A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT NECESSITATES A CHANGE OF THE SEAL.
By Charles T. Everson
In order to make a law valid it must be stamped with a governmental seal; and, consequently, when a law has not been sealed, or has been deprived of its seal, it is null and void. Therefore, when the psalmist said (Ps. 119: 126) "They have made void Thy law," he evidently referred to a time when the law of God would be deprived of its seal. But what is the seal of God’s law, and why should any one wish to deprive it of its seal? In order to determine what is the seal of God’s law let us notice for a moment what constitutes a seal in any law. When, for example, a law is made here in Italy, it is stamped with the king’s seal, which reads thus: "Victor Emanuel III., King of Italy." We note here that the seal gives, firstly, the name of the ruler; then the basis of his authority; and, lastly, the extent of his dominion. We would, therefore, expect to find in the seal of any law these three characteristics, namely, the name, the reason for his authority to command, and the extent of the dominion of the person named in the seal. If we look over the law of God with the idea of finding its seal measured by these characteristics, we find it in the Fourth Commandment. Not one of the other commandments of the Decalogue would distinguish our God from other gods. But the Fourth Commandment quickly disposes of all false gods. For Buddha, Confucius, the sun, and all other gods that are worshiped, must be recognized as created, and consequently inferior to the God of the Fourth Commandment, who made all things, including these named. And in this Fourth Commandment we find the characteristics that comprise the seal of the law. This commandment gives the name of the Author of this law as Jehovah, the basis of His authority as the Creator of all things, and the extent of His dominion as the heavens and the earth. It is evident, therefore, that in the Sabbath Commandment we have the seal of God, for in it are given the characteristics that comprise a seal. But we noticed from the text referred to in the Psalms that the law has been made void, and the natural conclusion is that it has been deprived of its seal for the purpose of making it void. That this conclusion is correct is seen from Isa. 8:16, which says, "Seal the law among My disciples." The Lord would not ask us to seal the law, if it were already sealed. True, it was sealed at one time, but it has been made void by being deprived of its seal. And now God commands us to seal it again just before His coming, as the verse following the one quoted speaks of the coming of the Lord. Of course, in reality, the law has never lost its seal; for it is deposited in heaven, where it can not be trifled with by men. But to the appearance and practises of men, it has lost its seal. Therefore the command, "Seal the law among My disciples." It is sealed in heaven, and now let it be so among His disciples. But who dared to attempt to tear away the seal from God’s law on earth?—He it was, "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." We well know that this Scripture refers to the Papacy. But why should the Papacy attack especially the Fourth Commandment of the Decalogue? For it is well known that the Papacy claims, and history substantiates her claim, that the Catholic Church has substituted the observance of the first day, Sunday, for the seventh day of the week, Saturday. The reason why the Papacy attacked the Fourth Commandment is very plain. The power that tried to take the place of God, sitting in the temple as God, would, in the very nature of the case, be under necessity to attack the Fourth Commandment, and could not do otherwise. If a power came into Italy and conquered the country, would this new government continue to stamp its laws with the seal that reads, "Victor Emanuel, III., King of Italy?"—Most certainly it would not. The very first change that would be necessary would be to destroy the old seal and make a new one. So also, when the Papacy tried to take the place of God’s government, it was first necessary for it to take away God’s seal, the Sabbath, and put in its stead its own seal, Sunday. And Sunday the Catholic Church claims as the sign of its power. We will recall that one of the first things that the Papacy did when it came into power, was to take away the Sabbath, and substitute for it Sunday. Now God says that His law has been made void, and we see that this has come about by the law being deprived of its seal. Is it not time, therefore, that we seal the law again, especially among God’s disciples? If you are a disciple of Christ, then you ought to be sealed with God’s seal, which is the Sabbath.