Laval
Picard’s Skewed View of the Two Sealings
----- 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
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