In what way is the sealing and the marking the same?
Is the sealing and the marking the same?
Let's begin with 5 references, 1SR:46.3; 1Tr:19.4-20.1; 8Tr:23.3-24.2; 8SC1-12:14.7, 8; 12SC2:10.1-12.2. After those references are clearly acknowledged then we are going to address a popular objection. After resolving the objection we are going to examine the weight of evidence from the SRod itself.
1. [1930]
1SR:46.3
We read in
Testimonies to Ministers, page 445: "This sealing of the servants of God
[the 144,000: Rev. 7] is the same
that was shown to Ezekiel in vision."
Then the sealing of the 144,000 is the same as Ezekiel 9, and the
marking by the man with the writer's inkhorn is the seal. As soon as the marking is done, "the
five men with the slaughter weapons go after him and slay both old and young,
both maids and little children, and women.
And they began at the ancient men which were before the house."
It is AT this
time the 144,000 are marked, or sealed.—1SR:46.3, 4
2. [1941]
1Tr:19.4-20.1 [First edition Aug.
15, 1933]
"This
sealing of the servants of God is the
same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision. John also had been a witness
of this most startling revelation."—Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 444,
445.
The sealing (Rev.
7) being the same as the marking (Ezek. 9),—the "purification,"—we thus are given a twofold
view of the "closing work for the church,…the sealing time of the one
hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without fault before the
throne of God.… They feel most deeply the wrongs of God's professed people.
This is forcibly set forth by the prophet's illustration of the last work
under the figure of the men each having a slaughter weapon in his hand. One man among them
was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side."—Testimonies,
Vol. 3, p. 266.
Since the purification, or the sealing, CAME at
the COMMENCEMENT of the "Loud
Cry," as we have already seen, the 144,000 are therefore the
"first-fruits"—the first to be sealed; whereas those who are sealed
after the purification of the church, are the second fruits,…—1Tr:19.4-20.1
3. [1941]
8Tr:23.3-24.2 [First edition Nov.
15, 1937]
Since "in
the Revelation all the books of the Bible meet and end" (The Acts of the
Apostles, p. 585), the sealing of the servants of God (Rev. 7) must necessarily
be found also in the prophecies. In
Ezekiel, chapter nine, is envisioned the
marking of those who sigh and cry "for all the abominations that be
done in the midst thereof" (in Judah and in Israel), and the slaughter of
those who do not thus sigh and cry. And
the fact that God has at no time taken the sinners from among the righteous in
Judah and in Israel, shows that this prophecy of purification by slaughter has
never been fulfilled. So, therefore, as the marking is the same as
the sealing, the angels' slaying is
the same as the angels' hurting.
This hurting
and sealing which John saw,
and the slaughter and marking which Ezekiel saw are again identified as one and the same:
"This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel
in vision."—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445; Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 211;
Vol. 3, p. 267.
Although the
marking and the slaughter (Ezek. 9) include only the church,—Judah and Israel,—the
hurting by the winds and the hurting by the angels (Rev. 7) include all the
world—both "the earth" and "the sea,"—8Tr:23.3-24.2. (See 8Tr:22;
9Tr:52.2-53.1 to understand who the four angels hurt first.)
4. [1942]
8SC1-12:14.7, 8
"This
sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision.
John also had been a witness of this most startling revelation."—Testimonies
to Ministers, p. 445.
The threefold
fact that (1) the message to the Laodiceans is not to the membership, the
church, but to the angel—the ministry (see Rev. 3:14, 18) which has charge of
it; that (2) the 144,000 sealed or marked ones (for the sealing is the same as the
marking—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445) are the servants of God; and that (3)
they are the first fruits (first implies second, suggesting a harvest); leads
to the inescapable conclusion that they are the first of the wheat-harvest in
the church, Israel, and that, as is sadly borne out by Testimonies, Vol. 5, p.
80, they replace the ministers who serve before the "wheat" is
separated from the "tares."
5. [1946]
12SC2:10.1-12.2
John in Revelation 7, says that he saw 144,000
with the seal of God in their foreheads, and since we understand through
Inspiration that this sealing and marking are done to the same people, let us
now see what the seal is. To serve as an
illustration, let us suppose that this book that I now hold up is an
envelope. And let us also suppose that
this slip of paper which I have now in my hand is very precious to me and I
want to save it from all manner of defacement and destruction. Is it not reasonable that you would expect me
to put it into this envelope and seal it well to keep the paper
from falling out? Moreover, if you do
not want the wrong persons to open your letters you seal them. When God places His seal upon the 144,000,
then nobody can hurt them. Do you see then that the winds were held by
the angels because the servants of God WERE NOT as yet sealed—under special
protection? Unless they were sealed when
the winds start to blow, God's people would be left utterly without protection
from the danger of the hurting of the winds.
Were they sealed, however, before the winds blow, the winds could not
harm them.…
The people spoken of here were sealed with
the Holy Spirit of promise until the mystery of God is finished, until the
sounding of the seventh trumpet. In
other words, they did have the promise that they were sealed for the
resurrection day. But the 144,000 are not sealed with a promise
of the resurrection, they are sealed for some other purpose. They are sealed for protection from the
hurting of the winds. That shows
that the 144,000 are not sealed for the resurrection day, but for protection from being harmed by everybody
and everything. They are alive at the time they are
sealed, and the sealing enables them to live on. And since the message that is to seal the 144,000
is here, we believe that we are NOW living in the period when God
is going to seal first the 144,000 and when
they are sealed their destination is God, New Jerusalem, not the grave and the
resurrection.…
…He promises to do that only for the righteous those having the seal of God in their foreheads. Then these that seek death and cannot find it
are God's people. They are to live on
and on for eternity. At what time will
they be made invulnerable to death? Our
study today makes plain that it is during the fifth trumpet and before the
sounding of the sixth trumpet. If God is
going to do this during the period of the fifth trumpet, then the sealing of the 144,000 must take place
in the period of the fifth trumpet and not in the sixth. It is then BEFORE the sixth angel sounds that some will have the experience of seeking death and not finding it.
* * *
Discussing these 5 references beginning with 1SR:46.3 gives a definite point in time WHEN all of the 144,000 are sealed relatively around the same prophetic event rather than gradually through several years. This gradual time period is known as the sealing TIME period which began in 1929 and will end AFTER the final test is passed and the eligibility time expires right before the confederacy is formed. And certainly, if the sealing time also includes the moment during the ½ hour silence when the mark will be placed on each of the foreheads of the 144,000 then this will occur after probation for the church is closed. This mark of identification received then will be the "mark of deliverance" (3Tr:44.3) or "a special seal" (7SC7-12:21.5).
What test?
Thus those who in the time of the sealing are
among the 144,000, and who do not receive the mark of God, according to
Ezekiel's vision, are to be tested, NOT by the image of the beast, but by their attitude
toward the abominations in the church; and those who do not "sigh and
cry" against the abominations therein, will be separated by the angels'
slaughter weapons (Ezek. 9:6), rather than
be left to be tested by the image beast and to be separated when it
enforces the reception of the mark of the beast. (Rev. 13:11-18; 3 T 266, 267;
5 T 211.)—5SC6-12:8.18 [1939]
…From this it is plain that through this confederacy God is to
be a gin and snare to antitypical Judah.…
This prophecy
declares that the confederacy will be a
snare—a trap—and that many will fall and be taken in it. It will be a fearful trap and will separate
God's people. Thus is the Lord going to test
all His people and let them reveal just how
much faith each of them has. In the
face of this warning, we must make the necessary preparation so that we will
not fall into the snare. God has clearly
forewarned His people so that they will not be taken by surprise.…
The
confederacy that we are studying this afternoon commences before the
Loud Cry and before the slaughter of
Ezekiel 9. It is NOT the Image of the Beast, for this association precedes the Image of
the Beast, and the confederacy is formed when the nations are girding
themselves for war. Put another way, the
confederacy will commence AFTER the sealing and perhaps just BEFORE the
slaughter of Ezekiel 9. Moreover, it is
in the time when the Christian nations are united that the woman
"Babylon" will sit on the seven "heads" (Rev. 17:9), depicting
also the union of the churches under Babylon.—13SC3,4:9.2,
4; 10.2 [1939]
(See also: 13SC3,4:7-10.)
What do you specifically mean by
becoming “eligible”?
Brethren, we must "sigh and cry"
against the sins in the church; not against the message which is to seal us for
translation and make us a people fitly symbolized by the mountains of
brass. Your sighing and crying for the
abominations done in her "midst," makes you eligible for the "mark"; but should you attempt
to shield the abominations, you shall fall under the slaughter weapons of the
angels.—2Tr:23 [1941]
(See also 1TG7 [1946])
By the same token of logic, no matter whether
you have come into the message only recently or sometime ago, you are eligible for the society of the
144,000 if you live up to the message that is to purify and seal
them. Whether or not absolutely,
however, you shall be one of them, you will, it is certain, if you remain
faithful to the message, at least be one with them.—7SC1-6:14.12 (4An:36.2)
Even when looking up the definition of what the SRod means by
becoming eligible once again we can observe inspiration again testifies that
according to the traditional teaching of the Mt. Dale Association, the message
since 1929 itself is allegedly accompanied by the sealing angel of Ezek. 9:4 (without a command at the threshold of the house) is going around right
NOW and sealing those who are to compose the 144,000 gradually. This logically infers that Ezek. 9:4 will not be literally fulfilled sequentially as outlined
in the Bible, Tract 1; and 3Tr:44.1-3; 66.3. According to this contradictory belief Ezek. 9:4 is literally fulfilled
BEFORE vs. 1-3, 5-11 (even BEFORE the test) can ever be fulfilled thus
dividing and forcing this prophecy into two privately constructed periods of time or into two manufactured sections. The first
section is alleged during the pre-harvest period and the second alleged section AT the COMMENCEMENT of the harvest. Ezek. 9:4
is fulfilled BEFORE the ½ hour
silence in heaven and vs. 1-3, 5-11 is fulfilled during the event.
Yet, undeniable, the same reference(s) also sustains the newly discovered point of
view clearly represented in the Bible and in Tract 1 p. 17.4; 12.2; 38.2 which according
to 2Tr:23 our sighing and crying make us eligible for the mark (1Tr:17.4) that
will be placed upon us during the same event (7SC7-12:19.2 [1941]) in the future AFTER
the test, during the ½ hour silence in heaven and not BEFORE.
In the second reference 1Tr:19.4-20.1 it says “Since the
purification, OR the sealing, CAME AT the commencement,…” means that both the slaughter (the
purification) or the sealing (receiving of the mark during the purification) happen simultaneously. In
other words, you cannot divide and divorce Ezek. 9:4 and Ezek. 9:1-3, 5-11 into two events solely based on two earliest statements found in
1SR:29.2
("…When the marking (sealing) is finished, the five men with the slaughter weapons begin with the ancient men which were before the house,…")
1SR:46.3
("…the marking by the man with the writer's inkhorn is the seal. As soon as the marking is done, 'the five men with the slaughter weapons go after him and slay both old and young, both maids and little children, and women. And they began at the ancient men which were before the house' ").
and
2SR:185.3
…At the beginning of the judgments of God they saw their mistake and rushed for the ark of safety, but it was beyond their reach for they knew nothing of the message, and by the time they acquired it (filled their lamps with oil), there had been a delay, the angel had passed "through the city, through Jerusalem," the church—the sealing was finished, and probation for the church had closed—the door was shut.…—2SR:185.3
We need no longer hide behind the fact. We need to acknowledge that this language "…the marking (sealing) is finished…"; "…As soon as the marking is done…"; "…the angel had passed "through the city, through Jerusalem," the church—the sealing was finished…" is not the last but the earlier statements. This was certainly updated. None of these references can be used against the latter writings in the stream of advancing light.
And those who use 1SR:46.3 in order to prove that sealing and slaughter do not take place at the same time often conveniently fail to bring out the following sentence on page 47.1 which states in light of Ezekiel 9 when the slaughter is taking place. "It is at this time the 144,000 are marked, or sealed." (1SR:47.1.) Nothing to see here, right? That is unacceptable.
We only need to compare in context while respecting the weight of evidence. The following statements starting from the same 1SR book itself:
…The men with the slaughter weapons were already slaying BEFORE the man with the writer's inkhorn returned to report the matter that he had done as he was commanded. See Ezekiel 9:8, 11.—1SR:37.2
And likewise, the same inspired declaration written in 1SR:37.2 is repeated again in 1Tr:38.2 in plain unambiguous words.
After the sighing and crying ones were marked (which is NOT to be understood as being consummated in its entirety worldwide before the slaying follows anywhere), the slaughter completed, and the matter reported, the Lord "spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city." Ezek. 10:2.—1Tr:38.2 [1941]
Note: How can a "…NOT to be…" magically be turned into an "…is…to be…"? It is only possible through the power of the great deceiver, not God's.
And why is that? Because as soon as the command is given by Jesus during the 1/2 hour silence which began in heaven to go and set a mark (Ezek. 9:4) the angel leaves the presence of Jesus and obeys His instructions. And before the sealing angel could complete what he was asked to do and report back ("finish") that the other five men were told to "Go ye AFTER him through the city, and smite…" No delay can be afforded if we respect that six men came from the way of the higher gate which lieth toward the north to perform the separation, the purification and that one Man among them at the time of the slaughter had a writer's inkhorn by his side. Bro. Houteff did not afford a 42-month (3 1/2 year) delay in the interpretation.
There is "a
special seal" placed upon those who will escape the slaughter and the
slaughtering follows AT that time AT the COMMENCEMENT of the “loud cry.”
In the third reference 8Tr:23.3-24.2 [1941] we can see the plain
and simple statement which is to be food for the mind, Bro. Houteff combined slaughter and sealing into one
event during the purification of the Church.
The fourth reference 8SC1-12:14.7, 8 [1942] if you read the entire page places the sealing and slaughter
uncomfortably together for those who believe the traditional view. It gives no
separate distinctions.
And in the last reference 12SC2:10.1-12.2 both considerations
are mentioned. The MESSAGE seals 144,000 BEFORE
the Test
and also the sealing angel with the writer’s inkhorn will place “a special seal” during
the ½ hour silence. “They are alive at the time they are sealed, and
the sealing enables them to live on.” And “…the message that is to seal the 144,000
is here,…”
5SC6-12:8.18 [1939]
is speaking of the same time period as 13SC3,4:9.2, 4; 10.2 [1940]. We can see that the TEST became very specific. Yes, there are many
abominations but this one, in particular, is that of joining, and participating in
the Confederacy to war against Assyria’s enemies, and at the same time by
agreeing with them they also Confederate with Assyria to go against their own cast-out (Isa. 66:5) brethren in the church. This is the antitype of Isaiah's prophecy. We can see the progression of
light the first time he spoke about the test it was in July – Dec. 1939 but afterward he presented it and gave the study
of the Assyrian Confederacy on September 30, 1939, becoming specific of which
abomination will be committed when those who reject the sealing message and the warning it contains fail the test. Then he repeated the same
sermon a second time on June 22, 1940, giving emphasis to this truth.
For those who insist that when Bro. Houteff speaks of
Ezekiel 9 he is ONLY referring to the slaughter because the sealing is completed
first BEFORE the slaughter begins anywhere is contradicting 1Tr:19.4-20.1 and
8Tr:23.3-24.2. If you try to abscond the work of the sealing angel to occur
separately without the command given by Jesus AT the threshold of the
house Bro. Houteff and Sister White bring it right back for you. When the slaughtering will take
place all 6 men have slaughtering weapons. However, one MAN among them at the time of the performance of the purification of the SDA Church has a writer’s inkhorn by his side along with his slaughtering weapon. We must cease from this magician’s trick
to separate what God through both prophets has joined together WHEN Christ with the cherubim are at the threshold of the house DURING
the ½ hour silence. This is “the prophet's illustration of the last work”
at the TIME of slaughter. Ezek. 9:4 cannot be broken from these
chronologically sequential acts of vs. 1-11. However, if you acknowledge under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit that the sealing message itself has a sealing
aspect as a part and a place in this prophecy without forcing it to be the sealing
angel with the slaughtering weapon at the wrong time then we can understand
those statements that give the appearance that the marking or sealing is
separate and apart from the TIME of the slaughter.
Those are indisputable SRod facts. We all know that SIX men (3Tr:71.2, 3) will come from the way of the higher gate which lieth towards the North. When they shall come to do the slaughter one man among them at THAT TIME will have a writer's inkhorn by his side and he will receive a command to set a mark. This is Bible and VTH "golden bowl" interpretation.
Ezek. 9:2-6 are interpreted to take place together in one event says 3Tr:44.1-3.
Objection!
Question No. 22:
If the sealing message of the 144,000 has been going to the church since 1929, are part (or all) of the 144,000 already sealed? Also if none can be sealed save they be free from sin and if some are now being sealed, then have they passed beyond sinning? {2An:33.1}
Answer:
If the sealing is NOT in progress NOW, then the sealing message which we have borne since 1929 would no more be present truth now than would the proclamation of the Judgment of the dead have been present truth from 1844 to 1929, had not the dead been judged during that period. Definitely, then the message of the sealing and the sealing itself go hand in hand the same as the needle and the shuttle travel together until the seam is completed.—2An:33.2
"…Definitely, then the message OF the sealing and the sealing ITSELF go hand in hand…"
Resolution:
We need to remember that if we want the complete truth of this point concerning "the sealing" it needs to be viewed first and foremost strictly from the writer's perspective when he is giving that Bible study. It is also necessary to bring all the references that reveal the truth on this point together in their respective context.
Question: Is Brother Houteff in 2An:33.1, 2 giving the Bible study that addresses Ezek. 9:4? No, he is not.
Should the Bible study be seen in the light of 2An:33.2 or should the question be viewed in the light of and in subjection to the "golden bowl" interpretation where the study that covers Ezek. 9:4 is given?
Then for what reason should 2An:33.2 be exalted above the weight of evidence?
The sealing message was revealed in 1929/1930. Yet, the fulfillment of the whole chapter of Ezek. 9, according to the weight of evidence, will take place in the future.
There is only one command ever given to the sealing angel. It happens when Jesus is at the threshold of the house.
"…Definitely, then the message of the sealing and the sealing itself go hand in hand the same as the needle and the shuttle travel together until the seam is completed."—2An:33.2
Where is the sealing message located at the time the sealing angel is given the command to place the seal upon the foreheads?
Bro. Houteff was obedient to God's message which is the sealing message of the 144,000. He pbulished:
Make haste Brother, Sister; immediately take your stand on the Lord's side, so that He may, because of your "sighing" (repenting) and "crying" (proclaiming the sealing message), without delay disclose "to view" as the "servants of our God," you who shall escape being among the "slain of the Lord," be sent unto the Gentiles, and "bring all your brethren...out of all nations." Isa. 66:16, 19, 20.—2Tr:66.1
He exercised faith upon it which is the righteousness of Christ. "…The message of the sealing and the sealing ITSELF go hand in hand…"
What do you think this phrase "the sealing ITSELF" means in light of the fact that Bro. Houteff died and the members of the 144,000 do not? Which seal did he and others who died while they believed in the SRod message receive?
"Thus the message must reveal the truth about the sealing and one cannot be sealed without the message: thus all who have died in the faith of this message have their reward and are sealed like any other, but the 144,000 will firstly receive the message and then be sealed by the angel when the command is given"
Correct. Case in point. According to Tract No. 3
Here the people are shown to be in a mixed state (tares and wheat commingled), with the time just ahead of them when on the one hand those who have sighed and cried for the abominations in their midst shall receive [[ Future tense ]] the mark of deliverance, while on the other hand those who have not sighed and cried shall be left without the mark, to perish (in their sins) under the angels' slaughter weapons.—3Tr:44.3
Therefore we have no authority to take an incidental statement about the subject of the sealing in 2An:33.2 and exalt that out of undue proportion and out of context of the revealed complete Bible study. The answer must be viewed in light of what the entire message teaches on the point and not the message in light of the answer. So the sealing message and the seal itself will go hand in hand when and after the command to mark is given not before. This is the corporate condition that "the living saints, 144,000 in number," (EW:14.1) will be found WHEN the sealing angel is sent out by command according to 2An:33.3. This will take place at the time of the slaughter.
Isa. 49:8—"Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages." {1TG46:6.5}
God has heard us in probationary time, a time in which we can be sealed [[ 1TG7 ]] and be preserved for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to inherit the desolate heritages—to restore all things.—1TG46:6.5-7.1
The "mark of deliverance" (3Tr:44.3) is received after probation closes for the SDA Church. However, Obedience to the sealing MESSAGE during the sealing TIME causes one to be sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit with the seal of the living God in probationary time. The purpose of the "mark" given by the sealing angel during the 1/2 hr. silence is only to prevent the 144,000 servants of God from being slaughtered. What teaching, redeeming, or edifying quality does this seal has when you read it from Ezekiel's vision? However, in John's vision, the sealing angel is the revelation of the message of Rev. 18:1 (an additional angel) first, a sealing message to the SDA Church. So it is easy to confuse one thing for another if we are not led by the Spirit of Truth while we confess and forsake our sins (applying the "eyesalve").
"And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out." At last the foolish virgins saw themselves in darkness. Then they went to the wise and asked for oil [[ NOT the "cry" ]] as a gift; "But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." The oil is sold [[ NOT heard ]] and there must be something given in exchange to obtain the supply. The price they had to pay was to "sigh and cry for the abominations done in the midst thereof," give up sinning and obey the truth. Their RECEIPT for the value of exchange would have been the seal of the living God in their foreheads.—2SR:183.1
The sealing angel is coming to check (mark) all who have the receipt (the seal of the living God in their foreheads) for entrance into the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Also, the sealing angel (message) in Rev. 7 is as the "latter rain" for it is the truth that brings the fruit to maturity for the harvest.
The men with the slaughter weapons must immediately follow the one with the writer's inkhorn. God must separate His people if the marking is to be of any value and except the separation takes place, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit can not fall in its fullness upon the people of God. "I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God's people....I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered, 'It is the latter rain, [[ 4th angel's message ]] the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry OF the third angel'." Early Writings, pages 270, 271. It is clear that the shaking must take place before the "Loud Cry." The men with the slaughter weapons were already slaying BEFORE the man with the writer's inkhorn returned to report the matter that he had done as he was commanded. See Ezekiel 9:8, 11.—1SR:37.2
By the "rain" is represented great light on the Word of God that is to ripen the harvest and lighten the world with its glory—the angel of Revelation 18:1.…
The "rain" falls in the "first month," that is, the month by which the closing work for the church is represented—the sealing time of the 144,000. Therefore, in that period of time (before Ezekiel Nine) a great light is to be revealed.…—2SR:256.2, 3
The sealing time (for the latter rain of truth to fall) is before Ezekiel Nine. And the receiving of the "mark of deliverance" during the fulfillment or the execution of Ezekiel nine is not a part of the sealing time that involves learning and living the truth. Those who have ears to hear let them hear. (See also: 5Tr:87.4; 14Tr:40.2; 41.1; 2TG15:3.3.)
The angel's message of Revelation 7—the angel ascending from the east—is as important as the first, second, and third angel's messages of Rev. 14:6-11. It must be understood and given to the people at the right time, as also the mighty angel of Rev. 18:1. The loud cry must come at a given time. This angel of Revelation 7, can not be the third angel, for John's explanation of them differ. The three angels of Revelation 14 are flying in the midst of heaven, or where the sun stands at noon, but the one of Revelation 7, is ascending from the east, or the rising of the sun. The message of this angel has never been understood at any time, nor proclaimed by this denomination or any other people, and only theories have been advanced. It is evident that this truth, as other truths, must come at the right time.—1SR:15.1
(See: 1SR:20.1-22.2; 29.1; 2SC5,6:10.4-6; 2An:90.3-91.1; 4An:33.3-34.1.)
Thus the message of the angel of Rev. 7 (Revelation 7:1-8) settles 144,000 into the truth during probationary time first and then follows the activity of the angel as described in Ezek. 9, marks them after probation is closed when he receives the command from Jesus at the threshold of the house during the 1/2 hr. silence in heaven.
The results of both visions may be the reason why Bro. Houteff says that the sealing angel of Rev. 7 and the marking angel of Ezek. 9 are the same. We have witnessed and explored the difference in details, what, how, and when they operate. We need not confuse one thing for another or choose one over the other but rightly divide the word of truth.
"In addition, if one accepts the Rod message, he will sigh and cry. He will receive the seal by the Holy Spirit should he die before the 1/2 hr silence. Sealed under the Sabbath seal.
But he has to accept the Rod message and sigh and cry to receive the seal(mark) during the half-hour silence."
Perfect!
Ever remember that the winds are held until the servants of God are sealed but not until the tares are removed. The message seals obedient penitent informed and enlightened by the Last prophet Laodiceans. 144,000 Jacobites will be settled into the truth before "the time of the time of trouble" begins (2TG42:29.2—Dan. 11:45).
Although the angel in Rev. 7 appears to be only figurative of a message, just as the three angels of Rev. 14 seem to be, we can't fail to address the source of why some SRod passages are unfavored and suppressed to the point that they are neglected and rejected. They do not allow them to fit into the conversation.
Taking our cue that the four angels in Rev. 7:2 "given to hurt" cannot be figurative of a message but are actual angels restraining themselves from executing God's vengeance then it would seem appropriate and logical to make a distinction between the sealing message brought by the sealing angel (Rev. 7:2) and the angel himself according to (1SR:15.1). So while the sealing angel in Rev. 7 appears to be figurative of a message alone when it is to arrive and what it is to do most during probationary time, the same angel with the writer's inkhorn in Ezek. 9 is described mostly after probation is closed.
…This is the seal of the 144,000, but all the saved under the third angel are sealed with the Sabbath seal. The 144,000 having this seal [[ Obedience to Truth seals ]] are ALSO marked (sealed) by the angel of Revelation 7, which is the same as the one of Ezekiel 9. In other words, it may be termed a DOUBLE seal.—1SR:29.1
If someone wants to insist that the sealing time for the 144,000 includes also when the 144,000 are receiving the mark during the Execution of Ezek. 9 [4Tr41:33.1, 2 {2nd Edition}] then I don't have a problem with that at all. Yet, prior to the slaughter which happens during the 1/2 hr. silence, we should not fail to believe that the 144,000 had made the necessary preparation in order to be sealed by the sealing message of the angel of Revelation 7.
The difficulty for some is hard to resolve when they pick and choose their favorites and fail to obey
Moreover, whatever interpretation we may place on any statement in reference to any truth, must be in harmony with every OTHER statement on the subject.…—3SC1:11.1
Bro. Houteff says that the angel of Rev. 7 and Ezek. 9 is the same.
Let's examine another example of an equivalence involving Ezek. 9.
The "day of vengeance" is the same as in Ezekiel 9; Isaiah 63; and Isaiah 61; as previously explained. Isa. 61:6, meaning the 144,000, says they are priests, as explained on pages 37, 38.—1SR:154.2
So Ezek. 9 is equivalent to Isa. 63 and 61.
So even though Malachi 3:1 has part A - C, part "a" has everything to do with the revelation by a messenger (Rev. 7:1-3) and not the execution of the message, part B has everything to do with the revelation of the message and not the execution of it. Rev. 7 may be like this.
Rev. 7 has the revelation portion time of a message vs. 1-3 and vs. 4 we can see the past tense word "sealed." So that Rev. 7:1-3 reveals why 144,000 as described in vs. 4-8 are sealed whereas Ezek. 9 reveals the condition and qualification for the seal and what happens to those who are not sealed. So that the message before the winds was loosed sealed 144,000 and shortly thereafter comes the "mark of deliverance" and the separation.
My intent is not to separate what is the same but neither will I turn the command given to the marking/sealing angel during the 1/2 hour silence into something other than what is written.
Since "in the Revelation all the books of the Bible meet and end" (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 585), the sealing of the servants of God (Rev. 7) must necessarily be found also in the prophecies. In Ezekiel, chapter nine, is envisioned the marking of those who sigh and cry "for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof" (in Judah and in Israel), and the slaughter of those who do not thus sigh and cry. And the fact that God has at no time taken the sinners from among the righteous in Judah and in Israel, shows that this prophecy of purification by slaughter has never been fulfilled. So, therefore, as the marking is the same as the sealing, the angels' slaying is the same as the angels' hurting. {8Tr:23.3}
This hurting and sealing which John saw, and the slaughter and marking which Ezekiel saw are again identified as one and the same: "This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision."—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445; Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 211; Vol. 3, p. 267.—8Tr:24.1
We can't go against 8Tr:24.1 it is heavy and strong.
There is
1SR:26.1; 29.1; 46.3-47.1; 51.2; 98.14 [1930];
2SR:164.2 [1932];
1Tr33:15.2-19.3;
2Tr33:20.1-21.2 [1933];
3Tr34:62.1-3 [1934];
2SC5,6:10.6 [1936];
3SC7:2.8-3.1 [1937];
1Tr:19.2-20.2;
12 references before 8Tr
8Tr:21.2-25.2
and
2Tr:22.1-23.1;
4Tr41:32.2-33.1 [1941];
8SC1-12:14.6-8 [1942];
4Tr:33.4-35.1 [1943];
2An:41.1-44.1 [1944];
1Srp:7.1-8.5 [1945];
2TG20:25.3-27.2 [1947]
seven after it.
All 20 informed us that Rev. 7 and Ezek. 9 are the same. The three references that are bolded completely are extremely important to the subject.
That is (a.) 1SR:51.2; (b.) 3SC7:2.8-3.1; and (c.) 2Tr:22.1-23.1.
It is true that Bro. Houteff early on in 1930 wrote "…the marking by the man with the writer's inkhorn is the seal.…" (1SR:46.3) and when combined with a misconstrued application of 2An:33.2 then the reason for this error is seen more clearly. Yet, this was not the last and only thing Bro. Houteff wrote on this very point.
When we track down the phrase "is the seal" we will find references such as 1SR:27.1; 28.1 [obedience to revealed Truth during probationary time different and apart from being identified as obedient in para. 2 after probations is closed by the angel at the appointed time of firstfruit harvest]; 2SR:198.2. Likewise we find that what "is the seal" points to the sealing angel rather than apparently the sealing message. The evidence used is the favorite misconstrued references such as
1SR:28.2-29.1 [1930]
1SR:46.3 [1932]
3SC7:2.11, 12 [1937].
In light of this report, it is no longer excusable for continuing to be selective and partial. With a little extra effort to prove all things and hold fast to that which is good about what one believes we should have found a harmonious explanation sooner than later. The time has come and we can now clearly see how 1SR:28.2-29.1; 1SR:46.3; and 3SC7:2.11,12 are misconstrued. For a very long time, these last three references were not accorded the correct point in time when they occur and that is during "silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" (Rev. 8:1).
In 1941, I want to believe that because people are studying the SRod message, that the question was submitted to the office published in 7SC7-12:21.2 "What is the seal?"
That answer is telling and the comparison is made in the following blog post "Comparison between What is the seal?" Bro. Houteff clearly gives the sealing MESSAGE along with the sealing angel the proper place and role in the fulfillment of the prophecy as it is written in the Bible. Without counting the titles and a single table of contents entry which amount to 4 there are in total 7 references that address the phrase "is the seal." We can now appreciate the way Bro. Houteff answered the question in harmony with what he had already written under the influence of the Holy Spirit contained in the "golden bowl."
And if anyone dares to raise an issue between Rev. 7 and Ezek. 9 saying why are there four angels "given to hurt" while there are "six men" (3Tr:71.2, 3) in Ezek. 9 then let them reckon and handle the following reference.
The angels who are round about the throne in the heavenly sanctuary during the judgment of Daniel 7:9, 10 and of Revelation 5:11 shall, as the parables explain, descend with "the Son of man" when He comes "to His temple" (His church) to separate by judgment "the wicked from among the just," and to purge as gold and silver those "who may abide the day of His coming...that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." Mal. 3:2, 3. {3Tr:46.2}
In graphic demonstration that He will come to earth with all His angels [[ (Matt. 25)—3Tr:47.3 ]] to execute judgment upon the living, the Lord revealed Himself prophetically to Ezekiel as being brought enthroned to earth by four living creatures just before the slaughter of the hypocrites in the church takes place. And as each of the living creatures has the face of a lion, the face of a calf, the face of a man, and the face of an eagle (Ezek. 1:10),—the same judicial insignia as have the beasts who are before the throne in the heavenly sanctuary (Rev. 4:7) in the time of the judgment of the dead,—and as they descend to earth, they thereby symbolically show that the work of the mediatorial-judicial throne which convenes and presides over the judgment of the dead is extended to earth.—3Tr:46.2, 3
Clearly, we have no reason to get lost in the details seeking hooks to hang our doubts.
We NOW can witness that the message of the sealing angel (Rev. 7; Rev. 18:1) touched down, and arrived when antitypical Ezekiel (Bro. Houteff) received a command from the Lord in Southern California to begin calling for a revival and a reformation to gather 144,000 living saints from within the SDA denomination. The result of this gathering will finally be experienced when the sealing angel [not the message, not Bro. Houteff] receives a separate command at a different EVENT at the threshold of the house during the 1/2 hr. silence.
Is the judgment of the living and THE harvest equivalents? Let's see what Bro. Houteff wrote for the wise…
Now the subject of the 144,000 stands out brighter than ever before. Now you can clearly see that those who escape the slaughter foreseen in Ezekiel nine, are the 144,000 the future servants of God, the first fruits of the harvest, resulting from the cleansing of the sanctuary (church), the work of the investigative judgment of the living.…—1TG52:20.5 [1947]
The purification of the Church (the judgment of the living) is, through the prophet Daniel in chapter 7, verse 10, called the judgment, and in chapter 8, verse 14, is called the cleansing of the Sanctuary. Christ, though, in one of His parables likens the cleansing to a harvest in which the tares (sinners) are burned, and the wheat (the saints) are put into the barn (into the purified Church-Kingdom). Next He likens it to a net from which, after being drawn to shore, the bad fish (sinners) are cast out, and the good fish (saints) are put into vessels.—2TG43:21.2 [1949]
Since this separation of the "tares" from among the "wheat"—"the harvest"—is one and the same work WITH the Judgment of the living, then the only difference between the Judgment of the dead and the judgment of the living is that in the former the names of the wicked are removed from the books above, whereas in the latter the wicked are bodily swept away from among the living members of the Church. Not only the prophecies and parables here considered, but also the type (the atonement -- Lev. 23:27, 29), including Early Writings, pg. 118 and Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 234, teach the same truth.—2TG45:10.1 [1950]
Thus adding evidence to evidence, the Scriptures overwhelmingly show the harvest to be the judgment of the living, the Lord's gathering the "wheat," His own, from among all nations, and His destroying the tares and the chaff. The harvest therefore, is truly "the end of the world." It is the time in which the Lord sits "upon the throne of His glory" (the church purified -- Matt. 25:31; Isa. 62:1-3; 66:18, 19). It is His separating the sheep from the goats -- the work that brings this sinful world to an end.—WHR:31.2 [1951]
and for "good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over," once again it is written in the White-house Recruiter
These challenging facts are, of course, a mighty rebuke to those who may have long neglected their God-given duty to educate both ministry and laity to expect, watch for, and upon sight gladly welcome the "additional message," that of the eleventh hour. Had they been faithful to their trust, they would now recognize the message that is knocking at their door, as that long-awaited one, and would know it is the one variously designated: (1) the judgment of the living, (2) the harvest, (3) the great and dreadful day of the Lord, (4) the loud cry (as the message lightens the earth with the glory of Christ's righteousness beaming from the 144,000 guileless servants of God). And, accordingly, they would know that it is thus that the Lord will sift the nations (Isa. 30:28), "finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness." Rom. 9:28.—WHR:40.1 [1951]
If the foregoing references are true then the "around" theory is man-made. When God gives a specific moment when a prediction starts we have no authority to stretch it in order to accommodate and make room for our private interpretations which amounts to false doctrine. We must not handle the word of God deceitfully.
Now that you can see that when Bro. Houteff makes the equivalence of the Judgment of the living IS the harvest and that the harvest is equivalent to the purificatio of the church then the following reference should be honored.
As there was an important event with each succeeding section (at the close of the one, and beginning of the other), there must be something of no lesser consequence that would make the change of this section with which we have identified ourselves. That important event is none other than the purification of God's church, and the separation of the tares from the wheat. Said Jesus, "Let both grow together until the harvest." The separation will MARK the harvest. Note the verb "until," meaning "up to." This most solemn time for the one class (the tares), and glorious for the other (the 144,000), thrusts out the section represented by Jacob, and forwards the other.—1SR:227.3 [1930]
The purification of God's church marks the harvest or the "Loud cry" of the Third Angel's Message, for the Lord of the harvest declares, "Let both grow together until the harvest." The wheat gathered at the commencement of the harvest and AT the separation from the tares in the church, is called the first-fruits of the harvest.…—2SR:102.1 [1932]
All these positive identifications clearly point out that the horses represent the First-day Adventists who arose between the years 1833 and 1844 and who then fulfilled this symbolical prophecy by proclaiming the second advent of Christ to every Christian mission, world over, but having confused the cleansing of the sanctuary (Dan. 8:14)—the purification of the church, the work of the Judgment, harvest, by separating the wheat from the tares (Matt. 13:30), the good fish from the bad (Matt. 13:47, 48), the wise virgins from the foolish (Matt. 25:1-12), the sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:32), the wedding garment dressed guests from those who had not the garment (Matt. 22:2-13). This Judicial work commences first among the dead (book work only, of course—Dan. 7:10), THEN among the living (actual bodily separation—cleansing—Ezek. 9).—1TG11:6.2 [1946]
Yes, there is to be a clean riddance of every sort of tare just as anciently there was a clean riddance of all the first-born in the households that failed to paint the doorpost with the sacrificial blood on the evening of the Passover in the land of Egypt. So shall it be at the commencement of the harvest, in the purification of the church: The angels shall smite everyone who fosters the abominations "in the midst thereof."—1TG21:16.1 [1946]
According to Christ's parables, the time His "adversaries," His enemies of progressive Truth, are cut off is at the commencement of the purification of the church, at the harvest time. Then, according to Ezekiel's prophecy, the Lord commissions the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands,…—1TG26:17.3 [1947]
At the time this awakening call goes forth throughout the land, Inspiration announces that the harvest time has arrived for the angels to put out and to keep out of Zion and Jerusalem the uncircumcised and the unclean, a work which Inspiration variously entitles: (1) cleansing of the sanctuary (Dan. 8:14), (2) purify the sons of Levi (Mal. 3:1-3), (3) purification of the church ("Testimonies," Vol. 5, pg. 80), (4) Judgment in the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17), (5) harvest (Matt. 13:30), casting out the bad fish from among the good fish (Matt. 13:47, 48), separating the sheep from the goats,—the Judgment for the Living. {1TG38:22.3}
The sinners, we know, have always been and are still among God's people. That the fulfillment of this Scripture, therefore, is in the very near future, is shown from the fact that the truth of this chapter is now unsealed and carried to the church, endeavoring to awaken the people of God and to impress them with the fact that soon the harvest will commence—first separating the firstfruits, the 144,000 from "the house of God," then to be followed by the second fruits from all nations (Rev. 7:9); the scripture also shows that the sinners will no longer walk with the saints and that the harvest ends the world (Matt. 13:39). Stop, think, and read over again Isaiah fifty-one and fifty-two. Do not pass hastily over this life and death subject. {1TG38:22.3, 4 [1947]
Jesus cannot help those who read this and resist the conviction of the Holy Spirit, who will refuse to forsake their pride of opinion against the weight of evidence listed here. And His advice is
"Men, women, and youth, God REQUIRES you to possess moral courage, steadiness of purpose, fortitude and perseverance, minds that cannot take the assertions of another, but which will investigate for themselves before receiving or rejecting, that will study and weigh evidence, and take it to the Lord in prayer." -- Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 130.—WHR:69.1 [1951]
Comments
Post a Comment