The Sealing Message
The sealing of God’s people is a divine process whereby His faithful, obedient children collaborate with heavenly agencies that the perfect character of Jesus Christ can be imprinted in their hearts and lives. The purpose of God in sealing His people is to protect them during the terrible ordeals to occur during the seven last plagues and to eternally separate them for Himself.
In the Bible there are at least four main Scriptures that mention the sealing work: Ezekiel 9, and Revelation chapters 7, 14, and 15. Let us consider them:
While in vision, the prophet Ezekiel heard the following cry in his ears with a loud voice, saying, “Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 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” (Ezekiel 9:1–4).
This “mark” or seal is the same as that shown in vision to the apostle and prophet John, who described: “I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel (Revelation 7:1–4).
John further describes: “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:1–5).
Finally, he says, “I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest” (Revelation 15:2–4).
Ezekiel chapter 9
Returning to the passage in Ezekiel 9, we find six men with slaughtering weapons in their hands. These men are symbols of the angels mentioned in Revelation 16 who are assigned the task of pouring out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Those who hear the third angel’s message yet refuse to walk in the light, and consequently are not sealed, will suffer the seven last plagues.
Ezekiel mentions a very important detail: Both groups—those who are sealed and those who are destroyed by the weapons—are in the city of Jerusalem, which is a symbol of the church. Those who receive the light of the third angel’s message and are faithful to that light will be sealed with the seal of the living God. But those who are unfaithful to the light will be destroyed during the seven last plagues.
Among those men mentioned in Ezekiel 9:2 is one “clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side.” This is the sealing angel. The sealing work actually involves the whole Godhead, heavenly angels, and the faithful human agents who are sighing and crying.
The same sealing angel is mentioned in Revelation 7:2: “I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.” The “servants of our God” are sealed in their foreheads and their number is 144,000. Evidently, the prophet is not talking about literal Israel, since that nation rejected Christ and His truth centuries ago—but rather the Israel of God, those who recognize Christ as their Saviour and Lord, and who keep His commandments (Romans 2:28, 29; Galatians 3:29).
“The mighty angel is seen ascending from the east (or sunrising). This mightiest of angels has in his hand the seal of the living God, or of Him who alone can give life, who can inscribe upon the foreheads the mark or inscription, to whom shall be granted immortality, eternal life. It is the voice of this highest angel that had authority to command the four angels to keep in check the four winds until this work was performed, and until he should give the summons to let them loose.”1
The Lord’s modern-day messenger, Ellen G. White, upon whom was also bestowed the gift of prophecy, was likewise shown the sealing work in vision. She explains:
“I asked . . . the meaning of what I heard, and what the four angels were about to do. [My accompanying angel] said to me that it was God that restrained the powers, and that He gave His angels charge over things on the earth; that the four angels had power from God to hold the four winds, and that they were about to let them go; but while their hands were loosening, and the four winds were about to blow, the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His hands to the Father and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His blood for them. Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four angels and bid them hold, until the servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God in their foreheads.”2
Like Ezekiel, John also was “a witness of this most startling revelation. He saw the sea and the waves roaring, and men’s hearts failing them for fear. He beheld the earth moved, and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea (which is literally taking place), the water thereof roaring and troubled, and the mountains shaking with the swelling thereof. He was shown plagues, pestilence, famine, and death performing their terrible mission.”3
In Revelation 14 the sealed group is seen in company of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. They were close to Him on earth, and they will continue their special friendship for eternity. They have in their foreheads the Father’s name, i.e., God’s character is stamped in their minds.
In verse 4 of this chapter we are told that the members of this group “were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.” In other words, they are not contaminated with the wine of Babylon, consisting of false doctrines. They believe the pure, present truth. “They are called virgins because they profess a pure faith.”4
Another very essential characteristic of this group: “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” It means that they have a deep relationship with Christ as illustrated in John 15. They abide in Him and He in them (John 15:4–10). As a sure result, “in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:5).
“Sinful men can become righteous only as they have faith in God and maintain a vital connection with Him.”5 The only way we can be without fault before God is accepting by faith the perfect righteousness of Christ and by walking in the light.
In Revelation 15 the beloved disciple in holy vision saw “them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God” (verse 2).
In verse 3 that group is singing the song of Moses (a song of deliverance). As Moses led God’s people from the slavery of Egypt to the earthly Canaan, in this final stage of the world’s history, God’s people will be delivered by Christ from Babylonian slavery (doctrinal confusion) to be taken to their heavenly home.
They also sing the song of the Lamb—who is the true Deliverer of His people. Moses was only the visible leader of Israel, while Christ was the invisible Leader.
“Christ’s true disciples follow Him through sore conflicts, enduring self-denial and experiencing bitter disappointment; but this teaches them the guilt and woe of sin, and they are led to look upon it with abhorrence. Partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they are destined to be partakers of His glory. In holy vision the prophet saw the ultimate triumph of God’s remnant church. He writes:
“I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory . . . stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Revelation 15:2,z 3).
“ ‘And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion, and with Him a hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads’ (Revelation 14:1). In this world their minds were consecrated to God; they served Him with the intellect and with the heart; and now He can place His name ‘in their foreheads.’ ‘And they shall reign for ever and ever’ (Revelation 22:5). They do not go in and out as those who beg a place. They are of that number to whom Christ says, ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ He welcomes them as His children, saying, ‘Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord’ (Matthew 25:34, 21). . . .
“The vision of the prophet pictures [them] as standing on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. But all who follow the Lamb in heaven must first have followed Him on earth, not fretfully or capriciously, but in trustful, loving, willing obedience, as the flock follows the shepherd.”6
The main attribute of God’s character is love. “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Then, those who know God will love both Him and those for whom Christ gave His life.
Speaking of God’s character and of His children, Christ declared in His main sermon:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:43–48).
Luke, the beloved physician, recalls a different aspect at the end of the sermon on the mount: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Being perfect as our Father is perfect is equivalent to being merciful as our Father is merciful. His children reveal the same love for their neighbors, and even for their enemies.
When asked which was the greatest commandment, Christ answered: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).
Christ Himself exemplified His message by personal experience when, hanging on the cross, He prayed for His murderers: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Paul explained that the main principle of the law is love: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8–10).
In one of the deepest and most beautiful passages of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 13:1–8, the apostle Paul explains what love is in contrast to what love is not:
“No matter how high the profession, he whose heart is not filled with love for God and his fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith and have power even to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality; but should he, from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr’s death, yet if not actuated by love, he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.
“ ‘Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.’ The purest joy springs from the deepest humiliation. The strongest and noblest characters are built on the foundation of patience, love, and submission to God’s will.
“Charity ‘doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.’ Christlike love places the most favorable construction on the motives and acts of others. It does not needlessly expose their faults; it does not listen eagerly to unfavorable reports, but seeks rather to bring to mind the good qualities of others.
“Love ‘rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ This love ‘never faileth.’ It can never lose its value; it is a heavenly attribute. As a precious treasure, it will be carried by its possessor through the portals of the city of God.”7
“Love is expressed in obedience, and perfect love casteth out all fear. Those who love God have the seal of God in their foreheads, and work the works of God.”8
When we are justified by faith (Romans 5:1), the Holy Spirit sheds God’s love in our heart (verse 5). Then we love Him because He loved us first (1 John 4:19). There is no other way to love God and our neighbors. . . . There is no other way to be sealed.