My brethren, and sisters, I was impressed to share with you an important subject wherein lies our eternal destiny. We are living in the last days of probation and do not know how long time will last. While probation still lingers, do we have the pure mark of the truth? Every day we are deciding our destiny as to whether we will receive the seal of the living God or the mark of the beast.

The children of Israel, when they were about to be delivered, were given instructions from God through Moses. “And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:7, 12–13

THE SIGNATURE OF GOD’S APPOINTMENT

“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’” –The Review and Herald, February 6, 1900

The signature of God’s appointment was the signature of blood to show that they were God’s people. They were to place the blood on their door post. It was a sign that they were chosen to be God’s people for all generations. God has always had a special people and a special sign for His chosen people.

What is this sign?

The Sabbath is a sign between God and His people. The Sabbath was to be kept throughout all generations. In Ancient Israel, whosoever profaned the Sabbath would be put to death. “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” Exodus 31:13–14

As with the Israelites, the children of God in every age will bear the signature of God.

The Sabbath is contained in the law. In the new earth we will keep the Sabbath. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people:  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.” Hebrews 8:10–11

“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 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.” Revelation 7:1–2

We either keep the commandments or we perish. There are only two ways, one is the way of obedience and everlasting life, and the other is the way of Cain—disobedience and death.

PROFESSION ALONE CANNOT SAVE

“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

The Seventh-day Adventist Church Reform Movement are the custodians of the truth today. Everyone must make the choice between truth or falsehood.

“Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed. There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Master’s will, they understood every point of our faith, but they had not corresponding works. These who were so familiar with prophecy and the treasures of divine wisdom should have acted their faith. They should have commanded their households after them, that by a well-ordered family they might present to the world the influence of the truth upon the human heart.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 213

Brethren, our influence matters a lot. It shows to others if we are of the world or of God. Ask yourself, what gospel are you presenting to the world?

The Lord instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:5, 7

Everyone must search the Bible for himself with a humble spirit, as a child. “God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of guilt in His estimation as well as in that of finite man. But however trifling this or that wrong in their course may seem in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the sight of God.” –Counsels to the Church, p. 259

Abraham was able to instruct his household after him.

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12

When Peter walked on the water he went slowly, but pride came in his heart, and he lost sight of Jesus.

“We should take this lesson to ourselves. Again the destroying angel is to pass through the land. There is to be a mark placed upon God’s people, and that mark is the keeping of His holy Sabbath. We are not to follow our own will and judgment and flatter ourselves that God will come to our terms. . . . That which looks unimportant to you may be of the highest consequence in God’s special plans for the preservation of your life or the salvation of your soul. God tests our faith by giving us some part to act in connection with His interposition in our behalf. To those who comply with the conditions His promise will be fulfilled.” –In Heavenly Places, p. 150

STRIVE TO BE SEALED

We are living in the sealing time; the angels are sealing the people of God. You will either receive the seal of the living God or the mark of the beast. The Lord ordered His angels to go to into the house of the Lord and set a mark upon the foreheads of those who sigh and cry for the abominations done therein. The Lord spoke through Ezekiel, “And the LORD 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.  And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity.” Ezekiel: 9:4–5

Those who receive the pure mark of the truth given by the Holy Ghost are those who will cry for the abominations done in the church.

The warning is given, “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. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands: ‘Go ye after him 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. . . .’ The abominations for which the faithful ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God, were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of iniquity. These persons come to feel secure in their deceptions and, because of His long-suffering, say that the Lord seeth not, and then act as though He had forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will open before others those sins which they were so careful to hide.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 211

Jeremiah warned, “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.” Jeremiah 7:2–4

Many people are professors of the truth, not doers of the word. The Lord gives the following warning:

“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. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus ‘Peace and safety’ is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together. –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 211

Finally brethren “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3

Peace be unto you all. Amen.

Jenifer Akello

Uganda

 

COMING NEXT MONTH: The Pure Mark of the Truth, part 2