Sealed by the Holy Spirit

The Feast of Pentecost is represented by the offering of two loaves of leavened bread. This offering represents the first fruits of the ripening wheat harvest. Pentecost also celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. To Christians, Pentecost is the feast that saw the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, promised by the Father, and spoken of by Jesus to His disciples.
The forty-nine days between Passover and Pentecost are called by the Jews the days of "Counting the Omer" (a measure of barley offering).

 

 

Jesus spoke about "counting the cost", and advised His disciples on several occasions that they would face tribulation and persecution because they followed Him. He told them that they would be like sheep in the midst of wolves. In fact, Jesus said He was sending them into the wolves:

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless (innocent, pure, unmixed in beliefs) as doves."    Mt. 10:16

Jesus went on the describe the wolves: persecution by religious authorities, government officials, and betrayals by close family, even unto death (v. 17-21). He said His disciples would be hated of all men for the name of Jesus, but we were to endure to the end.

While many believers in the world today are suffering death for their faith, even Christian believers in free nations are finding that they are indeed targets of unreasoning hatred and contempt. Men have become ravening wolves in many cases when dealing with believers in Jesus Christ. We know from the prophetic warnings that Jesus has given, that it will only become more intense as we live through these End Times.

The One who would be our Helper in this time, according to Jesus, is the Spirit of our Father, who would speak and give answer through us, and for us (v. 20):
"But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."   (v. 19-20)
In these trying and dangerous conditions, it is the Holy Spirit who has been provided as our Counselor. Scripture tells us about a sealing in, and by, the Holy Spirit.
Jesus received a seal that was set by God the Father, which enabled Him to bring the food that was not for the feeding of the natural body, but spiritual food which endures for everlasting life. (Jn. 6:27).
Jesus has similarly sealed us with the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee, a surety, a deposit, of all the spiritual riches and inheritance which are for us. (2Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13).
We were sealed by the Spirit of God in order to keep us for the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30). That purpose is to preserve us, and set a guard over our spirits, until we join Jesus.
This same seal sets believers apart as the judgment of God begins on the earth:
..."Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."   (Rev. 7:3)
"...only (harm) those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." (Rev. 9:4)
This sealing by the Holy Spirit is for a specific purpose. The meaning of the word "seal" is to set a mark or seal upon, to confirm, authenticate, place beyond doubt, a token of proof. It comes from a root meaning to fence, to close up. The root meaning also points to having judgment and understanding, the faculty of perceiving (spiritual truth).

 





 

 

The Prophet Ezekiel described a mark, or seal, that would indicate those who were not to be touched by the coming destructive judgment of God:

"Go...and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it (Jerusalem)...Utterly slay (all)...but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary..."  Ez. 9:4-6

The mark, or seal, referred to by Ezekiel, is the Hebrew word "tav". The letter tav, shown above, which means cross, sign of the covenant, is joined by the letter vaw, which means nail, tent peg. From these meanings, we may say that Ezekiel's mark is related to the cross and the nails. It is the same seal as the Passover. It is the same blood of the Lamb:
"Now the blood shall be a sign (a distinguishing mark) for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."    Ex. 12:13
The seal or mark of the Holy Spirit may be the same. It serves the same protective purpose in the life of the believer. The seal of the Spirit may also incorporate the Name of God, as mentioned in Rev. 14:1, and 22:4.

From Ezekiel's description, this mark is specifically for those who intercede and cry out to God because their spirits are grieved by the abominations that they see around them.

It is sad to note that the abominations in Ezekiel's prophecy are even found at the very door of God's sanctuary, His House.

Many today are also profoundly grieved, and cry to the LORD because of the abominations that can be seen, and spiritually perceived in our nation, and even, in some cases, in the very House of God.

In these challenging days in which we live, the sealing of the Holy Spirit is even more vitally important for every believer, setting us apart, protecting us, keeping us, and giving us the words to speak, for the continuing work of God even in the midst of the wolves. 
Let us thank and praise God for the sealing of His Spirit, and continue to pray for that new outpouring of the Holy Spirit this Pentecost.