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Deep in the Adventist theology of last-day happenings is a predicted

development that portends the destiny of all living persons. We have heard it
preached from pulpits for years&emdash; people will receive either the mark
of the beast or the seal of God. This is the outcome of the third angel's
message, the great showdown of the great controversy.

The subject of the sealing foreseen in Revelation 7 caught the attention of

Adventists in the middle of the nineteenth century when they discovered that
Jesus had begun the final preparation for His return. They saw clearly in the
Bible that Christ's sanctuary ministry entails much more than His "cleansing"
work in heaven. Simultaneously with His heavenly work, He is "cleansing" a
people, preparing them to meet Him at the second advent. (See P. Gerard
Damsteegt, "The Sanctuary and Adventist Experience," Ministry, October
1994, pp. 34-38).

Intensive study of Christ's ministry in the holiest place shed new light on God's
"testimony," His ten commandments (Rev:9; Ex 25:6, 22). This study brought
to the fore the role of the decalogue as the unchanging standard of conduct by
which people will be judged. In the process, it opened their eyes to the
permanent validity of the fourth commandment, with its seventh-day Sabbath.

One of the most significant new insights gained from Bible study was the
discovery that the Sabbath is intimately linked to the seal of God. In this
article, I would like us to look at some questions as answered in the writings of
Ellen G. White, questions such as these and others: What is the seal of God?
Is the ordinary Sabbath keeping the seal described in Revelation 7? What is
the relationship between the end-time sealing work and the sealing work in
Ezekiel 9? What preparation is required for being sealed?
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What is the Seal of God?

Today, although ministers preach about the mark of the beast, relatively little
attention seems to be paid to the question, "What is the seal of God? As life
continues as usual from day to day, scarcely any attention is paid to the seal
of God. By contrast, nearly one hundred years ago Ellen G. White called
special attention to its importance. "The time has come," she wrote, "when all
who have an interest in their soul's salvation should earnestly and solemnly
inquire, What is the seal of God? (Signs of the Times, Nov.1, 1899).

A century ago early believers felt that understanding the seal of God was a
matter of life and death. They realized that only those receiving the seal of the
living God will pass through the time of trouble and the seven last plagues
successfully. Only the sealed ones will stand on the Day of the Lord.
Understanding this subject was a top priority.

The Seal of God as the Sabbath.

The first time that Ellen G. White associated the seal of God with the Sabbath
was in 1848. A few months later, in January 1849, Joseph Bates, the pioneer
Sabbath theologian, published the first Adventist book on the subject and
called it, A Seal of the Living God. One of Ellen White's arguments that the
seal of God is the Sabbath was that the Sabbath commandment contains the
characteristics of a seal. A seal, she observed in our early days and reiterated
many years later, is attached to the law to show the name, title, and authority
of the lawgiver. The Sabbath commandment can therefore be considered a
seal because it "is the only one of all the ten in which are found both the name
and the title of the Lawgiver. It is the only one that shows by whose authority
the law is given. Thus it contains the seal of God, affixed to His law as
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evidence of its authenticity and binding force" (Patriarchs and Prophets, p.

307).

The Sabbath helps to give the ten commandments their unique significance.
"The Sabbath was placed in the decalogue as the seal of the living God,
pointing out the Law-giver, and making known his right to rule." Thus the
Sabbath is the sign of a relationship between God and His people, serving as
"a test of their loyalty to Him" (Signs of the Times, May 3, 1886). The mission
of Seventh-day Adventists can be described as "presenting the law of God as
a test of character and as the seal of the living God" (Testimonies for the
Church, 2:468). This reasoning seems to make good sense. However, there is
more to the sealing message.

The Seal of God in the Forehead.

lf the Sabbath is the seal of the living God, what is the seal that the angel will
place in the forehead (see Rev 7:2-3)? The seal to be placed on the forehead
is "a mark which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying
angel must see this mark of redemption. The intelligent mind has seen the
sign of the cross of Calvary in the Lord's adopted sons and daughters" (7BC
968, my italics). (In this article, references to Ellen G. White's comments in
the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary are indicated by the
abbreviation BC, with the volume number preceding it.)

Described in greater detail, "The seal given in the forehead is God, New
Jerusalem. will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city
of My God, (Rev 3:2)" (Manuscript Releases 15:225).

This seal is to be given to those only who make the necessary preparation. In
His mercy, God has commissioned four angels to hold the winds of strife so
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that His people may have time to make this preparation for receiving the seal
in their foreheads (Early Writings, 38).

A distinction was to be made between mere outward observance of the

Sabbath and true Sabbath observance which would involve intense spiritual
preparation. Unfortunately, many Adventists did not take advantage of the
"wind-holding" delay when they first learned about it. After more than 40
years, Ellen White exclaimed in frustration, "Brethren, how long before you will
be ready for the seal of God?' (Review and Herald, June 7, 1887).

What is the Necessary Preparation?

The vast majority of Ellen G. White's comments about the seal of God deal
with the preparation needed to receive it. For instance, "a great work" must be
accomplished "to prepare a people to be sealed with the seal of the living
God" (Selected Messages, 2:73).

A qualification found among the earliest of Ellen White's writings is that

believers "must reflect the image of Jesus fully" (Early Writings, p. 7). We ask
what this appealing concept means in practical terms and learn that it means
to have "victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the
world, and over every wrong word and action" (ibid.). Those who "overcome
the world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored ones who shall receive
the seal of the living God" (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445).

To "bear a likeness to Christ in character" (7BC 970), we are exhorted to

study "more earnestly the character of our Saviour." "We should imitate the
lovely Pattern that God has given us, We should dwell upon the matchless
charms of Jesus until there will be nothing satisfying in this perishing world.
We should desire to reflect his image in kindness, in courtesy, in gentleness,
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and love, then 'when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see
him as he is" (Review and Herald, May 28, 1889).

Such a focus involves the exciting prospect of becoming more and more like
Jesus. "The more we study the life of Christ with a heart to learn, the more
Christlike we become" (Sons and Daughters of God, p. 342). The promised
outcome is beyond our highest expectations: "holiness of character"
(Testimonies to Ministers, p. 446). Indeed, the cleansing of the "soul temple of
every defilement," will produce characters without "one spot or stain" (Sons
and Daughters of God, p. 342; Testimonies, 5:214).

Keeping God's Commandments and the Faith of Jesus.

Those who receive God's seal upon their foreheads are "God's
commandment-keeping people." "Here is the patience of the saints: here are
they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Rev
14:12; Testimonies, 6:15). Their sins removed, "they have on the wedding
garment, and are obedient and faithful to all God's commands" (7BC 968).

To have the law of God written in heart and mind, to survive during the difficult
times ahead, means to fill our minds with the "present truth" and love of the
Bible, and to have as our greatest desire to set our eyes on Jesus at His
return. "There is no place in our foreheads for the seal of the living God" if it is
filled with the cares and pleasures of this world (Broadside, Jan. 3, 1849).

It is of paramount importance to manifest the works of faith. Many who teach

the truth will not receive the seal of God, because even though "they had the
light of truth, they knew their Master's will, they understood every point of our
faith,... they had not corresponding works" (Testimonies, 5:214). "Many will
not receive the seal of God because they do not keep His commandments or
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bear the fruits of righteousness" (Maranatha, p. 24 l). How serious is our

behavior? "Our course of action will determine whether we shall receive the
seal of the living God or be cut down by the destroying weapons"
(Testimonies, 5:212).

Keeping the Sabbath Holy.

Even though mere outward Sabbath keeping is not worthy of the seal, all who
receive God's seal will nonetheless be committed to obeying the Word of God
"with exactitude" (The Faith I Live By, p. 288). They carefúlly observe all ten
commandments, including "the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. This is
what distinguishes them from the disloyal, who have accepted a man-made
institution in the place of the true Sabbath" (7BC 970, 981). The seal of God,
therefore, can only be bestowed upon Sabbath-keepers.

God is very particular with His requirements. When the Israelites were about
to depart from Egypt, God directed them to bring their children indoors, strike
the door posts with blood, and allow no one to go outside until after midnight.
When the destroying angel passed over, all who faithfully followed God's
counsels enjoyed divine protection. But the firstborn died in every home that
neglected even the least of God's instructions (7BC 981).

The destroying angel is soon to pass over the world. Those who faithfully
obey all God's commandments will be protected. Their unique mark will be the
true, Christ-like observance of the Sabbath. Despite worldwide opposition,
they choose to remain loyal, and thus they enjoy divine protection from the
angel of death. They stand out among the multitude because they have a
mark placed upon them, and "that mark is the keeping of His holy Sabbath."
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But those who are not careful in Sabbath observance will be destroyed along
with the rest of the world (7BC 981).

It is no surprise that much of what Ellen G. White wrote about the Sabbath
has to do with its proper observance. Believers are in danger of "doing their
pleasure on the Sabbath day" and hence are in no condition to receive the
seal of the living God. "We have not, as a people, given the law of God the
preeminence as we should" (Selected Messages, 3:258).

Sanctification plays a crucial role in preparation for the seal of God. There is a
great need that Adventists should be "sanctified through the truth, acting upon
high and holy principles, showing in a high, elevated sense, the line of
demarcation between those who keep the commandments of God, and those
who trample them under their feet." It is "the sanctification of the Spirit" that
"signalizes the difference between those who have the seal of God, and those
who keep a spurious rest-day" (7BC 980).

Those who fully submit themselves to the sanctifying power of the Spirit are
the ones who can effectively warn the world. Their Christ-like sanctified
Sabbath observance will be a crucial factor in persuading the honest in heart
to accept the last message of mercy. In vain have these people looked for the
image of Christ in their churches (The Great Controversy, p. 390). Now, at
last, they see it fully reflected in the remnant, who manifest their supreme love
for the Lord of the Sabbath by keeping His Sabbath holy in the finest Christlike
sense.

The issue is far more than the day of worship. The day symbolizes the
experience and commitment of God's true people; and even more than this, it
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becomes an ultimate vindication of God's character and His law, showing that
what God asks is not impossible, with His power.

Experiencing Trials and Tribulations.

In addition to other factors, tribulation is part of the preparation for the seal. All
who receive the seal described in Revelation 7 will suffer severe tests. "Close
and unexpected tests" will be brought upon believers "to see who are worthy
to receive the seal of the living God" (Testimonies, 5:382).

Even the crisis over worshiping the image of the beast (Rev 3:47) will begin
before the seal is applied (see 7BC 976). But "all who prove their loyalty to
God by observing His law, and refusing to accept a spurious sabbath, will rank
under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the
living God." Those who give up the truth will receive the mark of the beast
(ibid).

Thus no one will receive the seal of God without knowing what it is to suffer
for Christ's sake. Believers will "have trials to pass through" that are "keen and
cutting, so that they may be purified and fitted through suffering to receive the
seal of the living God" (Early Writings, p. 67).

Believers will suffer not only from. persecution but also from a wrenching
sense of the shortcomings of other professed Christians.

In Ezekiel's time, it was the believers who sighed and cried over the
abominations they observed who received the mark of deliverance. Just
before the seven last plagues fall, it will be those only who are agonizing over
modern abominations who will receive the "mark of deliverance," the seal of
God (Great Controversy p. 656; Testimonies, 5:212).
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Their agonizing has two distinct aspects: mourning their past failures and
mourning the current failures of others. "The class who do not feel grieved
over their spiritual declension or mourn over the sins of others will be left
without the seal of God" (Testimonies, 5:21l).

Is Receiving the Seal Impossible?

Reflection on the qualifications that God requires of those whom He will seal
makes some people throw up their hands, exclaiming that they can never be
good enough. Frustration, despondency, and even desperation are natural for
all who look critically at their accomplishments.

But Ellen White's earliest comment on how to achieve the lofty spiritual
preparation required was simple and straightforward: Draw "nearer and nearer
to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us
to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord" (Early Writings, p. 71).

On second thought, are God's requirements today different from the

commitment He has called for throughout the ages? Has He not always
required complete repentance and unwavering faith?

When our surrender is complete and we call on Him with implicit faith to give
us grace sufficient to walk with Him victoriously, are we not doing what Enoch
did before the flood? Indeed, Enoch is often cited by Ellen G. White as an
example of those who will be alive and translated at the second coming (see,
e.g., Testimonies, 2:122; Christ's Object Lessons, p. 332).

All credit goes to the Savior, for it is the "mind of Christ" that resides in the
believers. They "have been crucified with Christ" and so earnestly cry out, "It
is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (see Gal 2:20). Though they
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work out their salvation "with fear and trembling," "it is God" who works in
them "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (see Phil 2:12-13).

The mind of Christ was characterized by deep humility, a characteristic greatly

needed by believers today. "Those who are distrustful of self, who are
humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the
truth&emdash; these are receiving the heavenly mold and preparing for the
seal of God in their foreheads" (Testimonies, 5:216).

"Everyone must now search the Bible for himself upon his knees before God,
with the humble, teachable heart of a child, if he would know what the Lord
requires of him" (Ibid., 214).

By walking closely and humbly with Jesus, earnestly studying His Word, in
Christ-like sincerity observing His Sabbath under the most exhausting
opposition, and seeking through His grace to bear witness to the goodness of
God's character and law&emdash; in these ways, God's people on earth
cooperate with their High Priest in heaven as He seeks to cleanse not only the
sanctuary but also those who worship at the sanctuary.