1. How are God’s servants distinguished from the world? "Missionary agencies are greatly needed in every branch of God’s work. Our institutions need converted, devoted men, who will make the Lord their dependence. God will reveal through such workers the power of His grace. His servants are to be distinguished from the world by the seal of the living God; their words and their works are to reveal that they are laborers together with God." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 969:5 (1907).

2. What is to be of the highest value to us? "Every soul in our world is the Lord’s property, by creation and by redemption. Each individual soul is on trial for his life. Has he given to God that which belongs to Him? Has he surrendered to God all that is His as His purchased possession? All who cherish the Lord as their portion in this life will be under His control, and will receive the sign, the mark of God, which shows them to be God’s special possession. Christ’s righteousness will go before them, and the glory of the Lord will be their rereward. The Lord protects every human being who bears His sign. [Exodus 31:12-17 quoted.]

"This recognition of God is of highest value to every human being. All who love and serve Him are very precious in His sight. He would have them stand where they are worthy representatives of the truth as it is in Jesus." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 969:1,2 (1899).

3. When are we saved? "How few bear in mind that the tempter was once a covering cherub, a being whom God created for His own name’s glory. Satan fell from his high position through self-exaltation; he misused the high capabilities with which God had so richly endowed him. He fell for the same reason that thousands are falling today, because of an ambition to be first, an unwillingness to be under restraint. The Lord would teach man the lesson that, though united in church capacity, he is not saved until the seal of God is placed upon him." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 969:3 (1898).

4. Do we have anything do with whether or not we receive the seal? "Our own course of action will determine whether we shall receive the seal of the living God or be cut down by the destroying weapons. Already a few drops of God’s wrath have fallen upon the earth; but when the seven last plagues shall be poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation, then it will be forever too late to repent and find shelter. No atoning blood will then wash away the stains of sin." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 212:4 (1882).

a. Destroying weapons (the men with slaughter weapons in their hands) = God’s wrath = seven last plagues.

5. Thus we see importance of this message.

1. 1882 statements from Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church:

a. Those who do not feel grieved over their spiritual declension. Ezekiel 9:3-7. "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." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 211:1.

b. Those who do not lift up their voice like a trumpet et cetera. "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." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 211:2.

c. Those who think in sympathy with the world. "The day of God’s vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. Those who link in sympathy with the world are eating and drinking with the drunken and will surely be destroyed with the workers of iniquity. ‘The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.’" Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 212:3.

"What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the heavenly mold and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 216:1.

d. Those whose works do not correspond to the light received. "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." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, pp. 213-214.

e. Those who have spot or stain in their characters. "Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost." Vol. 5, Testimonies, p. 214:2.

f. Those who yield to circumstances rather than engage in the conflict. "In this life we must meet fiery trials and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward. There has been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ’s sake, that the cross is almost entirely forgotten. We must be partakers with Christ of His sufferings if we would sit down in triumph with Him on His throne. So long as we choose the easy path of self-indulgence and are frightened at self-denial, our faith will never become firm, and we cannot know the peace of Jesus nor the joy that comes through conscious victory. The most exalted of the redeemed host that stand before the throne of God and the Lamb, clad in white, know the conflict of overcoming, for they have come up through great tribulation. Those who have yielded to circumstances rather than engage in this conflict will not know how to stand in that day when anguish will be upon every soul, when, though Noah, Job, and Daniel were in the land, they could save neither son nor daughter, for everyone must deliver his soul by his own righteousness." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 215:1.

g. The impure man or woman - the ambitious and world loving. "Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and sisters. I can only write briefly upon these points at this time, merely calling your attention to the necessity of preparation. Search the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful solemnity of the present hour." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 216:2.

2. Schooling on Sabbath and worldly education: "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. 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 promises will be fulfilled; but all that venture to depart from His instructions, to follow a way of their own choosing, will perish with the wicked when His judgments are visited upon the earth.

"If parents allow their children to receive an education with the world, and make the Sabbath a common day, then the seal of God cannot be placed upon them. They will be destroyed with the world; and will not their blood rest upon the parents? But if we faithfully teach our children God’s commandments, bring them into subjection to parental authority, and then by faith and prayer commit them to God, He will work with our efforts; for He has promised it. And when the overflowing scourge shall pass through the land, they with us may be hidden in the secret of the Lord’s pavilion." Vol. 2, Testimony Treasures, pp. 183:3-184:1. a. (Taken from 1886, Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, pages 215-218).

3. Those who maintain their connection with a secret society after light comes to them. "I am very thankful to our gracious heavenly Father that He has given you strength through His imparted grace to cut yourself lose from the Free Mason lodge and all that relates to the society. It was not safe for you to have any part with this secret order. Those who stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel cannot be united with the Free Masons or with any secret organization. The seal of the living God will not be placed upon anyone who maintains such a connection after the light of truth has shone upon his pathway. Christ is not divided, and Christians cannot serve God and mammon. The Lord says, ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, . . . and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and My daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18 Evangelism, p. 622:1.—Letter 21, 1893.

4. Those who do not keep the commandments. "Many will not receive the seal of God because they do not keep His commandments or bear the fruits of righteousness." Vol. 7, Bible Commentary, p. 970:5 (1900).

a. Nor bear the fruits of righteousness.

5. Those who are Lukewarm. "The great mass of professing Christians will meet with bitter disappointment in the day of God. They have not upon their foreheads the seal of the living God. Lukewarm and halfhearted, they dishonor God far more than the avowed unbeliever. They grope in darkness, when they might be walking in the noonday light of the Word, under the guidance of One who never errs." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 970:6 (1903).

a. This is why it is important to know what Jesus said to the Laodicean church!!!

6. Those who are planning sin and acting it. "Those that overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored ones who shall receive the seal of the living God. Those whose hands are not clean, whose hearts are not pure, will not have the seal of the living God. Those who are planning sin and acting it will be passed by. Only those who, in their attitude before God, are filling the position of those who are repenting and confessing their sins in the great antitypical day of atonement, will be recognized and marked as worthy of God’s protection. The names of those who are steadfastly looking and waiting and watching for the appearing of their Saviour—more earnestly and wishfully than they who wait for the morning—will be numbered with those who are sealed. Those who, while having all the light of truth flashing upon their souls, should have works corresponding to their avowed faith, but are allured by sin, setting up idols in their hearts, corrupting their souls before God, and polluting those who unite with them in sin, will have their names blotted out of the book of life, and be left in midnight darkness, having no oil in their vessels with their lamps. ‘Unto you that fear My name shall the sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings.’" Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445:1.

7. Those who have an impure mind, the fornicator et cetera. "Will this seal be put upon the impure in mind, the fornicator, the adulterer, the man who covets his neighbor’s wife? Let your souls answer the question, does my character correspond to the qualifications essential that I may receive a passport to the mansions Christ has prepared for those who are fitted for them? Holiness must be inwrought in our character." Testimonies to Ministers, p. 446:2.

1. Diet for those preparing for translation. "I come again to Christians. If all who profess to obey the law of God were free from iniquity, my soul would be relieved; but they are not. Even some who profess to keep all the commandments of God are guilty of the sin of adultery. What can I say to arouse their benumbed sensibilities? Moral principle, strictly carried out, becomes the only safeguard of the soul. If ever there was a time when the diet should be of the most simple kind, it is now. Meat should not be placed before our children. Its influence is to excite and strengthen the lower passions, and has a tendency to deaden the moral powers. Grains and fruits prepared free from grease, and in as natural a condition as possible, should be the food for the tables of all who claim to be preparing for translation to heaven. The less feverish the diet, the more easily can the passions be controlled. Gratification of taste should not be consulted irrespective of physical, intellectual, or moral health." Vol. 2, Testimonies for the Church, p. 352:1.

2. 1882 statements from Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church:

a. Those who preserve the faith in its purity et cetera. "The earnest prayers of this faithful few will not be in vain. When the Lord comes forth as an avenger, He will also come as a protector of all those who have preserved the faith in its purity and kept themselves unspotted from the world. It is at this time that God has promised to avenge His own elect which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 210:1.

b. Those who were reproving, counseling, entreating et cetera. "The command is: ‘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.’ These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life; they had reproved, counseled, and entreated. Some who had been dishonoring God repented and humbled their hearts before Him. But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 210:2.

c. They had mourned to see religion despised in homes et cetera. "In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God’s honor and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is dishonored, the truth made of none effect." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, pp. 210-211.

d. Those that sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. Ezekiel 9:3, 4. "The day of God’s vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. Those who link in sympathy with the world are eating and drinking with the drunken and will surely be destroyed with the workers of iniquity. ‘The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.’" Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 212:3.

e. Those who are without spot. "All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and sisters. I can only write briefly upon these points at this time, merely calling your attention to the necessity of preparation. Search the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful solemnity of the present hour." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 216:2.

3. Those who are separated from sin and sinners. Revelation 14:4.

a. Not defiled with women. Woman in the Bible represents church. (Hosea 2:16-20; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Jer. 31:32)

b. "The angel with the writer’s ink horn is to place a mark upon the foreheads of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the destroying angel follows this angel." Vol 4, Bible Commentary, p. 1161:5 (1886)

"When God was about to smite the first-born of Egypt, He commanded the Israelites to gather their children from among the Egyptians into their own dwellings and strike their doorposts with blood, that the destroying angel might see it and pass over their homes. It was the work of parents to gather in their children. This is your work, this is my work, and the work of every mother who believes the truth. The angel is to place a mark upon the forehead of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the destroying angel will follow, to slay utterly both old and young." Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p. 505:2.

"The state of corruption and apostasy that in the last days would exist in the religious world, was presented to the prophet John in the vision of Babylon, ‘that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.’ Revelation 17:18. Before its destruction the call is to be given from heaven, ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’ Revelation 18:4. As in the days of Noah and Lot, there must be a marked separation from sin and sinners. There can be no compromise between God and the world, no turning back to secure earthly treasures. ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ Matthew 6:24." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 167:1.

4. They must learn in the school of Christ. "You must learn in the school of Christ, else you can never be qualified to enter the higher grade, receive the seal of the living God, enter in through the gates into the city of God, and be crowned with glory, honor, and immortality." Vol 5, Testimonies, p. 502:0. (1889).

5. They must bear a likeness to Christ. "The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 970:3 (1895)

a. Those who gained victory and the righteousness of Christ. "The palms signify that they have gained the victory, and the white robes that they have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Thank God that a fountain has been opened to wash our robes of character, and make them as white as snow." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 970:10.

6. How do they regard the world? "Those who have in their foreheads the seal of the infinite God will regard the world and its attractions as subordinate to eternal interests." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 978:3 (1897).

7. They have the truth rooted in the heart. "The Lord has a work for us all to do. And if the truth is not rooted in the heart, if the natural traits of character are not transformed by the Holy Spirit, we can never be colaborers with Jesus Christ. Self will constantly appear, and the character of Christ will not be manifested in our lives." Vol. 7, Bible Commentary, p. 969:4. (1898).

8. They have on the wedding garment. "What is the seal of the living God, which is placed in the foreheads of His people? It is a mark which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying angel must see this mark of redemption. The intelligent mind has seen the sign of the cross of Calvary in the Lord’s adopted sons and daughters. The sin of the transgression of the law of God is taken away. They have on the wedding garment, and are obedient and faithful to all God’s commands." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 968:8 (1898)

9. They cherish Lord as their possession. "Every soul in our world is the Lord’s property, by creation and by redemption. Each individual soul is on trial for his life. Has he given to God that which belongs to Him? Has he surrendered to God all that is His as His purchased possession? All who cherish the Lord as their portion in this life will be under His control, and will receive the sign, the mark of God, which shows them to be God’s special possession. Christ’s righteousness will go before them, and the glory of the Lord will be their rereward. The Lord protects every human being who bears His sign. [Exodus 31:12-17 quoted.]." Vol. 7, Bible Commentary, p. 969:1. (1899)

10. They keep the fourth commandment. "Those who would have the seal of God in their foreheads must keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. This is what distinguishes them from the disloyal, who have accepted a man-made institution in the place of the true Sabbath. The observance of God’s rest day is the mark of distinction between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 970:2 (1899)

a. And not just the fourth. Revelation 14:12.

b. "Many will not receive the seal of God because they do not keep His commandments or bear the fruits of righteousness." Vol. 7, Bible Commentary, p. 970:5 (1900).

11. Must obtain perfection of character. "We may talk of the blessings of the Holy Spirit, but unless we prepare ourselves for its reception, of what avail are our works? Are we striving with all our power to attain to the statute of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us—the perfection of His character? When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ, and the recording angel will declare, ‘It is finished.’ (Review and Herald, June 10, 1902)." Vol. 6, Bible Commentary, p. 1118:1.

a. This is as a people (church). "‘When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.’ [Mark 4:26-29] Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own." Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69:1.

b. They receive the Holy Spirit. "By faith Enoch ‘was translated that he should not see death; . . for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.’ Hebrews 11:5. In the midst of a world by its iniquity doomed to destruction, Enoch lived a life of such close communion with God that he was not permitted to fall under the power of death. The godly character of this prophet represents the state of holiness which must be attained by those who shall be ‘redeemed from the earth’ (Revelation 14:3) at the time of Christ’s second advent. Then, as in the world before the Flood, iniquity will prevail. Following the promptings of their corrupt hearts and the teachings of a deceptive philosophy, men will rebel against the authority of Heaven. But like Enoch, God’s people will seek for purity of heart and conformity to His will, until they shall reflect the likeness of Christ. Like Enoch, they will warn the world of the Lord’s second coming and of the judgments to be visited upon transgression, and by their holy conversation and example they will condemn the sins of the ungodly. As Enoch was translated to heaven before the destruction of the world by water, so the living righteous will be translated from the earth before its destruction by fire. Says the apostle: ‘We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.’ ‘For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God;’ ‘the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.’ ‘The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18." Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 88-89.

12. They receive knowledge and understanding the Bible. "Those whom the Lamb shall lead by the fountains of living waters, and from whose eyes He shall wipe away all tears, will be those now receiving the knowledge and understanding revealed in the Bible, the Word of God." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 970:7 (1905)

13. Their character is shown in words and works. "Missionary agencies are greatly needed in every branch of God’s work. Our institutions need converted, devoted men, who will make the Lord their dependence. God will reveal through such workers the power of His grace. His servants are to be distinguished from the world by the seal of the living God; their words and their works are to reveal that they are laborers together with God." Vol. 7, Bible Commentary, p. 969:5 (1907).

a. They are without spot or wrinkle "God can use the human agent just to the extent that he will be worked by the Holy Spirit. To men who accept positions of responsibility as presidents, ministers, physicians, or workers in any line, I am bidden to say: God will test every man who enters His service. He does not ask, Do they possess learning and eloquence? Have they ability to command and control and manage? He asks, Will they represent My character? Will they walk in humility, that I may teach them My way? The soul temple must not be defiled by any lose or unclean practice. Those whom I will acknowledge in the courts of heaven must be without spot and wrinkle." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 969:6.

14. They will overcome the world et cetera. "Those that overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored ones who shall receive the seal of the living God. Those whose hands are not clean, whose hearts are not pure, will not have the seal of the living God. Those who are planning sin and acting it will be passed by. Only those who, in their attitude before God, are filling the position of those who are repenting and confessing their sins in the great antitypical day of atonement, will be recognized and marked as worthy of God’s protection. The names of those who are steadfastly looking and waiting and watching for the appearing of their Saviour—more earnestly and wishfully than they who wait for the morning—will be numbered with those who are sealed. Those who, while having all the light of truth flashing upon their souls, should have works corresponding to their avowed faith, but are allured by sin, setting up idols in their hearts, corrupting their souls before God, and polluting those who unite with them in sin, will have their names blotted out of the book of life, and be left in midnight darkness, having no oil in their vessels with their lamps. ‘Unto you that fear My name shall the sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings.’" Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445:1.

a. Those who have holiness in character. "Will this seal be put upon the impure in mind, the fornicator, the adulterer, the man who covets his neighbor’s wife? Let your souls answer the question, does my character correspond to the qualifications essential that I may receive a passport to the mansions Christ has prepared for those who are fitted for them? Holiness must be inwrought in our character." Testimonies to Ministers, p. 446:2.

15. No guile or fault (perfection). Revelation 14:4,5; James 3:2.

16. To be of such a character includes the diet. "Those who have received instruction regarding the evils of the use of flesh foods, tea and coffee, and rich and unhealthful food preparations, and who are determined to make a covenant with God by sacrifice, will not continue to indulge their appetite for food that they know to be unhealthful. God demands that the appetites be cleansed, and that self-denial be practiced in regard to those things which are not good. This is a work that will have to be done before His people can stand before Him a perfected people." Vol. 9, Testimonies, pp. 153-154 (1909).

1. A mark that angels not human eyes can read. "What is the seal of the living God, which is placed in the foreheads of His people? It is a mark which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying angel must see this mark of redemption. The intelligent mind has seen the sign of the cross of Calvary in the Lord’s adopted sons and daughters. The sin of the transgression of the law of God is taken away. They have on the wedding garment, and are obedient and faithful to all God’s commands." Vol. 7, Bible Commentary, p. 968:8 (1898)

2. It is a settling into the truth both intellectually and spiritually. "Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads—it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved—just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of God are now upon the land, to give us warning, that we may know what is coming." Vol. 4 Bible Commentary, p. 1161:6 (1902)

3. It is the soul taking the impress of Spirit and retaining it. "As wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and retain the image of Christ (Signs of the Times, July 18, 1911)." Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, p. 970:4 (1911)

a. "‘When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.’ [Mark 4:26-29] Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.

"It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:12, margin). Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seeds of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain." Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69:1, 2.