A Mark on the Forehead

I was not brought up in the Roman Catholic tradition, but I do find it fascinating that Catholics are marked on their foreheads as part of the “Ash Wednesday” tradition. It’s the beginning of a 40-day period of penance, reflection and fasting leading up to Resurrection Sunday.

As a student of Bible prophecy, I know that the Bible predicts that during the time of the Great Tribulation in the future, all earth dwellers will be forced to have a mark on their forehead or right hand.

It will not be a cross, it will be the emblem of the future Antichrist:

Revelation 13:16-17, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

Yesterday on “Ash Wednesday,” the ashes were typically applied in the shape of a cross during Mass Eucharist. Although many believers deplore this practice as pagan, nevertheless the practice has deep roots in both the Hebrew Bible as well as Christian symbolism and theology.

So you might ask: where in the Hebrew Bible?

Go to Ezekiel 9: 4-6. In this passage, God instructs a person (often interpreted as an angel) to mark the foreheads of those who grieve over the sins committed in Jerusalem, sparing them from the impending judgment. The text reads:

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.’ And to the others he said in my hearing, ‘Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark.'”

The “mark” (in Hebrew tav) is a sign of protection, distinguishing the righteous from those destined for destruction. This imagery later influenced other biblical traditions, such as the marking of the 144,000 in Revelation 7:3-4 in the New Testament.

Interestingly, the Hebrew letter tav has an ancient origin that connects it to a cross-like shape.

In the earliest forms of the Hebrew alphabet, tav was represented as a symbol resembling a cross or an “X.” Scholars believe this shape likely derived from a simple mark or sign used in ancient Semitic cultures, possibly symbolizing a signature or a mark of ownership—fitting its use in Ezekiel 9 as a protective “mark.”

Over time, as the Hebrew script evolved into the square Aramaic script used today (post-Exilic period, after 538 BCE), tav transformed into the block-like form we recognize (ת), losing its explicit cross shape. However, in the context of Ezekiel 9:4, written during or shortly after the Babylonian exile, the tav would have been understood in its older Paleo-Hebrew form—a cross-like mark.

Jewish and Christian traditions have sometimes highlighted this connection. For example, early Christian writers such as Origen and Tertullian noted the cross-like shape of the ancient tav in Ezekiel’s vision, linking it symbolically to the cross of Christ. In Jewish tradition, the tav as a “mark” has been interpreted more broadly as a sign of divine favor or protection, without necessarily emphasizing its shape.

For Ash Wednesday, not just any ashes are used.

The ashes are made by burning palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. A priest or minister blesses the ashes and then uses them to mark the foreheads of the faithful, often saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (echoing Genesis 3:19) or “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).

This ritual serves multiple purposes: it’s a public sign of repentance, a reminder of human mortality, and a call to spiritual renewal. It’s not mandatory, but many Catholics (and some other Christians, such as Anglicans and Lutherans) participate to express their faith and commitment. The tradition dates back centuries, with evidence of similar practices in the early Church evolving into the formalized rite we see today.

Seeing the startling image of Marco Rubio being interviewed on Fox TV made me realize just how close we are to the time after the Rapture when everybody who does not belong to the Lord Jesus will receive the damnable mark of the Beast:

The Bible’s command to repent is accompanied by an urgent appeal to do it now:

Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8, which speaks of “the day of salvation.” Then he says not to delay: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

God never speaks to someone to be saved “some day.” He calls on people not to delay, but to turn to the Redeemer right now. Amen!

Maranatha! The Lord is at hand!

To contact Christine Darg, visit www.JerusalemChannel.tv