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. Revelation 7:2, 3.
The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character.
As wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and retain the image of Christ.
It is obedience to the principles of the commandments of God, that molds the character after the divine similitude.
The seal of God’s law is found in the fourth commandment. This only, of all the ten, brings to view both the name and the title of the Lawgiver. It declares Him to be the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and thus shows His claim to reverence and worship above all others. Aside from this precept, there is nothing in the Decalogue to show by whose authority the law is given.
The Israelites placed over their doors a signature of blood, to show that they were God’s property. So the children of God in this age will bear the signature God has appointed. They will place themselves in harmony with God’s holy law. A mark is placed upon every one of God’s people just as verily as a mark was placed over the doors of the Hebrew dwellings, to preserve the people from the general ruin. God declares, “I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” Ezekiel 20:12.
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; the judgments of God are now upon the land, … that we may know what is coming.
The Faith I Live By p. 287
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Prayer Requests
—-Sending up an unspoken prayer for someone I love dearly! M
—-Pray for my daughter Christie , she needs all our prayers this morning. Gail
—-Please pray for a newborn who is having trouble breathing.
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Dear Friends,
One day, when I was four or five, the usual things just didn’t seem to satisfy me. I was bored. My grandfather decided that he would chase away the boredom by showing me something very special. I followed him up the stairs to the attic. There he opened a box that had been packed away decades before. Inside that large box, was a smaller one. This my grandfather opened. There, wrapped in tissue paper, were his father’s drafting tools. By this time, I was no longer bored. This was something new, something interesting. To my joy, he let me play with them at the dining room table.
My mother happened to see me happily drawing circles, angles, and lines with them, and explained why my great-grandfather had these things. Although he was a bookbinder by trade, he became interested in flight. He had an idea that became his passion. The airplane had just been invented, but it was far from perfect. He read everything that he could on the subject. His interest was in inventing a plane that would take off straight up. One that men would not have to push to get started. In the evenings, he would draw pictures of airplanes and tried putting the propeller in different places. When he found a design that he thought would work, he built a model. Unfortunately, none of his models flew. His problem was in the design of the tail. He died before someone invented the helicopter.
Sometimes it is the same in life. We put all of our interest, all of our energy into something, only to find that we have wasted our life on the non-essential. As we look back over the years, we can see little good. We feel like Solomon, who when he looked back on his life, saw nothing but failure. He wrote, “I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit…..I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” Eccl 1:12-2:11
As this son of David thought of how he had wasted his life, he came to an important conclusion. He said, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl 12:13,14 Truly this is the secret of true success.
Our Great Redeemer gives us a glimpse of this life He would have us live, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isa 58:6-11
To live our life as did our Dear Saviour, Who went about doing good to all, brings far more blessings upon ourselves. When we are filled with love for Him Who first loved us, He promises us His blessing, “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.” Psa 91:14-16 When we have unselfish concern for those around us, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, we will hear the commendation, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt 25:34-40
May we turn away from spending our time on the non-essential. May we declare as did David, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Ps 40:8 May we, as we look over our life, see that our thoughts and words and actions have been pleasing in His sight is my prayer.
Rose
Who Shall Receive God’s Seal?