What is God’s seal

to His People?
Revelation7:1-3
Revelation 7：1-3

After this I saw four angels

standing at the four corners of the
earth, holding back the four winds
of the earth to prevent any wind
from blowing on the land or on
the sea or on any tree.
Revelation 7：1-3

Then I saw another angel coming

up from the east, having the seal of
the living God. He called out in a
loud voice to the four angels who
had been given power to harm the
land and the sea:
Revelation 7：1-3

Do not harm the land or

the sea or the trees until
we put a seal on the
foreheads of the servants
of our God."
• From remote antiquity seals were
used in the Near East much as signatures
are today. Thus they attested the
authorship of a document, indicated the
ownership of the object upon which the
seal was impressed, or secured objects
such as chests, boxes, tombs, against
being opened or molested。
 “The concept of God’s placing a mark
upon His people goes back to Ezekiel’s
vision of the man with the writer’s
inkhorn who was commanded to “set a
mark upon the foreheads of the men
that sigh and that cry for all the
abominations that be done in”
Jerusalem. By virtue of the mark they
were to be saved from destruction. (Eze.
9:2–6.)
 The concept of sealing is also applied
in other circumstances. Paul referred the
figure to the experience of receiving the
Holy Spirit in connection with conversion
and baptism (see 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13;
Eph. 4:30). Jesus spoke of Himself as
being sealed by the Father, doubtless
with reference to the Father’s
attestation of Him through the Holy
Spirit at His baptism (see on John 6:27).
• The symbolism of sealing finds an interesting parallel in Jewish
eschatological thinking. One of the Psalms of Solomon (a
pseudepigraphical work from about the middle of the 1st century
B.C.) declares of the righteous that “the flame of fire and the wrath
against the unrighteous shall not touch him, when it goeth forth
from the face of the Lord against sinners, to destroy all the
substance of sinners, for the mark of God is upon the righteous that
they may be saved. Famine and sword and pestilence (shall be) far
from the righteous” (15:6–8; R. H. Charles, The Apocrypha and
Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, vol. 2, p. 646). The Jews thus
conceived of the mark on the righteous as keeping them from the
perils of the time of the coming of the Messiah.
 Similarly the present passage points
to a sealing of God’s people that
prepares them to stand through the
fearful times of stress that will precede
the second advent . As in ancient times a
seal on an object testified to its
ownership, so the seal of God upon His
people proclaims that He has recognized
them as His own).
• The seal to be affixed upon God’s faithful
servants is “the pure mark of truth,” the
“mark” of His “approval” (3T 267). It attests
“likeness to Christ in character” (EGW
Supplementary Material on v. 2). “The seal of
God, the token or sign of His authority, is
found in the fourth commandment” (EGW
ST Nov. 1, 1899; cf. GC 640).
罗4：11

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Ezekiel 9:1–6
Ezekiel 9：4

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
• “The vision had primary reference to the
destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. It will have
another fulfillment during the closing scenes of this
world’s history. It parallels closely the visions of Rev. 7; 15;
16. The distinguishing mark in Revelation is “the seal of
God” and, like the mark in Ezekiel, is based on character
qualifications. God places His mark of approval upon all
who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, reflect the
image of Jesus (see COL 67). This stamp of approbation has
been likened to God’s mark of ownership, as though God
inscribes upon those who qualify for citizenship in His
kingdom His name and address—“God, New Jerusalem”
 Yet it is not the outward observance of
the Sabbath that constitutes the mark. The
seal stands for that character qualification
that all must have who are accounted worthy
of citizenship in the kingdom of glory about
to be established. Only those who have
purified their souls will cling to the Sabbath
in that awful time of trouble preceding the
return of Jesus.
 Insincere Sabbathkeepers will abandon the ranks of
God’s people and unite with Satan against heaven, and
join in the battle against the Ruler of the universe (TM
465). Thus only the genuine and true remain as the sole
defenders of God’s holy Sabbath. These are joined by
others of God’s true children who, until now, have been
scattered throughout the various communions of
Christendom, but who, under the increasing light of the
loud cry, embrace the Sabbath and join God’s remnant
people (see GC 611, 612).
The mark is placed upon those “that sigh and that cry
for all the abominations that be done.”
Those who belong to this class have been described
as distinguished by their soul anguish over the
declensions among God’s professed people. They
lament and afflict their souls because pride,
avarice, selfishness, and deception of every kind
are in the church. They feel powerless to stop the
rushing torrent of iniquity and hence are filled with
grief and alarm (see 5T 210).
The mark is placed upon those “that sigh and that cry
for all the abominations that be done.”

Those in the other class seek to throw a cloak over

existing evils and excuse the great wickedness
everywhere prevalent. They claim that God is too
good and too merciful to punish evil. The Lord will
not do good, neither will He do evil, they say. They
assert the Lord does not expect so high a standard,
and will be satisfied with a mere desire to do right.
 The mark is placed upon those “that sigh and that cry
for all the abominations that be done.”
But the Lord cannot change His standard. To do so
would be to change Himself. Rather, He supplies grace
for the acquirement of every virtue and the
correction of every defect. He asks of every Christian
that full advantage be taken of these provisions. He
demands no less than perfection. Unless this is
attained, the soul will be found without the seal of
God when probation closes.
What is the seal of
God according
Ellen G White?
The first time that Ellen G. White associated the seal of God with the
Sabbath was in 1848. A few months later, in January 1849, Joseph
Bates, the pioneer Sabbath theologian, published the first Adventist
book on the subject and called it, A Seal of the Living God. One of
Ellen White's arguments that the seal of God is the Sabbath was that
the Sabbath commandment contains the characteristics of a seal. A
seal, she observed in our early days and reiterated many years later,
is attached to a law to show the name, title, and authority of the
lawgiver. The Sabbath commandment can therefore be considered a
seal because it "is the only one of all the ten in which are found both
the name and the title of the Lawgiver. It is the only one that shows
by whose authority the law is given. Thus it contains the seal of God,
affixed to His law as evidence of its authenticity and binding force"
(Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 307).
The Sabbath helps to give the ten commandments their
unique significance. "The Sabbath was placed in the
decalogue as the seal of the living God, pointing out the
Law-giver, and making known his right to rule." Thus the
Sabbath is the sign of a relationship between God and His
people, serving as "a test of their loyalty to Him" (Signs of
the Times, May 3, 1886). The mission of Seventh-day
Adventists can be described as "presenting the law of
God as a test of character and as the seal of the living
God" (Testimonies for the Church, 2:468). This reasoning
seems to make good sense. However, there is more to the
sealing message.
 “The seal of the living God
is placed upon those who
conscientiously keep the
Sabbath of the Lord.
--7BC 980 (1897)
“Those who would have the
seal of God in their foreheads
must keep the Sabbath of the
fourth commandment.
--7BC 970 (1899). {LDE 220.2}
“The fourth commandment
alone of all the ten contains the
seal of the great Lawgiver, the
Creator of the heavens and the
earth.”--6T 350 (1900). {LDE 220.4}
“The observance of the
Lord's memorial, the
Sabbath instituted in Eden,
the seventh-day Sabbath, is
the test of our loyalty to
God.” --Letter 94, 1900. {LDE 220.5}
 Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be
sealed. There are many even among those who
teach the truth to others who will not receive
the seal of God in their foreheads. They had the
light of truth, they knew their Master's will, they
understood every point of our faith, but they
had not corresponding works. These who were
so familiar with prophecy and the treasures of
divine wisdom should have acted their faith.
They should have commanded their households
after them, that by a well-ordered family they
might present to the world the influence of the
truth upon the human heart. {5T 213.2}
 “Just as soon as the people of God
are sealed in their foreheads--it is not
any seal or mark that can be seen,
but a settling into the truth, both
intellectually and spiritually, so
they cannot be moved--just as soon
as God's people are sealed and
prepared for the shaking, it will
come. Indeed, it has begun already.”
--4BC 1161 (1902). {LDE 219.4}
 What is the Seal of God?
• Settling into the truth
• Both intellectually and
spiritually
• They cannot be moved
Hebrews 10：16

This is the covenant that I

will make with them after
those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my laws into
their hearts, and in their
minds will I write them;
Intellectually Spiritually

Mind Heart
 “All true obedience comes from
the heart. It was heart work with
Christ. And if we consent, He will so
identify Himself with our thoughts
and aims, so blend our hearts and
minds into conformity to His will,
that when obeying Him we shall
be but carrying out our own
impulses.”“
“The will, refined and sanctified,
will find its highest delight in
doing His service. When we know
God as it is our privilege to know
Him, our life will be a life of
continual obedience. Through an
appreciation of the character of
Christ, through communion with
God, sin will become hateful to us.”
{DA 668.3}
The thoughts and
feelings combined make
up the moral character.
{MYP 92.1}

Thoughts + Feelings = Moral Character

 “What beauty of character shone forth in the
daily life of Christ! He is to be our pattern. There
is a great work to be done in fashioning the
character after the divine similitude. The grace of
Christ must mold the entire being, and its
triumph will not be complete until the heavenly
universe shall witness habitual tenderness of
feeling, Christlike love, and holy deeds in the
deportment of the children of God.”
{AG 235.2}
“The seal of the living God will be
placed upon those only who bear
a likeness to Christ in character.”
--7BC 970 (1895). {LDE 221.1}
“Those who receive the seal of
the living God and are protected
in the time of trouble must
reflect the image of Jesus fully.”
--EW 71 (1851). {LDE 221.2}
 “Are we striving with all our God-given powers to
reach the measure of the stature of men and women
in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever
reaching higher and higher, trying to attain to the
perfection of His character? When God's servants
reach this point, they will be sealed in their
foreheads. The recording angel will declare, "It is
done." They will be complete in Him whose they are
by creation and by redemption.”--3SM 427 (1899). {LDE 222.1}
The Seal of God

Have the Character of

Jesus Christ
 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. Then the
latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain
fell upon the disciples on the Day of
Pentecost. {5T 214.2}
 Have the Character
of Jesus Christ

The Seal of
God Law Wrriten your Mind Law Wrriten your Heart
When God’s sealing
takes place?
• Among the heathen are those who worship God
ignorantly, those to whom the light is never
brought by human instrumentality, yet they will
not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of
God, they have heard His voice speaking to them
in nature, and have done the things that the law
required. Their works are evidence that the Holy
Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are
recognized as the children of God. {LDE 218.5}
• I saw that the present test on the Sabbath could not come until
the mediation of Jesus in the holy place was finished and He had
passed within the second veil; therefore Christians who fell asleep
before the door was opened into the most holy, when the
midnight cry was finished, at the seventh month, 1844, and who
had not kept the true Sabbath, now rest in hope, for they had not
the light and the test on the Sabbath which we now have since
that door was opened. I saw that Satan was tempting some of
God's people on this point. Because so many good Christians have
fallen asleep in the triumphs of faith and have not kept the true
Sabbath, they were doubting about its being a test for us now. . . .
{LDE 222.2}
• At the commencement of the holy Sabbath, January 5, 1849, we
engaged in prayer with Brother Belden's family at Rocky Hill,
Connecticut, and the Holy Ghost fell upon us. I was taken off in
vision to the most holy place, where I saw Jesus still interceding
for Israel. On the bottom of His garment was a bell and a
pomegranate. Then I saw that Jesus would not leave the most
holy place until every case was decided either for salvation or
destruction, and that the wrath of God could not come until
Jesus had finished His work in the most holy place, laid off His
priestly attire, and clothed Himself with the garments of
vengeance.
• Then Jesus will step out from between the Father and man, and
God will keep silence no longer, but pour out His wrath on those who
have rejected His truth. I saw that the anger of the nations, the wrath
of God, and the time to judge the dead were separate and distinct,
one following the other, also that Michael had not stood up, and that
the time of trouble, such as never was, had not yet commenced. The
nations are now getting angry, but when our High Priest has finished
His work in the sanctuary, He will stand up, put on the garments of
vengeance, and then the seven last plagues will be poured out.
{EW 36.1}
Early Writings: January 05, 1849
“I saw four angels who had a work to do
on the earth, and were on their way to
accomplish it. Jesus was clothed with
priestly garments. He gazed in pity on the
remnant, then raised His hands, and with
a voice of deep pity cried, "
!"
Early Writings: January 05, 1849
Then I saw an exceeding bright light
come from God, who sat upon the great
white throne, and was shed all about
Jesus. Then I saw an angel with a
commission from Jesus, swiftly flying
to the four angels who
Early Writings: January 05, 1849

had a work to do on the earth, and

waving something up and down in his
hand, and crying with a loud voice,
"Hold! Hold! Hold! Hold! until the
servants of God are sealed in their
foreheads." {EW 38.1}
Early Writings: January 05, 1849
“I asked my accompanying angel the
meaning of what I heard, and what the four
angels were about to do. He 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
Early Writings: January 05, 1849
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
Early Writings: January 05, 1849
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.” {EW 38.2}