What is lacking?? What does the church need? What do God people still need?
Revelation 14:12 says that the remnant who are sealed are characterized by their faith in Jesus and their fidelity to the commandments. Revelation 14:4 says that a group of people follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
If we look around us, it becomes apparent that there are issues with people following through on the teachings of these verses.
There are various quotes that say that the sealing process has been delayed, and that give descriptions of why.
One such quote is below.
---
The Lord God is a jealous God, yet He bears long with the sins and transgressions of His people in this generation. If the people of God had walked in His counsel, the work of God would have advanced, the messages of truth would have been borne to all people that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Had the people of God believed Him and been doers of His word, had they kept His commandments, the angel would not have come flying through heaven with the message to the four angels that were to let loose the winds that they should blow upon the earth crying, Hold, hold the four winds that they blow not upon the earth until I have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads. But because the people are disobedient, unthankful, unholy, as were ancient Israel, time is prolonged that all may hear the last message of mercy proclaimed with a loud voice. The Lord's work has been hindered, the sealing time delayed. Many have not heard the truth. But the Lord will give them a chance to hear and be converted, and the great work of God will go forward. {15MR 292.4}
What is lacking?? What does the church need? What do God people still need?
Revelation 14:12 says that the remnant who are sealed are characterized by their faith in Jesus and their fidelity to the commandments. Revelation 14:4 says that a group of people follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
If we look around us, it becomes apparent that there are issues with people following through on the teachings of these verses.
There are various quotes that say that the sealing process has been delayed, and that give descriptions of why.
One such quote is below.
---
The Lord God is a jealous God, yet He bears long with the sins and transgressions of His people in this generation. If the people of God had walked in His counsel, the work of God would have advanced, the messages of truth would have been borne to all people that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Had the people of God believed Him and been doers of His word, had they kept His commandments, the angel would not have come flying through heaven with the message to the four angels that were to let loose the winds that they should blow upon the earth crying, Hold, hold the four winds that they blow not upon the earth until I have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads. But because the people are disobedient, unthankful, unholy, as were ancient Israel, time is prolonged that all may hear the last message of mercy proclaimed with a loud voice. The Lord's work has been hindered, the sealing time delayed. Many have not heard the truth. But the Lord will give them a chance to hear and be converted, and the great work of God will go forward. {15MR 292.4}
So true. We have not repented and Given our whole hearts to the Lord. We have not accepted by Faith His righteousness. And, I'm sure there is much more we have not done....
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Have we bought of Thee gold tried in the fire? Have we bought the white raiment? Have we had the anointing of the eyesalve? Seems to me that this is what we are dearly missing.
So that brings me to another question of which I will post as a new topic.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Have we bought of Thee gold tried in the fire? Have we bought the white raiment? Have we had the anointing of the eyesalve? Seems to me that this is what we are dearly missing.
So that brings me to another question of which I will post as a new topic.
I think there has been a long-term paradigm shift away from the sealing model, and closely related items like the sanctuary doctrine and overcoming and character perfection and the 144,000 and so on.
I expect that most folks would not be able to have an intelligent conversation on sealing, let alone actually enter into the sealing process with the Lord.
If I've opted for a more popular approach, for example going around saying that I was "saved" as a 17-year-old, then an issue like sealing might seem pretty old-fashioned and not cool.
So refulgent, are you saying many of us SDAs are compromised with the world?
Just the other day I got a shock reading many American SDAs comments about how they were members of the church for many decades, and never even knew we had black conferences (good or bad). I just shook my head about how can they have been so ignorant of that.... No doubt it is because they have not put God first in their lives, and frankly, God's remnant church, the only object on which he puts his supreme regard, is just not too terribly important to them.
Who gets the seal of God in their foreheads? Only those who are sighing and crying for the abominations done IN Jerusalem (SDA Church). This is vitally important, but how many sermons have you heard on this? The Shepherd Rods talk about this a lot, and disgust honest, searching people with their heresies, that many people throw out what the Bible says on Ezekiel 9 too. Wonder who might be behind that masterpiece of subterfuge?
