Laval Picard’s Skewed View of the Two Sealings

 

Click to go to our Home Page


 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Ron Beaulieu

To: SDAIssues@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 1:16 PM

Subject: Re: [SDAIssues] the two seals

 

Forum,

 

Laval's view of the sealing is seriously skewed because in the prefigure type of A.D. 27-70, God's people were sealed before the murderous city was destroyed in A.D. 70. The Loud Cry will begin to the world at the Sunday Law. God's true people will be sealed in a Pentecostal type sealing in order to give that Cry in the power of the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit. This coincides with Matthew 22:1-10, which Ellen White reapplies in Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1, pp. 4-9.

 

Ellen White clearly stated that the first sealing or settling into the truth occurs before the shaking begins. But that shaking began a long time ago. So we must conclude that this sealing must occur in the faithful of each generation after the sealing began in order for the faithful men, the third angel, to select the wheat from the tares by her straight testimony.

 

The second seal is the test of the image of the beast which is formed before probation closes. Yes indeed, it is formed when the Sunday Law is ENFORCED. Obviously, those true and faithful men (SDA's) who cause the shaking and thereby select the wheat from the tares, are ready by being settled into the truth so that they cannot be moved BEFORE the test of the image to the beast, just as the disciples of Christ were sealed BEFORE the Roman's first entered upon Jewish soil in A.D. 66. And Ellen White parallels that event with the Sunday Law, 5T 451, 464. The disciples were sealed even before giving the gospel to the Jews!--the two calls to the Jews which began even before the stoning of Stephen, because that is why Stephen was stoned! It was after the stoning of Stephen that the seventy were sent out as well. But the point is that the disciples were sealed on the typical Day of Pentecost, before the two calls to the Jews, Matthew 22, and long before the abomination stood on holy ground and in the Holy Place of the Temple in A.D. 70.

 

 "The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided. This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed." Rev.13:11-17 quoted, E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 976.

 

Ellen White distinguishes between the "people" of God and the bride, Great Controversy, pp. 426-7. She said the "people" are the guests at the wedding banquet, and the "bride" is not the guests and the guests are not the bride. Desire of Ages, 179, says that John the Baptist got up a bride for Jesus. That bride was sealed before giving the warning two calls of Matthew 22 to the Jews, let along the world! This is the proper order of the sealing's--just as they were in the type.

 

You can clearly see that the Disciples of Christ, HIS BRIDE, were sealed before delivering the gospel to the Jews (THE PEOPLE, THE GUESTS), and long before giving it to the world (as guests) after the murderous city was destroyed in A.D. 70. All we need do for a true picture of the sealing is to look at the prefigure of A.D. 27-70.

 

The test the people of God must have before they are sealed is just as Ellen White said. The bride, the disciples were sealed before the went to the PEOPLE. Remember, Ellen White says that the bride and the people or guests at the wedding are different entities. Laval does not understand this.

 

In the Revelation the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper. Revelation 19:9. If guests, they cannot be represented also as the bride." E. G. White, The Great Controversy,  426, 427.

 

Third angel "I was shown that the THIRD ANGEL, proclaiming the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, represents the PEOPLE who receive this message and raise the voice in warning to the world." Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 77.

 

"I then saw the THIRD ANGEL. Said my accompanying angel, 'Fearful is his work. Awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares, and seal, or bind, the wheat for the heavenly garner." E.G. White, Early Writings, 118.

 

In the prefigure, faithful Jews were sealed before the event Ellen White paralleled with the Sunday Law and the abomination of desolation--the ascendance of Roman soldiers on Jewish soil. Everyone of the was sealed and fled 3 1/2 years before what she equates with the Sunday Law was enforced by the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

Every true and faithful SDA who is a member of the church will be sealed and settled into the truth by the BRIDE, the true messengers, before the time to flee to the mountains. Sure, they will be tested by their willingness to flee BEFORE the Sunday Law is enforced! That is the test of their faith and character, and if they will not flee BEFORE the Sunday law is enforced, guess what happens to them! But they will operate from the wilderness, Ezekiel 20:34-38, to shake all rebels from the kingdom of God, Matthew 13:44 and on, by their shaking message to the world, which is given from wilderness outposts. Then, the non-SDA's they witness to are sealed by their response to the final Loud Cry message and they must meet that test AFTER the enforcement of the Sunday Law, and give their lives for their belief, because only the 144,000, the BRIDE of Christ, are translated without seeing death.

 

All this Laval should have clued into before--long ago, when I showed him from Christ's Object Lessons, 405-6, that it is the voice of the bride and God that awakens ALL TEN SLEEPING VIRGINS. The bride makes that awakening Midnight Cry call to the fallen churches and the world--first to SDA's and then to the world. She is the True Reformers. Isaiah 62 confirms Ellen White's view in COL 405-6, by saying Zion, the bride that is married, verse 5, is to give a message to the world, verses 11, and 12. That message is a paraphrase of the Midnight Cry: "Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him." Matthew 25:1-5.

 

"The angel represented in prophecy as delivering this message, symbolizes a class of faithful men, who obedient to the promptings of God's Spirit and the teachings of his word, proclaim this warning to the inhabitants of earth. This message WAS NOT to be committed to the religious leaders of the people." E.. White, The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 199, 200.

 

Laval has said that the 144,000, the bride of Christ, will not be sealed BEFORE the close of probation. That is not true. The 144,000 strong bride of Christ will be sealed when she is given Latter Rain power to give the final Loud Cry call to the world and even before she give gives the last warning of Matthew 22, to the Jews (modern Israel) SDA.'s. As it was in the prefigure, so it is in the antitype. It is impossible for those who are not sealed to give the true warning to God's people, and that is evident in the case of one Laval Picard. He is making serious errors all over the place because he was not called to do what he is doing. He is a false prophet, clear and simple. He would not make these errors concerning the sealing if he was called of God. He said he would pray that God would judge betwixt he and me, and so that judgment comes to fruition once again in my exposing of his errors on the sealing. God has answered your prayer Laval. But you won't see it.

 

Laval has admitted to the end-time application of Matthew 22 as far as the two calls to the church are concerned. But he miserably fails to see that the disciples of Christ were SEALED on the Day of Pentecost sealing BEFORE they gave those two calls to God's first professing church. This is another is his gross errors that only a Jesuit type could set forth. Like a true Jesuit-type, he puts that sealing off into the future.

 

I repeat: This following sealing that Laval Picard refers to was implemented to the faithful Jews BEFORE any parallel to the Sunday Law, which Ellen White clearly says was the abomination of desolation--the ascendance of Jewish soldiers upon Jewish soil within so many furlongs of the Temple, 5T 451, 464. Then, when that time came, every faithful Jew fled! They later gave the THIRD CALL to the world AFTER the murderous city of apostate Israel was fulfilled, Matthew 22:1-10 in clear order of succession of events.

 

Ephesians 1:12,13. "That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. 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."

 

Laval further says: " Our destiny is not yet finally and eternally secure. The sins which we have confessed are safe and secure in the sanctuary until the great day of final atonement, but then, if we are found without the wedding garment, they will come back on our own heads just as if we had never been forgiven. See G.C.420.

 

Ron responds: You can be sure that the bride of Christ who gives the final warning message, as the generals of God's army of Joel 2, 3, will not recant or renege on her Pentecost sealing any more than the disciples did or any more than the faithful they sealed with the truth did? Every true, sealed Christian fled and was saved, by the time of the even Ellen White equates with the Sunday Law, the ascendance of Cestius, the Roman General, on Jewish soil, in the autumn of A.D. 66, 3 1/2 years before the Temple and city of Jerusalem were destroyed.

 

So it will be with Adventists (not those the bride converts AFTER the Sunday law), BY THE TIME OF THE NATIONAL SUNDAY LAW. They will be ready and sealed. All who flee will prove their faith and character which they have developed up to that time.

 

I agree with Laval's presentation of the final sealing and the cleansing of the sanctuary, except his erroneous view that those who are sealed in the first sealing could change and sin again. The fallacy of that assumption is found in Ellen White statement that in the first sealing the servants of God are settled and sealed SO THAT THEY CANNOT BE MOVED. Laval, in contradiction to Ellen White, is speculating that they might be moved before the Sanctuary is cleansed. That is not true! That is another contradiction of Ellen White and Scripture by one Laval Picard. God Word says that those who were sealed by His servants were saved. There is a final sealing of the saved, but that in no way supposes that the first sealing will not achieve its work. 

 

Ron

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Laval Picard

To: sdaissues@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 11:14 AM

Subject: [SDAIssues] the two seals

 

 

THE TWO SEALS

 

If ever we are to have a clear and accurate understanding of the order of last day events, we must understand the sealing work of the people of God. Not that this is a very difficult subject to understand though one would think so when we consider the widely divergent concepts of the order of last day events.

 

No sooner do we begin a serious and careful study of this topic than we become aware of the fact that there are two distinct and separate seals. They are totally different from each other and must not be confused with each other. Each has its place and role in the plan of God and none can enter the heavenly kingdom unless they have the both of them. We observe too that the Bible does not say that there are two seals any more than it says that there are two comings of Christ, or two shakings, or two brides, or any of the two things which in Scripture are different and yet called by the same name.

 

In each case we are left to recognize the fact that there are two and to understand as to which is being spoken of in a certain place. 

 

Let us turn now to some references which clearly speak of a seal which up till this time no person living on the earth at present has received. "The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided. This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed." Rev.13:11-17 quoted, E.G. White, 7 B.C.976.

 

This statement makes it very certain that no one can receive the seal spoken of here, until they have passed the test imposed by the settting up of the image of the beast. The test comes first and then the seal of God follows on all those who have passed this fearful test. Now the image of the beast, as an active effective agency has not yet at this time of writing been set up, and as certain as this is so, the test of the image is not before the people yet. Therefore there is not a soul living on the face of the earth who has passed that test yet and equally surely then, no one living has that seal upon them at this time. 

 

The great final test must come, and only those who remain loyal in the face of that pressure, will receive the seal of God. There is no difficulty then in seeing that this test and this seal are still very much in the future.

 

In the light of these clear facts then it is plain that it is of a different seal of which Paul and others speak, when they tell of a seal which was had by the living in the past. Let us read of this first in Ephesians 1:12,13. "That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. 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."

 

Here then were a people to whom he said that they were already sealed with the Holy Spirit. He did not speak of their receiving a seal in the future but as of having received it before this time. Did this mean that they had passed the great final test? No indeed. Yet they were sealed. It is evident that this must be, and indeed was, a different seal from that which is spoken of in the first two statements above.

 

The fact that the present seal is called the seal of the living God just as the final seal is called by the same name is proved still further by this statement from Sons and Daughters of God, p.51. "The law of God, which is perfect holiness, is the only standard of character. Love is expressed in obedience, and perfect love casteth all fear. Those who love God, have the seal of God in their foreheads, and work the works of God."

 

Again this seal is not spoken of as something they will have, but of something they already have at the present time! The first seal is 1. A work which is done in us day by day. 2. It is the work of the Holy Spirit, begun by the former rain and completed by the latter rain. 3. It is a process of settling into the truth both intellectually and spiritually. 4. It prepares for the great final test.

 

When this sealing work is finished, there is no spot, wrinkle or any such thing left in the individual, and the devil can find nothing in him whatsoever to respond to his temptations. It is very proper and natural to ask then, if the first seal does all of that in me, then what need do I have of a second and final seal? What is there yet that I need, not already provided in this first seal? If the moral image of Jesus is completely formed within, then will I not be fit to enter Heaven?

 

That is a very good question for it is very evident that if, by the time the mission of the Gospel is completed at the end of the loud cry, the Lord has completed the work of grace in my soul, then the Lord is not going to do any further work in my soul in the second seal. And neither does He. Let it be established in the mind that the second seal is not concerned with the work of the Holy Spirit in the soul of man; that work by that time is complete, and you cannot complete completion, or perfect perfection.

 

At the same time, the second seal is still the sealing of the people of God. In a way not accomplished by the first seal, this seal will give the people of God a final and eternal protection from sin. This is but to say that although "the full corn" is "in the ear," which is necessary for readmission into Heaven, they still cannot enter there until this further work, not accomplished by the first seal, has been done for them. It is to say that this work is something beyond the province of the Holy Spirit, something which even He cannot do for them. He has done all that He could do in the first seal, but now another must accomplish this final service for them.

 

This is not to limit the power of the Holy Spirit in the least. It is not to say that He is anything less than omnipotent. He is truly all-powerful in the fullest sense of the word, but it is not a question of power but one of province. Thus we shall see that the second seal is the work of the Savior Himself and not of the Holy Spirit. Even so, while Jesus does the actual sealing work in this instance, the Holy Spirit plays a part in that He will be leading, guiding and helping the people of God to understand this work as it goes forward for them that they may receive the full benefit of this final seal.

 

What then is this final work which gives to the people of God the second and final sealing against sin? Wherein has the first seal not provided the full and final protection? The answer is simple and clear. To understand it we must turn to the unfolding of the gospel work as revealed in the sanctuary. The sanctuary makes it very clear that there can be no such thing as once saved, always saved. While it is true that pardon and cleansing is a very real and literal matter in the daily experience, it is also to be understood that such pardon and cleansing is conditional on our faithfulness to the end. Ezek.18:14. Here on this earth we are on probation. Our destiny is not yet finally and eternally secure. The sins which we have confessed are safe and secure in the sanctuary until the great day of final atonement, but then, if we are found without the wedding garment, they will come back on our own heads just as if we had never been forgiven. See G.C.420.

 

The first seal does not provide the protection needed to make us eternally secure from the return of those sins. At the end of the hours of our earthly probation we are still in a position wherein there is the open door of the possibility of those sins returning upon us again. It is a door which we need to have sealed forever, so that the sin can never ever come back upon us.

 

It must be very apparent that the provision of the sealing off of any possibility of the sin returning upon us from the sanctuary, is a very different work from the work of overcoming. Yet both, in the truest sense, are a sealing against sin into righteousness. The first seal is preliminary to the second, for if we did not have the first seal then there would be no sin in the sanctuary from the return of which we would need to be protected.

 

Yet while the first is preliminary to the second, it cannot be complete in itself and without the second all that was accomplished under the first would be of no avail whatsoever. This is a fact which needs to be made quite clear. Think of the situation as follows:

 

A believer has faithfully put away every sin which has ever been shown to him; he has received all the benefit of the former and the latter rain, thus having had the full measure of the character of Christ developed within him; he has faced and passed the great final test and thus has all the inward fitness to enter Heaven; but this does not seal him against the return of the sins which were sent beforehand to judgment. That is a very different work. It is the other seal and it can be effected by One Person and one alone and that is Jesus the High Priest, who by virtue of the merits of His spilt blood can and will, having entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, sprinkle His blood upon the mercy seat and thus make atonement for our confessed and forsaken sins. As this point everything depends upon Him. Just as Queen Esther was the one person in existence who could go in before the king and plead for Israel of old, so Jesus will be the One in existence who can go in and plead before the Father for His people.

 

But He does not have to do it. His is not a service of compulsion other than that of the divine compulsion of an indwelling and unquenchable love. His ever has been and ever will be a willing sacrifice. Cost Him what it may, we know that He will go through with the final atonement without the least hesitation. On this we can rely with the greatest of certainty and assurance. But there is a danger that we underestimate the full implications of what this means to us. Therefore, in an effort both to bring home to us how vitally important it is that Jesus does make the final atonement, and to show the nature and work of the second seal, let us suppose that Jesus in the end refused to go through with His work. That is to say, we are supposing for the moment that when the time comes for Him to step to the mercy seat and sprinkle His blood for the final atonement for our sins by virtue of which He is able to take all the sins of the true people of God and place them upon the scapegoat, He would refuse to do this.

 

What then? What would this mean to the man here upon this earth at that time who, while living, had received the full benefit of the daily sealing, the full impression of the Spirit of God in the character of Christ in his life, the moral fitness for re-entrance into Heaven and in whose heart throbbed the hope of translation? We need consider no other individual than such for the rest cannot receive the benefit of the final atonement anyway.

 

It could mean that his sins could not and would not go onto the scapegoat. But neither could they remain any longer in the sanctuary from which they must be promptly removed. The limit of time during which they can remain there is expired. The judgment has come demanding the removal of them from the sanctuary and it will have what it demands. Therefore the sin must be taken out and it must be sent somewhere. Inasmuch as it cannot under such circumstances be placed upon the scapegoat, then it must be returned to the individual himself. There is no other alternative and such would mean that there would be no salvation for us at all but only the darkness of an eternal night. And this would still be so even though the individual had received all the benefits of the first seal.

 

In the light of these clear facts, no one should have the least difficulty in seeing that the first seal does not provide us with the protection from the possibility of the return of all our confessed sins. At the same time it must not be forgotten that the first seal must be had in order to receive the second. It is preliminary but it is not final. Wonderful and perfect as it is, if it was the only seal received, we could not have salvation.

 

Thus it is that the first seal takes us so far but leaves us unsealed against the awful possibility of the return of all of our sins in the great day of Judgment, but when Jesus steps to the mercy seat and sprinkles His blood as He most certainly will do for every truly repentant child of God who has received all the benefits of the Holy Spirit's work in the first seal, then the sin is placed upon the scapegoat and we are eternally secure against the return of sin in any shape or form. That final work of Jesus in the sanctuary sets a seal of protection upon us by shutting off forever any possibility of sin regaining its dominion over the people of God. This is the second seal and final seal which is different in every respect from the first seal.

 

As we summarised the facts of the first seal, let us now summarize the facts of the second so as to show the difference clearly and distinctly. 1. Whereas the first seal is a work done in us, the second is a work done in the sanctuary. 2. Whereas the first seal is a work done by the Holy Spirit, the second seal is accomplished by our High Priest. 3. The first is done during a certain period of time, the second is done in a moment. 4. The first prepares us for the final test, the second is only given on passing the great final test. 5. The first completes the work in the soul, the second does nothing in the soul. 6. The first is completed before the judgment of the living, the second is given only after passing that judgment when the mission of the gospel is completed.

 

When the Jews of old were not able to understand the difference between the two comings of Christ, it cost them their eternal life, for they were led to expect Him to arrive at His frist coming as He was due to arrive at the second. When He did not thus come they rejected Him and lost their eternal salvation in consequence. It was as serious as that. So will the wrong understanding of the seals lead us to take a position which will cost us our eternal life. Let us see how this could be.

 

The difficulty with the Jew of old was that he saw one coming where he should have seen that there were two. Likewise, the average professed child of God today sees but the one seal where he should see two. If only the Jews in the days of Christ had understood the difference between two things which were called by the same name and yet were different, they would not have lost their eternal life. And today, if only we can understand the difference between the two seals which are called by the same name and yet are different, then we too shall be saved from the consequences of thus being confused.

 

Today, we must be in an attitude to receive both the former and the latter rain that our hearts may be marked by the merits of the atoning blood of a crucified and risen Savior. As the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is being written upon the fleshly tablets of our hearts, we shall have the preparation to receive the great final seal when that time comes. May each one make his calling and election sure. Amen.

 

laval