Ellen Chat Conversation

Obtaining the seal of the living God requires a deep, internal transformation and a complete separation from the world's influences. This mark of divine protection is not granted to those who maintain connections with secret organizations or worldly societies once they have been enlightened by the truth (2SM 140). To be eligible for this seal, an individual must choose between serving God and mammon, as the Lord requires His people to come out and be separate from uncleanness (2SM 140). The preparation for this experience involves a rigorous spiritual victory over the world, the flesh, and the enemy (LDE 221.5).

Those who receive the seal are characterized by clean hands and pure hearts; they are not individuals who are planning or practicing sin (Hvn 90.4). Instead, they occupy a position of constant repentance and confession, recognizing that we are living in the great anti-typical day of atonement (Hvn 90.4). Furthermore, they are distinguished by their earnestness in watching and waiting for the appearing of the Saviour (Hvn 90.4).

A central requirement for receiving the seal is the total reflection of the character of Christ. Those who will be protected during the time of trouble and live in the sight of God without a mediator must reflect the image of Jesus fully (CET 112.2). This level of spiritual maturity is essential because the seal will never be placed upon anyone who is impure, ambitious, or world-loving (2TT 71.1). Those who possess false tongues or deceitful hearts are excluded; only those who are "without spot" before God are considered candidates for this heavenly mark (2TT 71.1).

Finally, the seal serves as a necessary passport for entrance into the holy city (PH149 69.1). It cannot be obtained by those who are half-hearted in their belief or those who rely on their own righteousness (PH149 69.1). Because the time of trouble requires a character that can stand without a High Priest in the sanctuary, the work of preparation must be done now, ensuring that every defect is overcome and the life is brought into perfect harmony with the divine pattern (ExV 58.2).

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The work of the sealing involves a specific group of heavenly messengers who manage the timing of earth's final events. Four angels are currently stationed at the corners of the earth, commissioned by God to restrain the symbolic winds of human passion and national strife (ExV 21.1). These angels have the power to hold back global confusion and the seven last plagues, but they are only to do so until the servants of God have received the divine mark in their foreheads (ExV 19). This restraint is a direct result of the intercession of Jesus, who pleads His blood on behalf of those who are not yet ready for the final crisis (ExV 21.1).

A specific angel, described as having a writer’s inkhorn by his side, is responsible for the actual recording and numbering of the saints on earth (SH 105.3). This messenger travels between heaven and earth to conduct the final test of loyalty to God's precepts (LDE 254.1). Once this angel determines that every individual has made a final decision and the saints are fully numbered and sealed, he returns to heaven to report to Jesus that his mission is complete (1SG 197.2).

This report triggers the end of Christ's mediation in the heavenly sanctuary (SR 402.2). The sealing process has been notably delayed due to the spiritual condition of God's people. If those who claim to follow God had been obedient and diligent in spreading the truth, the work would have already been finished (15MR 292.4). Instead, a fifth angel was seen flying from the presence of God's glory, commanding the four restraining angels to continue holding the winds because the sealing time had been prolonged (15MR 292.4).

This delay is an act of divine mercy, providing more time for individuals to hear the final message and be converted before the door of probation closes (15MR 292.4). When the sealing is finally concluded, the transition from mercy to judgment is instantaneous. As soon as the angel with the inkhorn reports that the work is done, Jesus ceases His intercession, throws down His censer, and declares that the state of every soul is now fixed for eternity (SH 105.3). At this moment, the four angels cease to hold the winds, leading to a period of unparalleled trouble, famine, and war (LDE 228).

The completion of the sealing is the signal for the outpouring of the seven last plagues and the final deliverance of the 144,000 (ExV 19).

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The timing of the sealing is a critical event that occurs just before the onset of the final crisis. The close of human probation is directly linked to the completion of this work, as the four angels do not release the winds of global strife until every servant of God has received the divine mark (LDE 228). This protective covering is specifically designed to shield God's people during the subsequent period of famine, pestilence, and international confusion (LDE 228). Because the "time of trouble, such as never was" is an ordeal of unprecedented magnitude, it requires a spiritual experience that many have not yet attained (GC 622.4).

During this period, individual righteousness is paramount; no person can rely on the spirituality of others, as each soul must stand alone before God (GC88 622.3). The sealing serves as the necessary preparation for this time when there will no longer be an atoning blood to wash away sin (CCh 333.4). The process of receiving this seal is active and depends on our current course of action (T31 208.4).

It is described as a "covering" that God draws over those who are decided on the truth and pure in heart to protect them in the coming trial (PT August 1, 1849, par. 6). This work must be completed while the soul temple is being cleansed, as the seal will never be placed upon anyone whose character still retains spots, stains, or worldly ambitions (5T 214.2). Ultimately, the sealing is the final qualification for heaven, and it is only granted to those who have achieved a state of being "without spot" before God (2TT 71.1).

Because the time of trouble is so imminent, there is an urgent call to search the Scriptures and understand the solemnity of the present hour, ensuring that our characters are prepared before the seven last plagues are poured out (5T 216.2).

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The experience of the one hundred and forty-four thousand during the falling of the seven last plagues is one of divine preservation amidst unprecedented global devastation. While the wicked are scorched by the intense heat of the sun during the fourth plague, the righteous remain under the protection of God. This period of intense heat causes the land to mourn, the harvest to perish, and the rivers of water to dry up, leading to a state of desolation where even the beasts of the field groan in distress (LDE 245). Although these scourges are the most awful ever known to mortals, they are not universal in scope, or the entire population of the earth would be completely destroyed (LDE 246). During this time, the wicked become enraged against the saints, blaming them for the divine judgments and the scorching heat. This animosity leads to the issuance of a death decree, as the unrighteous believe that ridding the earth of God's people will cause the plagues to be stayed (CET 100.3).

This initiates the time of Jacob’s trouble, a period where the one hundred and forty-four thousand cry out day and night for deliverance while being surrounded by host of evil men who exult over their apparent lack of escape. Despite the physical suffering and the environmental collapse occurring around them, the saints are wonderfully preserved by God. The climax of this experience occurs when the voice of God delivers His people, causing the one hundred and forty-four thousand to triumph with faces lighted up by His glory (LS 117.1). While the wicked are left to gnaw their tongues in pain and eventually turn their rage upon one another, the saints are shielded from the final destruction (SH 114). The plagues are specifically identified as the wrath of God and the Lamb, poured out only after Jesus has finished His mediation in the heavenly sanctuary (ExV 33).

Thus, the one hundred and forty-four thousand witness the effects of the scorching heat and the subsequent plagues, but they do so as a protected company awaiting their final translation (CET 100.3).

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