That's a good quote and one that should be addressed. Before I do, does the truth of the church shaking make sense to you?
Please forgive me if this is a tad long.
We're dealing with two issues here--
1) What is the shaking among God's people?
2) Will the church be pure
prior to the Loud Cry (time of trouble)?
The reason I bring up the church shaking is that, many SDA conveniently by bypass the straight testimony by SOP regarding what this church shaking is about. Hopefully that building block of truth can be seen by you to see the other developments during/prior to the time of trouble.
Concerning this quote --
When the third angel's message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. . . . The final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received "the seal of the living God." Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands, and with a loud voice says, "It is done." . . . {FLB 339.2}Our challenge is to fit the above words of Inspiration to these words, so that Truth is complementary and not contradictory --
"Just before we entered it (time of trouble)we all received the seal of the living God. Then I saw the four angels lease to hold the four winds." ( BC, vol. 7, p.968)I've underlined some key words in the subject quote. we see "final test" and we see it's for 'the world" and that it concerns obeying the 10 Commandments "divine precepts" (ie. Sabbath instead of Sunday law).
The Elijah message, the Lord's Rod , shows our answers. First let's understand what is the seal, as it should be understood today.
WHAT IS THE SEAL?
Question No. 21:
What is the seal of God upon the foreheads of the 144,000 (Rev. 7:3)? Is it the Sabbath seal or something else?
Answer:
"Being sealed in Christ “with that Holy Spirit of promise,” after having “heard the word of truth” (Eph. 1:13- 4:30), the saints are consequently sealed by Present Truth---the truth preached in their own day.
“The seal of the living God,” the Truth, by which the 144,000 are sealed (Rev. 7:2), is a special seal, being the same as “the mark” of Ezekiel 9. (See Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445; Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 267; Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 211).
It demands one’s sighing and crying over the abominations which defile him, and which desecrate both the Sabbath and the house of God, especially against selling literature and raising goals during Sabbath services. As the saints have this seal or mark on their foreheads, the angels will pass over them, not slay them. It is equivalent to the blood on the door post on the night of the Passover in Egypt.
The angel is to place a mark upon the foreheads of all who by sighing over their own sins, and over the sins in the house of God, show fidelity to the Truth. Then the destroying angels will follow, to slay utterly both old and young who have failed to receive the seal. (See Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 505)
So, the former seal enables the receiver to rise from the dead in the resurrection of the just, while the latter seal enables the sighing-crying one to escape death and forever to live for God."
(Answerer, vol. 2, Q-21)
So to understand the seal, we see that a "seal" really is the 'settling into the truth so we can't be moved"(off of it) as we understand and accept our present truth, God's latest message to His people. Which in our case is the Lord's Elijah message. The Lord promised, as we know
ONE last messenger to come right before the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5, and TM, p.475)
Understanding this, Ellen White, no doubt was speaking of her future work, which the Rod teaches is known as the special resurrection for those counted worthy during the prior message of truth--the judgment of the dead in the holy Sanctuary. So as the Rod says,
"the former seal enables the receiver to rise from the dead in the resurrection of the just, while the latter seal enables the sighing-crying one to escape death and forever to live for God."So the quote --
"Just before we entered it (time of trouble)we all received the seal of the living God. Then I saw the four angels lease to hold the four winds." ( BC, vol. 7, p.968)Shows all of the SDA, those alive and those having been sealed prior, to be alive and ready for the Loud Cry. This truth is not well known, conveniently by the great hinderer and deceiver, but is further shown in the following reference-
"The battle cry is sounding along the line. Let every soldier of the cross push to the front, not in self-sufficiency, but in meekness and lowliness, and with firm faith in God. Your work, my work, will not cease with this life. For a little while we may rest in the grave, but, when the call comes, we shall, in the kingdom of God, take up our work once more."[color:#3333FF] (Testimonies, vol. 7, p.17)
The above reference shows further work to be taken up by herself and her people. Now, as the Rod shows clearly, the "kingdom" of God begins pre-millennial in the land of Israel. So this work is to be done again by the old-timers
along with the 144,000. Those alive SDA who do not die because of accepting the "testing truth" which comes in a way that is not expected due to the deceiver's agents blasting it as --false and unworthy of our attention.
Unfortunately, he has active agents working everywhere through out our church, even right here on this site. Yet they know it not.
"Satan’s snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people.(Testimonies, vol. 5,p.160. )
Their history should be a solemn warning to us. We need never expect that when the Lord has light for his people, Satan will stand calmly by and make no effort to prevent them from receiving it. Let us beware that we do not refuse the light God sends, because it does not come in a way to please us.... If there are any who do not see and accept the light themselves, let them not stand in the way of others."(Testimonies, vol. 5 p.728.) So we've cleared the meaning of the "all sealed" statement, what do we do with the other one? The answer comes when we realize that their are two sealings in these last days--one for the house of God and one for the world. The report that deals with it follows-
Two sealings report One last comment for clarification. We must ever remember that a "mere assent to the truth" does not save us. Our works must be corresponding.
"The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ’s day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness. In all human experience a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved to be insufficient for the saving of the soul. It does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness." (DA, p.309)