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BY
MATHEUS DE SOUZA SILVA—writing from Brazil
 n
describing the awesome realities of the heavenly courts, John the
Revelator relates an inspiring scene: "All the angels stood round
about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell
before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen:
Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and
power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one
of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed
in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:11–14).
The emperor
Decius (a.d. 201–251), eager to enforce pagan worship as the
official religion within his realm, waged war to exterminate the Christians.
He decreed that without exception, all Christians would be put to
death to pay homage to the gods worshipped by the emperor. In every
locality a tidal wave of persecution was launched. In the courtyard
of a prison in the city of Carthage, an attack was directed against
a lone group of faithful souls. They were tied to the stake and exposed
to the burning sun. For two days straight they were left this way,
prostrated without food or water. Beside them was a pagan altar. If
at any time any of the victims would be inclined to waver in their
loyalty to God, they could simply extend a hand to offer incense to
an idol and thus be given immediate relief from their torment.
Some Christians
groaned under the torture of the oppressive heat and were consumed
with thirst. When one of them revealed the first sign of weakness
or wavering, a fellow victim would repeat clearly and unmistakably:
"These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore
are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in
his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall
the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes" (Revelation 7:14–17).
Thus consoled
by the word of God, the sufferers ceased to groan; a smile illuminated
their faces, and with calmness and sweet peace, they withstood the
terrible test, maintaining their loyalty to God until the end.
Prophecy
indicates that a time of trouble such as has never been is coming
soon to the remnant church. "The beloved of God pass weary days, bound
in chains, shut in by prison bars, sentenced to be slain, some apparently
left to die of starvation in dark and loathsome dungeons. No human
ear is open to hear their moans; no human hand is ready to lend them
help."1
Nevertheless,
the Lord declares that "even when mothers may forget their children,
yet will I not forget thee" (Isaiah 49:15). "For thus saith the Lord
of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled
you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye" (Zechariah
2:8). "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew
28:20).
Dearly
beloved brethren and sisters, as members of the family of reformers
we have a great privilege to participate in this special week of prayer
and to consider the solemn message of the sealing of God's people.
The message of Revelation chapter 7 is one of the most sublime yet
controversial doctrines taught by those who profess to keep the Sabbath
in these last days.
What
is the sealing?
The sealing
of the 144,000 is one of the pillars of the Adventist faith. This
message found in Revelation chapter 7 is the essence of the third
angel's message of Revelation 14:9–11. The sealing is a significant
point of present truth revealed in the three angels' messages of Revelation
14:6–13. The seal points to the restoration of the character
of God in the 144,000 believers by means of the gospel of Christ.
It goes hand in hand with the proclamation of all the requirements
of His holy law (Revelation 14:12) in the time of the end. The sealing
is the final work performed in behalf of God's people.
When
does the sealing occur?
"And the
temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple
the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and
thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail" (Revelation 11:19).
"Only those who, in their attitude before God, are filling the position
of those who are repenting and confessing their sins in the great
antitypical day of atonement, will be recognized and marked as worthy
of God's protection."2
"In 1844
our great High Priest entered the most holy place of the heavenly
sanctuary, to begin the work of the investigative judgment. The cases
of the righteous dead have been passing in review before God. When
that work shall be completed, judgment is to be pronounced upon the
living. How precious, how important are these solemn moments! Each
of us has a case pending in the court of heaven. We are individually
to be judged according to the deeds done in the body. In the typical
service, when the work of atonement was performed by the high priest
in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary, the people were required
to afflict their souls before God, and confess their sins, that they
might be atoned for and blotted out. Will any less be required of
us in this antitypical day of atonement, when Christ in the sanctuary
above is pleading in behalf of His people, and the final, irrevocable
decision is to be pronounced upon every case?"3
What
is the seal?
Any official
government seal must bear three things:
1. The
name of the governor
2. His
office
3. The
territory over which he holds jurisdiction or dominion.
We find
in the law of God His name, His office, and the territory over which
He has dominion. All these attributes are found in the fourth commandment
of the holy law of God. This is the only commandment which reveals
the Lord's identity and His relationship to us as our Creator. We
see here that in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth,
the sea, and all that is in them (Exodus 20:8–11). Here God identifies
Himself as:
1. The
Lord—Jehovah, the self-existent One;
2. The
Creator—He is the one that made all things;
3. He
has dominion over the whole universe—the heavens, the earth,
the seas, and so forth.
As our
Creator, God has authority to command His creatures, and in harmony
with the fourth commandment He directs, "Wherefore the children of
Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their
generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and
the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." "Six
days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to
you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work
therein shall be put to death." "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths,
to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the
Lord that sanctify them. . . . And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall
be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord
your God." (Exodus 31:16, 17; 35:2; Ezekiel 20:12, 20).
"The fourth
commandment alone of all the ten contains the seal of the great Lawgiver,
the Creator of the heavens and the earth."4
"Again
the destroying angel is to pass through the land. There is to be a
mark placed upon God's people, and that mark is the keeping of His
holy Sabbath."5
"The Sabbath
of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God."6
"God will
most assuredly call the world to judgment to avenge the death of His
only-begotten Son, the One who stood at the bar of Pilate and Herod.
That One is now in the heavenly courts making intercession for the
people who refused Him. Shall we choose the stamp of the world, or
shall we choose to be God's separate, peculiar people? Shall we receive
a 'Thus saith the Lord,' for the 'Thus saith' of man? The papal power,
the man of sin, decides that the Roman Catholic Church has changed
the law of God. In the place of the seventh day they have baptized
and presented to the world a child of the papacy, the first day of
the week, to be observed as a holy day of rest. The Protestant world
has received this child of the papacy, has cradled it, and given to
it the honor that God has placed on the seventh day."7
How
many will be sealed?
"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 7:4).
"And 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" (Chapter 14:1).
"I saw
angels hurrying to and fro in heaven. An angel with a writer's inkhorn
by his side returned from the earth and reported to Jesus that his
work was done, and the saints were numbered and sealed."8
"The living
saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice [of God].
. . .
"The 144,000
were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written,
God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus' new name."9
Among
the 144,000 are the faithful ones who have died in the threefold message
since 1844
"And I
heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them"
(Revelation 14:13).
"Graves
are opened, and 'many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
. . . awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt' (Daniel 12:2). All who have died in the faith of the third
angel's message come forth from the tomb glorified, to hear God's
covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. 'They also which
pierced Him' (Revelation 1:7), those that mocked and derided Christ's
dying agonies, and the most violent opposers of His truth and His
people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and to see the honor
placed upon the loyal and obedient."10
To confirm
that the sealing work was well underway already in 1859, we cite an
extract from a letter written by Sister White in that year:
"Dear
Brother:
"I hardly
know what to say to you. The news of your wife's death was to me overwhelming.
I could hardly believe it and can hardly believe it now. God gave
me a view last Sabbath night which I will write. . . .
"I saw
that she was sealed and would come up at the voice of God and stand
upon the earth, and would be with the 144,000."11
At the
1909 General Conference, Elder Irwin asked Sister White:
" 'Will
those who have died in the message be among the 144,000?' In reply,
Sister White said: 'Oh yes, those who have died in the faith will
be among the 144,000. I am clear on that matter.'"12
The understanding
that those who were faithful to the three angels' messages would be
part of the 144,000 was a teaching of the Seventh-day Adventist pioneers.
Let us quote from some of them:
James
White
"Those
who die under the third angel's message are a part of the 144,000;
there are not 144,000 in addition to these, but these help make up
that number. They are raised to mortal life shortly before Christ
comes, and . . . are changed to immortality when Christ appears."13
Uriah
Smith
"Those
who die after having become identified with the third angel's message,
are evidently numbered as a part of the 144,000; for this message
is the same as the sealing message of Revelation 7, and by that message
only 144,000 were sealed. But there are many who have had their entire
religious experience under this message, but have fallen in death.
They die in the Lord, and hence are counted as sealed for they will
be saved. But the message results in the sealing of only 144,000;
therefore these must be included in that number. Being raised in the
special resurrection (Daniel 12:2; Revelation 1:7) which occurs when
the voice of God is uttered from the temple, at the beginning of the
seventh and last plague (Revelation 16:17; Joel 3:16; Hebrews 12:26),
they pass through the period of that plague, and hence may be said
to come 'out of great tribulation' (Revelation 7:14), and being raised
from the grave only to mortal life, they take their stand with believers
who have not died, and with them receive immortality at the last trump
(1 Corinthians 15:52), being then, with the others, changed in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye. Thus, though they have passed through
the grave, it can be said of them at last, that they are 'redeemed
from among men' (Revelation 14:4), that is, from among the living;
for the coming of Christ finds them among the living, waiting for
the change to immortality, like those who have not died, and as if
they themselves had never died."14
H.
R. Johnson
"Among
those who shouted victory over the beast and over his image were those
who had come forth from their graves in the special resurrection,
and were seen on the sea of glass. They were 'the living saints, 144,000
in number' (EW 15)."16
Conditions
to receive the seal
Faithfulness
to the Lord and to His truth are among the fundamental characteristics
of the sealed ones; they must live a pure and holy life in the midst
of a wicked and corrupt generation. This group keeps itself in the
grace of Christ, loyal even in the relatively minor aspects of the
Christian life. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor
speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth:
for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid"
(Zephaniah 3:13).
"As obedient
children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts
in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be
ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye
holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:14–16).
A
peculiar people
"Those
who will be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ to the immortal
inheritance, will be peculiar. Yes, so peculiar that God places a
mark upon them as His, wholly His. Think ye that God will receive,
honor, and acknowledge a people so mixed up with the world that they
differ from them only in name?"17
"Jesus
is coming; and will He find a people conformed to the world? and will
He acknowledge these as His people that He has purified unto Himself?
Oh, no. None but the pure and holy will He acknowledge as His."18
"We cannot
be half the Lord's and half the world's. We are not God's children
unless we are such entirely."19
"God has
a people upon this earth. Who are they? They are those who will purify
their souls by obeying the truth as it is in Jesus."20
Upholding
a high moral standard
"The health
and purity of the church must be preserved, that she may stand before
God unsullied, clad in the robes of Christ's righteousness."21
One of
the most heinous sins in these last days, and one which requires prompt
and decided action on the part of the church, is the transgression
of the seventh commandment.
"If they
[who profess to be commandment-keepers] commit fornication and adultery,
their crime is of tenfold greater magnitude than is that of [others]
. . . who do not acknowledge the law of God as binding upon them."22
In no
case should this sin be passed over lightly in the church. Very clear
instruction is given with regard to those who violate the seventh
commandment.
"[The
young] see how lightly the sin of breaking the seventh commandment
is regarded, and the one who commits this horrid sin thinks that all
he has to do is to confess that he was wrong and is sorry, and he
is then to have all the privileges of the house of God and be held
in [the] embrace or fellowship of the church.
"They
have thought it was not so great a sin, but have lightly esteemed
the breaking of the seventh commandment. This has been sufficient
to remove the ark of God from the camp, if there were no other sins
to cause the ark to be taken away and weaken Israel. . . .
"Those
who break the seventh commandment should be suspended from the church,
and not have its fellowship nor the privileges of the house of God."23
Appeal
"Therefore
now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord
your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced
against you" (Jeremiah 26:13).
"Now is
the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the
forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the
forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never
be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful
hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates
for heaven."24
"The angel
is to place a mark upon the forehead of all who are separated from
sin and sinners."25
"Not one
of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have
one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects
in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement."26
"Those
that overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored
ones who shall receive the seal of the living God. Those whose hands
are not clean, whose hearts are not pure, will not have the seal of
the living God."27
"Let us
strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred
and forty-four thousand."28
Beloved
brethren and sisters, this is a life-or-death message, there is no
halfway course. We must be firmly determined to be part of the 144,000
victors by God's grace (Revelation 15:2), or we will be forever lost.
At this
special and solemn time, as we, the remnant people, are completing
80 years of our pilgrimage, contending for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints (Jude 3), let us reconsecrate our heart
to God and remove from our life and from our home every idol, vanity,
and worldly lust.
Remember
the appeals of Jacob and of Joshua:
"Then
Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put
away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change
your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make
there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress,
and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob
all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings
which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was
by Shechem" (Genesis 35:2–4).
"If ye
forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do
you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. And the
people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord. And Joshua
said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye
have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among
you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel. And the people
said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will
we obey. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set
them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem" (Joshua 24:20–25).
May the
Lord preserve us as a separate and peculiar people! Amen.
_________________________
1 The
Great Controversy, p. 626.
2 Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445.
3 Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 125.
4 Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 350.
5 Historical Sketches of SDA Missions, p. 217.
6 The Great Controversy, p. 640.
7 Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 139, 140.
8 Early Writings, p. 279.
9 Ibid., p. 15.
10 The Great Controversy, p. 637.
11 Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 263.
12 J. N. Loughborough, Questions on the Sealing Message,
p. 22.
13 James White, The Review and Herald, September 23, 1880.
14 Uriah Smith, Thoughts From Daniel and the Revelation,
p. 634.
15 Early Writings, p. 15.
16 H. R. Johnson, The Review and Herald, July 27, 1905.
17 Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 287.
18 Ibid., p. 133.
19 Steps to Christ, p. 44.
20 General Conference Bulletin, April 23, 1901.
21 Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 263.
22 Ibid., vol. 2, p. 451.
23 Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce,
p. 248.
24 Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 216.
25 Ibid., p. 505.
26 Ibid., p. 214.
27 Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445.
28 The Review and Herald, March 9, 1905.
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