WHAT ARE THE SYMBOLS AND MEANING OF MARK, SIGN AND SEAL?
JESUS when quoting the two great commandments of LOVE to GOD and LOVE to man from
Matthew 22:26-40 is quoting from the OLD TESTAMENT scriptures found in
DEUTERONOMY 6:5 and
LEVITICUS 19:18 and finishes by saying v40 "ON THESE TWO COMMENDMENTS OF LOVE to GOD and LOVE to MAN HANG ALL THE LAW and the prophets.
If we go back to
DEUTERONOMY 6:5-8 we find something interesting in v8..
DEUTERONOMY 6:5-8
5, And
thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6, And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7, And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when thou rises up.
8, And you shall bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as front lets between thine eyes.
NOTE: v8 has an interesting parallel with
REVELATION 13:16:17 and
REVELATION 14:9-10 [9], And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, [10], The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb
Looking at the HEBREW word for sign in
DEUTERONOMY 6:8 actually means MARK making it similar to the scriptures on the MARK OF THE BEAST in REVELATIONS 13 and 14 which are also received in the hand and forehead.
The Hebrew word for “
sign” is Strong's H226 אות'ôth; oth; which also means
Mark. The first four commandments of the 10 commandments represent our Love duty to God (
Exodus 20:1-11) and how we worship him. Did you notice where love and obedience to God is a sign or mark of worship through love to God which is bound to the hand and between the frontlets of our eyes?
Let's look at the Hebrew words
"frontlets" (H2903) and
"between thine eyes" (H5869)
"frontlets" (H2903) טופפה; ṭôphâphâh; to-faw-faw' means;
to bind ; in the
forehead "between thine eyes" (H5869) עין; ‛ayin; ah'-yin; means (many meanings but some mean) to think about, favour, to see, sight, knowledge
So verse 8 is talking about summing up the first 4 commandments of the 10 which is our love and duty of worship to God as being the
"Mark of God" which is placed where? In the forehead and in the hand..... The same scriptures in
Deuteronomy 6 can be read as; Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might (seen as the first four commandment to God (
Exodus 20:1-11) 8,
And you shall bind them for a “Mark” upon thine hand, and forehead. This is the Mark of God. God’s Mark is Love with the fruit of obedience. To love him with all the heart and have no other God’s before him, love will not make idols of anything on earth and serve them, love will not use God’s name in vain and love will remember God’s Sabbath day to keep it Holy. These are the Mark of Sign of the believers of those who follow God.
Now let’s compare this with …. (SIGN= MARK=SEAL mean the same)
EZEKIEL 20:11-12
[11], And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do,
he shall even live in them. 12, Moreover also I gave them my
sabbaths, to be a
SIGN <H226; same word for
“MARK”> between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that
sanctify them.
So in our duty to Love God as demonstrated in
Deuteronomy 6:5-8 and demonstrated through obedience to the first four commandments (
Exodus 20:1-11), God’s Mark is bound to his people on their hand and forehead showing that His people believe and worship the only true God of creation of which the 7th Day Sabbath is also a sign or “Mark”.
We should be clear here that the only commandments from God’s Law that God describes as being his SIGN or “MARK” is in our duty of worship and love to the creator.This links back to REVELATIONS 14:7-12 where we read the MARK OF THE BEAST IS LINKED TO WORSHIP.
God’s people marked or sealed for protection…
EZEKIEL 9:1-11
[1] He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
[2] And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
[3] And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
[4] And the Lord said unto him
, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
[5] And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
[6] Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women:
but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
[7] And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
[8] And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
[9] Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.
[10] And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
[11] And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
Now remember the Beast of Revelations also has a mark that we are warned against receiving? (
Revelation 13:16; 14:8:11). This is called the “MARK OF THE BEAST”. Anyone who receives this mark is in danger of receiving the judgements of God. We are warned not to receive this mark because it will affect our salvation and standing with God.
God’s people receive God’s mark of protection in the last days…
REVELATION 7:4-10
4, And I heard the number of them which were
sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5, Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were
sealed twelve thousand.
6, Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were
sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7, Of the tribe of Simeon were
sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were
sealed twelve thousand.
8, Of the tribe of Zabulon were
sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were
sealed twelve thousand.
9, After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10, And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
The SEAL= GOD'S MARK
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew & Thayer Greek Definitions - G4972
Σφραγίζω; sphragizō Thayer Definition:
1) to set a seal upon,
mark with a seal, to seal
1a) for security: from Satan
1b) since things sealed up are concealed (as the contents of a letter), to hide, keep in silence, keep secret
1c) in order to mark a person or a thing
1c1) to set a mark upon by the impress of a seal or a stamp
1c2) angels are said to be sealed by God
1d) in order to prove, confirm, or attest a thing
1d1) to confirm authenticate, place beyond doubt
1d1a) of a written document
1d1b) to prove one's testimony to a person that he is what he professes to be
Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries w/TVM, Strong - G4972
Σφραγίζω; sphragizō; sfrag-id'-zo From G4973; to stamp with a signet or
private mark for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication to keep secret, to attest: - (set a, set to) seal up, stop.
Now lets tie the above into the GREEK Word used in MARK OF THE BEAST from
REVELATION 13:16 and 14:11…
REVELATION 13:16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads
Now let’s add the GREEK word used for “
MARK” *
REVELATION 14:11; 13: χάραγμα charagma From the same as G5482; a scratch or etching, that is,
stamp as a badge of servitude, or sculptured figure (statue): - graven, mark.
So there is
God's Mark which is a SIGN of Love and obedience and worship to God and a
BEASTS MARK as a sign of servitude to the beast that we are warned against receiving or we will receive God's Judgements (Revelations 14:8-11). This warning not to receive the Beasts Mark is proceeded with the warning that Babylon the great, also identified as the great harlot that sits on the beast, is fallen with a call for God's People to come out of her (Revelations 14:8). The call to come out of Babylon is then once again repeated in
Revelation 18:1-10 but this time Babylon is described in more detail in Revelations 17:1-7; 18:1-10
So it is important to understand who Babylon is because it has a connection to the beast and its Mark that we are warned against receiving (Revelations 14:8-11; 17:1-18) and God is calling his people out before it receives his judgements.
There is actually a lot to take in here but
letting the bible interpret itself let’s see what God’s Word says the following symbols represent?
..............
to be continued...
