the observing awareness that begins to move through the mind once a person becomes conscious of the law of assumption.
This “scribe” is the part of you that notices:
- Which thoughts are still rooted in misery rather than joy
- Which reactions assume lack instead of fulfilment
- Which inner conversations deny peace
In Neville’s terms, this is the moment you stop being identified with every thought and begin to select states deliberately.
The Mark on the Forehead: A Change of Assumption
The forehead symbolises thinking — the habitual direction of the mind. To be marked on the forehead is not to be protected from punishment, but to experience a shift in assumption.
Those who “sigh and cry” are not victims lamenting the world. They are inner states that recognise:
“This way of thinking is producing suffering.”
The mark is simply this recognition becoming conscious. It is the decision — sometimes quiet, sometimes uncomfortable — to no longer assume from fear, but from peace.
Sin as Missing the Mark
In Hebrew, the word often translated as sin — chata’ — means “to miss the mark.”
This has nothing to do with morality. It describes a mind that is assuming wrongly: imagining against itself, identifying with appearances, and reacting instead of creating.
To “hit the mark” is simply to assume in harmony with what you wish to experience.
Seen this way, the mark in Ezekiel 9 is the end of missing the mark. It is the mind learning to rest in chosen assumptions rather than unconscious reactions.
The Destruction of the Unmarked: States, Not People
The unmarked are destroyed — but nothing real is lost.
What disappears are unconscious states: habitual reactions, identities built on pain, and assumptions that cannot survive awareness.
As Neville repeatedly emphasised, states pass, but the I AM remains.
Ezekiel 9 describes the natural consequence of awareness: when you see a state clearly, you can no longer live from it.
Cain and the Contrast of Marks
This passage quietly mirrors the story of Cain and Abel. Cain represents identification with the outer world; Abel represents the imaginal life.
Cain is marked as a sign of unconscious living — a mind driven by appearances. The mark in Ezekiel, however, is the opposite: it signifies a mind that has begun to live from assumption.
One mark signals sleep. The other signals awakening.
Conclusion: Living from Peace
Ezekiel 9 is not a story of judgement, wrath, or exclusion. It is a precise psychological account of what happens when a person becomes aware of how their inner world is operating.
To be marked is to:
- Notice inner states instead of being ruled by them
- Release assumptions that produce unrest
- Begin living deliberately from peace
This is the law of assumption in action.
The mind is brought into order, Jerusalem becomes peaceful again, and the teaching changes — not because the world is fixed, but because the assumption has.
“I AM” remains — only the state changes.
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