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John 3:16
Reference is made in Testimonies to Ministers, page 445. The subject is about the sealing of Revelation 7, the 144,000. We quote: “This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision.” Now if the sealing of the 144,000 of Revelation 7, is the same as Ezekiel 9, in order to find the kind of sealing it is, and the time of its beginning, we must study Ezekiel 9:1-9: “He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon He was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 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 done in the midst thereof. And to the others He said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And He said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? Then said He unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great.” It is positive that the sealing of the 144,000 is Ezekiel 9,—the separation (sifting in the church—the godly from the ungodly). Volume 1, page 181: “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.” Read the entire page. Note the shaking begins after the straight testimony of the “True Witness” is come.
The command to mark this company so that they fall not under the slaughter weapons by the figure of the five men, reads as follows: “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 done in the midst thereof.” (Ezekiel 9:4.) Because the Word says: “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men ,” therefore some have held the position that the entire company is made up of men only. The second reason given for this erroneous idea is that they are to be kings and priests and therefore they must be men. The idea carried by these passages cannot be sustained by other portions of Scripture. Thus we are compelled to study deeper into the subject.
In 1929 just such a message came to the Seventh-day Adventist church, and it was put in writing and published in 1930, entitled “The Shepherd’s Rod,” Volume 1. And as the message went to all the sisterhood of churches (as far as possible) throughout the world, the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side, was told: “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem [the church], and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof [in the church]. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary [Conference]. Then they began at the ancient men [Elders] which were before the house.” (Ezek. 9:4-6.)
Answer: All but those who do not receive the mark or seal, old or young, male or female, will fall under the slaughter weapons of the angels. (Ezek. 9:6.) Only those who sigh and cry for all the abominations in the midst thereof will receive the mark. (verse 4.) John saw 144,000 sealed (marked). If others from within the S.D.A. denomination besides the 144,000 should escape, it is not known to us.
The command, “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts,” signifies a complete separation from the world of “old and young, both maids and little children, and women” “that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezek. 9:4, 6): and being prophetically made to the church (Zion), this command evidences the fact that when the trumpet shall blow in fulfillment of this scripture, it will find Zion, His church, unsanctified and commingled with the world. Therefore, comes the call for sanctification.
Still further, the “Record” contends that the Sabbath is the seal of the 144,000, whereas, “Testimonies to Ministers,” written by the author of “Early Writings,” “The Great Controversy,” and “Testimonies for the Church,” says: “This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision.”—“Testimonies to Ministers,” p. 445. To you who, along with us, believe that Sister White’s writings are inspired, the above quotation proves that those who have been sealed by the Sabbath seal since 1844 are not the 144,000, for the 144,000 do not receive the seal as a result of Sabbath keeping, but rather as a result of sighing and crying against the abominations among Sabbath keepers. See Ezekiel 9:4: “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 3, p. 267; Vol. 5, 211.
The mark of the beast constitutes homage to the image of the beast, in compliance with his commandments, just as the mark of God (Ezek. 9:4, 6) constitutes homage to God, in compliance with His commandments.
“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.
In one of his grandest prophecies, Isaiah projects in lineaments unmistakable the great antitypical counterpart of the Exodus movement: “And there shall be an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. ” Isa. 11:16. As the “passover” and the slaughter of the “first-born (first fruits) who had not the blood on the “door posts,” released God’s ancient people from the bondage of Egypt, so shall the antitypical passover (Ezek. 9:4; Isa. 66:16) free the first fruits, the 144,000, His first-born now, from the bondage of sin and sinners today.
“And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! Wilt Thou destroy all the residue of Israel in Thy pouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem ? Then said He unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.” Ezek. 9:3-9.
As all the books of the Bible meet and end in The Revelation, the sealing of the 144,000 must as a result find its complement in the writings of the prophets. And as nowhere but in Ezekiel 9 is found an event analogous to that of Revelation 7, it follows that the marking and sealing are identical, both of which are to separate the wicked from the righteous: the angels in the former, smiting all who have not the mark; the angels in the latter, hurting all who have not the seal. (See Ezekiel 9:4-6; Revelation 7:2, 3; 9:15.)
Among the Laodiceans, however, those who refuse to arouse and take in the situation, who will not “sigh and . . . cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezek. 9:4) will be left without the mark, and will consequently fall under the slaughter weapons of the angels (Ezek. 9), while those who receive the mark will escape them and be shielded from the trouble, the shield’s being symbolized by the barn and the vessels (Matt. 13:30, 48).
Because when He finally restores His vineyard, the Lord will nevermore desert it or permit it to be fouled by “briers and thorns,” man’s joy should be unbounded, causing him to praise God by day and night for His never-failing love! Still more thrilling is the thought that a multitude is now on the very stage of passing from this mortal state into immortality — never to experience the unconscious state of the dead! May this call stir every reader from his long slumber (Matt. 25:5), and urge him to strive as never before for the “mark” of the living God (Ezek. 9:4).
Be in the class of the five wise virgins, my brethren, and avail yourselves of this extra oil now before your lamps go out and the door closes forever (Matt. 25:10). “Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Rev. 3:18. Sigh and cry for the abominations that be done in the church (Ezek. 9:4), that you may prove yourselves worthy to carry the message to her. Then after you have cried out, “O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off” (Nah. 1:15, last part), it shall be said of you, “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace” (Nah. 1:15, first part), and you will be
“And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon He was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 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 done in the midst thereof.
The reason that the church is figuratively not “Babylon” is that it is called Jerusalem (Ezek. 9:4,8), and from among the good therein, the wicked (the tares) are destroyed, taken out , by the six men with the slaughter weapons (Ezek. 9:6-9), and then afterward the good (the wheat) are gathered in “the barn;” while from among the wicked in Babylon, the just (“ My people”) are called out and gathered into the barn, and then the remaining wicked are destroyed by the seven angels' pouring out the seven last plagues.
Long ago through the Spirit of Prophecy ( Early Writings , 270) the S.D.A. church was forewarned of this shaking. And now in the present graphic revelation is seen its fatal end — the destruction of all who do not become affrighted and give glory to God. Figuratively numbering seven thousand, these “slain” in the church comprehend that element which does not sigh and cry for the abominations (Ezek. 9:4), and which as a consequence fails to receive the mark (Ezek. 9:4), or the seal (Rev. 7:3-8), of God’s approbation. All who compose this class are cut off, leaving the remnant who “were affrighted” — those who have sighed and cried for the abominations, and who have consequently received the mark or the seal, and escaped the slaughter. These are they who “shall sing for the majesty of the Lord” (Isa. 24:14) — give “glory to the God of heaven.”
He, though, who is persuaded, and who walks in the light, will experience joy inexpressible: He will receive the “mark” (Ezek. 9:4), the “seal” (Rev. 7:2, 3), of God’s approval. His sins will be blotted out. His name will be ineffaceably written in the Lamb’s book of life. He will witness Michael’s standing up and delivering him from the “time of trouble such as never was.” Dan. 12:1. He will return midst the ransomed of the Lord, and come to Zion with “songs and everlasting joy upon” his head. He “shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” Isa. 35:10. He will inherit the earth — saved eternally!
The angel with the writer’s inkhorn is to place a mark upon the forehead of all who sigh and cry for the abominations, then the destroying angels are to slay both old and young (Ezek. 9:4-6).
The angel with the writer’s inkhorn is to place a mark upon the foreheads of all who sigh and cry for the abominations, then the destroying angels are to slay both old and young (Ezek. 9:4-6).
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