New Moon Meeting: May 2006, 3:10 EST
The Blood Seal

Qinael: Our holy and almighty Father,

We thank you for your consistent blessings to us, both this past week, this past month, and throughout our lives, which themselves are your blessing to us.

We thank you for gathering your faithful children together, and for this medium by which those who are far removed physically may meet mentally and spiritually still.

We ask your presence and blessing upon this meeting, that all will receive what you have for us both to receive and to bring to others as faithful witnesses to your light.

In the name of Yahshua we pray, amen.

Zahakiel: Amen.

Barb: Amen.

Pastor “Chick”: Amen.

Dumah: Amen.

Rita: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Crystle: Amen.

Nader: Amen!

Zahakiel: This month’s study is, in some ways, inspired by an email that I wrote to someone last Sabbath. The issue there was about conversion, but as I modified it to become a New Moon study, I realized that the topic is also about other things: the sealing message, the need for unity, the nature of what we teach regarding this (CSDA) ministry and other ministries. It is, I believe, a most vital topic to examine as we deal with the issues of today’s present truths.

When this New Moon transcript appears on the list of monthly studies, I am giving it the name “The Blood Seal.” When we speak of the Seal of God, (Rev 7:2, 9:4) we often (and correctly) use Ellen White’s writings to identify it, the relevant quote being found here:

“Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads – it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved – just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already.” [Manuscript Releases Volume Ten, page 252]

But now, if our understanding of this matter is going to be perfect before Heaven, we must identify a couple things, including the answers to these questions:

1) What precisely IS The Seal of God?

2) What exactly is “the truth” into which we must settle in order to receive it?

Now some, because of a superficial reading of the Scriptures that deal with this matter, will reply to the first question with, “The Seal of God is the Holy Spirit.” I believe that I have, in a previous teaching, examined that idea somewhat, but I will do so again here, because it is important to understand that the Holy Spirit is not, Itself, the Seal of God, and it is important to know why I have called it the Blood Seal, and not the Spirit Seal (the Spirit Seal is something else, and I will discuss that next month).

Zahakiel: So let us look at those Scriptures that cover this matter:

“Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is Yah, who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest [down payment] of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2Cor 1:21, 22)

“Blessed be the Yah and Father of our Lord Yahshua the Messiah, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ […] that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him […] 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, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:1, 10, 13, 14)

That verse, like the one in Revelation 7, shows the connection between the Seal and the “gathering” of the believers. That is a key element of our teaching here also.

“Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:28-30)

After giving advice in right living, Paul again approaches the topic of the Seal of Yah in Ephesians 4; and now, looking carefully at these three passages, we see that Yahweh has sealed us and given us the Holy Spirit. We see that He has sealed us with the Holy Spirit, and we see that He has sealed us by (that is, through the agency of) the Holy Spirit. So then, if we are sealed and given the Spirit, sealed with the Spirit and sealed by the Spirit, is the Seal the same thing as the Spirit?

Barb: No.

Dumah: No.

Qinael: No; sealed “with” would be the same as sealed “by” given the context.

Guerline: The sealing is a settling into the truth.

Zahakiel: Clearly, it cannot be the same. If the Seal was an object like a stone, and I say to you, “I have given you the seal, and the stone as a down payment” that would be redundant. Now, sometimes the Bible does use a kind of redundancy. For example, when speaking about the tithes and offerings, the Scriptures say to the guilty, “Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” (Mal 3:9)

If you can be cursed with a curse, you can be sealed with a seal :) So if Ephesians 1 were by itself in speaking about this issue, where it reads, “ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” it would be acceptable to read that as saying, “You were sealed with the seal of promise,” the second word being used simply to give more information about what the Seal is.

But Ephesians 1 is not the only passage; we see at least two more, in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians 4, which tell us that the Holy Spirit is the means by which the seal is placed upon us. Furthermore, the angel in Revelation 7 is shown to be carrying the seal, (by that they mean the sealing instrument) for the word “seal” in both English and Greek can mean both the mark itself and the object used to make the mark.

Everyone clear on this so far?

Rita: Yes.

Qinael: Yes.

Barb: Yes.

Guerline: Yes.

Zahakiel: If the Seal is given to us by means of the Holy Spirit, we need to look more closely at what it is that we are given. We find a parallel to Revelation 7 in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 9, which reads:

“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 Almighty 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 Yahweh 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.’” (Ezek 9:2-4)

Say when you’re done.

Qinael: Done.

Pastor “Chick”: OK.

Barb: Done.

Rita: Done.

Nader: :)

Guerline: Done.

Crystle: Finished.

Zahakiel: Ellen White writes about this incident, “What is the seal of the living God, which is placed in the foreheads of His people? It is a mark which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying angel must see this mark of redemption. (Letter 126, 1898). The angel with the writer’s ink horn is to place a mark upon the foreheads of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the destroying angel follows this angel (Letter 12, 1886).” [S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 4, page 1161, Chapter: Ezekiel]

“The angels of God do His bidding, holding back the winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree, until the servants of God should be sealed in their foreheads. The mighty angel is seen ascending from the east (or sunrising). This mightiest of angels has in his hand the seal of the living God, or of Him who alone can give life, who can inscribe upon the foreheads the mark or inscription, to whom shall be granted immortality, eternal life. It is the voice of this highest angel that had authority to command the four angels to keep in check the four winds until this work was performed, and until he should give the summons to let them loose […] 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.” [Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pages 444, 445]

Say when you are finished with these also.

Rita: Done.

Qinael: Finished.

Pastor “Chick”: OK.

Nader: :)

Crystle: Finished.

Barb: Done.

Zahakiel: Now, to briefly deal with a side issue before moving on, some groups under the umbrella of Adventism have misunderstood some of Ellen White’s words regarding Ezekiel 9. Specifically this passage: “Study the ninth chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled; yet the time is passing, and the people are asleep.” [Manuscript Releases Volume Eighteen, page 236]

Now, the ninth chapter of Ezekiel uses words like this, “And to the [destroying angels] He said in mine hearing, ‘Go ye after [the sealing angel] 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.” (Ezek 9:5, 6)

Now, Davidian/Adventist theology holds that since Ellen White used the word “literally,” it means that a war will break out, and any Adventists who do not accept the Shepherd’s Rod (books that Davidians consider inspired) and become Davidians themselves will be physically killed before the return of king David and the rise of Davidians to power over the entire earth before Christ’s return. They believe that they will rule the earth as the 144,000 for a time before the persecution breaks out and the Messiah returns.

This comes about partially because of a misunderstanding of the way Ellen White used the word “literally” in her writings, just as Trinitarianism became accepted largely because of a misunderstanding of how Mrs. White used the term “person” to apply to the Holy Spirit. If you want to know how a word was used 2000 years ago (when the New Testament was written) or 150 years ago (when Manuscript Releases were written) then you have to compare the use of the word in the passage to other ways it is used by the same writer at the same general time.

For example, Ellen White often used the word “literally” to mean “specifically” or “according to every element.” You can prove this beyond question by simply doing the common-sense thing and looking at more of her writings:

“That he might not run uncertainly or at random in the Christian race, Paul subjected himself to severe training. The words, ‘I keep under my body,’ literally mean to beat back by severe discipline the desires, impulses, and passions…” [Conflict and Courage, page 351]

Did Paul literally (as we use the word today) “beat back” his desires?

Rita: No.

Zahakiel: No, the word must be spiritually applied. Through firm and decided effort, Paul overcame his temptations, a process of overcoming that we metaphorically (not literally) refer to as “beating” a habit or a tendency.

“The world is loaded down with the curse which sin brings. It is literally deluged with sin, with violence and corruption, as in the days of Noah.” [In Heavenly Places, page 362]

Is the world literally (as we would use the word today) deluged by sin? No, It is spiritually deluged. It is truly deluged, yes… it is certainly and clearly overwhelmed by a flood of sin; but understanding her words as she intended them does not diminish its force. Men can scarcely breathe (spiritually) because of the sin around them, but they are not literally (as we use the word today) drowning in sin.

Dumah: That’s how I use the word literally too :)

Zahakiel: Right.

“He who rejects the light and evidence God has been literally bestowing upon us, rejects Christ; and for him there is no other Saviour.” [The Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White Letters, page 352]

Now, it is true that God has literally given us light, (Gen 1:3) but that is not what Ellen White was talking about in that passage! She was talking about evidence that has come about through spiritual light, the result of prayer and study.

I can go on with more examples, but I think you see what I mean. Much of the time when Mrs. White used the word “literally” she meant it as we mean it today, but not always; and to build a doctrine upon a single witness (especially in a case like this) is to reject the Biblical basis of forming our conclusions from the Word. (Deu 19:15) We must read for principle, read for meaning, or we are just going to end up merely parroting the words without having our hearts sanctified by the gifts they bring. This is one of the keys to understanding religious texts.

Here is a “bottom line” quote from Ellen White that should settle exactly how she uses the term in her writings:

“With intense interest [William Miller] studied the books of Daniel and the Revelation, employing the same principles of interpretation as in the other scriptures, and found, to his great joy, that the prophetic symbols could be understood. He saw that the prophecies, so far as they had been fulfilled, had been fulfilled literally; that all the various figures, metaphors, parables, similitudes, etc., were either explained in their immediate connection, or the terms in which they were expressed were defined in other scriptures, and when thus explained, were to be literally understood.” [The Great Controversy, page 320, emphasis added]

In other words, when you understand the proper interpretation of a prophecy, you are to expect that the truths have gained through this interpretation will be literally fulfilled. The meaning of the antitype will be literally fulfilled as the symbols of the prophecy express.

Zahakiel: Now, I said this was a “side issue” but it is vital to our understanding of the Blood Seal nonetheless. The events in Ezekiel 9 (and, thus, Revelation 7) will be specifically fulfilled, they will be fulfilled to every single detail, but they are spiritual events, and they must be understood that way, or we will be led into confusion such as that represented by the theology I described above. We will not, for example, have a literal mark on our heads (as we use the word “literal” today) – but we will have a real mark on our foreheads. The destroying and sealing angels begin with those who know the truth about the Sanctuary, not with the old men at the “literal” Temple of Yah in earthly Jerusalem (not even the Davidians would agree with that idea)– therefore the events in Ezekiel 9 will be truly, but spiritually, fulfilled. We have to be consistent.

Everyone understanding?

Rita: Yes.

Qinael: Yes.

Guerline: Yes.

Pastor “Chick”: Yes.

Barb: Yes.

Crystle: Yes.

Nader: Yes.

Zahakiel: Now, putting together what we have seen so far, the Seal of Yahweh is a mark that we obtain:

1) by the agency of the Holy Spirit

2) by settling into the “truth” (and we’ll look at that in a moment)

3) in order to avoid the work of the “destroying angel”

4) in a spiritual context

We have seen the verses that point out the first of those four, and we will look at the second shortly. But for the third aspect, let’s go into that somewhat. Where are other places in the Bible that speak of a “destroying angel?”

Nader: Egypt.

Zahakiel: Yes, that is the one I had in mind also: “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, ‘Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For Yahweh will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, Yahweh will pass over the door, and will not suffer the Destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.” (Exo 12:21-23)

In this passage, the Angel of Yah is seen as both the Smiter, and the One who “will not suffer the Destroyer […] to smite.” This is not a contradiction, it merely points out that Yahweh is the One who commanded the events, and thus takes responsibility for them, though the activities themselves were performed at the hand of agents (angels).

Dumah: Is going into the house and not coming out like going into the true Church/truth and not leaving it (coming out of it)?

Zahakiel: That is a reasonable application to make, yes. And there is a similar parallel with Noah’s Ark.

But now, what is the “mark” that prevents destruction at the hand of the Destroyer?

Qinael: The blood of a lamb.

Guerline: The truth in the heart and life.

Dumah: The righteousness of Christ. His life lived in us.

Zahakiel: Luke’s was the answer that was specifically true. Those other things would determine whether or not the Israelites would TAKE the mark... but the mark itself was the blood.

Do you see that? (It’s a very important distinction)

Guerline: Yes.

Crystle: The blood on the doorposts was the seal that saved.

Rita: Yes.

Dumah: Yes.

Barb: Yes.

Crystle: Yes.

Zahakiel: Now, turning back to the fulfillment of these matters, as they were “literally” (in the older sense) fulfilled, we find that we are to “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” (1Cor 5:7)

Now, when you have time, go back to those three Scriptures that speak about the Spirit sealing us, and just look at the earlier parts of the same chapters. In all three you will find a common theme: the author speaks about a change in the life of the believer after accepting the sacrifice of Yahshua. He says, essentially, “Christ has shed His blood for us, and called us into a pure, renewed life, therefore we have been sealed with/by the Holy Spirit.”

Now if we go back to Exodus, where the “type” of this thing occurred, we see precisely what the Seal actually IS. It is the blood of Christ.

Pastor “Chick”: Amen.

Zahakiel: Looking at the fourth criteria for the seal we see that this is to be accomplished in a spiritual context. In other words, you don’t get a drop of Christ’s blood on your forehead in a literal sense when you are sealed; you accept it in a spiritual sense, and you do this by coming to a firm and un-shakable decision about “the truth.”

Now, we are going to talk about “the truth” that Ellen White was referencing in her quote, but one more thing first about Ezekiel 9. We read this, “And Yahweh 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.’” (verse 4)

The word there in Hebrew for “mark” is the word tau, which, as we point out in the book A Sure Covenant (chapter 3 – and if you haven’t read it yet, read it!) is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in the time of Ezekiel looked just like a cross.

What the Almighty actually said to the sealing angel was, “Place a cross upon the foreheads of the men...”

Does everyone understand why I call the seal of Yah a “Blood Seal?”

Qinael: <nods.>

Guerline: Yes.

Crystle: Yes.

Pastor “Chick”: Yes.

Barb: Ok.

Rita: Yes.

Zahakiel: We could go on for the rest of the study examining the nature of the Seal, but there are a couple important concepts I would like to highlight in this meeting.

In the Bible, the word “seal” or “signet” (the same term in the original language) is used in ways like the following:

“And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.” (Neh 9:38)

“‘In that day,’ saith Yahweh of hosts, ‘will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ saith Yahweh, ‘and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee,’ saith Yahweh of hosts.” (Haggai 2:23)

“He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.” (John 3:33)

Rita: Amen.

Zahakiel: Seals and signets are evidences of approval, whether they originate from Yahweh about human begins, or from us about Him. And that last verse, from John 3, is very important, because it points out what the “truth” is that we are invited to settle in ourselves. The basis of our faith is that “God is true.” “He is faithful that promised.” That entire verse reads, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for [because] He is faithful that promised).” (Heb 10:23)

The basis of human faith is that Yahweh is worthy of that faith; He will accomplish that which He declares. He will keep covenants, and it is only when WE become a covenant-keeping people that we can settle into the truth about HIM. Does that make sense to you?

Crystle: Yes

Rita: Yes.

Qinael: <nods.>

Guerline: Yeah.

Zahakiel: When we keep the covenant with Yahweh, regarding His ordinances, His commandments, His Spirit’s leadings, and when we keep the covenants and agreements we make with others, be they Christian or worldly institutions, then only do we qualify for the Seal.

The “truth” about Yahweh is that He keeps the agreements He makes. “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1Th 5:24) There may be many different ways of describing the sealing truth, but this – I believe – is the simplest, the one even children can understand, and therefore perhaps the most fundamentally correct way to express it. In order to know the character of the Almighty, we need only look at what He has promised to do, and thereby (because He will accomplish what He declares) we know who He really is.

He has promised to give us victory over sin by means of the new birth. (1John 3:9)

He has promised to prepare us for, and preserve us through, tribulation, even the shaking-time of the end. (1Pet 1:7, Psa 91:7, John 16:33, Rev 2:10, Jer 30:7)

He has promised to raise us with Yahshua, or change us in a twinkling, at the day of His return. (1Cor 15:22)

Rita: Amen.

Zahakiel: Now, the way in which these prophecies may be fulfilled, the precise manner of their fulfillment, is often conditional, and this can be a cause of distress to some Bible students, because it is “comforting” to (for example) simply point to Ellen White’s writings and say, “See: National Sunday Law.” We will talk about that a bit next month when discussing the Spirit Seal. Nevertheless, though the manner of a prophecy’s fulfillment is conditional (note the examples of Jonah and Nineveh, or Ezekiel and Jerusalem) the promises themselves, and their ultimate fulfillment toward mankind, stand sure.

Thus we have there a promise for Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification, the three elements of salvation that we examined last month (and in essence the message of the Three Angels in Revelation 14). Those who settle into the truth about these things, because Yah has promised them to His people, receive the Seal written in the surest ink of testimony the universe has ever known: “the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Heb 12:24)

Now, an important point: the blessings we need for this life and the next, and the blessing of the Seal not the least, can be frustrated by our choices. If we resist the sealing message by doing things contrary to the promises of Yahshua, we cannot be sealed.

For example (and it is a well-known example to CSDAs) one of Christ’s promises is that He will protect His Bride – we are to rest in contentment, knowing we have all we need. (Heb 13:5) If we, as a Body, should turn to the world for our defense, our support, our power, we are rejecting the force of the promise; we would deny the agreement into which we entered with the Savior. We would therefore be disqualified for the Seal, because we have not settled into “the truth” regarding what Christ has promised to do for us.

If we should allow ourselves to fall into known sins, we would deny the truth about Yahweh, who says “whosoever is born of God does NOT commit sin.” (1John 3:9) In so doing, we would prove we are not “born again” according to the Scriptures; we prove we have not yet settled into the promise for justification, and we would therefore be disqualified for the Seal.

You should see, then, that by simply saying, “Yahweh keeps His commitments,” we need only look at those things He has committed to doing, and even that very simple way of looking at things tells us all we need to properly examine even the deepest elements of His Character.

Zahakiel: But… there is “meat” to go with this milk. We must examine those deep elements of His character by means of this tool, and settle into them, or we will be misled by the various winds of doctrine.

We have seen individuals, and entire ministries, who are convinced that they are being led by God... but they have started down a wrong course, forgetting something the Almighty has promised, and it takes a great deal of humility for them to admit error and turn their lives around. In principle, it would be easier to convert the laity of a church than one of its clergy, because the clergy have more to lose. It would be very difficult (from a human point of view) to convince the pope, the Catholic cardinals, or the head of the SDA General Conference, that they have erred… because they have a great deal invested in the integrity of their decisions.

Now that is “in principle.” The truth is that we must diligently seek the truth, at any cost, about His promises, and settle ourselves into them, to be Sealed. This is true for each individual, regardless of how much they have “invested” in where they currently are… so really everyone gets the same test; it is only as hard as WE make it to turn around and set our feet on the right path.

If people think they are “in Christ” while acting against His stated purposes, the only thing we can really do is set a pure example before them, and pray that the Comforter will reach them by means of that example. Talking to them, of course, can help and is our means of witnessing, but unless they are willing to listen to doctrine spoken in love, it will not avail all that much.

Now, one of the key elements of the Seal is that it will bind us to each other, not only to Yahweh. Notice that we are sealed as tribes, yes, (Rev 7:4-7) but all the tribes are sealed with the exact same Seal. (Rev 7:2) All the tribes settle into the same truth, follow the same agreements, and come to the same conclusions about Yahweh, His methods and His promises… and this by means of the Blood of the Lamb.

By way of example, if we as Christians did not need fellowship, community, it would not have been given to us. (Heb 10:25) This is why it is so vital to be taken out from corrupt spiritual systems and placed in what the world would call the “wilderness” so we can be alone with God and His messengers for a time to learn the truth. (Acts 9:19)

Rita: Amen.

Zahakiel: This is why “Sanctification” is covered by the Second Gospel angel; without understanding that “Babylon is fallen,” we would not see a need to withdraw from false systems, and we would not enter the true and organized Church, which was given for the specific purpose of “the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph 4:12)

The book of Hosea (chapters 1-3) tells of a man who was married to an unfaithful woman. This represents the relationship that God has had with Israel, and the relationship He has had with Christianity since the days the apostles’ teachings began to be misinterpreted and weakened.

Most of those claiming to be Christians in these days have been wavering, unfaithful, uncommitted to righteousness, unsanctified, un-Christlike. They are “married” to Christ in name only, but do not take on the name or character of their true Husband… they do not take His Seal. In this, unsealed, state, some try to crawl about and help others… but without settling into the Three Angels’ Message first, what help can they offer? In these last days, with time so short and the light so bright, if a human being is not a recipient and liver of the message of all three Gospel angels, he or she is NOT a minister of Yahweh. A minister of Yahweh to this last, most perverse, generation must be Sealed. I hope we can all agree on that point.

Pastor “Chick”: Agreed.

Rita: Oh, yes.

Zahakiel: If others do good in the world, it is often temporal good… even the most pagan of religions can set up hospitals and homeless shelters to relieve the suffering of humanity – but this does not imply any kind of divine sanction, nor does it consistently prepare souls for Heaven. They can even suffer persecution for their beliefs, but if it is not “for righteousness” it means nothing. Any bunch of people can hand out Bibles on street corners, and that is not a bad thing in itself; but if the object of that work is to draw them closer to a fallen church, they have not really done the work we have been called to do. We have to be very careful about how to identify our blessings before we can count them.

Of such it is written that they have “a form of godliness, but [are] denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2Timothy 3:1-5)

Sometimes the “form” can be very convincing; but note the advice given at the end: “from such, turn away.” We cannot maintain a relationship with God in the midst of a perverse and wicked generation if we join ourselves to that generation willingly. Now in Hosea’s case, he let his wife go to her lovers, he let her experience her prostitutions, and wallow in her iniquity. Christ has done so for His bride also in centuries past.

But there came a day when the Father said to Him, “‘Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of Yahweh toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.’

“So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley; and I said unto her, ‘Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man. So will I also be for thee.’ For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Yahweh their Almighty, and David their king; and shall fear Yahweh and His goodness in the latter days.” (Hosea 3:1-5)

Qinael: Done.

Pastor “Chick”: Finished

Crystle: Finished.

Guerline: Done.

Rita: Done.

Zahakiel: These are the latter days, and through the CSDA Church Yahshua the Son is reaching out to His unfaithful bride, those who are willing to be with Him, yet unable to find their way out of dark engagements to other churches, other traditions, other “works,” and many errors. If Christendom can learn the lesson of Hosea, it will see what a large part of its problem is: it has not yet committed to Christ and to His people. Until there is commitment, a settling into the “faithful” nature of the Almighty, the arm of Yahweh cannot move on its behalf as it should, for the covenant is this: “That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezek 11:20)

We must choose to walk in His instructions, and choose to be His people (which today we declare to be represented by the CSDA movement) and then He can bless us without restriction from the accusations of Satan, who loves to use the example of humanity as “proof” that God’s law is impossible to keep, and that humanity is prone to disorder, disorganization, and confusion. The latter is true for the natural man, which is why the deceiver has such a foothold on earth – but it is not true for those of us who are in Christ, and that is the difference, that is why only we can vindicate the character of our Creator in the great controversy.

Now, understanding the Blood Seal more fully, we should be able to see that a desire to be a worker in the vineyard of souls is not nearly enough. We must take the steps (settle into agreement) when we see them. We must acknowledge that Yahweh is the God of our lives, and must then seek to join ourselves to the Bride and Body of His Son. This is what happened with Paul. He was on the Damascus road, out to persecute Christians, and the Messiah came to him and struck him from his horse with a blinding light. But Christ did not say to him, “Now that you know who I am, go out and preach the word.” There was a need for labor, yes, but Paul did not think himself capable of fulfilling it by himself, nor did he receive any such commission from Heaven. Christ instead He said to him, “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” (Acts 9:6) In so doing, the Savior was sending him to a disciple named Ananias (verse 10) who (with other disciples) gave Paul instructions in what it meant to be a “Christian.” (verse 19)

There are people today who come to have a similar experience. They understand that they need to be about the work of Heaven, but they seek to do it on their own, shutting themselves in a room with a Bible and a commentary, and a few like-minded individuals.

This is how all independent ministries are born. Now, these concepts are good, yes – study, faith, labor – but there has been so much error injected into the human brain by means of false teachers and false teachings, that like Saul we need to be joined to disciples (true disciples) to make sure, especially early on, that we are in the Way. So it was with Paul, so it was with me, so it will be with all, for that is the way Yahweh builds His kingdom.

Dumah: There are a lot of people laboring... but when they bind the sheaves they cast them into the barns that belong to enemies of the master of the field.

Zahakiel: Right. Now, it is certainly possible to take this idea to the other extreme, and this is how things like the papacy form. But by settling into the truth about Christ and the Father, we find safeguards against this eventuality also. The way and Law of Yah is “perfect, converting the soul,” (Psa 19:7) and that is true in this case as well as any other. There are none in the CSDA Church who have a monopoly on doctrine, and even our founding members can be (and are) corrected. None claim infallibility, but all should claim authority, and that is a big difference. You can find statements about the authority of the brethren all over the New Testament, as well as safeguards against going too far (but that is a whole other study).

Now in terms of the mechanism, the question of “how” we settle into the truth and receive the Seal, the Bible tells us this in no uncertain terms. As Christ said to the rich young ruler, who believed he had made all the necessary steps for becoming a disciple, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21)

You must do all this in a spiritual sense in order to be sealed. You must go your way (to your family, or place of influence), you must sell all you have (give up all false doctrines, or things you have been clinging to that have not been perfect before Yah), you must give to the poor (set a proper example for those who need to see you walking in truth) and you must follow Christ (do as His servants are doing, protesting in unity the errors in the world today - including a lack of victory, the Trinity issue, and the SDA papal trademark law). These are the present truths for our day, and we cannot be IN the truth unless we speak the truth. I hope we can agree on that.

Jen: Amen.

Rita: Yes.

Peter: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Zahakiel: When we do the first things, up to giving to the poor, then we “have treasure in Heaven,” (notice the order in Mark 10) meaning we are converted to the truth, and then joining to the body of fellow-converts will be the natural next step to accomplish for the completion of the Seal. Entering into that covenant-relationship places the Blood Seal upon us, for that Seal is intimately connected to the idea of “covenant.”

This next part should make that very clear:

There are many sincere Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, mainstream Adventists, members of independent ministries, etc. but they will never come to be truly filled - and sealed - with the Holy Spirit because, like the Jewish system, Christ has declared to their body, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Mat 23:38) In other words, the covenant is declared void. “Desolate” is exactly the right word... empty, dark, without light or life. An understanding of this is the “one thing” that many people in these last days lack.

When we settle into the truth, we are united with Him in spirit and in body. This is the parallel with a marriage. Many individuals are led by the Spirit, such as those in the organizations I have listed above. But the Blood Seal is placed upon those who have the Spirit living IN them. Now, we remember as Adventists that, “the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ.” [This Day With God, page 257]

The Sealed are those with the Spirit IN them (remember, “characteristics” from the above discussion), with Christ dwelling in them, not merely leading them. He cannot be IN them until they are joined to Him in body as well as mind, spiritually speaking… they must be “one flesh” (Eph 5:31) before they can take on His name and character. This is the difference between engagement and marriage. In engagement there is love, and conversation, and even guidance to some degree, but it is not until the marriage that there is an exchange of names, and (to speak plainly) the husband does not “enter into” the bride until the marriage is consummated and they become “one flesh” – a reference to the Body, and not just the Spirit.

Rita: Wow!

Zahakiel: Does everyone understand the application of that parallel? I see that Rita does :)

Rita: Yes.

Pastor “Chick”: Amen.

Guerline: :)

Barb: Yes.

Crystle: Yes.

Dumah: Wow... how beautiful.

Zahakiel: In closing, the Creator says this: “I am Yahweh; that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it; for how should my name be polluted? And I will not give my glory unto another.” (Isa 42:8, 48:11)

Yahshua says this to the Almighty: “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:22)

Rita: Amen!

Zahakiel: How is this possible? It is not a contradiction. Yahweh does not give His glory to “another.” In order to receive His glory, as all Christians must, as all sealed Christians do, we must be ONE with Him, even as Christ was one with Him. He will not give His glory to another, but as children, and creatures “of Him,” we receive the inheritance of His glory, and the Blood Seal is the mark of being a member of that glorious and eternal family.

I hope that, after being involved in this study, each of us will be able to effectively discuss and define the “Seal” that is mentioned in Revelation 7 and Ezekiel 9. I pray that all who have seen these issues for the first time become convicted of the relevance of this Seal to such vital elements of the Gospel as Victory over sin, Unity of the Body of Christ, and the need to protest the various religious systems that have been left “desolate” by a rejection of these saving truths.

Are there any questions before we close?

Rita: No, only thanksgiving.

[Pastor “Chick” makes an announcement regarding the WIPO complaint registered against our Internet domain names. A notice is now posted on our CSDA Message board]

Zahakiel: Let’s pray, then...

Father in Heaven,

We thank you for the protection you have given your people so far. We thank you that you have held back the winds of strife by means of mighty angels for a time. We know that this is only a temporary peace, and have always known this, therefore we have settled into the truth about you, that you are a Covenant-keeping God, and that you have even times of trouble well in hand.

We thank you for the Sealing message, which was purchased by the infinite price of Yahshua’s blood, and we thank you for a people who are presenting it to the world one last time before the waves crash down.

We thank you that Heaven awaits on the other side of the chasm, and we thank you for the hand of protection that is placed over your people both day and night.

Dismiss us from this meeting with a sense of reverence, and a desire to do your works right up to the last moment of the time of laboring, for it is in Yahshua’s name that we pray. Amen.

Pastor “Chick”: Amen.

Barb: Amen.

Crystle: Amen.

Rita: Amen!

Guerline: Amen.

Jen: Amen.

Rachel: Amen.

Nader: Amen.