New Moon Meeting: June 2006, 3:00 EST
The Spirit Seal

Zahakiel: Okay. Luke, please open the meeting with a prayer, then :)

Qinael: Our most holy and almighty Father,

We give praise and thanks to your name, for we know that all things that come to us are from your providential hand. We know that you have all within your sight and power, and that you are with us, always. We thank you for this New Moon day, in which your saints may come together for the edification of the body.

We know that this time is important, as we have ever before us more evidence that time is drawing to a close, and we thank you for this provision, this day we may set aside for coming closer to both you, and to each other.

We ask now that your Spirit attend to this meeting and all present, that a great blessing may be received by all hearts who seek you. In the name of Yahshua we pray and give thanks, knowing you have heard us, Amen.

Barb: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Zahakiel: Amen.

Dave: Amen.

Naraiel: Amen.

Pastor “Chick”: Amen.

Kevin: Amen.

Crystle: Amen.

Zahakiel: This month’s study is, in a very special way, a follow-up to our last topic, “The Blood Seal.” Though it may appear (on the surface) to be about a relatively unrelated topic, we will discover that the three articles about the Seals (next month we will talk about The Water Seal) are actually yet another way of describing the Three Angels’ Message of Revelation 14.

To very briefly summarize the first two of the three angels, as we have done several times in the past, the first calls us to “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Rev 14:7) As we point out from a number of Scriptures, the “dead” cannot worship the Almighty (Psa 115:17, Isa 28:18, 19) therefore in order to obey the first Angel, one must be alive, not “dead in trespasses and sins.” (Eph 2:1)

In addition, when the angel writes that we are to “worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters,” what other part of the Bible does that sound like?

Qinael: The Fourth Commandment.

Zahakiel: Right :) It sounds like the wording of the fourth commandment. This reads, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh thy Elohim. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exo 20:8-11)

The wording is almost identical, and that should not be a surprise. Many people run into problems trying to study the book of Revelation, because they do not understand that most of it is taken from earlier parts of the Bible, either paraphrased or directly quoted. Revelation is an invitation to look back over the Scriptures as a whole, and I can tell you plainly, if there is a part of Revelation you do not understand, at least in principle, it means you missed something from one or more of the earlier 65 books.

So now, the message of the First Angel, in essence, tells us that we must:

a) be alive, and

b) be Sabbathkeepers.

Zahakiel: This is nothing but another way of explaining the Victory message. If we are not dead in trespasses and sins, we are alive through the sacrifice of the Messiah, for “in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1Cor 15:22) If we are not committing the works of the flesh (sin), we are resting in the Sabbath of the Almighty. (Hebrews 4) Life and Rest are the two constituent elements of the Victory message.

Now the Second Gospel Angel has the briefest message of the three: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev 14:8)

Now, let’s see how many people were paying attention in our previous New Moon studies :) What were the three stages of salvation?

Naraiel: Justification.

Zahakiel: That is one, yes :)

Crystle: Sanctification.

Naraiel: Sanctification and Glorification.

Zahakiel: That’s the second. And third, right :)

Justification, Sanctification and Glorification – when we accept the victory message (under the First Angel) which of these takes place?

Naraiel: Justification.

Crystle: Justification.

Zahakiel: Yes. And how quickly does it happen?

Kevin: Instant.

Crystle: Instantly.

Naraiel: Immediately.

Peter: Right away.

Zahakiel: Very good, and very important :)

But now Sanctification is a process, not an event. In order to continue in justification, in order to progress in sanctification, the Bible tells us that something specific needs to happen. Solomon recounted the history of Israel, including this statement to Yah in prayer, “For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, Adonai Yahweh.” (1Kings 8:53)

Again, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living Elohim; as God hath said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith Yahweh, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,’ saith Yahweh Almighty.” (2Cor 6:14-18)

Say when you have read that passage.

Pastor “Chick”: Finished.

Qinael: Finished.

Naraiel: Finished.

Barb: Done.

Crystle: Done.

Dave: Done.

Guerline: Done.

Kevin: Done.

Zahakiel: Now some have said, “But how do we minister to people if we are to separate from them in order to be sanctified?” Well, they have not understood Paul’s instructions properly. We note that Paul does not say, “What part hath he that believeth with worldlings,” he says, “with an infidel.”

The word there means (in both English and Greek) one who is without faith. Most worldlings have faith in something, and some are willing to learn. Paul clarifies this concept in another epistle, where he writes, “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators, yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” (1Cor 5:9-11)

Of course, there is danger to be had in familiarity with the world, and so Paul says not “altogether” separate from the sinners; in other words, our association with them must be for the purpose of helping them, not being pulled downward; but the point here is that the “infidel” of 2Corinthians are those who are opposed to true faith. They may even be called a “brother” as they oppose that true faith.

Zahakiel: You will never find someone so opposed to true faith as he who espouses an alternate faith. By that I mean people in the world don’t generally care enough about religion to argue with you too vigorously. The religious teachers of Christ’s day, who had the respect of many in the population, were the most dangerous of Yahshua’s detractors, and this is the reason He said on more than one occasion, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Mat 16:6)

Of course, some of us have encountered militant atheists, but that is an “alternate faith.” It is not so much that the atheist does not believe in God, but that he DOES believe in an absence of God. If you don’t understand the distinction, try talking to one some time :) They very much “believe” in their position.

And further, often it seems that those who are closest to your faith without having all of it will be the most opposed to the full truth. That is where the name-calling starts flying (primarily from the unsanctified of the debaters). Truly the words of the prophet are verified, when he writes, “a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.” (Micah 7:6b)

For the people of Yah to “sanctify” themselves, they have always had to be “apart” from unclean things, whether it be unclean foods, ungodly practices, false teachings, false teachers etc. The word sanctified, in fact, means, “to set aside for holy use.” When it is written that, “Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,” (Gen 2:3a) it is saying that He set it aside from the other six “regular” days, and made it holy unto Himself.

The First Angel dealt with Justification. The Second Angel deals with Sanctification. To expand on that table we saw a couple months ago, here is an update:

Zahakiel: Let me know when you’ve had a look, and if you have any questions on it, or anything that has come so far this month.

Pastor “Chick”: OK.

Barb: Done.

Naraiel: Done.

Guerline: Done.

Kevin: Ok.

Crystle: Okay.

Dave: Done.

Guerline: What does the water stand for?

Crystle: Yes: )

Zahakiel: That’s a good, and obvious question: “What does the Water Seal have to do with Glorification?” We’ll cover that one next time in July :)

Guerline: Ok.

Zahakiel: Any other questions than that so far?

Qinael: Is there a relation to 1 John 5:8 in this?

Zahakiel: Yes, and we will flesh that out a little more as we continue, and look at its implications in the later study.

Qinael: <nods.> Okay.

Zahakiel: Our focus this month is this: The Second Angel facilitates our sanctification by explaining to us, very briefly and powerfully, that the false, confused systems of the world (i.e., Babylon) are fallen, or past the point of redemption. When the Fourth Angel comes along and re-states this startling declaration, it is immediately followed by the Voice from Heaven.

The passage that clarifies that reads, and say when you are finished, “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.’ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’” (Rev 18:1-4)

Qinael: Finished.

Pastor “Chick”: Finished.

Barb: Finished.

Crystle: Okay.

Naraiel: Done.

Dave: Done.

Kevin: Ok.

Guerline: Done.

Zahakiel: The instruction given to those in a “fallen” body are just that which was given by Christ and by Paul: Beware their leaven, come out from among them, be ye separate. This is how we become sanctified, by being set apart from the profane and worldly for sacred use. That is the meaning that the very word conveys.

But how would we know if we were in Babylon? How can we be SURE our system is “fallen,” that we must come out and seek the Remnant? In order to do this, we must break the Spirit Seal.

As I said at the beginning, it may seem on the surface that the Blood Seal and the Spirit Seal are different things. In a sense they are. We must “receive” the Seals of Blood and Water, but we must “break” or go beyond, the Seal of the Spirit. The Bible tells us this, linking the three, but making the Spirit a somewhat separate thing, in verses such as this: “This is He that came by water and blood, even Yahshua the Messiah; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” (1John 5:6)

Of course, all three bear witness, as Qinael mentioned earlier, (1John 5:8) but we must know what they are before we can use these witnesses effectively in our own lives.

Qinael: So that would be why water and blood poured out of His side when it was pierced? The Spirit seal was the one that wasn’t ‘given freely’ in a sense at His death.

Zahakiel: That is an interesting point. I think there is something to that, yes.

We have seen that the Blood Seal is the “sealing” of Revelation 7 and Ezekiel 9. It is that which gives us the down-payment (earnest, in the Bible) of the Inheritance, and prepares us to walk the Highway of Holiness toward Heaven. We must now use the Bible to show us what the Spirit Seal is in the same way.

We read of a “seal” in several places that is not of Blood or of Water:

“Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon Yahweh, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him.” (Isaiah 8:16, 17)

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Dan 12:4)

A dramatic example, but a long one, so let me know when you are finished with this most relevant passage:

“And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the Throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?’ And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

“And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, ‘Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.’

“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the Throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the Throne.

“And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, ‘Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:1-10)

Pastor “Chick”: Finished.

Qinael: Finished.

Barb: Finished.

Naraiel: Done.

Crystle: Finished.

Dave: Done.

Guerline: Done.

Zahakiel: Now, we know the seals placed on these books are not of water, for it has nothing to do with a symbolic burial – and we’ll discuss that in detail in our next meeting. We know the seals there are not of blood, for it is by the Lamb’s blood that He is worthy to open these seals. They are Spiritual Seals, existing in a spiritual Kingdom and binding a spiritual book. Does everyone see this?

Qinael: <nods.>

Crystle: Yes.

Naraiel: Yes.

Guerline: Yes.

Dave: Yes.

Zahakiel: And one more example: “And [the angel] saith unto me, ‘Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.’” (Rev 22:10)

We are invited to read, hear, and keep the things written in the book of Revelation (Rev 1:3) and, if you remember what I said earlier, to read, hear and keep the things written in Revelation, we need to not only look at that unsealed book, but we must understand the things that have been “sealed up” in previous books, until such at time as this when knowledge has increased.

We are invited to go beyond the Spirit Seal placed upon books such as Isaiah, Daniel, Genesis, and all the others. This involves things like principles, laws, prophecy, etc.

We, as Adventists, have doctrines that are relatively unique in the Christian world: the seventh day Sabbath, the state of the dead, the Sanctuary, and the Investigative Judgment. CSDAs have some “very” unique doctrines, such as the sacredness of the New Moons for Christians, the Agape feast, the Judgment of the Living, and the continued protest of ALL Church/state unions such as the SDA Corporation’s Trademark Law.

And how did we arrive at these doctrines? What would you say the underlying reason is?

Dave: The Spirit of Yah

Naraiel: From the revealed principles that are in the Bible.

Guerline: Study and revelation.

Zahakiel: All different answers... but all good and true ones :)

I would say what ties all those together is this: We never stopped reforming.

Because of the Spirit of Yah, we have been shown the principles in the Bible, and through study and revelation, we have grasped them and found out how to apply them to our lives. But this is because we have not stopped reforming. We did not remain contentedly at Sundaykeeping Protestantism, or Conference Adventism. There was more, and because we were not hardened, we kept walking.

We never stopped looking beyond the Spirit Seals placed upon the books of the Bible.

Naraiel: But reformations always happen when people find themselves out of confusion, or corrupted religious systems.

Zahakiel: Right, that is a good point. Reform of a fallen body does not consist of fixing it from within. It consists of following the Shepherd to the place of safety, and then seeking to help others to find the flock. And the way we know a body is “fallen” is also by means of the Spirit Seal, by identifying the voice of that Second Angel.

The Bible is not just a “religious” book, it is a historical document that tells us what really happened between Yahweh and men, and as I was explaining to someone else recently, this verse has a very special meaning: “The thing that hath been it is that which shall be, and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecc 1:9)

Crystle: Amen.

Zahakiel: You will never find a doctrine developed, revealed, or held in this Church in these last days that does not depend upon a principle established in the Bible, specifically, established in the Law of Moses, and perhaps more specifically found in the Book of Genesis in one form or another. Modern Christianity says, “We are free from Moses, we have Grace.” But where do you find the word Grace defined, and employed to men? Where does the principle come from? It comes from the Old Testament, for “Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahweh,” (Gen 6:8) and this is why he survived the Flood. And Christ tells us that if we do not understand that, we will not understand how to survive the Fire Deluge, for “as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26)

We have to know how to break the Spirit Seal. We have to know how to identify Babylon, so that we may be separate from it, and thus walk in Sanctification toward the Inheritance Yahshua has purchased for us at infinite cost.

If we have developed our “distinct” doctrines as CSDAs by understanding the principles of the Canonical books, then these are effective means by which to identify Babylon. In other words, the Second Angel, while telling us to avoid Babylon in order to be sanctified, is really telling us that we have to know what Babylon is. That only makes sense. The message, “Babylon is fallen,” means exactly nothing if we do not know what Babylon is, or what it means to “fall.” The only way we can do that is by knowing the truth, and that means “knowledge” must increase (Dan 12:4) so that the Seals can be broken.

Zahakiel: Are there any questions about this?

Guerline: No, following.

Naraiel: Babylon is sin. A quote from sister White says that when people commit sin their consciences become blurred and confused.

[Note: One such quote is this: “Man’s conscience has become hardened by sin, and his understanding darkened by transgression, and his judgment has become confused as to what is sin. He has become benumbed by the influence of iniquity, and it is essential that his conscience be aroused to understand that sin is the transgression of God’s holy law.” – The Signs of the Times, June 20, 1895]

Zahakiel: Sin is a door to the condition of Babylon, yes. And the Seals help us to identify the condition itself. Let me demonstrate with an example or two.

How do we know Adventism is true? We know because we see the prophecies fulfilled in the history of the Church, culminating in the Time of Judgment that began in 1844. We know because we understand the Bible where it speaks about the absolute, unchangeable nature of the Almighty and His Divine Law including the fourth commandment, and thus we know that the Sabbath (Seventh Day) will be an integral part of the faith of those who await the coming of Yahshua (Adventists).

Because we see beyond the Spirit Seal, we can affirm the words of Ellen White, who told us in no uncertain terms that, “No name which we can take will be appropriate but that which accords with our profession and expresses our faith and marks us a peculiar people.” [Testimonies for the Church Volume One, page 223, paragraph 3] It is all connected.

Zahakiel: Likewise, how do we know Creation Seventh Day Adventism is true? It is because we can see beyond the Seals placed upon the book of Revelation, and understand clearly – beyond any hope of controversy – that Yahweh has a unified people that are protesting Church State Unions.

It is because we have found a faith that “kills sin in the heart.” [Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 146]

“But,” some say of that first matter, “Where do you see ‘Church State Unions’ in the Bible?” They are looking at the Seal.

We must be able to break the Spirit Seal (see beyond the symbols) and let the Bible interpret Itself. All of us in this meeting must already know that a Church is a “Woman” in prophecy and a State power is a “Beast,” and then we turn to Scripture and find that “neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto; it is confusion (Babylon).” (Lev 18:23) That is how we know how to obey the Second Angel’s voice, by that which has been placed over the symbolic representations in the Bible and seeing the Word of God for what It is, something that is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Tim 3:16, 17)

If we are using the Bible correctly, developing the right doctrines, finding reproof for errors, and correction where we would err… if we are being properly instructed in righteousness, what does the Scripture say we will be?

Dave: Perfect.

Zahakiel: We will be “perfect” (and we have to be careful with that in English – this word is a unique term for “complete, suitable”) and furnished or equipped for “all good works.” This is what we teach. This is one of the ways we know the CSDA movement is the one raised up by the Almighty.

If you recall from last month, the Blood Seal implies a number of things for the people of Yahweh. One of them is the idea of unity. Those who are Sealed are Sealed as individuals, but according to the Tribes, and into a People. These are three stages, and the foundation for it is the community of saints. There are some who will hear the CSDA message, will understand the call for unity, but will deny it. Now, this may take on a subtle form… they will say, “I am with you brothers in heart,” but they prove that this is not true, because they will always be looking around for another group, another “Tribe” (perhaps) and will either try to fix others to look like us, or fix us to look like others!

We have encountered several people in the past who have tried to do that. Ellen White speaks about both types, and warns those being drawn into the Church to avoid these tendencies with all their beings.

Zahakiel: For those who would always be looking around for “light” in unsanctified Churches and movements (i.e., those not set apart for holy use, not by doctrine nor membership from fallen systems) and then try to bring it into their CSDA experience, we have divine counsel against that:

“When you are all in Christ, there can be no variance. Your brother may not have just the same manners and ways of speech as you have, but God does not require this of him. He may be able to reach a class that you can not reach. The very word which you wish he had not spoken may be the word which will bring conviction to hearts. Christ has made none of you church tinkers.” [Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 7, 1901, paragraph 6]

“Men make the work of advancing the truth tenfold harder than it really is, by seeking to take God’s work out of his hands into their own finite hands. They think that they must be constantly inventing something to make men do things which they suppose these persons ought to do. The time thus spent is all the while making the work more complicated; for the great chief Worker is left out of the question in the care of his own heritage. Men undertake the job of tinkering up the defective character of others, and only succeed in making the defects much worse. They would better leave God to do his own work; for he does not regard them as capable of re-shaping character.” [Special Testimonies to Ministers and Workers No. 3, page 18, paragraph 2]

Qinael: Finished.

Dave: Done.

Pastor “Chick”: Ok.

Naraiel: Done.

Crystle: Done.

Kevin: Ok.

Israfel: Ok.

Guerline: Done.

Barb: Done.

Zahakiel: Now, this is true for both the characters of individuals in the Church, and the character of the Church as a whole, as defined by the things She accepts as true.

Now, we have to be careful here. We are not saying other individuals, even in other movements, do not have wisdom after a sort. We are not saying we are above correction, and we have learned things from other movements who have been stumbling through the streets of Babylon. Yahshua is leading people individually, even if He is not yet IN them by means of His Spirit, and so of course they will not be in total darkness as long as they are sincere. We can learn from that.

This does not mean, however, that those who are not yet settled in our doctrines are safe looking around. We have never forbidden anyone to read documents and studies by other groups, for that is cultic; we only ask that they first receive the Blood Seal that they may be “kept” from the errors that they will doubtless encounter. I think that is a reasonable condition to make, or we would be unworthy under-shepherds of Christ, who has said to us all plainly, “Beware the leaven.”

Now, I mentioned that there are two errors. Others take the alternate route and try to use the light they find in our Church to “fix” other groups as groups, to make them conform to the light we have to bring to the world. On the surface, this may actually seem to be a noble pursuit, but in truth it is no better than the work of the Church tinkers described above.

Zahakiel: We cannot save groups; we are not commissioned to repair organizations. The Scriptures give us our work very plainly, “And He said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’” (Mark 16:15) Of course, Peter preached to a group of Jews, and Paul went out to raise up Churches among gatherings of men, but note what the message invariably (without a single exception) entailed:

“Then Peter said unto them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahshua the Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’” (Acts 2:38)

“‘Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith Yahweh, ‘and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.’” (2Cor 6:17)

The message is always to repent (turn around), be separate, and come into the Body.

Naraiel: As individuals.

Zahakiel: Right. And the reason is simple: the instant we legitimatize some “other” body by recognizing its structure as sanctioned by Heaven when it teaches some other Gospel, some other Jesus, some other understanding of the things Sealed by the Spirit until the appropriate time, we undermine the work Yahshua has given us to do. At that moment we step out from the Second Angel, who does not say, “Let those of Babylon heal themselves,” but “Babylon is fallen.” Those two messages are quite contrary one to another, and cannot be reconciled by any sophistry or diplomacy; the only Biblical remedy is perfect, complete, separation, and because of the breaking of the Spirit Seal, we do have the means, the doctrines, and the insight to be able to identify where and what all the modes of Babylon are.

Yahshua said to His disciples what we must say to those who have been laboring for a false cause, even if their motives and intentions were good, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31) We must not be anti-Catholic, as I have said before; we must be anti-Catholicism, for there is a difference between the people and the deception. We must not be anti-Sundaykeeper, but anti-Sunday Sacredness. We must not be anti-independent ministers, but anti independent-ministries, against the very idea of people laboring in small but disconnected, disjoint groups all trying to “help” the Captain of our Salvation. We must not be anti-Muslim, anti-Pagan, anti-Humanist; these are people, and we are pro-people, for we reflect the mind of the Almighty, who “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1Tim 2:4)

In order to be sanctified ourselves, however, and in order to help others to become sanctified, we have to have a firm and powerful position that “Babylon is fallen.” We have to be able to explain to others what Babylon IS, why their particular group is under Babylon’s domain, and that there is an alternative to confusion – the united and growing Church of Yahshua as identified by the only appropriate “Banner” for these last days: Creation Seventh Day Adventist.

Zahakiel: If our foundation is the Scriptures, there must be no part of that Word that remains Sealed to us. Now, this does not mean that I am saying we know everything about the Scriptures. The Seal placed on the Bible was never permanent, remember, but always for a certain time, and then it would be opened. The knowledge was not meant to be withheld from us; some things ARE to be withheld until the manifestation of the Kingdom, yes, but these are not written: “And I knew such a man, (whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, Yah knoweth) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” (2Cor 12:3, 4)

Those with the spirit of prophecy will sometimes see things that are for them to know for some reason, but would prove only a distraction or a source of unprofitable speculation for the Church in general, and such things are not revealed openly until the appropriate season. But the things that are recorded in the Bible – that is another matter. Just as Yahshua has been opening the Spirit Seals in Heaven, so we have been opening the Spirit Seals on earth. Beginning with our forerunners in the 1800s, Adventists have been going over the Scriptures line upon line, precept upon precept, and the light has been shining ever more brightly on our path.

Because of this, we can speak of even those “unique” doctrines CSDAs hold in terms of the principles underlying (at least nominally) any and every Bible-based group, and thus we have a common ground from which we may evangelize. As we obey the Second Angel, and recognize the fallen state of Babylon; as we withdraw ourselves from these broken systems in order to be fully Christ’s and thus progressive in sanctification, we set an example for others by our words and our deeds, and we invite them to look with us beyond the Bible’s Spiritual Seals, and to see the heart of Yah there, that is calling all men home.

Are there any questions before we close?

[A brief summary of the identification of the Spirit Seals was requested, and that led to the following discussion.]

Pastor “Chick”: Please summarize the “spiritual seals” again briefly.

Zahakiel: Essentially they are the things that are kept from surface-readers by means of parables or symbols. When Christ spoke in parables about the things of the world, those who were unwilling to learn could not see beyond the figures He was employing. Unfortunately, even His disciples did not immediately see, and so He took them aside and explained it to them.

Naraiel: They had ears and they didn’t hear.

Zahakiel: Right. So, we must do likewise with the books of the Bible, and as I was saying above... to understand Revelation properly, we must understand the source from which it draws its symbolism: the other 65 books.

Dave: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and ‘signified’ it by His angel unto His servant John.” (Rev 1:1)

Zahakiel: Yes, that word speaks of signs :)

Pastor “Chick”: The specific seals then, being summarized as?

Zahakiel: Ah, I gave some examples: the investigative judgment, the 7th day Sabbath.

Our distinctive doctrines as SDAs, and then as CSDAs are “distinctive” because they are kept from worldly Christianity. They are plainly there, but in a form that we must arrive at by study, prayer, the Spirit, etc.

Pastor “Chick”: And how does that relate to the “three seals:” Blood, Spirit, and Water?

Zahakiel: We have spoken of Blood last month, and will speak of Water next month. Basically, Blood, Spirit and Water are those things that testify on earth. Blood we saw last month was the “sealing” of Rev 7 and Ezekiel 9 (as indicated earlier), and the breaking the Spirit Seal is understanding the symbolism of the Bible’s books.

Dave: The Blood Represents the Justification.

Crystle: Looking beyond the spiritual seals and learning the principles, etc. is our sanctification, so therefore this is why this seal is the seal of the Spirit, correct?

Naraiel: So the spiritual seals are revelations, reforms, new light, obtained by coming out of Babylon.

Zahakiel: Right. [That is, breaking them leads to reforms, because we have new understanding, and this is for the continuation of our sanctification.]

Dave: The Spirit opens our eyes and ears. That is the sanctification.

Crystle: “And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.” (Isa 32:3)

Qinael: Essentially the Blood seal was a mark that we receive by accepting the blood of Christ, and thus His righteousness – being justified. The Spirit seal is a term for reformation, for sanctification – it means progressing in new light as it is revealed. It needs to be “revealed” because it wasn’t previously seen.

Qinael: And the reason it wasn’t seen is that it was “sealed” with the Spirit Seal. So, Blood = Justification, Spirit = Sanctification.

Pastor “Chick”: That is a nice summary, thanks.

Naraiel: Only the first angel or the seal of blood give us the way to see the meanings of the symbolisms found in the Bible, and help us therefore to open the spiritual seal.

Zahakiel: So the angels must come in their right order.

Naraiel: Yes.

Qinael: <nods.> Right; that’s why the angels have to be taken in order, and why we have to be born before we can see :)

Zahakiel: :)

Zahakiel: Everyone satisfied with this?

Dave: Yes.

Naraiel: :) Yes.

Jen: Thank you.

Crystle: Yes :)

Kevin: Yes.

Guerline: Yes, true.

Barb: Yes.

Zahakiel: It must seem like new light to some, so I would encourage everyone to go over this study and last month’s prayerfully. I will try to have the transcript up as soon as I can.

Igor: Good idea.

Qinael: One announcement... We have a meeting to include all voting members immediately after this one concludes, so please stay available. :)

All Voting Members: Okay.

Zahakiel: All right, pastor, please dismiss this formal meeting with a prayer, and then we will have that other in a separate window. And I will leave this one open in case others have individual questions :)

Pastor “Chick”: Father in Heaven,

Thank you for opening the eyes of the blind and giving wisdom and understanding to the deaf. Thank you for contentment in all situations, and patience to endure unto the end.

As we follow on to “know You,” we praise you for your every gift, every Providence, every situation.

Dismiss us with your love and care, knowing you are faithful having promised.

In YAHshua’s name, amen.

Zahakiel: Amen :)

Barb: Amen.

Qinael: Amen.

Dave: Amen.

Naraiel: Amen.

Jen: Amen. Amen.

Igor: Amen.

Crystle: Amen.

Peter: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Kevin: Amen.