Comments
on the Spring 2008
Sabbath School Lessons 11-13
Introduction
Eternal Verities
The April, May, June 2008 issue of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide is entitled “The Wonder of Jesus.” Dr. Roy Adams is the author of this series of studies. In these lessons, he examines the person of Jesus and his wonderful life, works, and teachings. After carefully studying through the lessons, we believe that there are many serious issues that need to be addressed. The following articles will be a combination of commentary and extra study material to help those using the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide in their quest for truth and to help them, from an informed perspective, intelligently understand the lessons in their local Sabbath Schools.
In 1971, LeRoy Froom published his controversial theological history of Adventism entitled Movement of Destiny (MOD). In this book, Froom used the term “eternal verities” several times to express what he considered transcendent truths that were foundational and vital to the Christian experience. The term “eternal verities” simply means eternal truths. While truth by its nature is eternal, Froom contrasts these truths with the teachings that make a church cultish. On page 36 of MOD he is in agreement with most Evangelicals when he states that cults deny:
(1) the eternal pre-existence and complete Deity of Christ [included with the supposed denial of Christ’s divinity was a denial of the Trinity], and (2) that His Act of Atonement was completed on the Cross (emphasis in the original).
Interestingly, Froom notes that Sister White “did not fail to speak out” against “unsound interpretations of prophecy (Ibid., p. 119).” However, in some areas of the “eternal verities” Froom notes that Ellen White was silent to speak out against some teachings, such as the anti-trinitarian position of the brethren, as well as their belief that the atonement was not finished on the cross (Ibid.). Dear reader, does it seems consistent that Ellen White would speak against false views of prophecy and yet be silent upon weightier matters of salvation? I dare say not. As we have documented in the April 2008 issue of Old Paths, Ellen White did speak out against false views of God, including the trinity. She also wrote and spoke much upon the Most Holy Place atonement.
In prior lessons this quarter, we have looked at the issue of the personality of God. This third booklet centers upon the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus but especially upon the priestly ministry of Christ and what Ellen White called “the final atonement.”
The Bible leaves no room for doubt concerning the importance of the resurrection, the high-priestly ministry of Jesus, and his second coming. These truly are eternal verities that virtually all Christians acknowledge, but understanding their place and full importance in our Christian life is not well-grasped. In fact, it was the early Adventist understanding of the sanctuary message that, to a great degree, separated Adventism from Babylon after 1844. Uriah Smith, a pioneer, writer, and editor among the Advent brethren, wrote what could be considered a representative statement which virtually all the early believers would have endorsed:
As is perhaps natural, the enemy of truth seems most persistent in trying to trouble and unsettle minds in reference to the sanctuary; for that is the citadel of our strength (The Review and Herald, August 5, 1875).
What we believe about the resurrection, the final atonement, and the second coming are all interrelated, just as no teaching rests in a vacuum. The importance of a correct understanding of these issues is vital, and we need more than a surface level knowledge of truth. Paul says that the resurrection is one of the principles of the Christian faith (Hebrews 6:2) which, properly understood, prepares the way for perfection; and perfection is what God will require when Jesus returns. Do not be deceived for a minute to think that God will allow those with guile in their mouths to be a part of the 144,000.
So, in the spirit of the Bereans who studied to see if those things were so or not, let us study as never before to know the Way, the Truth, and the Life and to be ready to meet him in peace when he soon returns.
The Wonder of Jesus-Lesson 11
The Power of His Resurrection
Lesson 11 for June 7-13 discusses the resurrection of Jesus. As we noted in our introduction for this booklet, the resurrection is one of the principles of the Christian faith (Hebrews 6:2) which, properly understood, prepares the way for perfection. Paul says that even Christ’s death upon the cross would be in vain and we would still be in our sins without the resurrection.
If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:14-17).
David prophesied of this great event (Psalm 16:8-11) and from the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) onward, the early disciples preached the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is truly a central part of the plan of redemption. In beginning the study portion of the Sabbath School lesson for Sunday, June 8, Adams states:
Several events may be described as pivotal to Christianity, among them the Incarnation, the Cross, and the Second Coming. But in a sense, the Resurrection trumps them all, even the Cross that we extolled in last week’s lesson. For without the Resurrection, nothing else matters. Indeed, when we talk about the death of Jesus, we logically include the Resurrection, unstated. It is the central doctrine of the Christian faith (p. 89).
There is no doubt that the Bible rightly stresses the resurrection of Jesus. Especially to the early Christians who could point to a literal empty tomb, the story of the resurrection was a powerful tool. While Buddha, Mohamed, Confucius, and other such religious leaders occupy tombs, the Christian can point unbelievers triumphantly to an empty tomb and then focus their attention towards heaven where Jesus “ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).”
Jesus was emphatic when he said “I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).” Jesus told John, “I am he that liveth, and was dead (Revelation 1:18)” and, addressing the church at Smyrna, Jesus said: “These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive (Revelation 2:8).”
The resurrection is vital to the plan of salvation, but can it honestly be said that it “trumps” all other aspects of the plan of salvation, including the cross? Perhaps it will help if we draw a parallel between our body organs and the different aspects of the plan of salvation. A healthy human being is born with a heart, a pancreas, a set of lungs, and a liver, as well as other organs. Now, of the four listed, which one is the most important? Could you live without your heart? Do you need your pancreas to live? How about your lungs? Could you live without them? And how long would a person live without a functioning liver? Not very long. A person might live longer without a liver than he or she could without a heart, but the bottom line is that all these organs are essential for life, and we cannot live long without any one of them.
The same is true of the different aspects of the plan of salvation. If we consider some of the vital aspects of the plan of salvation such as the incarnation; the life, death, resurrection, and ministry of Jesus; his second coming; and even the destruction of the wicked; we can see that all are needed that the plan of salvation might be finally, totally, and truly fulfilled.
While the Bible does rightfully emphasizes the resurrection, the two focal points of the sanctuary service were the offering of the daily service at the brazen altar and the once-a-year service of the Day of Atonement. (See Hebrews 9:1-7.) The offering of God’s Son upon the cross is held up by Paul as the only thing in which he could glory: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world (Galatians 6:14).” The cross is the means of reconciliation (Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20; Romans 5:10). The great central purpose of Christ’s coming to this world was to die, and by that death to break the power of Satan (Hebrews 2:9, 14).
Ellen White describes in her writings three events as the “greatest event.” The first is the incarnation of Jesus. “The advent of Christ was the greatest event which had taken place since the creation of the world (The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, p. 22).” Notice this statement is qualified. It was the greatest event since the creation until the birth of Christ. The second event Ellen White mentions is the death of Jesus. “The priests and teachers of the nation knew not that the greatest event of the ages was about to take place (The Youth’s Instructor, December 26, 1905).” The third “greatest event” is the second coming of Jesus. “His coming is the greatest event in the world’s history; and those who have had respect to all his commandments, are then classed among the loyal and true, and rewarded with eternal life (Southern Watchman, February 12, 1907).” Here we see a progression of one event building upon another to produce an even greater event than the one before. And while the resurrection is clearly a vital part of the plan of salvation, it is not called the “greatest event” by inspiration.
Of course, Dr. Adams is entitled to his opinion, but while his emphasis may be from a sincere desire to exalt the resurrected Jesus, it should be remembered that a misplaced emphasis on the resurrection has been used as a license for Sunday worship. Interestingly, on the first page of Lesson 11 (p. 88) there is a story of an “Easter” assignment give to students and on page 110 of the companion book, The Wonder of Jesus, Adams writes positively of his experience as a boy attending the 4:00 a.m. Easter Sunday service while a member of the Anglican Church and singing the song “The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done.”
The rest of Sunday’s lesson and part of Monday’s lesson deal with the credibility of the resurrection. To his credit, Adams does a reasonable job making a case for the credibility of the resurrection in his book The Wonder of Jesus. (See pp. 104-108.)
The lessons for Tuesday and Wednesday discuss the empowerment of the early church by the Holy Spirit and the strength of the teaching of the resurrection and the authority it provides for witnessing. Philippians 3:10 is noted in a thought question on page 91: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection (KJV).” (Adams quotes from the NIV.) Clearly the teaching of the resurrection carries power, for the Greek word for “power” in this verse is dunamis which means explosive power.
Thursday’s lesson is entitled “Guarantees Our Own Resurrection,” which addresses the fact that the resurrection of Jesus makes sure, or guarantees, our own resurrection (1 Corinthians 6:14). It is a sober fact that the great majority of those who will be in heaven will have died and then have been resurrected. If our hope, however, is in Christ and we truly have faith in his blood to forgive and cleanse us from all sin, and if the resurrection is an established fact and not just a hope in our minds; then, while death is an enemy, it need not be feared.
One issue that is not directly addressed in the lesson is the question of how Jesus came forth from the grave. Did he raise himself from silence and death or did the Father raise him from the dead? There seem to be Bible and Spirit of Prophecy statements that speak both ways; therefore, let us examine his resurrection in this respect and see what blessed truth of Christ’s righteousness we can receive in the investigation!
Let us begin with the teaching that Jesus raised himself. John 10:17, 18 say: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
According to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of The New Testament, the Greek word that is translated “I might take” also means “to receive (what is given), to gain, to get, to obtain, to get back.” The same Greek word is used in verse 18 but is translated “received.” Christ laid down his life that he might receive it again. The Greek word that was translated “power” (exousia) means power in the sense of “authority” or “permission” rather than the power of physical force. Jesus was saying that he had the authority to lay down his life and the authority to receive his life again.
Christ could not, and did not, raise himself from the dead, for then he could not have been dead. In the prophecy of Christ’s complete death, recorded in Psalm 88:8, Christ says, “I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.” Isaiah 53:12 states that he “poured out his soul unto death.”
To make the claim that Jesus Christ raised himself from the dead would be to directly contradict the words of Christ, for Christ said, “I can of mine own self do nothing (John 5:30).” According to the Bible, the soul of Christ died. It was his soul that was made an offering for sin. A dead person cannot even think, let alone raise himself from the dead.
There is a corresponding statement in The Desire of Ages which is quoted on Friday’s lesson (p. 94). It states:
Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Christ had proclaimed in triumph, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” These words could be spoken only by the Deity. All created beings live by the will and power of God. They are dependent recipients of the life of God. From the highest seraph to the humblest animate being, all are replenished from the Source of life. Only He who is one with God could say, I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. In His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death (The Desire of Ages, p. 785).
Representing the teaching that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead are thirty-one Bible texts. Notice a few of them:
Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead (Galatians 1:1).
Whom God hath raised up … Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; … This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (Acts 2:24, 30, 32).
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power (1 Corinthians 6:14).
In fact, Paul says that the greatness of God’s power is demonstrated by the fact that he raised Jesus from the dead:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead (Colossians 1:17-20).
A list of the texts that teach Jesus was resurrected by the Father are as follows: Acts 2:24, 30, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:23, 30, 33, 34, 37; 17:31; 26:8; Romans 4:24, 25; 6:4; 8:11; 10:9; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:15; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 1:3, 21.
Ellen White quoted many of these verses as well in her writings. See The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 41, 387; The Review and Herald, April 1, 1901; The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, p. 270; That I May Know Him, p. 305; The Review and Herald, April 4, 1893; Atlantic Union Gleaner, August 19, 1903; etc.
A proposed solution that clears up this seeming dilemma is found by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Concerning the believer, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish (John 10:27, 28).” Are these words true? Can we accept them without qualification that now, in the present tense, we may have eternal life? I am sure we can. Jesus died so that we need not perish (John 3:16) and here he plainly says that those whose wages were to be death may receive the gift of God — eternal life (Romans 6:23). Jesus also said, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath [present tense] eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:54).” Now let us add this inspired statement through John:
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).
When Christ returns to raise the dead, no great miracle need to occur at that time. The eternal life is already present, given them by God through Christ. Concerning his life, Jesus testified: “ For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself (John 5:26).” Thus, when the angel said “Thy Father calls Thee (The Desire of Ages, p. 780),” Jesus heard and came forth from the grave as a prelude of the righteous coming forth from their graves. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you (Romans 8:10, 11).”
One of the greatest mysteries of the gospel is the resurrection of Jesus. While we may not be able to explain every aspect of this truth, we can gather the statements of truth and see all that is needed for us to know at this time.
The Wonder of Jesus-Lesson 12
The Efficacy of His
Priestly Ministry
Lesson 12 for June 14-20 discusses the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ. We will divide this chapter into two parts. Firstly, we will review the contents of the lesson quarterly, and, secondly, we will review the meaning of Christ’s ministry as understood by the pioneers of Adventism and see the changes in that understanding that have occurred in the last fifty years. The contents of Lesson 12 are very basic, and, while we acknowledge that coverage of this subject is difficult to accomplish in one lesson, we believe that too much has been left out that is vital to our people.
Part 1
Lesson 12 begins on page 96 with this statement:
Not long after the Creation . . . our first parents fell into sin. . . . In the wake of this terrible crisis, God’s first concern was for human restoration and the eternal security of the universe. The death of a member of the Godhead —a contingency already determined in the foreknowledge and council of God (see Rev. 13:8)—was the only means to that end.
While we are not told specifically in inspiration what God’s first concern was, we do know that a contingency was already in place. But while Adams mentions the “death of a member of the Godhead,” inspiration declares that only the death of Christ, the Son of God could bring about redemption.
The angels prostrated themselves before him. They offered their lives. Jesus said to them that he should by his death save many; that the life of an angel could not pay the debt. His life alone could be accepted of his Father as a ransom for man (Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, p. 24).
As Adams noted in Lesson 2, according to the teaching of the trinity, the Father or the Holy Spirit could have interchanged places with Jesus and died for our redemption. Inspiration, however, does not give this view, and we should be careful in how we receive such views. When we start with a false supposition, no matter how simple or harmless it may appear to be, and then build upon it, we are sure to go further and further from the truth.
Sunday’s lesson is on the symbolism of the ancient sanctuary, the greatest visual aid lesson ever given to mankind. Adams says that “common sense would lead us away from the conclusion that every board and nail of the tabernacle (and later the temple) had theological significance, we should, nevertheless, take with all seriousness the teaching function of the Old Testament sanctuary system (Lesson Guide, p. 97).” Perhaps we all have a different level of common sense, but while Adams may not think God has chosen to plan a sanctuary where every part has significance, I would rather not be stifled in my search for truth by this kind of negative thinking.
The lesson for Monday, June 16, is on Jesus being the focal point of the services. Truly Jesus was the center of the sanctuary. All sacrifices pointed to him.
The lesson for Tuesday, June 17, is about Jesus being our High Priest. Not only is Jesus the lamb as the sacrifice, he is also the priest who offers the sacrifice.
In Wednesday’s and Thursday’s lessons, Elder Adams discusses the difference that Christ’s priestly ministry is to make for us. This section begins by asking “Do those who know Jesus as Savior and High Priest have a spiritual advantage over others who know Him only as Savior (p. 100)?” While Adams noted well in Wednesday’s lesson the advantages of the reality of the heavenly service over the types, we are challenged by what is asked on page 101 in Thursday’s lesson. There we read:
Any Adventist who has interacted with Christians of other persuasions would readily admit that they have found them equally gracious and merciful and patient and generous and kind and morally upright. So, then, what real difference does “our message of the sanctuary” make?
It probably has something to do with loyalty and faithfulness.
It is true that others who do not know the sanctuary message may appear, or even be, far more “gracious and merciful and patient and generous and kind and morally upright” than Seventh-day Adventists who know the sanctuary message, but this is not because of a lack in the message but rather of the one who claims to believe it. The message is great and it is designed to make a man more “precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir (Isaiah 13:12).” The light from the sanctuary about Christ being our priest is to lighten the world with the glory of God, and if the churches of Babylon had this truth, than they would need not fear speaking about keeping all of God’s commandments and about perfection, topics seldom discussed. Those who fail to follow Jesus as their priest will not stand the time of test.
The importance of this truth has been lined out by the testimony of Jesus in clear and distinct lines in the book The Great Controversy. In the second section of this study we will look at some of Ellen White’s statements concerning its importance.
The lesson for Friday, June 20, has further study suggestions and quotations from The Great Controversy and from Adam’s book The Sanctuary.
Part 2
The following section cannot begin to cover all that is involved in the ministry of Christ or with the sanctuary teaching, but we do hope to show the importance and some of the vital points of the message. We recommend all of our readers read or reread Ellen White’s book The Great Controversy, as well as The Foundation of Our Faith for a more detailed understanding.
No teaching defines Adventism as the sanctuary doctrine does. As Uriah Smith noted, “the sanctuary …is the citadel of our strength.” Ellen White, writing in The Great Controversy, summed up its importance to us:
Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour’s mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours, instead of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain seeking, should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the word of truth. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face. How important, then, that every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened, when, with Daniel, every individual must stand in his lot, at the end of the days (The Great Controversy, p. 488; all emphasis supplied unless otherwise noted).
The part of the above statement we have chosen to emphasize must not be overlooked or casually left behind. We may ask what difference does it make for Adventists to understand the high priestly ministry of Christ? According to Ellen White, if we do not understand it, it will be “impossible … to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill.” This statement deals with two areas of our lives––firstly our faith and relationship to Jesus and secondly our service to him. Neither of these can be in God’s will without a correct understanding of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment. Therefore, if we wish the faith essential at this time and to be used of God as he will’s, we must have this understanding! This phrase was first used by Ellen White in 1884 in the publication of the The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, p. 313. It was also used in the 1888 and 1911 editions of The Great Controversy. If this knowledge was essential at that time, how much more must it be now as we stand, as it were, upon the edges of eternity. Ellen White continues in The Great Controversy:
All who have received the light upon these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ’s work in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living upon the earth. It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin. It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects and be able to give an answer to everyone that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them (Ibid., pp. 488, 489).
The above paragraph is so vital that a brief remark or two on each sentence is worthy of our consideration here. “All who have received the light upon these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them.” How can we be quiet and neutral concerning these truths? During the alpha crisis involving the pantheistic teachings of Dr. Kellogg, Ellen White was charged to “meet it.” Writing in The Review and Herald, Ellen White stated:
Think you that I can remain silent, when I see an effort being made to sweep away the foundation pillars of our faith? I am as thoroughly established in these truths as it is possible for a person to be. I can never forget the experience I have passed through. God has confirmed my belief by many evidences of his power (June 14, 1906).
A year before she had written:
Those who seek to remove the old landmarks are not holding fast; they are not remembering how they have received and heard. Those who try to bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary or concerning the personality of God or of Christ, are working as blind men. They are seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor (Manuscript 62, 1905, “A Warning Against False Theories,” May 24, 1905; published in Manuscript Release 760, p. 9).
Continuing in The Great Controversy, page 488, we read: “The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ’s work in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living upon the earth.” Anything that is the center of Jesus’ work should be of the utmost importance, especially since it “concerns every soul living upon the earth.” None are exempt; all are to be concerned with this work.
“It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin (Ibid.).” The sanctuary is not a stale and flat doctrine, as the evangelicals declared it to be fifty years ago, but rather the very teaching that opens to our view the plan of redemption with clarity that is not possessed by any people anywhere outside of Adventism and, in fact, cannot be. To a degree, the name Seventh-day Adventist describes the Advent people, but it does not, of itself, speak of our uniqueness. There are other Sabbath keepers and many others who believe in the second coming of Jesus as well as reject the secret rapture teaching. The one distinct teaching of Adventism is the sanctuary teaching. It is the sanctuary teaching that brings to our view the vindication of God and his character and the final and full triumph of righteousness over sin. This triumph is not just a theory but is a reality in the lives of the people of God.
“It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects and be able to give an answer to everyone that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them.” In making reference to 1 Peter 3:15, Ellen White challenges us to be Bereans and not allow anyone to think for us but rather to study for ourselves to know truth. Continuing in The Great Controversy, we read:
The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, “whither the forerunner is for us entered.” Hebrews 6:20. There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption. The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven; the sacrifice made is equal to the broadest demands of the broken law of God. Jesus has opened the way to the Father’s throne, and through His mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be presented before God (Ibid., p. 489).
There are different pillars of the plan of salvation and while the incarnation, the death, and resurrection of Christ are most necessary, even all of these combined are not enough for man. Without the intercession of Jesus, we cannot be citizens of Heaven. “The intercession of Christ in our behalf is that of presenting his divine merits in the offering of himself to the Father as our substitute and surety; for he ascended up on high to make an atonement for our transgressions (The Signs of the Times, July 4, 1892).”
Within every denomination or Christian sect, there are written or unwritten fundamentals of belief that set that group apart from others. While Seventh-day Adventists hold to the seventh-day Sabbath and a belief of the soon return of Jesus, these are not doctrines, as we have noted, that set them apart from other groups. The doctrine of the heavenly sanctuary is the one key teaching that stands as the great divide between evangelical Christianity and Seventh-day Adventism.
The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14 (The Great Controversy, p. 409).
The teaching of the sanctuary doctrine finds its roots in the Millerite movement when William Miller, a Baptist minister, was preaching the return of Jesus on October 22, 1844. Miller based his conclusion upon an understanding of Daniel 8:14 and believed that the earth was the sanctuary mentioned in the verse and that the coming of Jesus would purify or cleanse the earth by fire. Thousands believed the message of Miller and prepared for what they believed to be the return of Jesus Christ. When Jesus did not return, those who had accepted Miller’s message were greatly disappointed. Many concluded that the whole message was in error. A few, however, believed that the prophetic calculations were correct and that the fulfillment must be something other than what they had previously considered.
Upon further study, these brethren discovered that the sanctuary spoken of by Daniel the prophet was the sanctuary in heaven. They clearly connected the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 with the antitypical Day of Atonement, meeting the fulfillment of the types of the typical Day of Atonement (Yom Kipper). From this concept the doctrine which became known in Adventism as the investigative judgment was begun.
The term investigative judgment is not found in the Bible. It is a coined term to describe the first phase of judgment of all people. This phase of judgment is, among other things, to determine before the universe the condemnation or justification of every person who has ever lived upon this earth. Adventists believe that the expression describes a biblical doctrine, even though the term, like the terms incarnation and millennium, is not found in the Bible. Ellen White used the term eight times in her book The Great Controversy, as well as in other places in her writings.
The term investigative judgment and the concept that God would have an open investigation of all the records of the books in heaven has never settled well with most evangelicals, and in an attempt to “make friends and influence people” many Adventist teachers and ministers use the term pre-advent judgment instead. All Adventists believe that this judgment is before the coming of Jesus, so using the term pre-advent judgment instead of investigative judgment seems like a kinder and gentler doctrine. What is there about this doctrine that would make it not pleasing to nominal Christianity?
Connected with the concept of the investigative judgment is the idea of a final atonement and the vindication of the character of God. This is the uniqueness of Adventism. For 1,800-plus years before there was a Seventh-day Adventist, the message of the forgiveness of sins was preached and the atonement was taught to be finished at the cross. It was not until Adventism was raised up by the Spirit of God in response to Bible prophecy that the concept of a final atonement was understood. No evangelical church teaches or accepts it today. To get a background to the issues, we need to understand that the earthly sanctuary was a type of the heavenly sanctuary. Moses constructed the earthly sanctuary according to the pattern shown him in the mount (Hebrews 8:5; Exodus 25:40). Paul speaks of the reality of the heavenly in Hebrews 9:23, 24 when he writes:
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
While the earthly sanctuary was to be cleansed with the blood of bulls and goats, the heavenly sanctuary was to be cleansed with the precious blood of Jesus. Each day of the year, the record of sin was taken to the earthly sanctuary where it polluted the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement when all the confessed sins of the people were to be removed and cleansed forever. Sadly, the reality never came in the earthly sanctuary and, in fact, never could come, for as Paul notes: “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).”
The Apostle Paul sums up the main focus of the various sanctuary services by making reference to the daily sin offering and to the once-a-year Day of Atonement service:
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people (Hebrews 9:6, 7).
Here Paul speaks of two main services, a daily (always) and a yearly service. The daily offering for sin is outlined in Leviticus chapter 4 and the yearly services outlined in Leviticus chapter 16.
Leviticus 4 contains the procedure for the sin offering. In the two cases for individuals who had sinned, the result of the offering was stated: “and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him (Leviticus 4:31).” (See also verse 35.) The emphasis of this atonement is one of forgiveness.
Leviticus 16 outlines the typical Day of Atonement services which were to complement the daily service of the sanctuary. The result of those services is found in Leviticus 16:30, where we read: “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”
In both cases there was an atonement made for the sinner. One atonement provided forgiveness and the other cleansing. We might ask, “What is the difference, and is it important?” Of course, anything in God’s Word is important. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).” There is nothing that may be taken lightly in the Scriptures. Everything has its place, and its place is not of minor value. Here, we see Paul summing up the gospel in these two services.
Since the issue is important, the next thing we must determine is why is it important? There is an enlightening quotation from Ellen White that says: “The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven (The Review and Herald, June 4, 1895).”
Ellen White speaks of both a title and a fitness for heaven. Both are necessary, and Christ has the power and the ability to provide both to the repentant sinner. Perhaps we can make the distinction by the following illustration: Several years ago, when my daughter Heidi was very young, she was clad in a nice dress shortly before our family was to leave on a trip. In between getting her dressed and our leaving, she accidentally fell and got both herself and her dress very dirty. She came to the door upset. She was sorry and did not mean to fall, but she did. Immediately her mother saw her plight and forgave her. She was forgiven, but she was not clean! That was a different problem.
The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 357).
An imperative point that should be made is that the work of Calvary was totally complete in what it was designed to do. At the cross, provision was made for full and free pardon for sin and the removal of guilt. The justice of God’s law was fully met and the sacrifice was complete, but this was not the finishing of the work of Jesus or the finishing of the plan of salvation. A very simple, but important, point will prove and illustrate this. Paul notes:
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:14-17).
Paul plainly states that without the resurrection of Jesus, we are still in our sins and there is no salvation. Of course, we could not be saved as such; therefore, to say that the atonement was complete at the cross is neither true nor possible. The word atonement can be broken down to at-one-ment. At the cross, God made an at-one-ment, a reconciling with the sinner; providing him forgiveness of sin, freedom from guilt, and a full pardon. The record of sin, however, is still in the sanctuary, and the root of the sin is still in the sinner. The sinner may be forgiven of his past and be free from the penalty of sin, but there is still a power that sin has over him that must be overcome, and that is the very work of Jesus in the final atonement in heaven.
By virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus the sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin. In the type, this great work of atonement, or blotting out of sins, was represented by the services of the Day of Atonement—the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, which was accomplished by the removal, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, of the sins by which it had been polluted (Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 357, 358).
While provision was made for the forgiveness of all sin at the cross, in the final atonement all the record of sin will be forever blotted out of the heavenly sanctuary and that will be possible because all sin will have been blotted out of God’s people. God’s forgiving grace has pardoned the transgressors, saving them from the penalty of sin, and his enabling grace will empower them to be free from the draw of sin.
The Jews considered The Day of Atonement to be the final great event in history and was considered the judgment day of all the people. We are living in the great antitypical Day of Atonement, the time of the final end of all sin in the lives of God’s people before Jesus comes. This should be a strong inducement to live a holy and pure life for, by so doing, we are bringing honor and glory to God which is our great purpose of life! Famed Adventist theologian, M. L. Andreasen, wrote:
The matter of greatest importance in the universe is not the salvation of men, important as that may seem. The most important thing is the clearing of God’s name from the false accusations made by Satan. The controversy is drawing to a close. God is preparing His people for the last great conflict. Satan is also getting ready. The issue is before us and will be decided in the lives of God’s people. God is depending upon us as He did upon Job. Is His confidence well placed (The Sanctuary Service, p. 115)?
Satan has declared that God is not just and fair in his dealing with his creatures. Satan claims that God has no right to forgive men if he, himself, cannot be forgiven. Either none are forgiven or all must be alike forgiven. The final atonement is the answer to Satan’s charge, for if forgiveness by divine fiat is all that was involved, Satan’s charges would seem more plausible. The plan of salvation, however, is more than forgiveness, it is more than a title to heaven, it is more than freedom from the penalty of sin! The plan of salvation also involves freedom from the power of sin in the repentant believer’s life. Here is where Satan must forever part company with his former prey. Satan proclaims that man cannot serve God and that man is not capable of responding to God’s love or does so only under selfish motives. God will have a generation of followers in the last days to disprove Satan. God has waited until this last generation, sickened by six thousand years of sin, to be vindicated. Today, the weakest of the weak will prove Satan wrong and a liar and that God is righteous and true in all His ways!
Thus it shall be with the last generation of men living on the earth. Through them God’s final demonstration of what He can do with humanity will be given. He will take the weakest of the weak, those bearing the sins of their forefathers, and in them show the power of God. They will be subjected to every temptation, but they will not yield. They will demonstrate that it is possible to live without sin-the very demonstration for which the world has been looking and for which God has been preparing. It will become evident to all that the gospel really can save to the uttermost. God is found true in His sayings (Ibid., p. 109).
God will, through the final generation, prove that his law and grace are compatible. He will show that genuine repentance, based on a broken heart due to Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, truly leads to victory over the power of all sin! This demonstration will not come through Enoch, Elijah, or Moses but through people like you and me! This demonstration will not be made by just a few great individuals but by a whole group of people. The 144,000 will give a vindication of God’s character in a manner that no generation ever has or ever could have done. What a privilege we have!
When God commands men to keep His law, it does not serve the purpose He has in mind to have only a few men keep it, just enough to show it can be done. It is not in line with God’s character to pick outstanding men of strong purpose and superb training, and demonstrate through them what He can do. It is much more in harmony with His plan to make His requirements such that even the weakest need not fail, so that none can ever say that God demands that which can be done by only a few (Ibid., p. 112).
Those who are a part of the 144,000 will have “no guile” in their mouths (Revelation 14:5). They will be a people who have ceased from sin (1 Peter 4:1). Paul speaks of our bodies being a temple for the Spirit of God in 1 Corinthians 6:19. For the temple in heaven to be finally cleansed, our soul temple must first be cleansed. Ellen White noted:
Now Christ is in the heavenly sanctuary. And what is He doing? Making atonement for us, cleansing the sanctuary from the sins of the people. Then we must enter by faith into the sanctuary with Him, we must commence the work in the sanctuary of our souls (The 1888 Materials, p. 127).
Let us examine this statement made at the Minneapolis General Conference on Sabbath, October 20, 1888. Ellen White said that Jesus was “in the heavenly sanctuary,” there “making atonement for us, cleansing the sanctuary from the sins of the people.” For this to happen, she says that we must enter into the sanctuary with Jesus by faith! And we do this by commencing “the work in the sanctuary of our souls.” This is the heart of the matter. Paul notes that the “blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, [is to] purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14).”
Jesus said “the flesh profiteth nothing (John 6:63),” and cleansing of the flesh also profiteth nothing. The cleansing of the mind or conscience is what must be accomplished in the final atonement, and it will be done in a manner that, if the 144,000 were left alive on the earth for one hundred years without Jesus as their mediator in the heavenly sanctuary, they would still never sin! To this group God will triumphantly point and say, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).” These are not those who simply profess to keep God’s commandments, but they are a group that truly have victory over the power of sin in their lives. These people with fallen natures and weakened wills and, of themselves, incapable of any righteousness, will be imbued with the Spirit of Christ as they fully, totally, and knowingly surrender all of themselves to God.
This must be a conscious work understood and recognized by the individual. If God were to simply wipe away the record of our sins without our understanding, consent, or knowledge; it would do nothing to help us develop a character that is clean, pure, and holy. The last generation will be fully in harmony with the pulse of heaven.
God has reserved His greatest demonstration for the last generation. This generation bears the results of accumulated sins. If any are weak, they are. If any suffer from inherited tendencies, they do. If any have an excuse because of weakness of any kind, they have. If, therefore, these can keep the commandments, there is no excuse for anyone in any other generation not doing so also (The Sanctuary Service, p. 112).
When John Huss was called to the Council of Constance, he was given the promise of a safe-conduct from the king of Bohemia, as well as from Sigismund; however, he was arrested soon after arriving, and his life appeared to be hanging by the thinnest thread of Papal tolerance. Huss’ friend, Jerome, declared “that if he should fall into any peril, he himself would fly to his assistance (The Great Controversy, p. 110).” Jerome came to Constance but quickly realized he could not help Huss and had, instead, only imperiled himself; therefore, he fled but was caught by the Romish Church. Soon Jerome was also imprisoned. Huss, thereafter, was burnt at the stake. The conditions of Jerome’s imprisonment were terrible and after a while he recanted and pledged favor to the Romish Church. Later his conscience smote him, and he withdrew his recantation and followed Huss to a martyr’s death at the stake. Both Huss and Jerome boldly challenged the popes and their master, Satan. We admire the courage of these two men, but the 144,000 will give an even greater witness.
God is ready for the challenge. He has bided His time. The supreme exhibition has been reserved until the final contest. Out of the last generation God will select His chosen ones. Not the strong or the mighty, not the honored or the rich, not the wise or the learned, but common, ordinary people will God take, and through and by them make His demonstration. Satan has claimed that those who in the past have served God have done so from mercenary motives, that God has pampered them, and that he, Satan, has not had free access to them. If he were given full permission to press his case, they also would be won over. But he charges that God is afraid to let him do this. “Give me a fair chance,” Satan says, “and I will win out.”
And so, to silence forever Satan’s charges; to make it evident that His people are serving Him from motives of loyalty and right without reference to reward; to clear His own name and character of the charges of injustice and arbitrariness. And to show to angels and men that His law can be kept by the weakest of men under the most discouraging and most untoward circumstances, God permits Satan in the last generation to try His people to the utmost. They will be threatened, tortured, persecuted. They will stand face to face with death in the issuance of the decree to worship the beast and his image. (Revelation 13:15) But they will not yield. They are willing to die rather than to sin (Ibid., p. 114).
Do you remember that we noted personal salvation is not the most important matter to the 144,000? Rather, the dearest thing to them is the clearing of God’s name from the false accusations made by Satan! Here is not just two or three people but a whole nation of righteous people who are living in the sight of a holy God without a mediator! Here is a group of people that would rather die than sin against God. God’s glory and honor will be paramount to the remnant people. These people serve God, not to walk upon a street of gold or have a mansion but to be close to Jesus and to the Father. No matter what volleys Satan brings against them, and he will bring the accumulated terror and knowledge of over six millennia against them, he cannot get them to sin. Every temptation that can be brought to bear will be pressed upon these people, but they will not sin! They will prove that God is not only the justifier of his people but is just in doing so! As Paul states, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:26).”
The ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary will finally close. Jesus will declare: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me (Revelation 22:11, 12).” This declaration, however, will not be an arbitrary decree. It will simply be an acknowledgment that a great polarization has finally finished. The wicked have so rejected the Spirit of God that they will forever be wicked, while the righteous have been sealed of God; and, regardless of the storm, tempest, or temptation; they will never sin again. The services in the heavenly sanctuary will finally cease for the saints. Why? A lack of business! This is part of the reason we may hasten or delay the coming of the Lord. (See 2 Peter 3:12.)
Does the final generation have a different standard of salvation than other generations? No. They, like all the saints, will be saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), but they will be brought to the test in a way no other has ever been tested. They, by their faithful obedience to all of God’s commandments, will prove to Satan and the watching universe that the righteousness and judgments of God are true now and forever. The weakest of the saints is more than a match for Satan and all his hosts of evil angels. 1 John 4:4 says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Will they [the final generation] stand the test? To human eyes it seems impossible. If only God would come to their rescue, all would be well. They are determined to resist the evil one. If need be they will die, but they will not sin. Satan has no power-and never has had-to make any man sin. He can tempt, he can seduce, he can threaten; but he cannot compel. And now God demonstrates through the weakest of the weak that there is no excuse, and never has been any, for sinning. If men in the last generation can successfully repel Satan’s attack; if they can do this with all the odds against them and the sanctuary closed, what excuse is there for men’s ever sinning (Ibid.)?
Please remember, again, that one of the great issues in the great controversy between Christ and Satan is whether or not man can live without sin. What if forgiveness is no longer an option? What course would the saints take if Jesus left his place of mediation? Would they, by the power of Christ dwelling in them (Colossians 1:27), stand; or, despite the power of God being abundantly supplied, fall? The character of God depends upon the correct answer! The answer is as sure as Christ’s victory over sinful flesh in the incarnation was. The same miracle that Jesus performed in human nature during life on this earth, he will perform again as he personally lives within us.
The prophet Isaiah writes about Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder (Isaiah 9:6).” No earthly government is spoken of here. It is the stability of God’s government, which rules over the entire universe, that was entrusted to Jesus. If, by sinning, Jesus failed in his plan to redeem man, the whole government of God would have failed. In the last days, God’s people allow him to live in their lives completely, and their lives uphold and sustain the government of God.
The cause of God and his government is the real burden of the 144,000. The Papacy, with her secret rapture teaching which is accepted by the vast majority of Protestants, focuses people’s attention upon themselves and upon getting themselves ready for the secret coming of Jesus and on avoiding the mark of the beast. Of course, we are to be ready and we are to reject the mark of the beast but not simply to save our eternal life but for the glory and honor of God! The love of God will be the great constraining factor for the 144,000.
May I illustrate this? I heard someone share an experience of lying to a creditor about a payment that had not been made. “Oh,” the believer said, “it’s in the mail.” And, in fact, it was in the mail shortly thereafter; but the lie was still there, a lie that this person knew better than to do. Gently, our Father encouraged this person to apologize to the creditor, but the response was, “Lord, I made the payment. That’s what he wanted.” Finally the Lord asked this person, “But do you love me?” “Yes, of course I love you,” was the reply. And so what was hard to do simply because the law required it or because it was the right thing to do, became immediately easy to accomplish because of love. The truth is lived out each day in the lives of the faithful and they will be faithful because they love God.
The last generation will so love and surrender their lives to God that the truth of Revelation 14:12 will not just be proclaimed, but lived in their lives. They recognize that they are living in the antitypical Day of Atonement which was to be a day of affliction of soul: “On the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls (Leviticus 16:29).” Throughout the year in ancient Israel the people confessed their sins and received forgiveness. On the Day of Atonement, the sins were to be finally put away and the sanctuary was to be cleansed. As we have noticed, however, that cleansing is dependent upon the people of God being cleansed, as well as forgiven. “There must be a purifying of the soul here upon the earth, in harmony with Christ’s cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven (Maranatha, p. 249).”
The final atonement, then, is simply Christ ministering in our behalf and supplying cleansing grace to our lives so that forgiveness is no longer needed, as we are empowered to live without sin. It is the final and complete process of being at-one-ment with God. God’s people are not fully at-one with him today. The universe is not safe from sin yet. The day is coming soon, though, when Christ will prove, by his saints’ lives, that this at-one-ment is final and complete.
Nearly a half century ago, the book Questions on Doctrine was published causing an uproar among a small group of concerned Adventists. The outgrowth of the issues raised in Questions on Doctrine is seen today in many of the independent ministries and many conservative groups whose members still reside within the mainline Seventh-day Adventist Church. Questions on Doctrine was an attempt to answer questions put to our brethren by some leading evangelicals concerning specific points of our faith. Among the areas of concern that were met with great protest were the incarnation of Jesus and the sanctuary atonement. Diverting from the plain Bible teaching and the past history of the pioneers, Questions on Doctrine taught that Jesus accepted the sinless nature of Adam before the fall and also denied the final atonement in heaven by teaching that all the work of redemption was accomplished on the cross.
Elder M. L. Andreasen, who is frequently quoted in this article, was a champion who raised the banner of protest. Concerning the issue of the atonement, he read such statements in Questions on Doctrine as:
When, therefore, one hears an Adventist say, or reads in Adventist literature – even in the writings of Ellen G. White – that Christ is making atonement now, it should be understood that we mean simply that Christ is now making application of the benefits of the sacrificial atonement He made on the cross; that He is making it efficacious for us individually, according to our needs and requests (Questions on Doctrine, pp. 354, 355; emphasis in the original).
To this statement Elder M. L. Andreasen wrote:
If Sister White were now living and should read this, she would most certainly deal with presumptuous writers and in words that could be understood. She would not concede the right of anyone, whoever he might be, to change what she has written or interpret it so as to vitiate its clear meaning. The claim which Questions on Doctrine makes that she means what she does not say, effectively destroys the force of all she has ever written. If we have to consult an inspired interpreter from Washington before knowing what she means, we might better discard the Testimonies altogether. May God save His people (Letters to the Churches, Series A, No. 2).
This may sound good to many. Questions on Doctrine does not deny that Jesus is in heaven today. It appears to uplift the cross. It clearly denies, however, that Christ is making atonement now! It affirms that Jesus provided an atonement of forgiveness at the cross and states this as the purpose of his mediation now, but it was not to provide atonement of grace for overcoming sin! This is why we can find the following statement in Questions of Doctrine:
Adventists do not hold any theory of a dual atonement (Questions on Doctrine, p. 390; emphasis in original).
What does the principle author of Questions on Doctrines, LeRoy Froom, mean by this? Let his own words speak:
How glorious is the thought that the King, who occupies the throne, is also our representative at the court of heaven! This becomes all the more meaningful when we realize that Jesus our surety entered the “holy places,” and appeared in the presence of God for us. But it was not with the hope of obtaining something for us at that time, or at some future time. No! He had already obtained it for us on the cross (Questions on Doctrine, p. 381; emphasis in the original).
Froom teaches there is only one atonement and that is the atonement of forgiveness at the cross. The atonement of cleansing is gone and with it victory over sin and the vindication of God’s character! No wonder Andreasen protested so vigorously! Sadly, these concepts are still alive and well within Adventism. Almost fifty years later, Statement #24 of the Fundamental Beliefs for the Seventh-day Adventist Church as listed on their website begins:
There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross.
This language is almost word for word from Questions on Doctrine! It is no surprise that last year, when Andrews University hosted a conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publishing of Questions on Doctrine, the teachers from Andrews clearly stated that they stood solidly behind the theology of Questions on Doctrine. Furthermore, this language has been repeated in the book, Seventh-day Adventists Believe, an official “Exposition of Fundamental Doctrines.” In this book we read statements such as:
The once-for-all sacrifice has been offered (Heb. 9:28); now He makes available to all the benefits of this atoning sacrifice (Seventh-day Adventists Believe ..., p. 313).
Similarly, Christ, in the heavenly sanctuary, has been ministering the benefits of His completed atonement to His people (Ibid., p. 365).
In the Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology (volume 12 of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary series), we read similar statements:
On the cross Christ obtained redemption; in the heavenly sanctuary He is applying the benefits of His redemptive work to those who repent of their sins and believe (Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology, pp. 391, 392).
At His ascension He inaugurated His priestly work of applying to believers the benefits of His expiatory/propitiatory death on the cross (Ibid., p. 400).
In the companion book for the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, Dr. Adams echoes this theme where he writes:
One important thing to note in connection with “the present work” of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary is that it in no way detracts from His finished work on the cross. We must maintain with the utmost insistence that when He died on Calvary, Jesus made a full atonement for us (The Wonder of Jesus, p. 114; emphasis in the original).
Beloved, shall we not repudiate this new theology that attempts to take away from us the truth of cleansing as outlined in Leviticus 16? Forgiveness of sins is important and vital (Leviticus 4), but without the final atonement and God’s people cleansed, the great controversy cannot be ended!
Our calling as a people and our reason for existence is inseparably tied to this truth and to the fulfillment of Christ’s work of ministry. Christ will empower his people to overcome sin and he will cleanse them and then he will be able to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary. For over six millennia Satan has spread his lies about God, with good success, even among those claiming to be the remnant of God. Now, however, these lies have been demonstrated to be false. Is it any wonder that Satan hates this doctrine so much and has fought so hard to destroy and distort it?
Beloved, we are living among the final generation from which the 144,000 will, as a people, give a demonstration of loyalty and obedience unlike any demonstration ever given! We have been counseled to “strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand (The Review & Herald, March 9, 1905).”
The Wonder of Jesus-Lesson 13
His Return as King and Friend
Lesson 13 for June 21-23 discusses the second coming of Jesus. One of the great doctrines of Adventism is the literal, visible return of Jesus to this earth. This was the doctrine that the Millerites united upon in the time leading up to 1844. The Bible calls it the “blessed hope (Titus 2:14).” So tied up were the believers in the hope that Jesus would return, that they “wept and wept, till the day of dawn (Lesson Study Guide, for Sunday, June 22).”
The lesson study in the quarterly discusses the personal experience that the righteous and the wicked will have when Jesus returns. One group will fear him. Revelation 6 describes this reaction:
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand (Revelation 6:15-17)?
Contrasted to this will be the reaction of the righteous, who instead of being fearful of Christ’s return will be joyfully waiting:
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation (Isaiah 25:9).
Which group will you be in? It depends on whether you will accept Jesus as your Saviour now or continue to live in sin and rebellion.
There are three points we wish to address in the space remaining within this booklet. We will not go into the details of the doctrine of the second coming, for this should be basic to all but new Adventists and even then, there is no lack of good study material on this subject. Rather, I would like to address the preparation to be ready for the return of Jesus, whether the righteousness will ever know the day and hour of Jesus’ return, and whether we can actually influence the timing of that great event.
Firstly, let us examine the preparation for Jesus’ coming. “Under the new covenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the same as under the old. The conditions are, and ever have been, based on perfect obedience (Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p. 117). This may sound at first legalistic, but now read the part that follows:
Under the old covenant, there were many offenses of a daring, presumptuous character, for which there was no atonement specified by law. In the new and better covenant, Christ has fulfilled the law for the transgressors of law, if they receive Him by faith as a personal Saviour. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" (John 1:12). Mercy and forgiveness are the reward of all who come to Christ trusting in His merits to take away their sins. We are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ Jesus our Saviour (Ibid.).
What we need is Christ’s life both imputed and imparted to us and then we can be the perfect people that entrance into heaven requires. The Bible says that Jesus is coming back for a church “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but … holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). As we noted in the section on Lesson 12, God’s people will have both a title and a fitness to heaven.
When Christ covers us with the robe of His own righteousness, He does not furnish a cloak for sin but takes the sin away. And this shows that the forgiveness of sins is something more than a mere form, something more than a mere entry in the books of record in heaven, to the effect that the sin has been canceled. The forgiveness of sins is a reality; it is something tangible, something that vitally affects the individual. It actually clears him from guilt, and if he is cleared from guilt, is justified, made righteous (E. J.Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 66).
Secondly, can we know the time of Jesus return? After discussing some of the major signs of the nearness of his coming, Jesus said, “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors (Matthew 24:33).” Surely the great signs that Jesus gave are almost all fulfilled. So while we may not know the exact time, we can know it is near, even at the door. On the lesson for Wednesday, June 25, Adams states: “The day and hour of the Advent is known only to God (p. 108).” This may be true for now. Jesus himself said, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father (Mark 13:32).” So, up to a certain point not even Jesus knows/knew. However, there will be a time when Jesus will know, and God will communicate this time to his saints. Just after the special resurrection of Daniel 12:2, for those who died in the faith of the Third Angel’s Message and kept the Sabbath, the saints are informed of the time when Jesus will come. “The sky opened and shut, and was in commotion. The mountains shook like a reed in the wind, and cast out ragged rocks all around. The sea boiled like a pot, and cast out stones upon the land. And as God spake the day and hour of Jesus’ coming (Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, p. 205).” In an early statement first published in The Day Star, she wrote:
And I saw Jesus rise up in the Holiest, and as he came out we heard the tinkling of bells, and knew our High Priest was coming out. Then we heard the voice of God which shook the heavens and earth, and gave the 144,000 the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. Then the saints were free, united and full of the glory of God, for he had turned their captivity. And I saw a flaming cloud come where Jesus stood and he laid off his priestly garment and put on his kingly robe, took his place on the cloud which carried him to the east where it first appeared to the saints on earth, a small black cloud, which was the sign of the Son of Man. While the cloud was passing from the Holiest to the east which took a number of days, the Synagogue of Satan worshiped at the saints feet (The Day Star, March 14, 1846).
The voice of God is heard just as Jesus leaves the Heavenly Sanctuary to take his place on the flaming cloud to come back to this earth. This time period is described here as “a number of days.” Yet in Spiritual Gifts she says, “Soon appeared the great white cloud. On it sat the Son of man (Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, p. 206).” So while it may be a number of days, it must also fall within the range of “soon.”
Thirdly, we would like to address the concept of our ability to hasten or delay the coming of the Jesus. The teacher’s edition of the Study Guide asks, “Are we helping hasten the Second Coming of Jesus, or are we part of the reason for the delay (p. 160)?” Among some circles, the concept of our being able to hasten or delay the coming of Jesus infringes too much upon some people’s understanding of the sovereignty of God. Yet it is a sovereign God that has decided to give man free will and to allow him to actually have responsibility in the speed with which the great celestial time clock clicks. The Apostle Peter stated:
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat (2 Peter 3:12).
We may hasten the time of the Lord’s coming! But, sadly, we may delay that coming by our disobedience and unbelief. Writing to P. T. Magan on December 7, 1901, Ellen White stated:
We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel, but for Christ's sake, His people should not add sin to sin by charging God with the consequence of their own wrong course of action (Spalding Magan Collection, p. 202).
The dating of this testimony is ominous. Forty years to the day, Pearl Harbor was attacked and thousands of lives were lost in a few hours. All of World War I and World War II, of course, are also included in the years since the letter was written, as well as all other conflicts that have also occurred since then. As Seventh-day Adventists, we will be responsible for more in the judgment than we might realize, for if we had fulfilled our responsibility as we should have, Jesus would have already come and all of the strife, war, bloodshed, and death due to disease and disaster of the last century would have been averted.
Beloved, due to this great responsibility, I encourage you to think soberly about how you may share the everlasting gospel with every person you come in contact with.
So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me (Ezekiel 33:7).