If you have a Bible I would like to have you open it to Revelation 7. Did you know that this was a passage that actually wouldn't have had to have been in the Bible? And the Lord wouldn't have had it written, but God, clear back when Revelation was written, do you know what he foresaw? Ellen White says this very specifically. He foresaw that we were not going to finish the work so that Jesus could come as soon as it could have been done. And Ellen White said that if we had worked to finish the work when it could have been done, (by the way, very shortly after 1888, that is by 1896, when Ellen White was in Australia, she mentioned that the Lord could have already come) the work could have been finished very quickly after 1888 if we had accepted the message. But Ellen White said God foresaw what would happen, and because He foresaw what would happen, this is what He said: (this is Revelation 7:1-3) it says: "After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with aloud voice to the four angels, to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." Then you have the number sealed, 144,000, and those people are those that will go through the seven last plagues and live to see Jesus come and be translated from the earth. And that could have happened a hundred years ago, but it didn't. And God foresaw that it wouldn't and so He had this written down what was going to happen.

But the time is coming, and I believe that it is very, very near at hand, when the four angels will not hold the four winds any longer. As soon as God's servants are sealed they will not hold the four winds any longer and there will be such a scene of strife, Ellen White said, that no pen can picture it. No pen, she says. She says there will be strife and bloodshed. She says it will be worse all over the world than it was in Jerusalem of old when it was destroyed. And the only people that will be safe, that will be delivered when that happens, are those that have received God's seal. It is a mark of deliverance. It is a mark of security, a mark of deliverance.

Now as you would expect, Revelation being the book where all the Bible comes together, everything in the book of Revelation has a type in the Old Testament, everything. Revelation 10, where you have the little book, there is a type of that in Ezekiel. You look at the different events in the book of Revelation, you look at the church of Thyatira, there was a type of that back in Elijah's time. You look at the message to the Laodicean church, there was type of that. I preached about that here in Wichita in 1988, in fact all over the country, on the affliction of Joseph. It was a type. The experience of Ephraim was a type of Laodicea. Is there a type of this sealing message in the Old Testament? There is. Where is it? It's in Ezekiel 9. Maybe you'd like to look back to Ezekiel 9 where there is a type of what is described here in Revelation 7. Ezekiel 9. It says, starting in the first verse: "Then he called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.' And, suddenly, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand; one man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze alter. Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been," (that's in the Most Holy place) "to the threshold of the temple." Notice; the day of mercy is ending and the day of judgment is beginning. That's what happens when the angels let loose of the winds. As long as Jesus is in the most holy place we are in the day of mercy.

"And he called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhom at his side; and the Lord said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it." So here the people of God are sealed, or marked. This is the same seal or mark that's talked about in Revelation 7. It's the same thing.

"To the others he said in my hearing, 'Go after him through the city, and kill: do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity: utterly slay old and young, men, maidens and little children, and women: but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary." So they begin with the elders who are before the temple. Where do the judgments begin? Where is God's sanctuary? Where's that? That's God's people. His professed people. Begin at the sanctuary, begin there, and they begin with the elders. That's the leaders. That's first.

Verse 7: "Then he said to them, 'Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain: go out. And they went out, and killed in the city. So it was that while they were killing them, I was left alone and I fell on my face."

By the way friends, we have scarcely any idea what's going to happen. This is real! Ellen White says this is going to be literally fulfilled. Now we're not going to fulfill it. There have been people arise, like the Shepherd's Rod, that said they were going to do this. We're not going to do this. The angels are going to do it. We're not going to do it. But that doesn't mean it's not going to get done.

"I was left alone and I fell on my face and cried out and said, Ah, Lord God! will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out your fury on Jerusalem? Then he said to me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity: for they say, The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see. And as for me also, my eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head. Just then the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, I have done as you commanded me." And you have the close of probation in the next chapter.

That's the Old Testament description of what you have described in Revelation 7 about the sealing and that the great trouble is not to begin, the great final conflict is not to begin until God's people are sealed. I want to receive God's seal, do you? I want to receive that mark. It's a mark of salvation, a mark of deliverance. A mark of security.

And in this book, this is Testimonies for the Church, by Ellen White, volume 5, there is a chapter in here on the sealing and the seal of God. It is a very interesting chapter. If you have never read it, you ought to read it. We cannot go over every detail in this chapter tonight, there would not be time. It starts on page 207 and it goes to page 216, and I would like to read just a few sentences here. First of all, from page 209. It says: "The crisis is fast approaching. The rapidly swelling figures," that's the figures of crime and sin, "show that the time for God's visitation has about come. Although loathe to punish, nevertheless He will punish.. .The leaven of godliness has not entirely lost it's power. At the time when the danger and depression of the church are greatest, the little company who are standing in the light will be sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land."

Who are this little company? We want to understand who this little company is. They're the ones that are going to get the seal, the mark. This little company, the first description here of them, it says they're standing where? They're standing in the light. What does it mean to be standing in the light? In the truth. The truth is the light. The word of God is light. The Spirit of Prophecy is light. If you're living according to the instructions, you're standing in the light. That's the first description of this group. They're standing in the light. But then it says, like it says in Ezekiel, they're "sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land."

Now let's think about that for a moment. What does that mean? Sighing and crying, let's try to think it through. I believe first of all it would mean that they're not silent. What do you think? If you're sighing and crying for something is it all right to say that you're not silent? Have you ever met somebody that says: "Listen, I know that there's lots of things wrong in the church, but just be patient, God will work it out. Don't rock the boat. Just pray about it and let God work it out." Have you ever heard that? Is that what these people that are going to receive the seal, is that what they're going to do? Are they going to say: "Well, I'm going to go home to my closet, and I don't want to hurt anybody, I don't want anybody to get upset, so I'm just going to pray about it." Is that what they do? No. We need to think this through friends. There's a lot of people that have forgotten Ezekiel 9 today. It says they're sighing and they're crying. They are upset enough about it that they are talking to people about it. Now when you talk to people about it, have you found out they don't like it? So what are you going to do then? Say, "Well Lord, I've talked to somebody about it and they didn't like it, so I guess I'll have to be quiet and not say anything." Huh? If you're going to receive the mark, who was it in Jerusalem that was going to receive the mark of deliverance? Who was it? It was the people that were sighing and crying, the people that were so upset they wouldn't be silent because of all the sin and iniquity in the church. She has a lot to say about that on pages 209 and 210. Here's what she says:

"More especially will their prayers arise in behalf of the church because its members are doing after the manner of the world. . . These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life: they had reproved, counseled, and entreated." What were they doing? They weren't being silent. They had reproved.

What does it mean to reprove somebody? Correct them. By the way, what is the difference? We need to think this through because a lot of people are mixed up on this, what is the difference between reproving somebody and faultfinding? What's the difference? Have you tried to figure it out in your mind? I've tried to several times. OK. And when you reprove somebody, on what basis are you reproving them? You're showing them what the word of God says. It's not because I don't like something about you, that's not the point. It's what does the word of God say. The word of God is the reprover, the corrector. And it says: "they had reproved, counseled, and entreated. Some who had been dishonoring God repented and humbled their hearts before Him. But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel." Who's Israel? Who's Israel today? Seventh-day Adventists. They are professed Israel. And it says: "The glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued the forms of religion." What does it mean to continue the forms of religion? They're still going to church. "The glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking. In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings."

You know friends, if we're becoming like Jesus, if there is sin, if there is something that's contrary to God's law contrary to what is written, we won't be able to be around it and just act like nothing's wrong. We won't be able to. Jesus could not witness a wrong act without pain.

Then she says; (this is this little group that is going to receive the seal) it says: "While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God's honor and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any." They won't be quiet. "Oh," somebody says; "shame on them." Well, that's who is going to receive the seal. That's whose going to receive the mark of the deliverance. The people, when there is wickedness, they won't be quiet. For nobody will they be quiet.

Oh friend, are you going to be one of those? Those are the people that are sighing and crying because of the abominations. The people say "I cannot have a part of that anymore." "Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm." Have you noticed that by the way? You protest against what is happening and does it do any good? She says they are powerless to stop iL "They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are," (where do you suppose?) "in the church." She says: "The spirit of God which prompts to reproof is trampled underfoot while the servants of Satan triumph." Is that happening? While the servants of Satan triumph. And then she says (she talks about some other people in the church) she says: "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." So if I'm not grieved; by the way friend, if we are not grieved because of our own spiritual condition, and we don't realize that we need a change, we better go and pray and say: "Lord, open my eyes so I can see my real condition. Ask the Lord not to let you see it all at one time, you might get discouraged and give up.

Friends, we need a transformation of character and we must be praying for that every day. That the Lord, as we look to Jesus, that He would transform us into His own image. This is New Testament religion. This is what Paul and Peter and John and James all preached about and wrote about. Like you read in II Corinthians 3 and like you read in 1 John 3 and like you read in II Peter 3 and like you read in the whole book of James.

So, there is the big group and then there is what she calls the little company. I want to be part of that little company. Do you? That little company is who is going to receive the seal of God. She says: "Here we see" (and she has just quoted from Ezekiel 9 about these men with the slaughtering weapons going out), she says: "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." And then they give a message of peace and safety.

Then she goes on and talks about the leaders. We are not going to read that section, that's on pages 211, 212. She talks about the leaders and she talks about preachers and teachers and did you know that she says here; I'll read you one sentence, it's page 214. She says: "There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in their foreheads." And she talks about these people that teach the truth to others, and she says:

"They understand every point of our faith." What does that mean? That means that I could be left without the seal even though I've been doing evangelism, even though I've been teaching others, even though I've been giving Bible studies. I could be left without the seal of God if I am not prepared.

Let's look at what she says about the preparation we are to make in order to receive it. Page 212 says: "The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land." That is Ezekiel 9:4. And then, page 213 she says: "By a life of holy endeavor and firm adherence to the right the children of God were sealing their destiny. Beset with temptations without number, they knew they must resist firmly or be conquered."

Let me ask you this question friend. Don't raise your hand. Are you beset with temptations without number? Have you ever felt like saying: "Lord, I would rather just die than have one more gigantic problem hit me today." Have you ever felt that way? Temptations without number. What are you going to do? She says there is only one thing they could do, they must firmly resist or otherwise what will happen if they don't firmly resist? They'll be overcome. Why does God allow us to be beset with temptations without number? Why does He do that? She says that is what would happen. Why does God allow that? Build endurance? It's through resisting these temptations that we are preparing for the Lord to come. That our characters are being developed. Every temptation that comes to us is an opportunity.

Now we usually don't think about it that way do we? We think it's nothing but a trial. But every temptation that comes to us is an opportunity. It's an opportunity for us to overcome dealing with it in a carnal way according to the flesh and learn to walk after the spirit and to trust in God in the temptation. It's one thing to trust God when things are all right. You're healthy. You are all up to date with all your payments. Everything is fine on your job. Everything is fine in your marriage and your home. Your children are all well. Everything is going well with your kids at school and things are going pretty good. And you say: "I'm trusting in the Lord." But what do you do if things aren't going good at your job and you're saying: "Lord am I even going to be able to stay in this job? And then in addition to that how am I going to get my bills paid? I've got some problems that have come up in my finances. I can't pay my bills. And then maybe somebody in your family is diagnosed with some serious medical problem and it just seems like things start to pile up. And you say: "Lord, I've had enough before this even happened!"

What happened to this little company? They were meeting temptations without number, she says. That must be many. What do you think? That must be many. And they knew they must firmly resist or be conquered. And she is talking here in the context; this is the preparation of God's people for the great time of trouble. That's how you get ready for it. You meet these temptations and you learn to trust the Lord.

Page 214. "Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost."

Oh, somebody says, a lady came up to me one time; I'd been preaching down in Florida, and she came right up afterward and she said: "If I have to do that, I won't be able to get it all done before the Lord comes. I'm stuck!" Of course it was my fault because of what I had preached. And the devil tries to get people thinking that way too. The devil tries to get people to think; Oh no, I've committed so many terrible sins, and my character is so defective that I'll never make it. There's no hope for me."

Let me tell you something, preachers meet these kind of people all the time. If you haven't done a lot of Bible work or Bible studies and working with people, you may not be aware of how common this is what we are talking about. It is very, very common. By the way, this is one reason for suicide. Did you know that? It's one of the big ones. People are so discouraged because of the terrible things that they remember they did in the past. They get so discouraged, and they just feel like there is no hope. And of course that is the way the devil wants them to feel, because if you feel like there is no hope do you know what will happen? You'll just go down in despair. Ellen White says a discouraged soul is full of darkness. That is what the devil wants. He wants you to get so discouraged that you will give up. That is one of his main weapons against you.

So Ellen White addressed this problem right here in this chapter, The Seal of God. On page 215. She says: "No one need say," now she just talked for a whole page about these fiery trials and troubles that we will go through preparing for the time of trouble, but then she says:

"No one need say that his case is hopeless, that he cannot live the life of a Christian." Isn't that the best news you've heard? Nobody need to say, "Oh, it's hopeless for me. First I had a bad inheritance, then I had a bad childhood, then I developed bad habits, and I've gone through life doing all these bad things, and now I'm stuck!" You're not stuck. Your inheritance may have been bad, your childhood may have been bad, you may have developed bad habits, but you are not stuck because there is somebody by the name of Jesus who says, "I'm going to save you if you're willing." And He can save even the chief of sinners, and if He can save the chief then He can save all of us. Even if we're the chief of sinners. She says; "No one need say that his case is hopeless, that he cannot live the life of a Christian. Ample provision is made by the death of Christ for every soul. Jesus is our ever-present help in time of need. Only call upon Him in faith, and He has promised to hear and answer your petitions."

I maybe should have kept track. I've never kept track of how many people have talked to me about that. But I'm telling you, it is a very, very common temptation. People feel that because of all the things that I have mentioned; their bad heredity, their bad childhood, the development of all their bad habits, and all of the awful things that they have done, that they are such a bad sinner that there is no way that they can be saved and there is no way that they can overcome their character defects. It's just hopeless. And the devil is trying to get them to feel that way so they'll despair. But she says you don't need to despair. Nobody needs to say his case is hopeless. Jesus is our ever-present help in time of need. Isn't that good news? No matter how badly you are beset by temptation, no matter how bad you've been in the past, if you look to Jesus and call upon Him for help, He says: "He that comes to me I will in no case cast out." John 6:37. He has promised. And He'll stand behind that promise right to the present time. The Bible says that He cannot lie.

She says: "Oh for a living, active faith! We need it; we must have it, or we shall faint and fail in the day of trial. The darkness that will then rest upon our path must not discourage us or drive us to despair. It is the veil with which God covers His glory when He comes to impart rich blessings. We should know this by our past experience."

If today you seem to be in terrible darkness, if you call upon the Lord, do you know what is going to happen? He is going to give you rich blessings, and He is going to bring you out of that darkness into the light. Have you experienced in your past Christian walk that it seems sometimes you are in darkness and you call upon the Lord and He brings you out into the light? Then He allows another trial to come and it seems like you are going into the darkness again? You say: "Lord, this is worse than last time." And you start to cry to the Lord and He brings you out of that again. You see it's through these experiences of going through the storm and the darkness and then being brought out into the light that we realize that we can walk with the Lord through the storm and the dark, and we can still trust Him and we don't have to be afraid. We can still trust Him. That's how we develop that faith, that trust.

Here on page 216, the last page of this chapter, she says: "It is ever God's purpose to bring light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow, and rest out of weariness for the waiting, longing soul." Isn't that encouraging? If you're in the dark right now because of some terrible trial, if you call upon the Lord and trust in Him, what is going to happen? He is going to bring you into the light.

If you are in a time of sorrow right now because you have been bereaved, because something terrible has happened in your life and you are in a time of sorrow, if you call upon the Lord and trust Him, what is going to come out of that sorrow? Joy. Read John 16. Out of the sorrow will come joy, out of the darkness will come light. That is God's promise.

Then she says: "Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God--candidates for heaven."

Oh friend, do you want to receive that seal? Mark of security? If you are going through some troubles and trials, call upon the Lord. Say: "Lord, I am depending upon you to bring me out of this darkness into the light, to bring me out of this sorrow into joy. I am depending on you to transform my character so that I will be ready to receive your seal.

Let's pray before we go. Father in heaven, we thank you that in all the sorrows of which we experience, that if we call upon your name, that you have promised to bring us out to a time and place of joy. We thank you that in every dark experience that we experience in this world, if we call upon your name, you have designed away to bring us out of the darkness into light. We thank you for the promise that those who stand in the light, those that call upon your name, and endeavor by firm adherence to the right to be faithful to you, that by your grace they will be transformed and receive your seal. And we pray that each one of us here by your grace that we might be pure; that our tongues may speak only that which is true; that in our heart we may do what is right; that our actions and our life may become perfected and acceptable in your sight; that the thoughts of our heart, the meditations in our mind may be acceptable in your sight and that we might be ready to have that mark of deliverance placed upon us. May that be the happy and exciting experience of each one of us here, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.