Issue: 2000 March

The Final Atonement, Part II

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The Father’s throne was in the holy place, or first apartment, of the heavenly sanctuary until 1844, at which time the Father moved into the most holy place, or second apartment, of the heavenly sanctuary and was seated. (See Daniel 7:9,10.) This concept was Biblical and was confirmed by the Spirit of Prophecy. (See Early Writings, 54, 55.)

Some theologians of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have propagated erroneous concepts regarding the place and the work of God, the Father, and of Jesus, our Mediator.

Elmer Ellsworth Andross

E.E. Andross was the first Seventh-day Adventist to publish the erroneous concept that God’s throne has always been located in the most holy place, and that “at His ascension” Christ entered the most holy place to appear before the Father to be confirmed. Then He returned to the holy place, or first apartment, of the heavenly sanctuary to perform the “first phase” of His heavenly ministry. (See E. E. Andross, A More Excellent Ministry, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, CA., 1912.)

The concept that Christ entered the most holy place and then returned to the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary was never taught by early Adventists, nor was it ever confirmed by the Spirit of Prophecy. Where in the world did E. E. Andross get the idea for such an erroneous concept?

Andross Influenced By Ballenger

E.E. Andross was associated in England with A. F. Ballenger, an Adventist minister who taught erroneous concepts on the sanctuary doctrine. Ellen White opposed all the erroneous concepts presented by Ballenger. Arthur White wrote, “Associated with him [Elder A. F. Ballenger] in the work in Britain were such men as Elder E. W. Farnsworth and E. E. Andross.” Arthur White, EGW: The Early Elmshaven Years, vol. 5, 1900-1905, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 1981, 405, 406.

“In his 1911 talks at the Oakland Camp meeting, Elder Andross carefully traces through various texts and were employed by Ballenger in support of his views…” Arthur White wrote. Ibid.

Ellen White did not confirm the erroneous concept that Christ entered the most holy, or second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, at the time of His ascension to appear before the Father to be confirmed. Nor did she confirm that He then returned to the holy, or first apartment, to perform the first phase of His heavenly ministry. (See Ibid.) Although this erroneous concept cannot be found in the Bible, or the Spirit of Prophecy, it is promoted by some contemporary Seventh-day Adventist theologians.

Roy Adams Praises Ballenger’s Erroneous Concept

Roy Adams, current assistant editor of the Adventist Review, supports this erroneous concept. “Ballenger’s stress on…Christ’s entry into the most holy place at His ascension may be retained,” Roy Adams stated, “and shown to be compatible with the notion of an anti-typical day of atonement commencing in 1844.” Roy Adams, The Sanctuary Doctrine, “Andrews University Doctrinal Dissertation Series,” Berrien Springs, MI., 255.

Ballenger’s erroneous concept of Christ’s entry into the most holy place at His ascension “may be retained,” according to Roy Adams. Moreover, Roy Adams believes that Ballenger’s erroneous concept can be “shown to be compatible with the notion of an anti-typical day of atonement commencing in 1844.” Ibid. This is liberal “new theology” Adventism in its most subtle and deceptive form. This is what prompted Ellen White to warn, “Omega would follow in a little while. I tremble for our people.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 341.

The Work Of Jesus In the Most Holy Of the Heavenly Sanctuary

At the end of the 2,300 days [years], Jesus came before the Father to serve as our High Priest. Daniel saw this great event in vision.

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man [Jesus] came with the clouds of heaven,” Daniel wrote, “and came to the Ancient of days [the Father], and they brought him near before him.” Daniel 7:13.

It was at that time that Jesus was given His kingdom. This event was the marriage of the Lamb. Pioneer Adventists’ saw the fulfillment of this prophecy in the parable of the ten virgins (See Matthew 25:1-13) and the “midnight cry” given in the summer of 1844. “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” Matthew 25:6.

“And there was given him [Jesus] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him,” Daniel wrote, “his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:14.

At this time “the judgement was set, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:10. “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Revelation 11:18.

Pioneer Adventists saw that the work of Jesus, our High Priest, in the heavenly sanctuary consisted not only of judgement but in the blotting out of sins. In the blotting out of sins, Jesus is making the final atonement.

Pioneer Adventist Writers On the Final Atonement

What about other pioneer Adventists? Was O. R. L. Crosier the only one who believed the final atonement is finished in heaven by our High Priest? No, indeed! Notice carefully a few statements from the most acknowledged pioneer Adventists.

“The Final Atonement” and “The Blotting Out Of Sins”

“By many, the idea of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary will be treated with scorn, ‘because’ say they, ‘there is nothing in Heaven to be cleansed,’” Andrews began. “Such overlook the fact that the holy of holies, where God manifested His glory, and which no one but the High Priest could enter, was, according to the law, to be cleansed, because the sins of the people were borne into it by the blood of sinoffering.” Leviticus 16. James N. Andrews, The Sanctuary and Twenty-Three Hundred Days, Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, Battle Creek, MI., 1872, 90.

“And they overlook the fact that Paul plainly testifies that the heavenly sanctuary must be cleansed for the same reason. Hebrews 9:23, 24. (See also Colossians 1:20.) Andrews continued. “It was unclean in this sense only: the sins of men had been borne into it through the blood of sin offering, and they must be removed.” Then Andrews added, “This fact can be grasped by every mind.” Ibid., 91.

“The work of cleansing the sanctuary changes the ministration from the holy place to the holiest of all. Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:6, 7; Revelation 11:19,” Andrews continued. “As the ministration in the holy place of the temple in heaven began immediately after the end of the typical system, at the close of the sixty-nine and a half weeks (See Daniel 9:27), so the ministration in the holiest of all, in the heavenly sanctuary, begins with the termination of the 2300 days.” Ibid., 91.

“Then our High Priest enters the holiest to cleanse the sanctuary,” Andrews concluded. “The termination of this great period marks the commencement of the ministration of the Lord Jesus in the holiest of all.” Ibid.

“This work, as presented in the type, we have already seen was for a two-fold purpose, viz.: [1] the forgiveness of iniquity, [2] and the cleansing of the sanctuary,” Andrews stated. “And this great work our Lord accomplishes with His own blood; whether by the actual presentation of it, or by virtue of its merits, we need not stop to inquire.” Ibid.

“No one can fail to perceive that this event, the cleansing of the sanctuary, is one of infinite importance,” Andrews wrote. “This accomplishes the great work of the Messiah in the tabernacle in heaven, and renders it complete.” Ibid.

Notice, that Andrews concedes that the work of final atonement and cleansing of our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary “renders it complete.” This is done in heaven, not at the cross.

“The work of cleansing the sanctuary is succeeded by the act of placing the sins, thus removed, upon the head of the scape-goat, to be borne away forever from the sanctuary,” Andrews concludes. “The work of our High Priest for the sins of the world will then be completed, and He will be ready to appear `without sin unto salvation.’” Ibid., 92.

Notice that Andrews states that, “The work of our High Priest for the sins of the world will then be completed.” Ibid. Is this statement in harmony with Crosier?

Yes, indeed. “In the heavenly Sanctuary, our High Priest, with His own blood, makes the atonement and we are for-given,” Crosier stated. Day-Star, Extra, February 7, 1846.

Is this statement by Andrews in harmony with Ellen White? Yes, again.

“His [Christ’s] work as high priest completes the divine plan of redemption by making the final atonement for sin.” Manuscript 69, 1912, 13.

Contemporary SDA Opposing Position

Are these statements by Andrews, Crosier, and Ellen White in harmony with contemporary Seventh-day Adventist doctrine? No, they are not! “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.” Representative Group of Seventh-day Adventists, Questions on Doctrine, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 1957, 354.

Satan’s conspiracy against the Advent truth is so subtle, so deceptive, that, without constant study by the Christian, detection is almost impossible. Did not Jesus warn that “if it were possible it should deceive the very elect?” Matthew 24:24. Notice very, very, carefully the two opposing statements below, the truth as stated by Ellen White, followed by the error as stated by the contemporary Seventh-day Adventist Church:

Ellen White’s Statement

“When Christ, the Mediator, burst the bands of the tomb, and ascended on high to minister for man, [1] He first entered the holy place, where, by virtue of His own sacrifice, He made an offering for the sins of men. With intercession and pleading He presented before God the prayers and repentance and faith of His people, purified by the incense of His own merits. [2] He next entered the Most Holy Place [in 1844], to make an atonement for the sins of the people, and cleanse the sanctuary. His work as high priest completes the divine plan of redemption by making the final atonement for sin.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 54.

Erroneous Contemporary Adventist Church Statement

“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. [emphasis theirs]And now, as our High Priest, He ministers the virtues of His atoning sacrifice.” Representative Group of Seventh-day Adventists, Questions on Doctrine, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 1957, 381.

Notice, Ellen White states that Jesus “entered the holy place, where…He made an offering for the sins of men.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 54. The contemporary Seventh-day Adventist Church says, “No.” They admit that Jesus did enter 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.” Representative Group of the Seventh-day Adventists, Questions on Doctrine, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 1957, 381.

Ellen White says, “He next entered the most holy place, to make an atonement for the sins of the people, and cleanse the sanctuary.” And, “His work as high priest completes the divine plan of redemption by making the final atonement for sin.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 54. The contemporary Seventh-day Adventist Church says, “No! He had already obtained it for us on the cross.” Representative Group of the Seventh-day Adventists, Questions on Doctrine, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 1957, 381.

“The sins of those who have obtained pardon through the great sin-offering, are, at the close of our Lord’s work in the holy places, blotted out (Acts 3:19),” J. N. Andrews concluded, “and being then transferred to the scape-goat, are borne away from the sanctuary and host forever, and rest upon the head of their author, the devil.” J. N. Andrews.

James N. Andrews then endorsed the writings of O. R. L. Crosier: “The following valuable remarks on this important point are from the pen of O. R. L. Crosier, written in 1846.” Ibid. Bates

“First, then to be perfect in time it must begin on the 10th day of the 7th month, and no where else,” Bates stated. “Then please look back to the 10th of the 7th month, 1844, where all the virgins were out looking for the Bridegroom, or as in the type, waiting for Jesus our great High Priest, to finish the atonement for the sanctuary and ourselves, and bless us by his glorious appearing.” Joseph Bates, Eighth Way Mark, “Bridegroom Come,” 101.

“Then we say at the commencement of this second type, the symbol of our trial, was where the Bridegroom came, and commenced the cleansing of the sanctuary,” Bates concluded. “When God speaks and shakes earth and heaven, Joel says Jerusalem will be holy, the sanctuary will be complete, the atonement finished; for God will then be the hope of his people.” Ibid., 102.

Stephen N. Haskell

“In Acts 3:19 we read: ‘Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.’ Then your sins are blotted out when the times of refreshing come. We are, today, in the time of the blotting out of our sins. We are now looking for the times of refreshing, and the outpouring of the Spirit. The Lord teaches knowledge to those who are weaned, and those who study the Word have the refreshing. The refreshing is the outpouring of the Spirit of God in the time of the blotting out of sins, and that is where we are now.” Stephen N. Haskell, “Preparation For Reception Of the Holy Spirit,” 1909 General Conference Daily Bulletin, May 20, 1909, 106. [Address given at 9:15am Thursday, May 20, and Friday, May 21, 1909].

Alonzo Trevor Jones

“We are also in the time of the utter blotting out of all sins that have ever been against us,” A. T. Jones wrote. “And the blotting out of sins is exactly this thing of the cleansing of the sanctuary; it is the finishing of all transgression in our lives; it is the making an end of all sins in our character; it is the bringing in of the very righteousness of God, which is, by faith of Jesus Christ, to abide alone everlastingly.

Therefore now as never before we are to repent and be converted that our sins may be blotted out,” Jones concluded, “that an utter end shall be made of them forever in our lives and everlasting righteousness brought in.” A. T. Jones, “The Times of Refreshing,” The Consecrated Way To Christian
Perfection, 124.

J.N. Loughborough

Loughborough writes, “Still later Elder [J. H.] Waggoner wrote a third pamphlet of about the same size, entitled, The Atonement in the Light of Reason and Revelation. About the year 1884 this was revised and enlarged to a volume of some 400 pages. It is a clear and concise treatise upon the subject indicated by its title.” J. N. Loughborough, Great Second Advent Movement, 334. [Note: J. H. Waggoner was the father of E. J. Waggoner.]

E.J. Waggoner

“The blotting out of sin is the erasing of it from the nature, the being of man. . ., the erasing of sin is the blotting of it from our natures, so that we shall know it no more.” E. J. Waggoner, Review and Herald, September 30, 1902.

“`The worshipers once purged’—actually purged by the blood of Christ—have ‘no more conscience of sin,’ because the way of sin is gone from them…,” This is the work of Christ in the true sanctuary which the Lord pitched, and not man,—the sanctuary not made with hands, but brought into existence by the thought of God.” Ibid.

Joseph Harvey Waggoner

“And yet another question has been raised, on which some minds have been perplexed. If the blotting out of sins is done in the closing work of the priest, when the sanctuary is cleansed, that is to say, in the Judgment, then the sins of all the saints must stand on record till that time. Now it has been shown (See Chapter Three) that justification by faith and salvation are not identical; the former is a fact of experience at the present time, while the latter is contingent on ‘patient continuance in well-doing’ on the part of the justified one. As was remarked, ‘justification by faith is not a final procedure; it does not take the place of the Judgment, nor render the Judgment unnecessary. It looks to something beyond itself to be accomplished in the future.’” Joseph Harvey Waggoner, “The Judgement,” The Atonement, 226. James White

“How natural, then, the conclusion, that as the Jewish priests ministered daily in connection with the holy place of the sanctuary, and on the tenth day of the seventh month, at the close of their yearly round of service, the high priest entered the most holy place to make atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary; so Christ ministered in connection with the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary from the time of His ascension to the ending of the 2300 days of Daniel 8, in 1844, when, on the tenth day of the seventh month of that year, he entered the most holy place of the heavenly tabernacle to make a special atonement for the blotting out of the sins of His people, or, which is the same thing, for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The typical sanctuary was cleansed from the sins of the people with the offering of blood. The nature of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary may be learned from the type. By virtue of His own blood, Christ entered the most holy to make a special atonement for the cleansing of the heavenly tabernacle. James White, “The Sanctuary,” Bible Adventism, 185, 186.

The doctrine of a “final atonement in heaven” is stated by James White in several places. Three other references are, Life Incidents, 192, 193; Life Sketches, 111; and Our Faith and Hope, 175, 176.

Pioneer Adventists taught the “final atonement” completed in heaven in perfect harmony with the Day-Star, Extra as written by O. R. L. Crosier. Many other examples could be presented. This position was one of the “foundation” truths that was endorsed by the Spirit of God at the beginning of the Advent movement.

“A line of truth extending from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of God, was plainly marked out before me,” Ellen White wrote, “and I gave my brethren and sisters the instruction that the Lord had given me.” “Establishing the Foundation of Our Faith,” Manuscript 135, 1903, 3.

Ellen White On the Final Atonement

The Spirit of Prophecy teaches that the “atonement” was not completed on the cross, as the fallen churches of Babylon and the contemporary Seventh-day Adventist Church now teach. Although there are many more examples, the following are seven clear statements by Ellen White that the “atonement” was not completed and finished on the cross, but is finalized in the heavenly Sanctuary.

Early Statement – 1852

“As Jesus died on Calvary, He cried, ‘It is finished,’ and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom. This was to show that the services of the earthly sanctuary were forever finished, and that God would no more meet with the priests in their earthly temple, to accept their sacrifices. The blood of Jesus was then shed, which was to be offered by Himself in the heavenly sanctuary. As the priest entered the most holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, so Jesus entered the most holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2300 days (Daniel 8,) in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His mediation, and thus to cleanse the sanctuary.” Early Writings, 253, 1852.

Later Statement, 1912

“When Christ, the Mediator, burst the bands of the tomb, and ascended on high to minister for man, He first entered the holy place, where, by virtue of His own sacrifice, He made an offering for the sins of men. With intercession and pleading He presented before God the prayers and repentance and faith of His people, purified by the incense of His own merits. He next entered the Most Holy Place [in 1844], to make an atonement for the sins of the people, and cleanse the sanctuary. His work as high priest completes the divine plan of redemption by making the final atonement for sin.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 54.

Notice the dates of these two statements, 1852 and 1912. After sixty years the Spirit of Prophecy was yet consistent with the original message of the “final atonement” completed in heaven.

“As in the final atonement, the sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the records of heaven,” Ellen White wrote, “no more to be remembered or come into mind, so in the type they were borne away into the wilderness, forever separated from the congregation.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 358.

“As He [Christ] repeated these words He pointed to the heavenly sanctuary. The minds of all who embrace this message are directed to the most holy place, where Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom mercy still lingers and for those who have ignorantly broken the law of God. This atonement is made for the righteous dead as well as for the righteous living.” Early Writings, 254. “Jesus makes an atonement for those who died, not receiving the light upon God’s commandments, who sinned ignorantly.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 162, 163.

“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,” Ellen White stated, “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, 357.

“In the typical service, only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement. So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment, the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. . ..” The Great Controversy, 480. (See also, The Faith I Live By, 210.)

“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, 358.

This teaching of the final atonement in heaven, the blotting out of sins, was the true message of the First Angel, the “Present Truth” as taught and believed by pioneer Seventh-day Adventists and endorsed by the Spirit of Prophecy. Are these statements by Ellen White in harmony with the Day-Star, Extra article written by O. R. L. Crosier? Indeed they are!

To be Continued…

The Need for Certainty – Part II

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In Part 1 of this article we learned that all of the apostles taught the infallibility of the church. Even the apostles, themselves, were infallible. If this is the case, in such an uncertain world and uncertain times, in what, then, can we believe?

The One Infallible, Certainty!

How can you know with certainty, how can you know with infallible certitude, exactly what you believe? How can you know for sure? This is a question that every Bible- believing Christian needs to understand. Where can you find certainty? How can you know for sure that something is infallible, that all the demons of hell or the governments of the world cannot change it because it is the truth? Where can you find that kind of certainty? That is what people are looking for today. We read from the Bible in Revelation 2:18–26 that you cannot get it from the church, you cannot get it from church councils (See Acts 21:18), you cannot get it from theologians (See Acts 20). You cannot even get it from the apostle Peter.

Since you need to know for a surety, I will show what is absolutely for certain. It is infallible. It has infallible certainty. You can know the truth, and by means of the truth you can have salvation, if you choose it. We will go to a source that is accepted by every Roman Catholic in the world. We will go to a source that is accepted by Protestants. We are going to go to the apostle Peter himself.

We see in Galatians 2 that Peter himself was not infallible, but Peter knew the source of infallible certainty. He knew where to get it, and he tells us where we can get it. He says, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming [that is the Second Coming] of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.” 2 Peter 1:16–18. Here, Peter is referring to a story in Matthew 17.

In Matthew 16:28 Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Now who were the ones that were standing right there that were not going to see death until they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom?— Peter, James and John. How could He say that? Because, in just a few days Jesus was going to show them, in miniature, what the Second Coming of Christ would be like. We read in the very next chapter, Matthew 17:1–5, “Now after six days [six days after Jesus’ statement in Matthew 16:28] Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” Notice, Jesus was transfigured before them into a glorious personage, just as He will appear in the clouds at His Second Coming, and there were two people talking with Him. One of them was Moses, who had died on Mount Nebo as recorded in Deuteronomy, but Jude tells us Moses had been resurrected from the dead and taken to heaven. Who did Moses represent? Moses represented all those who have died in Christ. We all probably know someone, a Christian who loved and followed Jesus, who has died. But they are not going to stay dead, because Jesus is coming again. The graves are going to open up, and they are going to come up in the clouds. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 the dead in Christ are going to rise first, so Moses represents those who have died in Christ but who will be resurrected to go with the Lord. Elijah was also there, and the book of Kings tells us that Elijah was taken by a chariot of the Lord up into heaven. Who did Elijah represent? Since he never died, and never will, he represents the people who are living on the earth in the last generation and who are ready to meet the Lord. You see, the Transfiguration was a symbol of the Second Coming of Christ, in miniature. And, you notice, Peter was one of the ones that saw this. He heard the voice of the Father saying out of the luminous cloud, “This is My beloved Son. The Jews may decide to crucify Him. They may decide to spit in His face. The Roman Soldiers may nail Him to a cross, but just remember, this is My Son in whom I am well pleased. You listen to Him.”

So Peter says to the people, “What we told you when we preached about the Second Coming of Christ and His coming in glory, it was not some cunningly devised fable. It was not something that we made up. We were eyewitnesses of His majesty. We saw it. We heard it.” But now remember what you need? You need something that is infallible. You need something that you know absolutely for certain. Do you know that there is something that is even more certain than what the apostles saw? They saw the Second Coming of Christ in miniature; they heard the voice of God themselves, and they reported it to us.

An Even More Sure Word

But there is something that is even more certain than that. Look at 2 Peter 1:19, “We also have the more sure prophetic word.” More sure than what? Made more sure than what you see and hear. It is infallible! The church is not infallible, the theologians are not infallible, the preachers are not infallible, even the apostles are not infallible, but the Word of the Lord, the word of prophecy is infallible. It is more sure than what you see and hear, and you can depend on it. It will never ever fail.

Do you know how many learned people have tried to prove the Bible is wrong? They have been trying for hundreds of years. My grandfather was one of them. There was a time when he was a skeptic. William Miller was, at one time, a skeptic. These people tried to prove that the Bible was wrong. They used to say, “There never were any people like the Hittites.” The Bible talks a lot about the Hittites. They said, “Somebody made that up, because we do not have any record that there were any Hittites.” They are not saying that any more, because archeologists have found abundant evidence in the Middle East of a large nation in ancient times called the Hittites.

People used to say, “There never was a king Belshazzar as written of in Daniel, because we do not have any record of it in the Greek records of the Babylonian kings.” But, archeologists have since discovered a great deal of evidence, so no one is arguing today whether Belshazzar existed. They all know that they were wrong.

That is what happens every time skeptics try to prove the Bible wrong. The Bible is an infallible guide to truth. Peter says it is more sure than what you see and hear. It is infallible. You can depend on it.

“We also have the more sure prophetic word which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19–21.

Whenever this subject comes up there immediately is a controversy between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Roman Catholics say that the church gave us the Bible. The Protestants say that the Bible gave us the church. Which is so? Let us go to the Bible itself for the answer. In James 1:17, 18, James is talking to the Christian church, as you can see in verse seventeen, and he says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will [It is not talking about the church here, it is talking about God in heaven.] He brought us [the church] forth….” Who is the parent here, and who is the child? The parent is God in heaven; the child is the church.

The church was formed by the Word of God. The Word of God produced the church. The church does not produce the Word.

I have been questioned about how we acquired the Bible. Jesus, Himself, tells us. “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’” Luke 24:44. Those are the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible that contain exactly the same books that we have today in the Old Testament. Jesus confirms that we still have the same books in the Old Testament as they had in His day. It is infallible. You can depend on the Old Testament.

How about the New Testament? Jesus answers that for us, also. “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth [Holy Spirit] who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” John 15:26, 27. Who did Jesus say was to bear witness to the whole world that He was the Messiah? It was the apostles. He selected them. The early church did not produce the New Testament. Do not ever get confused on that. That is a lie. The apostles wrote the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the church received it from them. The Bible is not the word of the church. The Bible is the Word of the Lord.

The early church understood this concept. There were all kinds of people (see Revelation 2 and 3), who were coming to the early church saying, “I am an apostle.” The early church tested these people claiming to be apostles and found out that they were liars. The early church had one simple rule as to whether a book should appear in the New Testament—was it written by an apostle? All of the books in the New Testament came from apostles.

Peter knew the prophetic Word was Scripture. He says, “…that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” 2 Peter 3:15, 16. Peter recognized that the apostle Paul’s writings were Scripture. The apostle Paul wrote over half the books in the New Testament, so there is the evidence for over half the books in the New Testament. This Book, the Scriptures, is infallible.

“Oh,” somebody says, “can you really say something like that?” Yes, I can. “But aren’t there some mistakes in the Bible? Did the translators make some mistakes? Did the copyists make mistakes?” Let me ask you something. Suppose you received a letter. The person who wrote you the letter dictated it to his secretary, and the secretary misspelled a word. The person told you the truth, but the secretary they dictated the letter to misspelled a word. Do you throw out the letter as being in error? No. This is what happened with the Bible. When we look at the Greek text, we can see that the people the apostles dictated to sometimes made a grammatical mistake. It does not change the message. I want to tell you something. It is all true. It is infallible. If you follow it, you will be saved.

The Strongest Arguments

The two strongest evidences in the Bible that prove that it is infallible are:

1 Fulfillment of prophecy. Prophecy has been fulfilled over and over and over again.

Just a hundred years ago people who were studying Bible prophecy said, “The time is going to come in the United States when this country is going to get very close to Rome.” And people said, “Oh no, this is a Protestant country; that will never happen here.” But it is happening here! How did they know that? They knew it from studying Revelation 13, 14 and 17.

As a boy I can remember when all the different churches were split up. There were people who studied Bible prophecy in Revelation 17 who said, “According to Revelation 17 there is going to be a movement when all the churches are going to try to get together.” People did not believe them. The Bible told the truth nineteen hundred years ago. It is that way with every single Bible prophecy.

Infallibility. This is the strongest proof of all that the Bible is true, that it is infallible. In Romans 8 the apostle explains the Gospel. He shows how a sinner, who cannot save himself, can have his sins taken away by the blood of Christ. If he puts his trust in Jesus, all of his guilt can be taken away; his life can be changed; he can receive the Holy Spirit, and he can live a new life. Then in Romans 8:16 Paul says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” When you surrender your heart to Jesus as your Lord and Saviour from sin, the Holy Spirit changes your heart. The Holy Spirit comes in, changes your heart, and takes away the hate, the bitterness, the anger, the clamor, the competition, the sourness, the negativeness; all these awful things of sin that have ruined your life and ruined your family, the Holy Spirit takes them all away. That is the strongest evidence that the Bible is infallible and that it is true! And that is what all the apostles taught.

Maybe you have tried a hundred times to change. Mark Twain said that it is not hard to stop smoking. He said, “I quit smoking a thousand times.” That means that he started again at least nine hundred ninety-nine times. You may say, “I am not going to speak that way anymore to my wife because it hurts her,” and then you do it again. You try, and you try, and you try, and you find out, like the Bible says, that the sinner is in hell. He is bound with the cords of his sins, and there is nothing he can do about it. The Holy Spirit sets you free and gives you the power. He gives you a new heart so that you think differently; you feel differently; you speak differently; and everybody says, “What has happened? This is not the same person anymore.” The Holy Spirit is living inside, and when the Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God, you are not a child of the devil anymore. You do not have covetousness anymore. You do not have wrath, anger, clamor and strife in your home anymore, because you have given your heart to the Lord, and you have the peace of heaven in your heart and in your home. When that happens, that is a miracle that all the philosophy, all the psychology, all the sociology, all the learning of this world cannot produce. None of those things can give you a new heart. Only the Holy Spirit can do that, and that happens when you yield yourself to Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

The strongest proof that the Bible is true is the miracle that God has worked in your life. No matter how many unbelievers there are, you know the Bible is infallible and it is true, because it has happened to you.

Do you want that miracle to happen in your life? It can. Even if you are the worst sinner, it can happen to you. Paul said that Jesus came to this world to save sinners “of whom I am chief.” I Timothy 1:15. Paul was a murderer, you know, and the people he murdered were not criminals. They were holy people. Do you want Jesus to come into your heart and your life to give you a new heart? That is a Bible promise. The Lord says, “I will give you a new heart, a new spirit. If you will seek me with all your heart you are going to find me.” (See Ezekiel 26:36, Jeremiah 29:13.) Jesus said, “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,…and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30.

Do you want to come? Do you say, “Lord Jesus I want the strife, the anguish, the trouble, the anger, the wrath, the bitterness, all of these awful things that sin has produced, out of my life; I want a new heart! Is that what you want? Only He can give it to you, and He will give it to you, if you want it. He said, “If you come to Me I will give you rest for your souls.” Ibid. You will have the evidence that the Bible is so. It is the infallible proof of the Christian religion. It is infallible, and if you follow and do what it says, you will be saved.

Editorial – Millennium Meltdown?

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In 1998, I received stacks of printed material about the world fiasco that would occur at midnight, December 31, 1999.

There was “proof” that power companies would shut down because of the Y2K computer bug. This would be ominous in the United States, because most home heating systems will not work without electricity. Public utilities would shut down, so there would be no lights, heat, running water, and maybe no phones.

It was also predicted that banks would erase, or corrupt, records of accounts, causing world-wide panic that would create the greatest economic shutdown ever.  Chaos would ensue, air travel would become unsafe, or impossible, records of tax payments, and issuance of government checks would be paralyzed.

By mid-December,1999 there would be serious oil shortages. The “fix” would take years, during which time we would be in the worst economic collapse of all time. It was called, “millennium meltdown.” Banks and supermarkets would shut down, and life savings could vanish. Americans were counseled to stock up on medications because they would not be available after January 1, 2000. We were warned to get several months supply of food that could be prepared without electricity.

With the shutdown of government and essential services, corporate collapse and banking disasters all predicted to happen at the same time, worldwide, panic was in the air!

We received communications about the seriousness of this problem, and about warning the Adventist people through Landmarks magazine.  After prayer, we decided we would not publish or preach about the coming Y2K problem.  Not because there was no potential for something serious to go wrong, but because that is not our mission. We have a God-given mission, and it is to get the Three Angels’ Message to the world, to prepare people for the coming of the Lord (Luke 1:17). Our mission is not to speculate about the precise nature and timing of disasters Jesus said would come upon the world in the last days (Matthew 24, Luke 21.)

We do not believe in sticking our heads in the sand— the Bible says that the wise man foresees evil and hides himself, but, the Y2K experience should teach us that the wisest men in the world cannot predict the future—they cannot even predict what their computers will, or will not, do, or what effect it will have. The only way to be prepared for the future is to study what God says and follow His counsel.  “We know not the future.” Manuscript Release, vol. 20, 10. “The Lord knows the future.” General Conference Bulletin, 4-10-1903.

For many decades, international agencies advised people to have an emergency water supply in case of problems with the public water supply.  It is always well to have enough food on hand to provide for your family until the next harvest. However, millions of dollars of “emergency food” gets thrown away every year because it has become too old. We must not let  these things detract us from the central issue.

The devil is trying, in every way, to detract Adventists from getting the Three Angels’ Message to the world. The Y2K predictions were not the first, and will not be the last, erroneous human predictions. In the 1970s it was predicted that the world would run out of petroleum by 1997 and we would revert to pre-industrial revolution primitive living, with worldwide economic collapse. According to Bible prophecy, worldwide economic collapse will happen in the future. (See Revelation 18 and Ezekiel 7.) Our mission is not to predict the precise timing or nature of this, but to get the Three Angels’ Message to the world so that those who accept may be delivered from the coming trouble.

“In the name of the Lord I advise all His people to have trust in God and not begin now to prepare to find an easy position for any emergency in the future, but to let God prepare for the emergency. We have altogether too little faith.” 1888 Materials, 487.