Where - what - when He gave the command in Ezek. 9:4

 Last time we were all together the following was presented:

Let’s summarize the high points of each of the selected readings for our Prayer Thought:

     No one, say the Scriptures, can privately (without Inspiration) unfold the prophecies, for, reasons the Apostle, as prophecy came not by private effort—not by the will of men, but by holy men and the Spirit—neither can it therefore be of private interpretation, but only by holy men led by the Holy Spirit. Moreover, even after prophecy is thus interpreted, ONLY to the righteous (the penitent) is given the GIFT of understanding it (Dan. 12:10).—2TG44:31.2

   The apparent discrepancies between the Rod and the Spirit of Prophecy are fabricated by men whose minds are filled with private interpretations, opinions of uninspired men, self-exaltation, etc., to such an extent that their vision of the Scriptures and the writing of Sr. White has so greatly shrunk that they cannot see both ends of one subject at the same time, and when they are brought face to face with the truth they prefer to change their former position rather than to acknowledge the truth!—1SC18:8.4

        The Scriptures to be Studied with
                           Reverence

     We should come with reverence to the study of the Bible, feeling that we are in the presence of God. All lightness and trifling should be laid aside. While some portions of the word are easily understood, the true meaning of other parts is not so readily discerned. There must be patient study and meditation and earnest prayer. Every student, as he opens the Scriptures, should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit; and the promise is sure that it will be given.

     The spirit in which you come to the investigation of the Scriptures will determine the character of the assistant at your side. Angels from the world of light will be with those who in humility of heart seek for divine guidance. But if the Bible is opened with irreverence, with a feeling of self-sufficiency, if the heart is filled with prejudice, Satan is beside you, and he will set the plain statements of God's word in a perverted light.

     There are some who indulge in levity, sarcasm, and even mockery toward those who differ with them. Others present an array of objections to any new view; and when these objections are plainly answered by the words of Scripture, they do not acknowledge the evidence presented, nor allow themselves to be convinced. Their questioning is not for the purpose of arriving at truth, but is intended merely to confuse the minds of others.

     Some have thought it an evidence of intellectual keenness and superiority to perplex minds in regard to what is truth. They resort to subtlety of argument, to playing upon words; they take unjust advantage in asking questions. When their questions have been fairly answered, they will turn the subject [and] bring up another point to avoid acknowledging the truth. We should beware of indulging the spirit which controlled the Jews. They would not learn of Christ, because His explanation of the Scriptures did not agree with their ideas; therefore they became spies upon His track, "laying wait for Him, and seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him." Let us not bring upon ourselves the fearful denunciation of the Saviour's words, “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.”—TM: TM 107.3-108.3

May 12, 1896 Operation of the Holy Spirit Made/Manifest in the Life./By Mrs. E. G. White.
(Concluded.)

     The Lord works in his own way, in order that men shall not lift themselves up in pride of intellect, and take the credit and the glory to themselves. The Lord would have every human being understand that his capabilities and endowments are from the Lord. God works by whom he will. He takes those whom he pleases to do his work, and he does not consult those to whom he will send his messenger as to what are their preferences concerning whom or what manner of person they would like to bring the message of God to them. God will use men who are willing to be used. The Lord would use men of intelligence IF they would permit him to mold and fashion them, and to shape their testimony after his own order. Men high or low, learned or ignorant, would better let the Lord manage and take care of the safety of his own ark. The work of men is to obey the voice of God. Whoever has a connection with the work and cause of God, is to be continually under the discipline of God. "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."

     There is a great need of taking self in hand when we find ourselves watching to make capital out of the missteps of a brother, a sister, or a friend. Although we do not acknowledge that the object of defaming another is to exalt self, self-exaltation is behind the practise of noting the shortcomings of others. Let every soul remember it is best to be on guard, and to make straight paths for his own feet, lest the lame (spying ones) be turned out of the way. None of us are in danger of being too devotional, or of possessing too much Christ-likeness of character. The remedy for unlikeness to Christ, for giving occasion for your good to be evil spoken of, is to live humbly, to keep looking unto Jesus in prayerful watchfulness, until changed into the likeness of his beautiful character.—RH, May 12, 1896 par. 1, 2

What followed was a tripod of three references that cannot be shaken apart:

   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

WHAT IS THE SEAL?

Question No. 244:

   What is "the seal of God" upon the foreheads of the 144,000 (Rev. 7:3) ?  Is it the Sabbath seal or some other?

Answer:

        [1]       Being sealed in Christ "with that Holy Spirit of promise," after having "heard the word of truth" (Eph. 1:13; 4:30), the Christian, consequently, is sealed by Present Truth.

   Hence the Sabbath, the seal of the ten-commandment law, plus the judgment of the dead, plus all kindred truths since 1844, along with all previously revealed truth, in addition now to the message of the hour, Present Truth,—all together the whole Truth,—ARE the seal today.

        [2]       The seal of the living God," however, by which the 144,000 are sealed (Rev. 7:2), IS a special seal, being the same as "the mark" of Ezekiel 9.  (See Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445; Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 267; Id., Vol. 5, p. 211.)  Demanding one's sighing and crying over the abominations not only in himself but also in the church (Ezek. 9:4), it is placed upon him just BEFORE the Lord slays the wicked in the church, so that the angels may pass over them.  It is the antitypical Passover seal--the blood on the door post today.  "The angel is to place a mark upon the forehead of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the destroying angel will follow, to slay utterly both old and young."--Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 505.—7SC7-12:21.5

Revelation 8:1, speaking of

        1.      the silence in Heaven for the space of half an hour, PROVES to be THE EVENT of

        2.      the fulfillment of Ezekiel 9. At which TIME

        3.      “shall Michael stand up.”

        4.      It is at this juncture that Christ puts on His garments of vengeance

and surprises the hypocrites in Zion. See “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, p. 690.—2SC5,6:10.2

Bonus:

“…a change is to take place at the COMMENCEMENT of the judgment of the living—Michael is to stand up for His people, take the "reins in His own hands" ("Testimonies to Ministers." p. 300) and deliver "every one that shall be found written in the book."—2SC2:4.8

[Now, In order for this to be false there needs to be something else so clear and compelling as night and day. Here is an example of two contradicting passages on the same truth in which both cannot be accepted as true in the final analysis. Let us compare 2SR:146.3 (1932) with 2TG7:14.1 (1947) which interpret Dan. 12:2.

Here is the meaning the word “event” portrayed in the “golden bowl,” 1SR:17.2, 4; 1SR:156.3]

1SR:22: Here in this reference we know that the phrase in this context is being used as representing the final probationary preparation time (which began in 1930) before the Judgment of the Living commences. The preparation (“the sealing”) time will expire before THE TEST (3SC7:4.12; 5SC6-12:8.18; 13SC3,4:9.4-10.1; 1Ans:68.5) is administered to all equally. If one were to conclude that this is the time of the fulfillment of Ezek. 9:4 all would have to perish because no one knew beforehand what it means to sigh and cry. Let us through God’s Holy Spirit begin to renounce the traditional presupposition and harmony will be the result of this study.

Our subject:

What is the seal?

The answer to one question which contains three vital aspects will reveal the whole subject matter with clarity, finalizing and safeguarding it from any future attempts to misconstrue the subject ever again.

******* WHERE is Jesus, WHAT is he wearing, WHEN He gives the command to “the sealing” angel to go and set a mark/seal on the foreheads of the 144,000? ******* [this is the crucible]

What is your answer? [Take notice of the answers given]

I will caution you that the before you seek to justify your understanding of what you may think your answer to the question is the rules are:

   We read in Great Controversy, page 397: "The spirit of error will lead us from the truth, and the Spirit of God will lead us into truth.  But, say you, a man may be in an error, and think he has the truth.  What then?  We answer, The Spirit and word agree.  If a man judges himself by the word of God, and finds a perfect harmony through the whole word, then he MUST believe he has the truth; but if he finds the spirit by which he is led does not harmonize with the whole tenor of God's law or book, then let him walk carefully, lest he be caught in the snare of the devil."—1SR13.2

By the following criteria

   "The Spirit was not given—nor can it ever be bestowed—to supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the Word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.  Says the apostle John, 'Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.' (1 John 4:1.) and Isaiah declares, ‘To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ (Isa. 8:20)”—“The Great Controversy,” p.  VII.—2SR:15.1

   When those who love the truth study any doctrinal subject, they never, in trying to harmonize their private opinions with a scripture in point, leave the scripture so interpreted as to contradict either other portions of the Bible or the position of constituted authority, but rather they forsake their opinions.—3Tr:101.2

   Clearly, therefore, her work must never be interpreted in such a way as to contradict the Bible but always to clear it. If you undeviatingly follow this absolute rule of interpretation, you can never possibly have any trouble with the Rod or with any message the Lord may ever send.—1Ans:23.1

   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

The Prayer thought for this 2^nd section of the presentation will come from:

Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 105.1-106.1

We don’t have the time to read it now. However, TM:105.1-106.1 will serve to bring us into the right frame of mind considering with it the additional information that was already stated previously in order to receive full clarity of answering one question with three distinct vital parts.

The issue here is not the absence of “plain, simple statements of the Word of God be food for the mind…” (1SM 181.1). The issue we are unfortunately guilty of is the unwillingness and failure to reinvestigate what may possible be a cherished belief based upon a misconstrued idea.

When analyzing more closely —7SC7-12:21.5

There are TWO phrases in one answer that we must reckon with, “…ARE the seal” and “IS A special seal”. Are these two different realities one and the same thing in the same way and at the same TIME?

Furthermore —2SC5,6:10.2

Couldn’t be clearer and plainer. This reference contains four distinct parts and within it calls Ezekiel 9 “THE EVENT.” Who among us is inspired to dictate otherwise and is able to dissect what part of Ezekiel 9 is he referring to that is not a part of the EVENT?

Finally this 1933, 1940, 1941 reference in —1Tr:38.2

Is not alone. The thought expressed herein which contains the phrase “the sealing” is 1 of 239 references.  Within the first 34 records I have been able to manage an arrangement of three categories. Do you want to hazard a guess which three categories they all must fall into?

        1.      "the Sealing" message [of reformation]

        2.      "the Sealing" time [period in which to qualify], and

        3.      "the Sealing" angel [the event]

These are the three categories Bro. Houteff’s interpretation reveals. As long as we are complacent, we will not be able to make the necessary distinctions which we overlook the message is making.

Here is a brief non-exhaustive list of other corroborating “THE EVENT” references which are in harmony with —1Tr:38.2

1Tr:19, 20; 2SR:171.2; 2SR:169.2; 162.2; 1SR:220.1; 145.3; 102.2; 80.3; 46.3; 30-28; 26.

Where does “…the silence…for the space of half an hour…” commence?

The Bible says: “…in heaven…” (Rev. 8:1) and the SRod says in Heaven (2SC5,6:10.2)

What was Jesus doing before the space of half an hour commenced?

     We felt an unusual spirit of prayer. And as we prayed, the Holy Ghost fell upon us. We were very happy. Soon I was lost to earthly things, and was wrapped up in a vision of God's glory. I saw an angel swiftly flying to me. He quickly carried me from the earth to the Holy City. In the city I saw a temple, which I entered. I passed through a door before I came to the first vail. This vail was raised, and I passed into the Holy Place. Here I saw the altar of Incense, the candlestick with seven lamps, and the table on which was the showbread, etc. After viewing the glory of the Holy, Jesus raised the second veil, and I passed into the Holy of Holies. [Hebrews 9:1-24.]

     In the Holiest I saw an ark; on the top and sides of it was purest gold. On each end of the ark was a lovely Cherub, with their wings spread out over it. Their faces were turned towards each other, and they looked downwards. [Exodus 25:18-22.] Between the angels was a golden censor. Above the ark, where the angels stood, was an exceeding bright glory, that appeared like a throne where God dwelt. [Exodus 25:20-22.] Jesus stood by the ark. And as the saints' prayers came up to Jesus, the incense in the censor would smoke, and He offered up the prayers of the saints with the smoke of the incense to His Father. [Revelation 8:3,4.] In the ark, was the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of stone which folded together like a book. [Hebrews 9:4.]—WLF:18.2, 3

What is your answer?

Where was Jesus when he received the first report?

   Comparing both reports, each is seen to be of a different event: At the first report, the Lord was on "the threshold of the house" on earth (Ezek. 9:3); at the second, He was in the heavenly sanctuary.—1Tr:21.2

What was Jesus wearing WHEN the command to “the sealing” angel is given?

—2SC5,6:10.2 (see page 3) and 5T:690 (see page 3) has our answer.

Revelation 8:1, speaking of

        1.      the silence in Heaven for the space of half an hour, PROVES to be THE EVENT of

        2.      the fulfillment of Ezekiel 9. At which TIME

        3.      “shall Michael stand up.”

        4.      It is at this juncture that Christ puts on His garments of vengeance

and surprises the hypocrites in Zion. See “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, p. 690.—2SC5,6:10.2

     If these persons do not humble their hearts before God, if they harbor the suggestions of Satan, doubt and infidelity will take possession of the soul, and they will see everything in a false light. Let the seeds of doubt once be sown in their hearts and they will have an abundant harvest to reap. They will come to mistrust and disbelieve truths which are plain and full of beauty to others who have not educated themselves in unbelief. Those who train the mind to seize upon everything which they can use as a peg to hang a doubt upon, and suggest these thoughts to other minds, will always find occasion to doubt. They will question and criticize everything that arises in the unfolding of truth, criticize the work and position of others, criticize every branch of the work in which they have not themselves a part. They will feed upon the errors and mistakes and faults of others, "until," said the angel, the Lord Jesus shall rise up from His mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary and shall clothe Himself with the garments of vengeance and surprise them at their unholy feast, and they will find themselves unprepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb." Their taste has been so perverted that they would be inclined to criticize even the table of the Lord in His kingdom.—5T:689.2

Based on the overwhelming evidence committed to your personal, prayerful, reverent investigation the following events delineated herein will occur in strict chronological order.

        1.      The message arrives and makes an announcement in 1930 about the IJOL.

        2.      The period of time to qualify for the event of receiving the future seal/mark commences.

        3.      At the unknown close of the qualifying time God will present a TEST for all Laodiceans.

        4.      Then those who refuse to commit this last momentous abomination prophesied in Isa. 8:9-15 of confederating with the civil power against their own brethren will continue sighing and crying. And when the time of the event (announced in the Cry “Behold the Bridegroom cometh”) arrives those who are not confederated against their brethren, who are found sighing and crying, and shall have cried day and night for deliverance from the death decree will then receive the seal/mark of the sealing angel just BEFORE the slaughter commences during “the silence in Heaven for the space of half an hour” (2SC5,6:10.2).