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The
Seal
of
God
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Since the "Left Behind" books have become
popular, many people are becoming interested in the
book of Revelation. I have had some discussions
with people at work about the book of Revelation
and about something mentioned there. It is called
the seal of
God.
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People are wondering what its all about. They want to know
if the seal is a physical mark. Since I was not sure exactly
what the "seal" was, I looked up a few scriptures.
Revelation 9:4 And it was
commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the
earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but
only those men which have not the seal of God in
their foreheads.
If you read the following scriptures, I think you will
come to the same conclusion that I did - that the
seal of God is
not a literal
seal. Though it cannot be seen, it is affixed to, and
obtained by, those who worship the one true God, obey His
commandments and are baptized by water and spirit - in other
words, those who have received the holy Spirit.
The first scripture shows that the seal 1) has eternal
life, 2) the Son, (Jesus) is the one who brings it, and 3)
the Father is the one who puts the seal on us...
John 6: 27 Labour not for
the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto
1)
everlasting life, which the
2)
Son of man shall give unto you: for him
hath God
3)
the Father
sealed.
Exactly
what
is the seal?
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Answer:
The "seal" is the Holy
Spirit.
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Ephesians 4:30 And grieve
not the holy
Spirit of God, whereby
ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
2 Corinthians 1: 22 Who hath
also sealed us, and given the earnest of the
Spirit in our hearts.
Ephesians 1:13 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...
Note that the previous verses seem to indicate a
figurative seal, a spiritual seal, and not something
physical that can be seen. Although it is spiritual, it
seems to be identified with our forehead:
Revelation 7:2-3 ...the
angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the
living God: and he cried with a loud voice...Saying,
Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their
foreheads.
What is the purpose of a seal? From the Old testament, we
can see that kings had seals. A seal was a decree that a
statute or a purpose cannot be changed.
Dan 6:15 +17 Then these
men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king,
Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is,
That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth
may be changed. ...And a stone was brought, and laid upon
the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with
his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that
the purpose might not be changed concerning
Daniel.
Isa 8:16 Bind up the
testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
So the seal of a king was a statement that his decree is
not to be changed by anyone! What was God's seal (sign,
promise) for the people in Old
Testament times?
Romans 4: 11 And he
received the sign of circumcision,
a
seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had yet being
uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them
that believe...
Conclusion: The seal in the Old Testament was a
physical one -
circumcision. The seal of the New Testament is not a
physical one, but a spiritual
one. The disciples of God are sealed by
righteousness of faith AND... The seal of God is the gift of
the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1: 13 ye
were sealed with that
holy
Spirit of promise...
Clearly this is a symbolic seal, and not a literal one.
How Can
You
Get Sealed by God?
On the day of Pentecost, the people finally believed and
they asked Peter,
"What should we do?" ...to be
saved.
The answer is recorded in the book of Acts:
Acts 2:38 And Peter said
to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one
of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the
forgiveness of your
sins; and
you shall
receive the gift of the
Holy
Spirit.
Peter's answer is the gospel of
your salvation! ... the gospel
of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that
Holy Spirit... Ephesians 1:13.
It was the first gospel message after
the death and resurrection of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost
as recorded in the book of Acts, Christ's church was
established. Those who were baptized were added to the
church and they received the Holy Spirit.
You may be asking yourself,
"Why should I care
what Peter said?" The answer is
in Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus said...
And I say also unto thee,
That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. And
I will give unto
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:
and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven...
There you have it!
Jesus gave the keys
to the kingdom to Peter.
He gave the keys to one person,
not anyone else: not the pope, not Billy Graham, not your
preacher, and not you. Jesus gave them to Peter and that is
why I listened to Peter's gospel of salvation.
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Peter holds the
keys! Peter said it,
so it is bound on earth and in heaven. If you want
to be sealed by the Holy Spirit, then you should
listen to his answer and then be baptized for the
forgiveness of your sins.
Key #1... Believe
Key #2... Repent
Key #3... Be Baptized for forgiveness
Key # 4... You will receive the Holy Spirit!
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You will be sealed by God
and that is
the King's decree
that will never change!
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