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Hillside O’Malley SDA Church

David Shin

The Sealing

The Sealing: Who Are the 144,000

The Sealing: The Signature of God

The Sealing: Probation Closed

You have not already. I want to invite you to open your Bibles with me to Revelation chapter 22 verse 11. Revelation chapter 22, verse 11, as we reflect on this scripture, which has some challenging overtones for us. Revelation chapter 22, verse 11. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous. Let him be righteous still. He who is holy, let him be holy. Still, Bible scholars have reflected on this text and come to the conclusion that this refers to a final probationary closing right before Jesus comes the second time. And I want to add that there are two types of a close of probation. You have an individual close of probation that is a probation that closes for us individually. When we die, when we pass away, that's it. Our eternal destiny is sealed. And every single day there are people dying. 151,000 people die each day. 6,300 die each hour. 105 people die each minute and nearly two people die each second. It's a startling thing to ponder when we recognize that every single day people's eternal destinies are essentially sealed. Now, probation is typically thought of in a negative sense. When you are told you're on probation, you don't think, oh wonderful. But biblical probation is actually a good thing. We would not have probation at all if it wasn't for Jesus. So it's actually grace that gives us time to decide our eternal destiny. So we are living in a time of probation. Our hearts are beating, our lungs are still taking in air, and we are given a finite period in which to choose our eternal status. Now, there is something called a corporate close of probation. And that is when Jesus before he comes, says, you know what? Probation is closed and he stands up. Daniel chapter 12. And he comes in the clouds of glory. And this statement found in Revelation chapter 22 comes from a perspective of right before he comes the second time, and my brother up there, could you turn on the screen for me so I can see the slides from the back? And I want us to read this here. Revelation chapter 22, verse 12. He that is unjust. Let him be unjust still and he that is filthy. Let him be filthy still and he that is righteous. Let him be righteous still and he that is holy. Let him be holy still. Now the repetition in this verse, this pronouncement from heaven declaring not just an individual close of probation, but a corporate close of probation, not for the dead, but for the living, indicating that there is gonna be a group of people that are walking around not knowing that essentially time is up, the books have been closed. And the ominous part of this statement is the repetition of the word still. In other words, if you are righteous, you will continue in that pattern of righteousness. If you are unrighteous, you will continue in that pattern of unrighteousness. Now, if you're like me and you read a statement like this, it fills me with a little bit of anxiety, doesn't it? Because I am the type of person that typically likes to procrastinate. I thrive under pressure last minute. It's a habit that I'm trying to break. But what if probation closes and God says, the books are closed, I'm coming. And if he would've just extended probation five more minutes, I would've changed my mind. I mean, this is the dilemma I have when I read statements like this. Does God arbitrarily close probation and say, time is up, ready or not? Here I come and I'm down here saying, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Five more minutes. If I would've had five more minutes, I would've made the right decision. And so this paints a a dilemma in each one of us. When we look at statements like this from scripture indicating that probation has closed, Jesus is getting ready to come, and we are all stuck in the moral status that we were in before. Now as I reflected on this a couple years ago, in 2015, they had the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, 1975, April. This is a picture of the embassy there in Saigon, the American Embassy. Some of you will remember this time, I don't. But this is that haunting picture of that helicopter on top of the US Embassy. And Saigon was about to fall. The North Vietnamese had crossed over into South Vietnam, and they were right outside of Saigon. A couple years before 1973, Henry Kissinger had signed the Paris Peace Accord, and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before South Vietnam fell. And they put into operation, operation frequent wind. It was an evacuation from the US consulate there in Saigon by helicopter Marines on that helicopter bravely went into that city back and forth, back and forth. 7,000 people were evacuated, many of them Vietnamese that had helped the US forces there in South Vietnam. And I read a fascinating account of individuals that were there, and they said that around the US Embassy compound, there were literally thousands of Vietnamese that were putting their children over the top of the wall trying to climb up into the compound saying, please save me, take me with you. Because they knew there was a death list for anyone that had helped the Americans. And once Saigon fell, everyone was afraid blood would flow like water. Through the streets of Saigon, thousands around the US consulate hoping to get on the last helicopter outside of South Vietnam, 7,000 were saved. And the US ambassador, his heart went out to the Vietnamese and he wanted to save as many people as possible. And he lingered behind. Finally, under orders from Gerald Ford, they took him by force and Pu put him on that helicopter. The Marines wanted to save everyone, as many people as possible, but they couldn't save everyone. If we use this Saigon evacuation as an analogy for salvation, there is a fundamental difference here. God wants to save everyone. Amen. Amen. Do you believe that? Amen. And he can amen. Save everyone. He is not limited by circumstances and resources. So here we have a text from scripture, second Peter chapter three, verse nine. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Gods in the business of saving individuals. That's the whole plan of salvation. He wants everyone in heaven, not only that he has put into operation all the resources of heaven to save you and me. That's the beauty of the heart of God. He is not limited by resources. So how do we reconcile Revelation chapter 22, verse 11, where God says, you know what? I'm gonna close the books ready or not. Here I come or it seems, and everyone is stuck in their moral status versus this picture of God where we see that God wants everyone to be settled. And the only way that I can reconcile these two aspects of our eschatology, the heart of God, and the reality that there is going to come a time when probation closes for the human race, is that ultimately God only shuts the door on probation when every decision is finalized as the only conclusion you can come to. In other words, the lengthening of time will not change anyone's decision. Every decision is finalized. So in reality, revelation chapter 22, verse 11 is not a creating of a new reality. It is a description of the current reality. In other words, God comes to a point and place where characters have matured and individuals have made their final decision. And no matter if God extends probation a hundred years or even a million years, every person will make the same decision. And it is at that point that God says, probation has closed, every person has made their final decision. The characters have been set. Now I wanna back up a little bit and go through the anatomy of how a person's moral character is developed. And this is a quote from Stephen Covey. He says, so a thought reap an action. So action reap a habit. So a habit reap a character. So a character reap a destiny. And have you ever heard of the term that man is just set in his ways? This is not indicating that the person is incapable of changing, but basically that the habit patterns and the neuro pathways through not just one decision, but through a series of decisions, have matured the character. This is another illustration from agriculture that we can see. You can see the seeds, the thoughts and the actions, the habits, the character and the destiny come to the full maturation of a person in moral character. And in the book of Revelation, revelation chapter 14, verse 13, Jesus is coming in the clouds of glory. And you'll notice what he's holding in his hand. And I looked and I saw a white cloud and seated on the cloud was one like the son of man with a golden crown on his head and a sharp, what does it say sickle in his hand. This is a something from agriculture. And when you come to a harvest, are you coming for a plant that is in its infancy or in its maturity? Those of you that are gardeners, when you plant it, do you pull out the sickle and say, oh, I'm gonna reap? No, you wait till the plant has matured and born fruit. That is when you come with the sickle for the harvest. This is indicating that when Jesus comes a second time, he is coming for individuals that have not just made one decision that is their final decision, but a series of decisions that have led to a certain character, a character that has just not matured but fully blossomed and born fruit to a certain point of maturity. That is what the Bible is indicating characters are fully developed. Now, a clear indication of this is when you look in Revelation chapter 20, after the millennium, after the thousand years, the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven. The saints are inside the city, the dead wicked are resurrected. And this is a pivotal opportunistic point because you would think or imagine that the wicked, once they get up and are resurrected and see the new Jerusalem, I would think perhaps that there would be at least some individuals that would say, oh, sorry, I woke up in the wrong resurrection. I'm on the wrong side. Please give me a second chance. That would be a logical conclusion that you would have you get up on resurrection morning. Oh no, I'm outside the city, not inside. Please give me a second chance. But you can see that this is not the way that the characters go. They went up on the breath of the earth and surrounded the camp of the beloved saints and the beloved city. In other words, they are marshaling their armies to kill everyone inside. This indicates that probation, even if it were extended, would not change the trajectory of the individuals that have developed a certain character. They want to kill everyone inside, not say, Lord, save me even after the millennium. Now, this is from the book, great controversy, page 6 63. They are to have no new probation in which to remedy the defects of their past lives. Nothing would be gained by this. A lifetime of transgression has not softened their hearts. A second probation were it given them would be occupied as the first innovating the requirements of God, an exciting rebellion against him. In other words, these individuals by demonstration clearly show that even if they were given a hundred years or a million years, their final decision was their final decision. The character is unchanged. They don't say, Lord, please save me. They said, I want to take the city and kill everyone inside. This is a remarkable statement from great controversy because she indicates that when the new Jerusalem comes down, the gates of the city are left open by implication when you read the statement in, in other words, it's almost implying that when the new Jerusalem comes down, the gates of the city are left open just in case people would change their minds, but no one changes their mind. And the gates are only closed when Satan's army comes to the wall of the city to kill everyone inside. Look at this great controversy. 6 64, Satan, the mightiest, the warriors leads the van and his angels unite their forces for the final struggle with military precision, the S ranks advanced over the Earth's broken on uneven surface to the city of God. Look at this part. I've underlined here on the screen. By command of Jesus, the gates of the new Jerusalem are closed, implying that they were open before and the armies of Satan surround the city and make ready for the onset. In other words, there is given opportunity for individuals. I read this by implication. Even after the millennium, the gates of the city are left open indicating if you want salvation, the gates are not shut. You can still come in. But this demonstration shows that the characters have been settled and every person has made their final decision because nobody outside of the city makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and says, I want to be saved. Quite the contrary, they march on the city to destroy the inhabitants inside. And it is then and only then that God says, okay, we're gonna close the gates. Wow. So here is a practical consideration in terms of character development because this is talking about the end, the eschaton on how do we practically distill this down to our day-to-day living? That's the important part, isn't it? How are characters developed and when is the best opportunity for us to make a decision? And this is from Hebrew's chapter four, verse seven, giving some nuances as to how our characters develop. Hebrews chapter four, verse seven, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Now, the term harden, when you look it up to become firm or solid, to solidify, to become set to calcify, to make inflexible or unchangeable, to become cemented. In other words, our characters are not always malleable. That when we make a decision, a series of decisions in a certain trajectory, we become more settled in that pattern, in that way of thinking. This is not to say that we can't reverse that, but a continuation of a lifetime of if series of decisions causes us to be settled in a certain pattern. Now, this is a, a reference to the quote of Pharaoh hardening his heart. Exodus chapter eight, verse 32. But this time also, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let his people go. Now, we've heard this statement before. The same son that hardens clay melts, wax. The sunlight is not the entity that changes the nature of the wax or the clay. The sunlight simply reveals the character of the wax and of the clay. And so when God reveals to us light the love of God, there is an element of transformation that takes place. And the byproduct of that is we can either get softened or hardened by the illumination of light. God is trying to save. But when we don't respond, there is something that happens to us in our character. It is the natural byproduct of the exposure to light. I will add this, the more light, the more accelerated the character development. Why did Pharaoh go through this accelerated hardening process? Because he was given an illumination, unprecedented of the power and the majesty of God. So before Jesus comes in Revelation chapter 18, the Bible indicates that the whole earth will be lit with the glory of God. I believe that before Jesus comes a second time, there will be a demonstration of the power and the love of God. Amen. That is never before seen in human history. Amen. Amen. God is gonna give everyone ample opportunity. The whole earth is going to be lit with the glory and the majesty of God. This accelerates character development in the softening or the natural byproduct of the hardening process. And so before Jesus comes, there is going to be a maturation of Christian character. And on the other hand, a maturation of a character that is not Christlike. One has the signature of God. We talked about that last week. The seal of God. The other one has the mark of the beast. Both are mature characters reflecting their respective creators. And when those characters have matured and every decision has been finalized, God says, time is up because every decision has been made for eternity. Amen. Important part of Hebrews chapter four, verse seven. It says Today, if you hear his voice harden, not your hearts. The best time to make a spiritual decision is when? Right now. Right? It's always today. The devil loves tomorrow because with with character, every decision or every delay changes us. When you walk through a door of a decision, you are changed by that decision. You are a different person tomorrow because of the decisions that you made today. This is, this is how we change. And, and some people are like, oh, they worry about the whole journey. They worry about how am I gonna ever get to a certain point that God says, don't worry about that. Make decisions today, every day. And I say, look, you make one step. It prepares you for the next decision. You're changed, you make another step. It prepares you for the next decision, and you are a different person at every stage of the journey. Conversely, it's true as well. I have had Bible studies with individuals. I show them scripture and the love of God as it is in Jesus, and they are convicted. They know that they need to make a decision. They hear the voice of God speaking to their hearts, but they say, David, not today. And I meet them a month later, same Bible study, but it's a different person. The conviction has passed away. This is from reviewing Herald. If the voice of Jesus is not heated at once, it becomes confused in the mind with a multitude of other voices. The world's care and business engrossed, the attention and conviction dies away. The heart becomes less impressible and lapses into a perilous unconsciousness of the shortness of time and of the great eternity beyond. Bible says in Second Corinthians, chapter six verse two, behold, what does it say? Now is the favorable time. Behold. Now is the day of salvation. The Bible, the Holy Spirit speaks to us. And have you ever been convicted before? Unmistakable conviction? The Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and says, make a decision step through this door. And it's by grace. We can say, Lord, I'm weak. Amen. But you are strong. Help me. Help me. Willing to be made willing and is only in that place of helplessness, yet the most powerful posture you can be in saying, Lord, help me because I can't help myself. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank you that you have given us the power of choice. No one can decide for us. It is a gift of grace. And Lord, today, while our hearts are still beating, we pray that you would help us to respond to your clarion call upon our hearts today. Now is the day of salvation. And I'm wondering if there's someone here that wants to say, Lord, please save me. You wanna raise your hand? This is something that we can say that we know that God never refuses. Father, you see these hands, you know the cry of our hearts, and we thank you that all the resources of heaven are there To bring us home for we ask these things. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. This media was brought to you by Audio verse, a website dedicated to spreading God's word through free sermon, audio, and much more. If you would like to know more about audio verse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audio verse.org.

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The Sealing

The Sealing: Probation Closed

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The Sealing: Who Are the 144,000

The Sealing: The Signature of God

The Sealing: Probation Closed

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