THE AUTHENTIC SEAL

A SEAL OF PROMISE

A seal bears the name, title and territory of its owner and conveys authority and ownership to the receiver of the message. In ancient times, wax seals were often used on contracts or treaties as an identifying mark of authority and authenticity. Both parties would agree to the terms of the contract by placing their signature or seal on the document. God uses a “seal” to identify His followers and mark them for redemption. In Ephesians 4:30 it says, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Surely, humans won’t receive a wax seal on their foreheads—so what is this seal?

The Sabbath is a seal of commitment and relationship. By observing the Sabbath, God’s followers show they belong to Him.

THE PURPOSE OF THE SABBATH

Humans are the only created beings that can discern right from wrong. The part of our brain that makes those choices is our prefrontal cortex, which sits behind our foreheads. When we choose to “remember the Sabbath day,” as it states in the fourth of ten commandments, we are choosing to be sealed by God. Revelation 7:3 says, “. . . we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” The Sabbath exists to remind us who God is. He is Creator of Heaven and Earth.

God said through the prophet Ezekiel, “I gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.” (Ezekiel 20:12) God wants us to remember that He is our Creator and Redeemer.God created humans on the sixth day of creation—Friday. The very next day—Sabbath—“He rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3) God wants to spend valuable time with the creation He made in His image.The Sabbath has existed since the very first week of creation and it was not intended for only a select group of people. God created the Sabbath with the intention of spending time with all people. Jesus said in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath existed long before God gave the commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai; that is why it says, “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” in Exodus 20:8—because it exists and is holy, whether it is remembered or not. Paul and the Christian Gentiles were still keeping the Sabbath holy long after Jesus died on the cross. In Acts 13:42-44 it says, “So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath . . . Paul and Barnabus . . . persuaded them to continue in the grace of God . . . On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.”When God created the days of the week, each 24-hour period was marked by the rotation of the earth. The night portion preceded the day portion, which means that sunset is the first part of a new day. Genesis 1:5 says, “God called the light “day” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Each day of the week begins with the evening portion at sunset. It makes sense that the Sabbath would begin Friday evening at sunset and continue until Saturday evening at sunset. In Leviticus 23:32 it clarifies, “from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath.”What more can God do to emphasize the permanence and importance of His holy Sabbath day? He spoke it with His voice, wrote it with His finger, and sent His own beloved Son Jesus as our example to live by. The disciples taught it and God’s believers will keep it on the New Earth throughout all of eternity. God says in Isaiah 66:22-23, “‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,’ says the Lord.”When the Creator of the universe asks humans to do something, it makes sense to follow His direction— especially when His motive for spending time with them is love. Ezekiel 20:19, 20 says,“I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”We are living in the most solemn period of this world’s history. Do you want the seal of the living God? Our salvation depends on the course we choose today. Choose today whom you will serve because both God and the enemy want your worship. Satan seeks to destroy you. Jesus wants to save you. Do you want to receive God’s mark—His Sabbath seal—to be saved?Make sure to visit awr.org/bible to find wonderful resources to grow spiritually, as well as to watch all the archived programs.