THE GREAT SEALING MESSAGE
By George B. Thompson
The Time When It Is Due — An Appeal to Humanity in View of It
The Great Reward That Is Offered
By GEORGE B. THOMPSON
Secretary North American Division Conference
(Sermon at Baltimore, Maryland) My text is found in Rev. 7: 1-3: "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 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, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."
This scripture brings to view the sealing work. The chronology in which the prophecy stands shows that it applies near the closing scenes of the history of the world. Just before the words of this prophecy are spoken, the signs are given that precede the coming of Christ. The sun is darkened, the stars fall from heaven as a fig tree casts her unripe figs, the heavens depart as a scroll when it is rolled together, and all the great men of earth cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them, and hide them from the face of Him who sits on the throne. This is under the sixth seal. Then when the sealing work here brought to view is completed, the next event is the opening of the seventh seal, when it is said that "there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." Rev. 8: 1. The only period of silence that will ever be in heaven, will be when the work here brought to view is finished. There has never been a time in all the history of the past, since God created angels to worship around His shining throne, that there has been stillness there. Day and night, they have ever been crying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty." And that will be their cry through all the eternity to come. But when this sealing work is finished, it is marked by a period of absolute silence in heaven. The only time there can be silence in heaven is when the unnumbered millions of angels around the throne of God come with Jesus to gather the redeemed. Then there will be a period of silence in heaven. And we are drawing near to that great event. This is indeed a wonderful time. You notice that the work here brought to view is the most important thing in the earth. Angels are represented as being commissioned to hold the winds of strife, to keep in check war and commotion, until a certain thing is finished, that the great whirlwinds of war and tempest and commotion might not be permitted to break forth until the seal of God has been placed in the foreheads of His people. God has charge of His work down here. We find some going around trying to undermine the foundations of God's work. They get in the dark themselves, and think everybody else is in the dark. They think they have a message, and they are trying to overthrow the work of God; and they do deceive some souls. Apostates always do. There is no doctrine so preposterous but somebody will believe it. But the work of God cannot be overthrown. Angels are commissioned to hold in check the great empires of the world, and keep them in subjection, until God's work is done. It is a great thing to be identified with such a movement.690 This sealing work is your hope and mine. If we miss that, we miss everything, all is lost. We may have accumulated money, we may have gone up the scale of fame and honor; but if we are found at last without the seal of God in our foreheads, everything is lost. Let us now settle this question forever. Come what will, whatever temptation, whatever trial, let us be determined to be found at last with the seal of God in our foreheads. I call attention briefly to the reward that awaits those who are sealed. It is a wonderful reward. After speaking of the innumerable company, which no man can number, that will be redeemed from all nations, the prophet seems to see another company, standing as it were by themselves; and the question is asked, "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" The answer is, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." They are a distinct company, and will be in His temple day and night. We are told in "Early Writings," that the only people who will be in the temple are the one hundred and forty-four thousand. What company is he looking at, then? — The one hundred and forty-four thousand, as those who are sealed. They will be a distinct company through all eternity. In the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, the sentence of death goes forth against God's people, and they are compelled to choose between the wrath of God and the wrath of men. If true to God, they suffer the wrath of the beast and his image; if untrue to God, they will suffer His wrath. But God never forsakes His people in an extremity. The very next thing the revelator saw, was the Lamb on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having their Father's name in their foreheads. Those, then, who were sealed with the seal of God, will have God's name in their foreheads, and stand with Christ on Mount Zion. Dear friends, I want to stand there on Mount Zion. They sing a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts and the elders; and no man can learn that song but the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are redeemed from the earth. Through all the ages to come, they will sing a new song, a song that has never been sung in heaven, a song that angels have not sung, a song that the inhabitants of no unfallen world have ever sung. It will be the song of their deliverance and victory. A wonderful privilege it will be indeed, to sing this song — not for a day or a week, but for all ages to come. SUNG ALL THROUGH THE UNIVERSE
And where will they sing it? "These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth." Wherever Christ goes, through all eternity, visiting every world, visiting the unfallen planets, the one hundred and forty-four thousand will go with Him. Do you not think it will take a long time to get around? You look up into the heavens and see the stars. Go down into the southern hemisphere, where these stars are lost to sight, and others come to view. Turn the telescope, and there are suns that glimmer afar off. And when you are redeemed, sealed with the seal of God, you are to go with Christ wherever He goes, through all eternity, to sing that song of victory on every planet. It will pay to take that trip. WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SEALED
I want to call special attention to what it means to us personally to be sealed. There is an experience that we must enter into, a practical experience, a personal consecration that is required. There is no question but that the seal of God's law is the Sabbath; and this sealing message brings to view the Sabbath of God, and is restoring to His law the great seal of that perfect document. But there is a personal experience that comes with the seal. What will it mean to me personally? What kind of personal experience must I have, in order to be sealed? That is the great question that faces us. That is what I wish to emphasize. A seal indicates several things. I will read two texts that will get the point before us: "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." Eph. 1: 13. Here we are told that the believer is sealed with the Spirit of God. That is, the Spirit is the instrument through which the work is done. There must be an instrument to put a seal on anything. The Holy Spirit will never seal sin — never. Ephesus was a seaport, and merchants came there to buy timber. Every firm had a seal, or mark, and they marked the timber purchased; and when timber was found with that mark upon it, it belonged to that company. The seal of God indicates that we belong to God. It indicates ownership. The Lord never can seal a person who is not surrendered to Him; because when He puts His seal on us, we belong to Him. We are His property, not our own. We are bought with a price; and God having purchased us and sealed us, we are His. We must recognize this in our lives. If I belong to the Lord, I have no right to do as I please. I must do what He wants me to do, for I belong to Him. And I belong to Him seven days in the week. I was once in Jamestown, New York, and the local paper stated that the "seven-day" Adventists were holding a meeting in the city. I thought a great deal of that. "Seven-day" Adventists — that is the kind we must be. We must recognize that the Lord owns us all the time, on the street, in the home, everywhere; and the Lord cannot put His seal on a man who is not thus surrendered. This means full consecration. It means giving up this world, and giving ourselves unreservedly, completely to God, casting ourselves into His hands forever. This is what it means to be sealed, and the Spirit of God cannot seal any others. Another text, 2 Tim. 2: 19: "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." Here is a seal: "The Lord knoweth them that are His." It is like a coin, one side of which says the Lord knows them that are His. That is ownership. The other side, "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." That is holiness. OWNERSHIP AND A CLEAN HEART
The seal of God carries with it two things — ownership, and a clean heart, or holiness to God. We do not want to be afraid to talk about holiness. God says that without holiness "no man shall see the Lord." And the seal of God means holiness, a clean heart, a departure from all iniquity. It is not merely giving up something. It comes down and digs up the keepsake sins, and we must surrender them all. Here is a familiar prophecy: "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." Ezek. 9: 2-5. The sealing work is here brought to view. They are sealed in their foreheads. "Mark" and "seal" are synonyms. Who are sealed? Who will be marked and saved? That is the great question. This text tells us. We can come to a pretty good conclusion, I think, as to whether we are in a condition to be sealed or not. God does not say that He will seal those who profess to keep the Sabbath. He does not say, "I will seal those who are claiming to look for the Lord to come." He does not say, "I will seal those who are out laboring." He does not say, "I will seal those who pay tithe." He does not take any exterior thing. He says to the man with the inkhorn by his side, Put a seal on those who are sighing and mourning over sin. You know what it is to sigh. You see people who have a terrible sorrow — some burden upon their hearts. You hear them sigh. You hear them moan. You see an expression on their faces that indicates they are carrying a tremendous sorrow. The command is, Seal those who sigh and cry, who weep and moan, over their sins, over the abominations that are done in the land; not those who mix up with it, who are running after the follies of the earth, but those who sigh and cry and mourn and feel sad about these things. WHAT IF THE SEALERS FILED IN?
I wonder how many of us are doing this. Suppose that just now, as we are sitting here, those six persons should file in, three up one aisle, and three up the other, and line up right here in front; and to the one dressed in white linen, with an inkhorn hanging by his side, we hear God speak, bidding him go through the congregation, and mark every person that is sighing and crying about sin. He would begin, perhaps, with me. It would be an anxious moment for each of us, to know whether he was going to mark us or not. He would say to this brother and that, "I have come to settle your eternal destiny." He would come to the choir. It would not be a fine voice that would be of value then; it would be a clean heart. What do you suppose we would all be thinking about? Is there anything we would have3 (Continued from page 2)
different from what it is now? As he would come to the seat where you are sitting, is there anything you would like to change? There would not be much time to change. He would dip his brush, and mark those who were ready. I have an idea there would be the greatest prayer meeting that has ever been held in this church. We would not be thinking about the brethren, how they do; but we would be thinking more about how we have dealt with the brethren. We would not be glad we had been to some questionable place, and slipped in without letting anybody see us. No; that one with the inkhorn would know where we had been. He would know all about us. He does know. It would not be a question, then, of how great sinners we were, but a question of whether we were sinners at all or not. Take the church members, the half-hearted, half converted, the critic, faultfinding class. Oh, such would never be marked! The angel would pass them by, and he would never return to give them another chance. No; he would pass on forever. Oh, what a solemn time it would be, would it not? It would be an awful hour. It would not matter then whether I were dressed in the latest fashion or not. The neglect of prayer and Bible study is what would worry us. If we had been robbing God in tithe, how we would wish that we had not done so! If we had a chance then, we would give the money to the treasurer. Do you suppose the man with the inkhorn ever marks a tithe robber for heaven? Ah, no! He would know whether we were hanging onto sin or not. He would know whether we had a clean life or not, whether we were doing things to disgrace ourselves and the church of God, wouldn't he? He would know all about it. You know, and so do I, that this work is now going on. While we cannot see the angel, we know that this work is going forward in the heavenly sanctuary. I tell you, it is time to get right with God. We can deceive one another, but we cannot deceive the angel. He will find the things in the heart; and if there is sin there, we should expel it before sunrise. There are some things more important than going to bed and going to sleep. Some of us ought not to do any sleeping until we have things cleaned up. There are people coming into the church who are not really converted. There is a text I have been impressed with of late — 1 John 3: 9: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." Does a man who is born of God commit sin? The text says No. That is a good thing by which to test ourselves, to see whether we have the new birth or not. Perhaps we give up some sins, and yet cling to others — do not quite pay our grocery bill, or coal bill, or tell the exact truth. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." That is in the Bible. That is just as plain as that the seventh day is the Sabbath, is it not? And if a man is going on as a slave to sin, whether it is his temper or anything else, there is something the matter with his spiritual birth. Whether we are preaching, or what we are doing, makes no difference. That is not the question. The point is, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." And here are some similar statements: "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him." 1 John 3: 6.
"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." 1 John 5: 18.
"Whosoever is born of God sinneth not." Here is a man born of God. What does he do? — Why, he stops sinning. The thing that God reveals as wrong, he quits, and he never consents to that thing again, for he is born of God. Many of us need to be born again. There is no use of disguising the fact. We have never had a new birth. We have never had the heavenly breath of the Holy Spirit. And when the angel comes to place his mark on us, he will know the truth. A converted person "cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3: 9. That is what God says. "He cannot sin." How is this? You remember the parable of a man who went late to a friend to get some bread. The friend said, "I cannot rise." Luke 11: 7. But he did. He cannot, and yet he can. If I should go to a brother and say, "I have the combination here to a safe, and at twelve o'clock to-night you come with me and we will help ourselves," he would say, "I cannot go." "Why?" — "Because I am born of God." That is the way it is with every other sin. Whether it is bad temper, or some unclean habit, or envy, or a grudge in the heart, we cannot cherish it, because we are born of God. May God help us all to be born again. The searching Judgment work is going on, and for us to deceive ourselves is folly. We want to be ready and be sealed. Suppose I have given up my home. Suppose I have given large sums to the cause of God, yet down in my heart I have been carrying around some sin. That is the sin that is going to condemn me. Possibly I did not love everybody — went around with hatred in my heart; or I criticized my brethren. Then I will be lost as surely as the Bible is true. There is no salvation after the angel has passed us with that inkhorn. I will be missed if I am cherishing known sin. There ought to be a great sighing and crying about sin. Some in our families are unsaved. What we are doing about it? There are parents whose children are unsaved. I know that many of them carry a burden, but many times we do not carry the burden we ought. There is another text I like to put with this always. It is an experience of Paul. "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." 1 Cor. 9: 26, 27.692 Paul says, "I keep under my body," "bring it into subjection." Why? — "Lest . . . when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." That would be a sad thing. I try to think about how it would be. Suppose that I should bring a hundred or ten thousand persons to Christ, and then I should be lost. These souls in the new earth would say, "Where is Thompson?" — He is lost. That would be a terrible thing. I thought of Captain Smith, who went down on the Titanic. He was the captain on the Olympic when I last crossed. The old veteran had crossed many times, and safely landed thousands of passengers, and then he went down. It is the same with a life-saving crew, going out to save others, and then themselves finally perishing. We see firemen scale ladders, rescue souls from a fire, and then themselves perish. But the saddest thing will be for a minister to preach to others, and then be lost, to be himself a castaway. The word from which "castaway" is here derived is the Greek word adokimos. That is the word the ancient Greeks used in speaking of the testing of things. That which stood the test was dokimos. If it did not stand the test, it was adokimos. APOSTASY NOT THE GREATEST DANGER
The danger is not that we will apostatize. No; the great danger is that we will not be genuine, that we will only look like a true coin. Paul says, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." In the bank of England, there is a machine for testing coins. They pass over this machine. If a coin is good, it passes all right. But if it is a little light — there is not enough gold in it — or there is a flaw in it, it is adokimos. It appears to be good, but it does not weigh enough, or something is wrong in the making, and it is cast away. Imagine a man passing through the quiet testing machine. He has hatred and revenge in his heart. Adokimos. Here comes another. He comes over the machine with lust, depravity, in his soul. He covered it up, but it was there. Adokimos. Here comes still another. He has been preaching, or is elder of the church, but he has been robbing the Lord. Adokimos. Here comes yet another man. He has a bad temper. He has been crabbed and crusty and snappy around home. He comes over the machine. Adokimos. If something that God has shown to be wrong in a person's life is not given up, he is adokimos. POSITION WILL NOT SAVE US
It does not make any difference whether he is elder of the church, president of the conference, or secretary of the division, or anybody else. The question will be whether or not he was genuine. No hypocrisy will stand the test. This is the great question. Are we what we profess? We look better than we are, I fear. Some counterfeits are so nearly perfect you cannot tell them from the genuine. But the tester in the bank of England can pick out every one of them. So the great tester that God has, will discern the very thoughts and intents of the heart. God knows "every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil," down to the unclean thoughts, the impure habits, the selfishness, the pride, the hatred, and idle words. Imagine the joker, the man who has been a first-class story-teller. He remembers all the latest stories, and light, chaffy talk. He is tested, too. What will become of him? I made up my mind, some time ago, that all that would have to go out of Thompson's life, or I would have to quit preaching. The same is true of you if you are saved. Going around jesting and joking in the presence of the Judgment! This is awful. I was reading, the other day, about a man who went to a meeting with his son, and heard a solemn sermon on the Judgment. Going home, he said, "My boy, remember that sermon." The boy went upstairs, and he did remember it. He was lying there, thinking, when he heard his father laughing downstairs. He said, "Father does not believe it," and he threw it off his mind, and grew up an infidel. Think of this. Some of our laughs and jokes will lead us and others to ruin. We must have the heart right to be saved. A form of godliness will never accomplish it. A man has no real hope while he clings to known sin. If God reveals a sin, we cannot have a hope until we give it up. But we can give it up now. I am glad we can. GRATEFUL FOR THE CLEANSING POWER
I am glad for the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin. I am glad for a Redeemer who is still in the sanctuary, and who declares He ever lives to intercede for us. More than once, when He was on earth, He prayed all night; and He prays for us still. I am glad we have a Redeemer like that, interceding for those who are lost — interceding for you and me. We are near the close of the world's history. Only a little while longer, and it will end; and I personally feel that I shall be glad of it. There is not much here for a man to tie to. Things look wonderfully uncertain. I am glad there is something a man can anchor to; that there is something he can lay hold of by faith; that there is a real substance. Christ will stay with us. Christ died for us. He will give us salvation. But we will have to give Him our sins. We will have to quit the things that are wrong. I am glad there is power enough in Jesus Christ to give a man victory over sin. If there is not, then there is no hope. He "spoiled principalities and powers," making "a show of them openly, triumphing over them." We have a Captain who conquered.