This is the 5th post in a series, for the previous entry please click HERE.
As a Seventh-Day Adventist I was taught that the Seal of God in the last days was keeping the Sabbath. If you don’t keep the Sabbath after what they call “probation” you lose your salvation. This is ultimately a false gospel, Paul has condemned such heresy as “anathema” in (Gal 1:8).
Essentially the false gospel works like this, if you learn the SDA “truth” and turn away from it you are lost from grace no matter what, this would be an individual close of probation where you receive the mark of the beast. According to SDA teachings this applies to me now. The other close of probation is general according to SDA teaching. It occurs at a time unknown in the future and will apply to all those who submit to the “National Sunday Law”, which is supposed to be a law that the Pope and POTUS will enforce on either the whole world or just the United States. The reason this is a false gospel is that it is different than the one once and for all delivered to the saints by the apostles (Jude 1:3). Paul explains the real gospel in (1 Cor 15:1-8)(Eph 2:8-9).
Whether they say it directly or not SDA teach that ultimately your salvation is dependent on Sabbath keeping. They might try to couch it in such terms that indicate that only those who truly have been saved will keep the sabbath, but even by flipping it the requirement ends up the same as to prove one has been saved they must then keep the sabbath. There is no functional difference in their teaching. It gets even more sticky than that though because there are so many different ideas about what keeping the Sabbath means. There is no way to know for sure if you are doing it right. Then all of a sudden something new gets invented and the elders have to come together and decide if its okay to use that new gadget on the Sabbath.
For example, when I was a kid people would argue at length as to whether or not you could record your favorite Saturday shows with the VCR. Some said it was fine because you can watch the show on Sunday. Others say no, recording a show with the VCR is the same thing as requiring your Maidservant or Manservant to work for you.
Even though SDA teachings have damned me to the mark of the beast I have no fear. I am a baptized forgiven child of God. The Bible teaches a concept called means of Grace. The Seventh Day Sabbath is not a means of grace, it is simply old covenant law. The Bible teaches that God gives us the Faith unto his justifying Grace:
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17 KJV
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1 Cor 15:3-4 KJV
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph 2:8-9 KJV
As this miracle of Faith and Grace transpire God seals us, not with a law but with himself. God the Holy Spirit of promise is our seal.
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, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph 1:13-14 KJV
Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Cor 1:21-22 KJV
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Eph 4:30 KJV
For those of you who are familiar with these scriptures and did not grow up in an SDA church the above may sound like a no-brainer. But I cannot convey how much of a joy it was to me personally to learn that I am sealed by the Holy Ghost, not by the Sabbath. I love God the Holy Spirit, he is wonderful. He guides me and speaks to me through my Bible everyday. I cant tell you what a relief it is to rest in his truth.
Since the above verses prove that the Holy Ghost is the Seal of God, it therefore follows logic that whatever the Mark of the Beast is it wont be Sunday Christian Church Services.
Armchair Theologian 
This is a lie, holy spirit is not the seal, but helps us to be sealed, is our qualification to be sealed. Read well. (ephesians. 4:30)
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Ephesians 4:30 NKJV
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
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I don’t see where it says helps us to be sealed. Or where the word qualification is. I just see that it says we are.
Furthermore both Grace and Faith are gifts from God in Ephesians 2:8-10. Its clear that we need faith and receive grace but that its a gift. So my concern is that you say the spirit helps us get sealed. That implies that some of it is on us.
Doesnt say that. The way I read it our seal is assured in the Holy Ghost when we repent and confess Christ.
Acts 2:38 NKJV
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
So to that end we should not grieve the Holy Spirit by whom we ARE (past tense) sealed. The grieving comes after one is sealed. If one is hopelessly astray in addiction or porn after coming to penitent faith I would see this as grieving the Spirit.
Even if you disagree I’m sure you recognize that I’m coming by this honestly and not lying. I will respond to your other comment later today. That one requires more source material.
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How Glad I am to know that its not the truth that fights against the Error.
Its the Error that is very busy trying to fight the truth.
I do not know as to what doctrine you have been brought up with, But one thing is certain it’s not the Doctrine of Christ..
Those who have not experienced the Saving and sanctifying power of Christ, after they have drank from Him
Who is Loving and so gracious and Merciful are surely not the same people ever again.
Those who have left the faith are not ours, because if they would have been ours they would have remained..
You ought to know that for there to be a repentence there has to be a transgression and a falling off the glory of God. And I am so Glad that Jesus has said it that flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of heaven, but only those who are born of the Spirit. John 3.
Jesus While on this Earth Won for us a stitch of righteousness everytime He obeyed God’s commandments, and quoting the Scripture that its written Mathew 4:3-4, setting for us an example that People like you who are children of rebellion would come someday with the doctrines of Balaam in order to deceive those who are weak in the faith.
See for yourself as to which side are you fighting on 2Tessalonians 2:3-4. Revelation 12:17.. Shame on you.
I should be fasting and praying for you so that the demon who is using you to lead many astray might depart from the body that you are using which is not yours but the Lord’s One.
Its a pity to see that you have fallen as a pray in thebhand of the arch deceiver. And so you are now fighting against the truth which is eternal..
The solid foundation that God has laid cannot be shacken and it has this Seal.
The Lord Knows those who are His and whoever says that belongs to the Lord Let him/her turn away from wrongdoing. (2 Timothy 2:19).
Now how will you know that you are a wrongdoer or if you are doing it there is no Law to Break??? Think as to those who keep the commandments of God there is a battle to be won still for persecution is just on the verge. 2Timothy 3:12.
Peace be still.
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Wow! That is alot of assertions without anything to back it up. Sir, the Word of God is efficacious on it’s own. I don’t have to do the work it does the work for me (Rom 10:17). To answer your questions though I was brought up Seventh Day Adventist. After careful Bible study I found that they simply teach lies and a false Gospel.
I recommend you read a few more of my posts, I do not argue that there is no law for Paul says we are under the Law of Christ (1 Cor 9:21-23). I do Biblically demonstrate that the Sabbath is a ceremonial law though, and is no longer binding on new covenant Christians in a prescriptive sense. We receive the fulfillment of that ceremonial law as Gospel in the finished work of Christ (Col 2:16-17). I break this down point by point in my post entitled “The Law of Christ” and “The Sabbath“. I recommend you read through them.
My biggest beef with SDA is not the Sabbath, if you want to keep it go right ahead (Rom 14:5). But you are not allowed to make a false gospel out of it (Gal 1:8) (1 Cor 15:1-4). For more on this read my post entitled “The False Gospel of SDA“. You can find it in the section on the Investigative Judgment.
With regards to your verses speaking on the third use of the law I think your problem is that you apply them in a second use sense. That is a really big issue for you as that would mean that you have to keep them perfectly (Matt 5:48). Before watering that down go and take a look at it, Jesus says you have to be as perfect as the Father in Heaven. That is an eternal perfection, how is that working out for you?
As for me, I shall rely on the shed blood of Christ who paid for all of my sins (2 Cor 5:21) (Eph 2:8-9). For more on that I recommend my posts on “The Gospel” and “The Three Uses of the Law“.
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That is righteousness by works. please read and remove the veil from you face so that you can see the truth. Eph.1:13-14(NLT)and now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you.and when you believe in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.14 The Spirit is God;s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he purchased us to be his own people.
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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, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph 1:13-14 KJV
Fireblack, Ephesians 1:13-14 clearly states that the Holy Spirit Himself is the Seal so that clarifies Ephesians 4:30. Read it above.
Also, when you consider that we are referred to as the Temple of God, in the Scriptures, it’s not surprising that God the Holy Spirit is the Seal because He dwells within the heart of every Christian. And so you you are sealed , not with the Sabbath day, but with and by the Lawgiver Himself which is one up on the Law.
I remember an SDA elder telling me tthere is a Scripture in the Bible that explicitly identifies the Sabbath as the Seal of God and I’m still waiting to hear what that Scripture is. It does not exist.
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You are so right! Thank you for commenting and pointing that out to people!
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I remember a sermon once where a verse was given to “prove” that the Sabbath is the seal of God, but I can’t remember what it is. And when you confront the with the verses in Ephesians, they respond that “The Sabbath is the seal of God; the Holy Spirit simply does the sealing.”
While we’re on the subject, I’d like to point out the major biblical flaw in teaching that Sunday is the mark of the beast. In Revelation 14:9-11, it clearly says that anyone who receives the mark of the beast goes to hell and is lost. If Sunday keeping is the mark of the beast, then all Christians who worship on Sunday are lost, no matter how sincere their faith in Jesus. And yet, on the other hand, many Adventists will try to reduce the fear and tension by saying that you don’t have to be a Sabbath keeper to be saved. But you can’t have it both ways. If you are really the “church of the Bible” that you claim to be, and you believe that Sunday worship is the mark of the beast, then Sunday-keeping Christians are lost and destined for hell, based on what the Bible says. Which way do you want it?
By teaching that Sunday is the mark of the beast, traditional/conservative SDAs are looking to the Sabbath for salvation instead of to Jesus, who is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).
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I’ve heard the argument of the Holy Spirit applying the seal. The concept of being sealed BY the Holy Spirit applying a seal has to be eisegeted into one verse and it only works in old English versions if you define the words with a modern English dictionary. Not exactly the most scholarly approach but I’ll let you be the judge.
To even entertain the argument I would need
1) a clear prescriptive verse after the cross commanding Sabbath keeping
2) a clear verse saying Sabbath keeping is the seal applied by the Holy Spirit.
When all these passages are taken as they are the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is the actual seal that he seals you with.
It’s a blessing because it doesn’t depend on you or anything you do 🙂
To be fair, my understanding is SDA say the mark of the beast thing only applies after the close of probation. That’s why when I accuse them of teaching a false gospel I focus on their eschatology rather than their pre eschatological soteriology.
Some individual SDA reject that end times stuff and their consciences are tender to the Sabbath. And I can respect that.
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