The sealing process as described in different parts of the Bible should be understood by all, especially those who desire to spend eternity with Christ. The truth about this most important matter should be made more and more plain, as we get closer to the time when probation will close, for at that time the process will come to a permanent end.
There are some who may not have fully grasped the truth about the sealing and for this reason they may be unduly anxious about being left out. There is no reason to worry about being left out, because The God of our salvation has left no stone unturned in His far-reaching efforts to save to the uttermost.
Everything that pertains to our salvation has been thoroughly thought out, and in His planning, God has catered for the obvious, the odd, and what we may view as being the unexpected. They are taken care of in the great plan of salvation, so that no one needs to worry themselves about being sealed, if in fact they have given themselves to God in sincerity.
Therefore, before we get into the process of itself, there are some important truths about the sealing that must be clearly understood by all, and they are enumerated below so that often asked questions on the matter would be resolved from the revelations given us by God.
[1] The seal of God is His stamp of approval which designates the receiver as being His, and this stamp, or seal is actually The Holy Ghost Himself, who enables the receiver to obey God.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
[2] Any, and everyone who would pass through the pearly gates must first be sealed.
This includes the living, who would be translated without seeing death, the dead in Christ, and every person those who has died in Jesus during the dark ages, without a complete knowledge of God’s will, as it pertains to Sabbath observance. All, without exception must be sealed. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 1:21 Now, He which establishes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
[3] The word “Earnest” is likened to a security deposit. A person can receive “The earnest of The Spirit” and still be lost, because the initial down-payment does not coerce individuals to remain in their covenant relationship with God. Day by day the covenant is to be renewed.
Anyone can walk into Auto Nation Ford, right down the street, and put a down-payment on a Mustang, or one of the hybrids that the dealer sells. But the down-payment of itself does not always guarantee that the vehicle will be theirs, except the rest of the money due has been received by the dealer.
Similarly, the “Earnest/Down-payment” of The Spirit does not always guarantee that folks will be sealed for eternity, except we continue to abide in Christ. This is one of the very important truths which need to be understood by all. Let’s read:
Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
There are several examples of persons in the Bible who had received a security deposit, or “Earnest” but who will not be saved. Cases in point are those such as Eli, Saul, Judas and the disobedient prophet, Balaam, and the infamous Ananias and Sapphira, who partook of the former rain when The Holy Ghost was given at the time of Pentecost. Let’s read:
[Acts Of the Apostles pp 72>73] In sharp contrast to the example of benevolence shown by the believers was the conduct of Ananias and Sapphira, whose experience, traced by the pen of Inspiration, has left a dark stain upon the history of the early church.
With others, these professed disciples had shared the privilege of hearing the gospel preached by the apostles. They had been present with other believers when, after the apostles had prayed, “the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” Acts 4:31.
Deep conviction had rested upon all present, and under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, Ananias and Sapphira had made a pledge to give to the Lord the proceeds from the sale of a certain property. Afterward, Ananias and Sapphira grieved the Holy Spirit by yielding to feelings of covetousness.
[4] Sabbath Keeping in and of itself does not constitute the seal of God, for there are many Sabbath keepers who will be weighed in the balances and found wanting. The seal is actually the Holy Spirit of God, who is to reside permanently in one’s heart, and thereby to empower us to keep the Sabbath together with all of God’s other commandments.
The reason why we emphasize the Sabbath as being critically important to the sealing process in our day is because of the gross imbalances which do exist in Christendom, where grace is often used to render God’s law as of non-effect.
Thus, the remnant may at times seem to present a gospel that is off-balanced, or heavily tilted towards the commandments of God. This does not mean to say that they are ignorant of God’s grace, or of the importance of The Holy Ghost.
In fact, when studied carefully, the scriptures teach us that the primary reason for God giving us grace, together with His Holy Spirit, is not merely to speak in tongues; it is first and foremost to empower us to obey God. Let’s read:
Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[5] It is not necessary for one to be a part of the 144,000 in order to be sealed. The 144,000 would be anointed by God to do a specific work during the closing scenes of earth’s history but they represent a very miniscule number of all those who will ultimately be sealed. Let’s read:
Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 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 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
[6] Those who will be sealed in the last days, under the loud cry, must be found keeping the Sabbath for it is the one distinctive sign that would distinguish those who are loyal to God from those who are not. Let’s read:
Revelation 14: 6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you.
[Last Day Events pp 221] Those who would have the seal of God in their foreheads must keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. True observance of the Sabbath is the sign of loyalty to God.
The fourth commandment alone of all the ten contains the seal of the great Lawgiver, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The observance of the Lord's memorial, the Sabbath instituted in Eden, the seventh-day Sabbath, is the test of our loyalty to God.
[7] There are persons now currently living who have already been sealed for it isn’t absolutely necessary for The Lord to wait until the mark of the beast comes about, before sealing some of His servants. In fact, the 144,000 of Revelation 14 will actually be sealed sometime before the mark of the beast is instituted. Let’s read:
[Last day Events pp 219>221] 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.
The remnant are never to wait for the mark of the beast to take center stage, before they settle into the truth both intellectually and spiritually, for if they do they may not make it into God’s kingdom. That work of bringing us to spiritual maturity is to be accomplished before the storm breaks. No one in their right mind waits for a battle to begin, before they make ample preparation.
“The Sealing Process”
As was stated before, the sealing is not an event, but a process by which the believer willingly gives his /her heart to Christ to be molded into the image of Christ, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and in cooperation with the person who so chooses.
When persons are found abiding in Christ from day to day, the sealing process continues uninterrupted, and for this reason such persons are secure in Jesus so that if they were to die prematurely because of Covid, or for any other reason, they would be saved in God’s kingdom.
However, whilst life continues, the sealing process is also to continue, meaning that as we surrender to God daily, spiritual growth, maturity, advancement, and an increase of knowledge and understanding of spiritual things is to continually take place. In other words, even though we may experience ups and downs, yet, our general trajectory must be headed to the skies.
Therefore, one who is being sealed cannot remain in stagnation, for this is a sign that the process has either slowed or paused, by the choices we make. The lukewarm condition mentioned in Revelation chapter 3 is a condition of stagnation in which there is no forward movement, where spiritual growth has become frozen for one reason or another. Let’s read:
Revelation 3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
In stark contrast with this lukewarm condition is the constant growth in grace, where, over time, persons are brought to a point where they can serve God intellectually, meaning that their obedience is not formal but is laced with an intelligent understanding of God’ revealed will to which they whole-heartedly agree with joy.
In other words, persons who are in the process of continual sealing do not merely serve God because it is the right thing to do, they serve Him because it is a joy to do so and the laws and principles of God’s kingdom make sense to their minds.
There is a huge difference between doing the right thing just because it’s the right thing, and doing it because one understands, agrees and enjoys doing it. Huge difference! Thus, Christ has given us several instructions on how the sealing process should, and must be facilitated, because whatsoever progress is made, must be accomplished in cooperation with the human agent. Always!
The following stipulations therefore constitute the ongoing work of the sealing process, and they are subdivided between the human agent and the Holy Spirit, who supervises, and empowers the entire process from kindergarten to maturity, while life goes on. Let’s begin with the human agent’s part in the sealing process. Let’s read:
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
1st Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Hiding God’s word in our hearts, girding up the loins of our minds, and keeping the heart and mind with all diligence requires much more than a knowledge of God’s will.
It is true that we must study the scripture daily, but whatever we study must also be synchronized, and interfaced with our everyday experience, because a knowledge of God’s will without active participation produces stagnation, and luke-warmness.
As we study God’s revealed will, and become more knowledgeable in spiritual truths, we are then to ask God for grace, not to argue with Him, but rather to obey Him, for it is only as we obey that God’s will makes any sense. Initially, one might begin keeping the Sabbath because they may have read, or heard that it is the right thing to do.
But it is only as they obey on an ongoing basis that the command to keep the Sabbath makes sense and thus, by obedience and surrender, they are brought to the point where the Sabbath becomes a real joy to the person who keeps it.
In other words, the Sabbath becomes something that is eagerly looked forward to, instead of being a cold, formal day, with persons checking the clock to see when the sun would set. It’s a huge difference!
Then again, the human agent has to pray always, and must exercise a living faith in God, so that the promises of salvation would be realized in the most literal sense. The Bible teaches us that without faith it is not possible to please God, for everything that pertains to the sealing process, is accomplished via faith.
The Christian wins His battles on his knees and thus, as faith takes a firm grasp on unseen realities, the human agent is empowered with divine energy to live victoriously, and thereby facilitate the sealing process. Our energy should never be generated by applause, popularity, man’s favor.
Instead, as persons wait upon God, in the audience chamber of The Most-High, God then imparts to the one who is being sealed, both physical and spiritual strength, so that we can run the Christian race with a steady, even tread, without becoming burned out.
Not always, but very often when one complains of being burned out, it is because their energy is not coming from the right source, for God gives grace and strength to do His will. The same is true for the sealing process, for we must cooperate with God in this work, but even the power to cooperate also comes from God, and thus, we must pray. Let’s read:
Isaiah 40: 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
[Patriarchs And Prophets pp 460] The heart must be renewed by divine grace, or it will be in vain to seek for purity of life. He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ is building his house upon the shifting sand. In the fierce storms of temptation, it will surely be overthrown.
We now move to the work that The Holy Spirit does in the sealing process, which persons cannot do for themselves. The law of God was originally imprinted in the minds of Adam and Eve, but after man sinned it became severely blurred and distorted, so that we cannot of ourselves, discern clearly between right and wrong, without God enabling us to do so.
Thus, the work of The Holy Spirit in our hearts is to renew the image of God in us by writing His law into our consciences. The frontal lobes of the human brain deal with judgement, discretion and decision, and therefore, the Holy Spirit seals God’s law in our consciences, so that we would have an intelligent understanding of God’s will. Let’s read:
Hebrews 8: 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
Not only does The Holy Spirit seal the law of God in our minds, He also empowers us to put into practice that which He imprints upon our consciences. Thus, there must be a very close symbiosis between doing and knowing God’s will. A clear indicator of whether one is being sealed is the presence, or the absence of a blend of knowledge and obedience. Let’s read:
Philippians 2: 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
1st John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whosoever keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[Patriarchs And Prophets pp 460] Yet we have a work to do to resist temptation. Those who would not fall a prey to Satan's devices must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts.
The mind should not be left to wander at random upon every subject that the adversary of souls may suggest. This will require earnest prayer and unceasing watchfulness. We must be aided by the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit, which will attract the mind upward, and habituate it to dwell on pure and holy things.
We end with a passage of scripture that should help and encourage us to surrender ourselves daily to the sealing process, so that in cooperation with God we can be brought to full spiritual maturity, while the opportunity still lingers. Let’s read:
2nd Peter 1:3 According as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God Bless!