You were sealed (4972) (sphragizo from sphragis = seal, engraved object used to make a mark - denoting ownership, approval, or closure of something normally done by pressing into heated wax usually attached to a document or letter) means to set a seal upon or to mark with a seal. To mark so as to certify that something is so. Seals were used to make something secure, to serve as a guarantee of the correctness of the contents, to indicate authenticity, to indicate ownership. Sacrificial animals were examined and sealed if perfect. Jars, sacks of fruit or grain were sealed. To mark with a seal as a means of identification in Greek secular writings was used to mark all kinds of animals, so that the mark denoting ownership also carries with it the protection of the owner. Wayne Detzler writes that sphragizo was largely a commercial or business term, referring to sealing a building shut. In order to guarantee property against theft, a seal was placed on it. Or sometimes it took the form of a mark or a brand, as on livestock. When a merchant bought a sack of grain, a seal would be placed on the sack until the full payment was made. This was a guarantee of coming payment. Later the seal became a mark of royalty. Any communiqué from the crown was sealed by the king. After dabbing hot wax on the document, the king would seal it by pressing his ring into the wax. Before long, the engraved ring was called "a seal." In the religious sphere, a sacrificial lamb which was found to be suitable was also sealed, marked as suitable. In the Septuagint Greek Old Testament, a seal was a signet ring. This ring was used to indicate a sale (Jer. 32:10). Royalty also used the seal to authenticate its orders (Esther 3:10; 8:8). Though the precise word for "sealing" is not used, Isaiah 44:5 speaks of people who had "for Jehovah" tattooed on their hands as a mark of religious sacrifice (Detzler, Wayne E: New Testament Words in Today's Language. Victor. 1986) Sphragizo is used 15 times in the NAS (see below). Translated in NAS: put...seal on(1), seal(2), sealed(9), set a seal on(1), set...seal to(2). Matthew 27:66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. John 3:33 "He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. John 6:27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." Romans 15:28 Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. 2 Corinthians 1:22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Revelation 7:3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: Revelation 7:5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, Revelation 7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed. Revelation 10:4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them." Revelation 20:3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. Revelation 22:10 And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Sphragizo - 19 verses in the Septuagint (LXX): Deut 32:34; 1Ki 21:8; 2Ki 22:4; 10.1" class="scriptRef">Neh 10:1; Esther 3:10; 8:8, 10; Job 14:17; 24:16; Song 4:12; Isa 8:16; 29:11; 44" class="scriptRef">Jer 32:10f, 25, 44; Dan 6:16-17; 8:26; 9:24; 12:4, 9). Here are some examples... 1Kings 21:8 So she (Jezebel's treacherous action) wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed (sphragizo) them with his seal (sphragis), and sent letters to the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. (Comment: Jezebel's use of King Ahab's seal made it look as if this letter came straight from the king, illustrating the import of the act of sealing.) Nehemiah 10:1 Now on the sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, Esther 8:8 "Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's signet ring may not be revoked...8:10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horses, riding on steeds sired by the royal stud. Isaiah 29:11 And the entire vision shall be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, "Please read this," he will say, "I cannot, for it is sealed." Jeremiah 32:10 "And I signed and sealed the deed (when he bought the field which was at Anathoth in obedience to the Lord's command), and called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. Comment: This particular property was worthless since it was in Anathoth, which by this time had already been captured by the Babylonians. But by carrying out this act and sealing it, Jeremiah was affirming that the land would one day future return to the hands of Israel. The Analytical Lexicon has an excellent summary of the various nuances of meaning of sphragizo... (1) literally seal up, secure by putting a seal on (Mt 27.66); figuratively, as keeping something secret seal (up), conceal (Rev 10.4); (2) as providing a sign of identification or ownership (mark with a) seal (Rev 7.3); metaphorically, of endowment with the Spirit (Eph 1.13); (3) figuratively, from the idea of an official seal on a document; (a) confirm, attest, certify (John 3.33); (b) metaphorically, as a commercial technical term indicating a safely accomplished transaction literally seal to someone this fruit, i.e. safely turn over to someone this kind provision (Ro 15.28) (Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Baker's Greek New Testament library. Baker Academic) In a parallel passage we read (note four of the many spiritual blessings that we receive when we are saved)... Now He Who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, Who also sealed (sphragizo) us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge (earnest money - see pledge). (2Cor 1:21-22) Paul uses sphragizo in another passage in this same letter writing... And do not grieve (present imperative with a negative = stop this action) the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (See note Ephesians 4:30) Comment: Note that even when we grieve the Spirit we cannot unseal the seal set by the Spirit. Our salvation is secure in Christ! SEALING IN THE SECULAR SENSE In secular Greek use of sphragizo the sealing signified at least four results... (1) A Finished Transaction - Compare John 19:30-note - Jesus' words on the Cross - "IT IS FINISHED" is one word in Greek = the verb "TETELESTAI." (Perfect tense of verb teleioo) which literally means "PAID IN FULL!" HALLELUJAH! When a Roman citizen was convicted of a crime, the law of that day slammed him into prison. They prepared a "Certificate of Debt" that listed all the crimes he was convicted of on it, and nailed it to his cell door for all to see. It remained nailed there so all would be assured that he served his full sentence, and "paid in full" the penalty for his crimes. When Jesus shouted the Greek word "Tetelestai" ("It is finished") from the Cross, it was a very familiar phrase. It was the same word that would be stamped across the Certificate of Debt after a criminal completed his prison term. It would literally mean "Paid in Full" for all your crimes. Then the criminal was given the certificate. He would be able to produce it to show that his crimes were "paid in full." He could never become a victim of "double jeopardy." Or paying for the same crime twice. See Related Resource: Commentary on John 19:30 (2) A Mark of Ownership -- Buyers of timber in the forests of Asia Minor would select trees which would be felled, stamped them with the buyer’s seal, and floated them downstream. At the port in Ephesus, the markings would identify the logs. God stamps us with His seal, indicating ownership. In Revelation we see the sealing conveyed thoughts of ownership and protection, John recording the angel's words...saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." (Rev 7:3-note) Who owns us now? See 1Cor 6:19-note, 1Cor 6:20-note. In Ezekiel 9:4-note before He destroyed Jerusalem, the Lord told Ezekiel ""Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem & put a MARK on the foreheads of the men who sigh & groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst." The Hebrew for "MARK" is the Hebrew letter "TAV" which is written like an "X" or a "CROSS"! This marked the men as protected from God's wrath & destruction! Believers are SEALED & in a sense have a "MARK" on our foreheads showing that we belong to Jesus Who "will deliver us from the wrath to come." (1Thes 1:10-note). HALLELUJAH! (3) A Bond of Security -- Setting a seal to prevent opening. Daniel’s lions’ den was sealed by royal decree... And a stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing might be changed in regard to Daniel. (Daniel 6:17-note) Christ’s tomb was sealed by royal decree, Matthew recording... And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. (Mt 27:66) Comment: The chief priests and Pharisees evidently took the Lord's promise to rise on the third day seriously and must have assumed the disciples would try to steal the body. Their paranoia, however, served only to strengthen the evidence for the resurrection. This securing was likely done by connecting the stone to the tomb with a cord and wax so that any tampering could easily be detected. How secure is our eternal future? Jesus declared of believers, His "sheep" that "I give eternal life to them and they shall NEVER perish and NO ONE shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all & NO ONE is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (John 10:28-29). HALLELUJAH! (4) An Imprint of Authenticity or of Identity -- In ancient times, everyone’s unique seal, when pressed into wax, imprinted his identity. God places the Holy Spirit in us permanently as His "signet" (signet = a seal used to stamp or authenticate documents) What is our identity now? Before being sealed we were all "in Adam" and at salvation we are placed "in Christ" forever = union, oneness, identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. "For as IN ADAM all die, so also IN CHRIST all shall be made alive." (1Cor 15:22) Now and forever "Christ is our life." (Col 3:4-note) HALLELUJAH! Charles Wesley wrote in “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”... Adam’s likeness now efface Stamp Thine image in its place. Sealed is in the aorist tense which is a past completed action. The passive voice signifies that subject, believers, are acted upon by an outside force or power, God. The indicative mood is the mood of certainty which states a thing as being a fact -- the point is that every believer receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes. In antiquity people used seals to authenticate documents (Jer. 32:10), and archaeologists have discovered more than 1,200 seals from Old Testament times. TDNT writes that... The seal serves as a legal protection and guarantee. It is thus placed on property, on wills, etc. Laws prohibit the misuse of seals, which owners often break just before death. Seals serve as proof of identity. They also protect houses, graves, etc. against violation. Both testator and witnesses seal wills. In Roman law all six witnesses must break their own seals to open the will, and in South Babylonia beneficiaries signify or seal when the inheritance is divided. Seals also serve as accreditation, e.g., of weights and measures. The seal plays an important public role in government. All authorities have seals. The king’s seal confers authorization. In both private and public life holding a seal expresses an element of power. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans or Wordsearch) NIDNTT has a lengthy note writing that... Seals were widely used very early (3rd millennium onwards), especially in Mesopotamia, where Herodotus observed that every man possessed not only a staff but also a seal (1, 195), and later in the whole Mediterranean area (on the different forms of seals-e. g. rolls, buttons, scaraboid.... The real importance of the seal is a legal one: the owner puts his mark on his possessions, his beasts...and thereby guards his property against theft. To that extent one can call it a protecting sign or a guarantee. When used with documents (wills, deeds of sale, etc.) the seal served as a signature to authorize what was written there (cf. TDNT VII 941). Things sealed were at the disposal of the possessor of the seal. This applied not only to private persons, but also particularly to the authorities of a city and to kings. The seal symbolized their authority. Seals were also significant in religious life. For instance, a beast could be attested as ritually pure and thus suitable for a sacrificial victim.... Men show themselves to be the possession of their deity by the imprint of their seal.... More tangibly one can seal houses, etc., to guarantee that they were preserved, or documents, to keep their contents a secret. Hence, one can also say that the mouth or words are sealed...: what one has experienced must remain secret and in safe keeping. This applied particularly to keeping the secrets of the mysteries. (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan) (Bolding added for emphasis) Puritan John Owen wrote that... God's sealing of believers is His gracious communication of the Holy Ghost unto them, so as to enable them unto all the duties of their holy calling. The effects of this sealing are gracious operations of the Spirit in and upon believers; but the sealing itself is the communication of God's Spirit to them. Is this truth practical? Absolutely! Listen to an anecdotal story from Pastor Ray Stedman... A young man called me this past week to tell me how discouraged he was, how he'd lost his confidence in prayer because he felt that no answer was coming, and how ready he was to quit. So I said to him, "Well, why don't you just quit, then? Give up. Stop being a Christian. Try it." -- because I knew that if he did, the first thing he would have discovered is that he couldn't quit. And he knew it, too. The minute I said that, he acknowledged it: "You're right. I can't quit." That is because, as Paul will describe in this letter, there is imparted to us the Holy Spirit of God, and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit so that we can't quit! That is a mark of a believer in Christ. (Read the entire sermon Ephesians 1:1-14: God At Work) Hallelujah! What a Savior by Philip Bliss Man of Sorrows! what a name For the Son of God, Who came Ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood; SEALED my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He; “FULL ATONEMENT!” can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior! Lifted up was He to die; “It is finished!” was His cry; Now in Heav’n exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Savior! When He comes, our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring, Then anew His song we’ll sing: Hallelujah! What a Savior! 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