The Sealing of the Living Saints

Who are the Living Saints?

• Revelation 7:1-4. "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. 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 14:1, 4, 5: "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads…These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."

• They are the 144,000 first fruits.

• They are not defiled with women, a figure used in the Bible to represent church (See Jeremiah 6:2, Great Controversy 381.1). Thus, being in the church at the time of the sealing, the 144,000 are not defiled with heathen worship.

• They have "no guile" in their mouths.

• They stand with the Lamb on Mount Sion and follow Him wherever He goes.

• They have the "Father's name written in their foreheads."

• They are sealed from "all the tribes of the children of Israel." That is, the Israel of God just prior to the blowing of the four winds. "The Israel of today" or "Modern Israel." See Testimonies for the Church Vol. 9, 164.1 and Vol. 5, 93.3.

• Being followers of the Lamb (Rev. 14:4) and sons of Jacob (Rev. 7:4), they are Christian Israelites.

When are they sealed?

• The time of their sealing is while four symbolic winds are being held by four angels. These winds depict the nations scattered to the four corners of the earth. They are against the saints.

• The sealing angel from the east cries to four other angels to refrain from hurting the earth, sea and trees until the 144,000 are sealed. This hurting is to be done against the wicked.

• Therefore, God is restraining both the blowing of the winds and the hurting of the wicked until the 144,000 are sealed.

• The number four, point to some world-wide event that would obstruct the sealing of the saints if the winds were not held. This global event could only be the "time of trouble such as never was" Daniel 12:1, caused by the mark of the beast system, Revelation 13:14-17.

• Speaking of this event, Testimonies for the Church volume 5, page 152.2 says the winds "are held by the four angels. We are not just ready. There is a work yet to be done, and then the angels will be bidden to let go, that the four winds may blow upon the earth. That will be a decisive time for God's children, a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. Now is our opportunity to work."

• Therefore, the 144,000 are sealed before the mark of the beast which brings the time of trouble such as never was.

Is the number 144,000 a literal number and will any of them die?

• In Revelation 7:4, John heard the number and mentioned its literal composition in verses 5-8, 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel. Verse 9 mentions an unnumbered company, showing definitely that the 144,000 is a literal number.

• Early Writings 14.1 says they are "the living saints, 144,000 in number." Page 16.1 of the same book says they will be alive at Christ's second coming and will recognize their resurrected "friends who had been torn from them by death."

• Great Controversy page 648.3 says they will be "translated from the earth, from among the living."

• Thus, we are encouraged to "strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand." Review and Herald, March 9, 1905, par. 4.

What must we do to receive the seal and what will happen to those who fail to receive it?

• 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 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. 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, 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."

• Here we see six men or angels (angels are sometimes called men, see Daniel 9: 21, Desire of Ages 99) came from the "higher gate which lieth toward the north," representing heaven, where God's throne is located. See Psalm 48:1; Isaiah 14:13.

• Those who sigh and cry for the sins in the church (Jerusalem) are sealed or marked by the marking angel.

• Those who do not receive the seal are slain by the other five angels, who begin their destruction with the ancient men (leaders) in the church.

• God is not to have pity because the sins in the church are "exceeding great" and the leaders and members are saying that "the Lord …seeth not."

• The marking described by Ezekiel and the sealing revealed in Revelation 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 (Ezekiel 9:4-6), and the angels in the latter hurting all who have not the seal (Revelation 7:2, 3; 9:15). Thus, we are told in Testimonies to Ministers page 445.2, "This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision. John also had been a witness of this most startling revelation."

• We are further admonished to "Study the 9th chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled" Manuscript Releases Volume 1, page 260.1

How is the duty to rebuke sin illustrated in Ezekiel 9?

• In Testimonies for the Church Volume 3, pages 266, 267, we read: "The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character. They will always be on the side of faithful and plain dealing with sins which easily beset the people of God. Especially in the closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply the wrongs of God's professed people. This is forcibly set forth by the prophet's illustration of the last work under the figure of the men each having a slaughter weapon in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen, with a 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." 3T 266.2

• "Who are standing in the counsel of God at this time? Is it those who virtually excuse wrongs among the professed people of God and who murmur in their hearts, if not openly, against those who would reprove sin? Is it those who take their stand against them and sympathize with those who commit wrong? No, indeed! Unless they repent, and leave the work of Satan in oppressing those who have the burden of the work and in holding up the hands of sinners in Zion, they will never receive the mark of God's sealing approval. They will fall in the general destruction of the wicked, represented by the work of the five men bearing slaughter weapons. Mark this point with care: Those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by a mark by the man in linen, are those "that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done" in the church. Their love for purity and the honor and glory of God is such, and they have so clear a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that they are represented as being in agony, even sighing and crying. Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel." 3T 267.1

• Here we see that the true people of God who recognize sin and separate from it are the 144,000.

• The closing work for the church is in the time when the 144,000 are being sealed.

• Those who receive the pure mark of truth, are those "that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done" in the church. We are admonished to "read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel."

• Note that the term "general destruction of the wicked" in the church should not be confused with the general destruction of the wicked at the close of probation for the world. The same term is used in Great Controversy page 25.4 in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Who are those that will be left without the seal of God?

• In Testimonies for the Church Volume 5 page 211 we read: "The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands: "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." 5T 211.1

• "Here we see that the church--the Lord's sanctuary--was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God's power as in former days. Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus "Peace and safety" is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God's people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together." 5T 211.2

• Note that those who do not mourn over their own sins (sigh) or the sins of others (cry) will not receive the seal.

• The church is the first to be struck.

• Our leaders (the ancient men) betrayed their trust by not warning the members of the coming judgment.

• They do not believe God will bring judgment on His people. They think God is too merciful.

• Because of their unfaithfulness, they will never preach again.

• They are likened to 'dumb dogs', a symbol used in Isaiah 56:10 to describe ministers who fail to warn the members of danger.

What event is a type of Ezekiel 9?

• In Testimonies for the Church Volume 5, page 505 we read: "When God was about to smite the first-born of Egypt, He commanded the Israelites to gather their children from among the Egyptians into their own dwellings and strike their door posts with blood, that the destroying angel might see it and pass over their homes. It was the work of parents to gather in their children. This is your work, this is my work, and the work of every mother who believes the truth. 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." 5T 505.2

• Here we see that the Passover night in Egypt, when the destroying angel slaughtered all who failed to place the blood upon their doorpost is a type of Ezekiel 9.

How are the sealed and the unsealed represented in the parable?

• Matthew 13: 30, 40-43: "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn…As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Matthew 13:30, 40-43

• They are represented as wheat and tares. Obviously, the 144,000 are called the first fruits because they are the class of saints (wheat) first to be separated from the tares. This indicates also that there is at least a second fruits.

Who are the second fruits?

• Revelation 7:9-14: "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;" Revelation And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

• The second fruits are the unnumbered company of saints that John saw after the sealing of the first fruits, the 144,000. They "came out of great tribulation" Rev. 7:14, and are sealed from the world and evangelized by the 144,000 while the winds are blowing, while the mark of the beast system is in effect.

Are not the great multitude the dead of all ages?

• No, they are not. They are sealed while the judgment is in progress as indicated by the presence of the beasts and the elders in the sanctuary - Revelation 7:11.

• They lived and endured the great tribulation of the last days - Revelation 7:14.

• They are sealed as we draw near to the coming of Christ - Counsel to Parents, Teachers, and Students page 532.1.

• Great Controversy 665.2 lists four classes of the redeemed. The great multitude is mentioned separately from the other three groups which include "the millions of all ages, who were martyred for their faith."

How does Isaiah 66 describe the sealing of the first fruits and the gathering of the second fruits?

• Isaiah 66:15, 16, 19, 20: "For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many…And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD."

• Notice verses 15 and 16 show that the Lord comes to bring judgment upon many of His people. This is not the second coming of Christ, for verse 16 says that He "pleads". There is no pleading at the second coming. "The probation of all closes when the pleading for sinners is ended, and the garments of vengeance are put on." Testimonies Volume 2, page 691.1.

• Verse 19 clearly shows that some escape the judgment and are sent as missionaries to preach the gospel worldwide. This again shows that this is not the Second Advent, as no one will escape to preach the gospel then.

• Therefore, the judgment of verse 15 must be the same as the slaughter of Ezekiel 9, and those who are marked or sealed must be the 144,000 who escape and go out to preach the gospel, calling the Great Multitude out of Babylon, Revelation 18:1, 4

What will be the response when the loud cry is preached?

• Isaiah 2:2, 3: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

• Early Writings page 33.2. "I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully…"

• Testimonies for the Church Volume 9, page 28, paragraph 4: "I saw jets of light shining from cities and villages, and from the high places and the low places of the earth. God's word was obeyed, and as a result there were memorials for Him in every city and village. His truth was proclaimed throughout the world."

• Many nations will respond positively when the Loud Cry is preached.

Will God's people receive the mark of the beast?

• Great Controversy page 450, paragraph 1: "Although church and State will unite their power to compel "all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond," to receive "the mark of the beast," [Revelation 13:16.] yet the people of God will not receive it. The prophet of Patmos beholds "them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God," and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. [Revelation 15:2, 3.]" GC 450.1

• Great Controversy page 648 paragraph 3: "Upon the crystal sea before the throne, that sea of glass as it were mingled with fire,—so resplendent is it with the glory of God,—are gathered the company that have "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name." With the Lamb upon Mount Zion, "having the harps of God," they stand, the hundred and forty and four thousand that were redeemed from among men…" GC 648.3

• Prophets and Kings, page 188 paragraph 2: "In heathen Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe and of South America, in China, in India, in the islands of the sea, and in all the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve a firmament of chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst the darkness, revealing clearly to an apostate world the transforming power of obedience to His law. Even now they are appearing in every nation, among every tongue and people; and in the hour of deepest apostasy, when Satan's supreme effort is made to cause "all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond," to receive, under penalty of death, the sign of allegiance to a false rest day, these faithful ones, "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke," will "shine as lights in the world." Revelation 13:16; Philippians 2:15. The darker the night, the more brilliantly will they shine."

• Here we see that the people of God will not receive the mark of the beast.

How many sealing reports will the sealing angel give?

• To reiterate, there are two fruits, first and second fruits or two groups of saints sealed in the end time, just prior to the second advent of Christ. Correspondingly, there are two sealing reports given by the sealing angel. The first report is given after the sealing of 144,000, while the Lord was on the threshold of the house. See Ezekiel 9:3, 11 and Ezekiel 10:2, 19. The second report is given after he seals the great multitude while the Lord was in the sanctuary in heaven. See Early Writings 279.2, 280.2.

Which two saints in the Bible typify the 144,000 and the great multitude?

• There are two saints in the Bible that typified the first and second fruits saints. Elijah, an Israelite, who wore a mantle and was translated (1Kings 17:1, 2Kings 2:8, 11, and Prophets and kings 227.2), is a type of the 144,000 Israelites who were seen with "a glorious white mantle" and will be translated (Early Writings 16.2, Great controversy 648.3). Enoch, a non-Israelite, was seen with "a glorious palm and was translated (Early Writings 39.3, Patriarch and Prophets, page 88.3), is a type of the great multitude none-Israelites who carried palms and will translated (Revelation 7:9, Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students 532.1).