The Signature of Yahweh

As a writer and contributor to the first ever editioral of the CSDA Signet Newsletter, I would like to personally convey my welcome to all who read this new editorial. The history of this CSDA Signet Newsletter publication is an interesting one, as is the name of this new online editorial itself.

As Bible students well know, a name is a very important element of existence when it comes to spiritual things. The Creator tells us, “Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy Almighty in vain; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” (Exo 20:7) “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy Elohim: I am Yahweh.” (Leviticus 19:12) “Neither is there salvation in any other [than Yahshua]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

When a name given by humans would not (or does not any longer) suit the divine purpose, Yahweh will actively intervene to change it to one more fitting. “And He said, ‘Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with Elohim and with men, and hast prevailed.’” (Gen 32:28) “And Elohim said unto him, ‘Call her name Lo-ruhamah, for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.’” (Hosea 1:6) “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” (Rev. 2:17)

All the names listed above, and others, such as “Michael,” “Cephas,” and “Creation Seventh Day Adventist,” all have deep significance. They define something deeply true about the recipient of that name, and often act as unique identifiers. With that in mind, then, why was the name CSDA Signet chosen?

One of the main reasons is because of what a signet is. The Scripture that serves as our subtitle is, “And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness to Yahweh.” (Exo 28:36) The Hebrew word for signet, kotham, is translated that way nine times in the Bible. The other five times it appears, it is translated as the word “seal.”

A signet is a seal. It is a mark of approval from the one who designed the product, or wrote the letter. It is a token of commitment, as we read of those who banded together to rebuild the Templein Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile: “And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal (the verb form of kotham) unto it.” (Neh 9:38)

When it is used of the Most High, it is a mark of divine sanction, of Holiness to Yahweh: “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living Almighty One. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our Elohim in their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of them which were sealed; and there were sealed an hundred and forty four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev 7:2-4) The word for seal in the Greek of this verse is the precise equivalent of the Hebrew term we have been thus far examining, and it reflects the idea given in the Old Testament that the names of the twelve tribes are listed as “the engravings of a signet.” (Exodus 28:21, 39:14)

The linguistic aspects are useful in that they show us how Yahweh has inspired the use of the word translated “Signet” in the Bible. On the other hand, we must not become like so many unfortunate ones who become enthralled by the words themselves. They are merely a means to an end: communication. In this case, specifically, the end is the communication between Yahweh and man

What is Yahweh trying to communicate to us? We know from the Gospels that when Yahshua died, and was raised from the dead, He sent His Spirit, His personal presence, to be with us until His return. (John 14:16) This was, among other things, a means of communication, for He said unto His followers, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)

As we see from Revelation, the Hosts of Heaven are waiting for something to happen before they can act to bring about the last scenes of the plan of redemption. They are waiting for the sealing of Yahweh’s people; they are waiting for them to be engraved with the Signet of the Most High. As Adventists believe, “Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads – it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved – just as soon as God's people are sealed and prepared for the shaking [cf. Rev 7:1, Ezek 9:4-6], it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of God are now upon the land, that we may know what is coming.” [Manuscript Releases Vol. 1, p. 249]

And how is this “settling into the truth” to be accomplished – by our own efforts? By our own wisdom and intellect? Surely not, for the Scriptures warn us against relying on our own understanding,(Pro 3:5) or utilizing private (non-Scripture-based) interpretations of prophecy. (1Peter 1:20)

We are told precisely the means by which the servants of the Almighty are sealed. The angel of Revelation 7 bears the seal, yet Christ tells us that the Spirit is the means of that sealing. The Spirit guides us into that truth from which we shall not be moved. Yahweh assures us, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,” (Zech 4:6) and the apostle Paul is even more explicit on the matter.

Paul encourages believers, “grieve not the Holy Spirit of Yah, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:30) And again, “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” (Eph 1:12, 13) Some have come away from these verses believing that the Holy Spirit is the Signet of Yahweh. This is not accurate, as a careful reading of the above verses makes it clear that the Spirit is the means “whereby” we are sealed, and “with” which we are sealed. The Seal itself is the settling into the truth that this Spirit reveals.

We note also that this sealing agency took effect “after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,” therefore, as the Ethiopianeunuch said to Philip, “How can I [understand], except some man should guide me?” (Acts 8:31) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Yah.” (Rom 10:17) The Gospel, the message that precedes the Signet, was committed to men, (Mark 16:15, Ezek 3:21) not to angels.

This Editorial, in essence, acts as a voice to the world, a communication of the Holy Spirit, a herald of the sealing message. It is a Signet. It is a kotham, a sign of earth’s final true warning of judgment, and an invitation to experience the majesty, beauty and joy of being bound in sacred union to one who is Love, and to His people who testify of this love to the world. (1John 4:8, John 17:20-23)

“Set me as a kotham upon thine heart, as a kotham upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”(Song of Solomon 8:6)