sanctuary

Editor’s Letter – Actions and Meanings

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Sometimes God speaks to us in words as when He spoke the Ten Commandments on Sinai. But very often God speaks to us by His actions, and we need to become intelligent in understanding their meaning. For example, after God had spoken the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel and “no more” (Deuteronomy 5:22), He wrote these Ten Commandments with His own finger in tables of stone. Should we not learn something significant from that act?

When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, God did several significant things which we should study and understand. While in His suffering before Jesus died, God miraculously blotted out the light of the sun for three hours (Matthew 27:45). But when Jesus actually died on the cross, (1) there was a great earthquake so that rocks were split and (2) tombs were opened and (3) the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

Have you tried to understand the significance of the veil of the temple being torn in two from the top to the bottom? This veil was a thick tapestry resembling what we would call a rug or carpet. It was not a piece of cloth that even a strong man could tear in two. In addition to this, the curtain was torn in two, not from the bottom to the top, but from the top to the bottom.

Jesus was crucified at the Passover season. In the Old Covenant nobody was allowed to look into or go into the Most Holy Place except on the Day of Atonement. But now, it was possible to see directly into the Most Holy Place when it was not on the Day of Atonement. What should we conclude from this fact? First of all, that it was possible to go into the Most Holy Place when it was not the Day of Atonement anymore. Secondly, we could conclude that there was no sanctity anymore to the earthly Most Holy Place since God had torn the veil. But a more significant conclusion for the spiritually mature person would be that God had opened a “new and living way … through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Because of this new and living way, the Old Covenant had become “obsolete” and “becoming old and is ready to disappear” (Hebrews 8:13). The Old Covenant that had become obsolete included the earthly sanctuary system with its “food and drink and various washings, and regulations imposed on the flesh until a time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:10). It also included those regulations which were not a part of the explanation of the Ten Commandments but were given as a type, or example, of truths later to be revealed in the gospel dispensation. An example of this would be the cities of refuge.

John’s Message; Our Message

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In contemplating the mission of John the Baptist, a striking parallel came to view that arrested my attention.

Considering what he was to do, and what it meant to the world, it struck me that the event he was foretelling was the greatest event in history, not only of this world but the universe. What was that event? And what was John’s mission? “In him [Jesus], was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John 1:4–9.

John was no less than the messenger to prepare the way for the Lord. He prepared the way for the Son of the living God. He announced the coming of the Creator of the Universe to live among men. He had the privilege of being the forerunner of the One, the only One, who could and would save men from sin as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8. What a privilege! What a responsibility!

Actually, as I thought about it, it seemed that the whole world would be looking forward with intense interest, with longing and inexpressible gratitude for that event. This event made possible a life of eternal happiness and bliss with their Creator! For four thousand years either through the patriarchal sacrificial system or the temple services, the great, compassionate, loving God of the universe had been telling the world of a Redeemer to come who would save it from the pit of ruin into which it had fallen. He had even chosen a special people and bestowed upon them tremendous blessing and care, a people commissioned to tell the world of a coming Saviour. He had given this special people prophecies pointing to the very time of His coming. The God of the universe, the Creator of all in heaven and earth, a Being who was worshiped and adored, with all power, He was coming to this tiny planet. He was coming to “take away the sins of the world.” What other message, what other matter could begin to compare?

Let’s look at this event from another perspective, the perspective of the heavenly universe, from the time before there was sin. Perfection, beauty, perfect harmony reigned. The inhabitants didn’t even realize there was law. They were so perfectly in harmony with the will of God there was nothing but perfect joy, peace, happiness and unity. Then, sin made its entrance. Then, sorrow, pain, and worst of all, they learned about separation from their most beloved Commander, the One they lived to worship, love, and obey. All this was interrupted and destroyed by this little speck of a world. And now the time had come for that separation, for the Father to send His Son to give His life to this world so it could be redeemed.

The entire universe watched with intense interest. To them there was no greater event than the advent of Christ to this one world that had marred God’s entire creation. Would not those for whom this great sacrifice was being made, welcome Him with joy unspeakable? Would not the great and mighty of the earth be the first to welcome and proclaim with joy this greatest of all events in the history of the earth? What a joy John’s life and mission would have been had that been the case. But, sadly, inexplicably, few were even aware.

Just what was the condition of things when the time came for John to begin his ministry? “In the time of John the Baptist, greed for riches, and the love of luxury and display had become widespread. Sensuous pleasures, feasting and drinking, were causing physical disease and degeneracy, benumbing the spiritual perceptions, and lessening the sensibility to sin.” The Desire of Ages, 101.

“He saw his people deceived, self-satisfied, and asleep in their sins. He longed to rouse them to a holier life. The message that God had given him to bear was designed to startle them from their lethargy, and cause them to tremble because of their great wickedness. Before the seed of the gospel could find lodgment, the soil of the heart must be broken up. Before they would seek healing from Jesus, they must be awakened to their danger from the wounds of sin.” Ibid., 103, 104.

Remarkably, this is speaking of the chosen people of God, the very people who were entrusted with the most wonderful message ever given to this world.

Friends, is there a parallel today? Is there an event pending today of immense and eternal import? The answer is a resounding YES!

After six thousand years of sin and misery, pain and alienation, this world is about to be freed, rescued, healed and restored. The one blot in the great, beautiful creation of God is about to be removed, no, remade; remade into what God, in His bounty and love created it to be in the first place. Yet is this tremendous event the one consuming topic of today? Is the world today absorbed in preparing and proclaiming this most wondrous and important truth? Or is it better described by the paragraphs above describing the condition of the world at Jesus’ first advent?

What a message we have to share; what a responsibility. Again I ask, is there a parallel today? Again, the answer is a resounding YES! I am inadequate in my knowledge and speech to share from my own words the message and its importance, so I quote from a book I believe God, in His providence, gave to His people of today just as much as He gave the Scriptures to prepare the world for His first advent. It says, “We are now living in the great day of atonement. …

“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 of this subject for themselves regarding 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.

“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.” The Great Controversy, 488, 489.

“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.

Friends, these are not my words. These are the words of inspiration. Is there any message at this time that can compare with this? Is there any other message that actually brings salvation to a soul? Let’s not repeat the history of the first advent. Let’s study, with humility and sincerity and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and not only be ready for this event, but also to be the instruments God would have us to be in proclaiming this most important and wondrous message to the world.

Brenda Douay is a member of Steps to Life staff. She can be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

The Sealing of the Final Generation

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Signs all around us indicate that this generation is going to be the final generation, the one that will go through a time of trouble.

Who are you to stand before the universe without a mediator and go through the time of Jacob’s trouble? Jacob was certainly forgiven, yet when he was going back to his hometown, he faced the enemy, his brother Esau with 400 soldiers who had come to meet and to slay him (Genesis 32). The same kind of trouble is to come upon you and me. We also will pray and plead with God as did Jacob. We must experience the Three Angels’ Messages, which are summed up in the sanctuary, consisting of the courtyard experience, the Holy Place experience, and the Most Holy Place experience.

To meet God at the mercy seat, we must first pass the altar of burnt offering with a thorough repentance experience—justification—then move on to the training of the Holy Place experience—sanctification. We then step into the Most Holy Place and stand before the Shekinah glory. God takes us through these three steps to enable us to face Him.

To be sealed is to be settled into the truth so that we will no longer be moved. This is not only being convicted intellectually, but also experientially, so that no matter what happens, we will not waver. No matter what persecution happens in our lives, we will not turn away from God or dishonor Him by breaking any of His commandments. Our characters will be sealed and perfected by being in Christ and overcoming each temptation day by day. Temptations come one at a time, and it is through the grace of God and by surrendering that we overcome them one at a time. Care must be taken on this journey though sometimes we will make mistakes and fall, because Satan knows our every weakness and causes us to trip. Our past mistakes become our teachers. We need not worry about the word perfection. God has promised to help with this work. He is able to finish a work that He started in us by His grace. Salvation is restoration, repentance, and keeping the commandments of God.

God knows everything and needs no records. Then, why does heaven have record books? They are for human beings and angels to see and to evaluate God’s judgment for fairness. There will be no doubts, no lingering questions in our minds about God’s judgment.

“But the plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 68.

The whole process of the plan of salvation has to do with the vindication of God’s character and the redemption of the fallen race. The controversy between God and Satan was the law of God. It was under attack because Satan claimed that that it was not necessary, that it binds and restricts. Satan asserted that God’s law makes us servants and slaves, so he wanted to do away with it; we do not need it. The rebellion, started in heaven by Satan was the cause of the great controversy.

When the war descended to this earth, the issue that Satan attacked was the sanctuary in heaven. Satan said, “The people broke God’s law as did I and my soldiers, and yet You forgive them. You are going to save them throughout eternity. They are going to hold our former position. It is unfair. You cannot give salvation; You cannot have mercy upon those who broke Your law like we did.” The issue is the mercy of God. God will work the work of salvation in your heart so your life will demonstrate and display the power of His salvation. This is what the sanctuary message is all about.

“In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had declared that the law of God could not be obeyed, that justice was inconsistent with mercy, and that, should the law be broken, it would be impossible for the sinner to be pardoned. Every sin must meet its punishment, urged Satan; … God could not be just, he urged, and yet show mercy to the sinner.

“But even as a sinner, man was in a different position from that of Satan. Lucifer in heaven had sinned in the light of God’s glory. To him as to no other created being was given a revelation of God’s love. Understanding the character of God, knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, independent will. This choice was final. There was no more that God could do to save him. But man was deceived; his mind was darkened by Satan’s sophistry. The height and depth of the love of God he did not know. For him there was hope in a knowledge of God’s love. By beholding His character he might be drawn back to God.” The Desire of Ages, 761, 762.

“The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him.” Ibid., 22. Knowing God, is loving Him. You see, we must understand this concept. What does it mean to love Him? To know God is to love Him. How can we love Him unless we receive the revelation through the sanctuary He revealed to us, showing the method of salvation?

“But in heaven, service is not rendered in the spirit of legality. When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to something unthought of.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 109.

Obeying and living the commandments of God was just normal. The angels were very happy abiding in the law of God. It was their life. Living in the order of God and the commandments of God gave them peace, order and assurance. The law of God needs to be obeyed by willing love, willingness not as a duty or responsibility but out of love. “There is perfect unity between them and their Creator. Obedience is to them no drudgery. Love for God makes their service a joy. So in every soul wherein Christ, the hope of glory, dwells, His words are re-echoed, ‘I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.’ Psalm 40:8.” Ibid.

In Daniel 8:14, it says, “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” It will be cleansed from the accumulated records of sin that have been defiling the heavenly sanctuary. God is going to cleanse it before He blots out the record of sins from the books in heaven. He has to prove individually that each person deserves to have the blotting out of sin, because he does not live under the condemnation of the law any longer. God has to prove it before the universe. Then sin is going to be blotted out.

God has used persecution to purge His church. All chaff and dross are going to go out from among us and the pure gold will remain. God has always used times of trouble to purge and cleanse and purify His church. When those crises come, our focus will be so clear; we are not going to waste our time, but instead will spend it on the preparation of our character and heart.

At that time, those of God’s people who have been following the truth and the everlasting gospel will have confessed all of their sins to Jesus who has blotted them out with His blood; but those who have not made that preparation will go out. Then there will be seen both a separation and unity between believers taking place within the true church.

The accumulated records of sin, which have been defiling the heavenly sanctuary, will be cleansed and it will be restored to its original condition. God’s character will be vindicated as the individual investigative judgment progresses.

“Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling.” The Great Controversy, 425. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses our conscience by beholding the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are touched by His love, and the sins will be melted away from us.

“Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.” Ibid. Notice that this does not take place in heaven, but on this earth.

“When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing.” Ibid.

“Excitement is not sanctification. Entire conformity to the will of our Father which is in heaven is alone sanctification, and the will of God is expressed in His holy law. The keeping of all the commandments of God is sanctification.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 204. How many commandments? “All the commandments of God.” Are you shocked? Are you sanctified? This says that, “The keeping of all the commandments of God is sanctification.” What is the seal of the living God? Seventh-day Sabbath keeping. Why? Because it is the outward sign that within we are keeping all of the Ten Commandments.

God gave Abraham circumcision as a sign for holy experience. It is a symbol. Romans 4:11 says this is the outward symbol, which shows the faith experience in Abraham, which he had already before. We keep the seventh-day Sabbath because we are liberated from the power of sin. That is why we have fellowship with God on that particular blessed day. The keeping of all the commandments of God is sanctification. Proving ourselves obedient children to God’s Word is sanctification. The Word of God is to be our guide, not the ideas of man. We know that there are teachings among us different than this inspired Word of God, different teachings of justification by faith and righteousness by faith. It simply says, “The keeping of all the commandments of God is sanctification.” How much clearer can you get? “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14. Before we step into the Most Holy Place, we must have that sealing experience.

The light increases gradually in its conviction and understanding. Sometimes, some people have heard about the seventh-day Sabbath, yet their souls are not convicted unless they really study and hear. “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18. This means that knowledge and understanding of the truth will be increased until the perfect day.

The truth we hold cannot be the standard or the criteria to judge everyone, because God judges everyone according to the light they have received. The light has been gradually advancing to the perfect day. So, God has to judge people according to the light they have received. What do we call the light that everyone has received in their own time and in their own generations? The present truth. Do we have present truth at this time? Absolutely. For instance, in regard to the righteousness by faith doctrine, Martin Luther had very little light. John Wesley understood more. He understood about overcoming; he understood about free will; he understood about having a perfect character. That is why he was defrocked; he was excommunicated from the former Presbyterian churches in England at that time. You see, gradually the truth has been restored to the original.

“In every age there is a new development of truth, a message of God to the people of that [particular] generation.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 127. Truth must be logical and reasonable; otherwise it is not truth. The truth must meet common sense. God works through our common sense. At the time of Noah was there a present truth? Yes, build the ark and enter into it. Now is that our present truth? Absolutely not! We have our own present truth for today, so when we preach present truth, it is going to expose the motivations of every individual in the current time, and they will be judged by it. At the time of John the Baptist there was present truth. But that present truth is not our present truth. The truth has developed and matured to perfection.

One day I was in the lounge of an airport waiting to board my flight. There were 40 or 50 people in that area. I noticed particularly a gentleman who was sitting right in front of me, and I thought he must be a genuinely sincere Christian. It was lunchtime, and he had brought along his sack lunch. He opened the brown bag and, taking out a sandwich, he began to pray. I have never seen anyone pray over a lunch that long, that earnestly, or that sincerely. He then began to eat, and I saw that he was eating a ham and cheese sandwich. Do you know what? Legalism came out from my heart and I thought, “He’s eating ham and cheese. God certainly cannot bless him. He’s eating that sandwich, but he prayed so earnestly.” I changed my mind in a split second. No, I should not think this way. Certainly, God will bless him. He is practicing his Christian experience as far as he knows and understands. Certainly God will bless his meal and his prayer, even though ham will hurt his body’s cells. God will bless him, because he practices his own Christian religion according to what he knows. We have to take this into consideration. Certainly God does.

The present truth is very, very important, and we must understand the conviction and understanding of the gradually developing truth. Why does God need to restore all the truth to its original meaning to the perfect light? Why does God not just judge everyone according to the light of the cross? Why can’t God just save us as long as we believe the truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross for us? Why is that not enough? It is because the salvation issue has to do with the vindication of God, but it has a broader meaning and not just our own salvation. When we understand that, we will be willing to live, not only for our own salvation, but also for the glory of God. Our perspective of our Christian experience will become clearer. All of the light is needed for it to be restored to the original so that the whole universe can witness and see whether God’s plan of salvation is just or not.

God chooses to save. Can His mercy meet justice? Is Satan right in his accusation, or is God right? The issue is going to be settled before the universe in our individual lives as those present truths are applied to our own hearts and lives.

Finally, the stage is set and the true test is possible. When Satan says, “Oh, have you seen that?” Then God cannot say, “They just simply did not know.” All this time until the final generation appears, Jesus has been and is doing this.

Satan accuses, “Look at this; all of them kept Sunday.” Then Jesus will say, “Satan, be quiet and listen to Me. Have you seen and tried these people? 144,000 people; have you tried them? Were you able to overcome them?” Then Satan’s lips will be sealed. He tried his best, but he could not make them betray their trust.

And then God will say, “Do you recognize these people are keeping My commandments perfectly in their spiritual experiences? Now, I tell you that if I had given to all those past generations, whom I am resurrecting from the tombs, all of the fully restored truth, they would have come up accepting light like the 144,000. But this 144,000 are the weakest generation.”

We are a weak generation; we are not special people. We are degenerated people, the weakest people and yet used by God to prove the point, demonstrating before the universe, that by God’s power we can be saved utterly from the power of sin. God will be vindicated and Satan’s lips will be sealed forever. That is why God needs the final generation—you and me—those who go through the Most Holy Place experience, the blotting out of sin experience. God needs you; God needs me.

This does not mean just a lot of rules—that you should not read that novel or listen to that kind of music or eat that. You need to be careful for your own salvation; you will be judged by God. No, we have a better perspective. We have higher ground, higher experience, higher criteria and higher expectations. We are living and working for the glory of God, to honor Him in our lives.

Jude 3 says, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

While the truth is shining to the perfect light, everyone is judged according to the present truth of their own generations as they understand it. Throughout all these generations, there have been genuine good, righteous Christians. Truth has been restored little by little through the reformers and advanced far through the understanding of the sanctuary service after 1844. It is going to be restored perfectly to the perfect light. Then God is going to give a final demonstration through His people who understand and are convicted of the perfect truth, that perfect chain of truth.

Are you following the Shepherd wherever He leads? We are to follow Jesus through the courtyard, into the Holy Place and then into the Most Holy Place, guided by our Shepherd all the way.

I hope and pray that you make a choice right now to live to be saved, and to live to glorify God.

Pastor David Kang is Director of Light for Life Ministry operating out of Hartwell, Georgia. His sermons are broadcast weekly on New York and Virginia Korean television stations. Pastor Kang also frequently travels to Asia where he trains pastors. Pastor Kang may be contacted by telephone at: 706-377-1004.

Bible Study Guides – How Shall We Worship?

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September 4, 2011 – September 10, 2011

Key Text

“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.” Psalm 96:9.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 436–438; Testimonies, vol. 5, 491–500.

Introduction

“In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will purify the heart and renew the mind, giving us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship.” The Desire of Ages, 189.

1 WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP?

  • Define true worship. Psalm 24:3, 4; John 4:23, 24; I Chronicles 16:29.

Note: “Although God dwells not in temples made with hands, yet He honors with His presence the assemblies of His people. He has promised that when they come together to seek Him, to acknowledge their sins, and to pray for one another, He will meet with them by His Spirit. But those who assemble to worship Him should put away every evil thing. Unless they worship Him in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness, their coming together will be of no avail. Of such the Lord declares, ‘This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.’ Matthew 15:8, 9.” Prophets and Kings, 50.

“Religious instruction means … that you are to show in your life that Jesus is everything to you, and that His love makes you patient, kind, forbearing, and yet firm in commanding your children after you, as did Abraham.

“Just as you conduct yourself in your home life, you are registered in the books of heaven. He who would become a saint in heaven must first become a saint in his own family.” The Adventist Home, 317.

  • How serious a matter is it to ignore or neglect God’s requirements? Matthew 15:8, 9; 7:21–23.

2 WHEN SHALL WE WORSHIP?

  • What should be the practice of every individual and family? Psalm 29:2.

Note: “If ever there was a time when every house should be a house of prayer, it is now. …

“And yet, in this time of fearful peril, some who profess to be Christians have no family worship. They do not honor God in the home; they do not teach their children to love and fear Him.” Child Guidance, 517.

“In many cases the morning and evening worship is little more than a mere form, a dull, monotonous repetition of set phrases in which the spirit of gratitude or the sense of need finds no expression. The Lord accepts not such service. But the petitions of a humble heart and contrite spirit He will not despise. The opening of our hearts to our heavenly Father, the acknowledgment of our entire dependence, the expressions of our wants, the homage of grateful love—this is true prayer.” Ibid., 518.

“In every family there should be a fixed time for morning and evening worship. How appropriate it is for parents to gather their children about them before the fast is broken, to thank the heavenly Father for His protection during the night, and to ask Him for His help and guidance and watch care during the day! How fitting, also, when evening comes, for parents and children to gather once more before Him and thank Him for the blessings of the day that is past!” Ibid., 520.

  • What other time of worship is so important to us? Psalm 19:14.

Note: “When the Sabbath commences, we should place a guard upon ourselves, upon our acts and our words, lest we rob God by appropriating to our own use that time which is strictly the Lord’s. We should not do ourselves, nor suffer our children to do, any manner of our own work for a livelihood or anything which could have been done on the six working days. … God requires not only that we refrain from physical labor upon the Sabbath, but that the mind be disciplined to dwell upon sacred themes. The Fourth Commandment is virtually transgressed by conversing upon worldly things or by engaging in light and trifling conversation. …

“Fathers and mothers should make it a rule that their children attend public worship on the Sabbath, and should enforce the rule by their own example.” Child Guidance, 529, 530.

3 WHERE SHALL WE WORSHIP?

  • In Leviticus 23:3, what distinct phrase does God use to describe His seventh day, the Sabbath of rest?
  • What can we learn from the Scriptures as to where we should worship? Matthew 18:20; Acts 2:46.
  • What should we remember about the place in which we worship our Creator? Psalm 111:9; Genesis 28:17, last part.

Note: “True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a realization of His presence. … The hour and place of prayer are sacred, because God is there. …

“Well would it be for old and young to ponder those words of Scripture that show how the place marked by God’s special presence should be regarded. ‘Put off thy shoes from off thy feet,’ He commanded Moses at the burning bush, ‘for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground’ Exodus 3:5. …

“The God of heaven is not, like the gods of the heathen, confined to temples made with hands; yet He would meet with His people by His Spirit when they should assemble at the house dedicated to His worship.” Prophets and Kings, 48, 49.

“The house is the sanctuary for the family, and the closet or the grove the most retired place for individual worship; but the church is the sanctuary for the congregation. There should be rules in regard to the time, the place, and the manner of worshiping. …

“Do not have so little reverence for the house and worship of God as to communicate with one another during the sermon. …

“There should be a sacred spot, like the sanctuary of old, where God is to meet with His people. That place should not be used as a lunchroom or as a business room, but simply for the worship of God.” Child Guidance, 541–543.

4 HOW SHALL WE WORSHIP?

  • What instructions are given to us regarding the manner of worshiping our Lord? Hebrews 12:28; I Peter 1:15, 16; Exodus 19:10.

Note: “Unless correct ideas of true worship and true reverence are impressed upon the people, there will be a growing tendency to place the sacred and eternal on a level with common things, and those professing the truth will be an offense to God and a disgrace to religion. They can never, with their uncultivated ideas, appreciate a pure and holy heaven, and be prepared to join with the worshipers in the heavenly courts above, where all is purity and perfection, where every being has perfect reverence for God and His holiness. …

“When the worshipers enter the place of meeting, they should do so with decorum, passing quietly to their seats. … Common talking, whispering, and laughing should not be permitted in the house of worship, either before or after the service. Ardent, active piety should characterize the worshipers.” My Life Today, 285, 286.

“Do not have so little reverence for the house and worship of God as to communicate with one another during the sermon. …

“When the word of life is spoken, you should remember that you are listening to the voice of God through His delegated servant. Do not lose these words through inattention; if heeded, they may keep your feet from straying into wrong paths.” Messages to Young People, 266.

  • Along with having a correct state of mind and action as we come before our God, what else is necessary? Exodus 19:14.

Note: “All should be taught to be neat, clean, and orderly in their dress, but not to indulge in that external adorning which is wholly inappropriate for the sanctuary. There should be no display of the apparel; for this encourages irreverence. The attention of the people is often called to this or that fine article of dress, and thus thoughts are intruded that should have no place in the hearts of the worshipers. … The parading of bows and ribbons, ruffles and feathers, and gold and silver ornaments is a species of idolatry and is wholly inappropriate for the sacred service of God. … All matters of dress should be strictly guarded, following closely the Bible rule. Fashion has been the goddess who has ruled the outside world, and she often insinuates herself into the church. The church should make the word of God her standard, and parents should think intelligently upon this subject.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 499.

5 WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP?

  • Who is blessed in the act of worship? Psalms 29:1, 2, 11; 138:1–3, 7, 8; Isaiah 57:15; Psalm 22:3.

Note: “Our God is a tender, merciful Father. His service should not be looked upon as a heart-saddening, distressing exercise. It should be a pleasure to worship the Lord and to take part in His work. … He is their best friend; and when they worship Him, He expects to be with them, to bless and comfort them, filling their hearts with joy and love. … He desires that those who come to worship Him shall carry away with them precious thoughts of His care and love, that they may be cheered in all the employments of daily life, that they may have grace to deal honestly and faithfully in all things.” Steps to Christ, 103.

“The hour and place of prayer and the services of public worship the child should be taught to regard as sacred because God is there. And as reverence is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened.” Child Guidance, 539.

  • Who else joins us in our worship? Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:11, 12; 7:9–17.

Note: “There are invisible agencies observing every word and deed of human beings. In every assembly for business or pleasure, in every gathering for worship, there are more listeners than can be seen with the natural sight.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 176.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How is worship to be much more than simply a form that you repeat?

2 How often should you worship?

3 Is worship confined to only certain areas?

4 Can you come before God in any way you like?

5 What does worship do?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Restoration of the Sanctuary Message

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The papacy, during the Dark Ages, did away with the knowledge of Jesus’ ministry in the sanctuary in heaven, so no one understood or knew of the heavenly sanctuary services.

Christ, in the first angel’s message, announced that, “The hour of His judgment has come” (Revelation 14:7). This was in answer to the question asked by the martyrs during the time of the fifth seal. In Revelation 6:9, 10, we read: “When he [the Lamb] opened the fifth seal, I [John the Revelator] saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ ”

Although martyrs are dead people, in this text they are represented as being alive and asking the question, “How long before You will judge our persecutors?” To answer this question, the first angel announced that the hour of His judgment is come. The announcement of the time for the judgment to begin was also given in the vision of Daniel 8. Daniel was shown this in vision in 551 B.C., more than 2,000 years before the time of the judgment was to begin. We need to remember that this part of the book of Daniel was closed until the time of the end; therefore, no one could understand this text until the time of the end arrived. But at the right time, the meaning of this text was given. This verse is the third announcement that the angel (Christ), in Revelation 10:7, said had already been given concerning the finishing of the mystery of God.

In Daniel 8:14 of the King James Version (KJV), it says, “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” (In Hebrew, days means evenings and mornings; cleansed means justified.) The marginal reading says it can also be translated as being justified. Because, in the Hebrew, there is a broader meaning to this verse in addition to being cleansed, the following versions of the same verse are shared:

Daniel 8:14, New International Version (NIV):

“He said to me, ‘It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.’ ”

Daniel 8:14, Revised Standard Version (RSV):

“And he said to him, ‘For two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.’ ”

Daniel 8:14, New American Standard Bible (NASB):

“He said to me, ‘For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.’ ”

In The Great Controversy, 409, Ellen White wrote: “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. These had been familiar words to all believers in the Lord’s soon coming. By the lips of thousands was this prophecy repeated as the watchword of their faith. All felt that upon the events therein foretold depended their brightest expectations and most cherished hopes.”

She then continued: “These prophetic days had been shown to terminate in the autumn of 1844. In common with the rest of the Christian world, Adventists then held that the earth, or some portion of it, was the sanctuary. They understood that the cleansing of the sanctuary was the purification of the earth by the fires of the last great day, and that this would take place at the second advent. Hence the conclusion that Christ would return to the earth in 1844.

“But the appointed time had passed, and the Lord had not appeared.” Ibid.

This is an amazing thing. Here there is a text about the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven that is the foundation and central pillar of their message, and yet the people knew nothing about it. How could such a thing happen? As strange as it may seem, this is actually what took place in the advent awakening in 1844. There is a prophecy about it recorded in symbolic language in Revelation 10:9, 10: “So I [John] went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, ‘Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.”

These advent believers, believing that the earth was the sanctuary to be cleansed, understood that Jesus would come on October 22, 1844, to cleanse the earth. This was a happy message, “sweet as honey” in their mouths, but when the day passed and Jesus did not return, this sweet message “turned sour” in their stomachs.

History shows that Satan was completely successful in destroying the sanctuary message in the church during the Dark Ages. By the end of the Dark Ages, no one on earth knew anything about the sanctuary in heaven.

There is a very clear explanation of Satan’s disruption of the sanctuary message during the supremacy of the papacy in the Dark Ages in Daniel 8:11, 12, 24: “It [the small horn, the papacy] set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. … He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people.”

At the opening of the second-advent movement, the church taught that the earth was the sanctuary to be cleansed. This is proof of the success Satan had during the Dark Ages in destroying the knowledge of the ministry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.

An angel (a holy one) asked an interesting question in Daniel 8:13: “Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, ‘How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?’ ”

The holy one is asking how long the rebellion against the ministry of Jesus in the sanctuary in heaven will continue, and the answer is given that after 2,300 evenings and mornings (years) the knowledge of the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven would be restored.

The records of history reveal that both events recorded in Daniel 8:10–14 have taken place as prophesied, i.e., (1) the loss of the knowledge of the sanctuary truth during the Dark Ages, and (2) the restoration of the knowledge of the sanctuary message in Daniel 8:14 following the Great Disappointment.

Now that we know what happened to the sanctuary message during the Dark Ages and what is taking place at the present time in the restoration of the sanctuary message, we can better understand the message of Daniel 8:14 when it is translated as follows:

  • “cleansed” – KJV
  • “justified” – KJV, margin
  • “reconsecrated” – NIV
  • “restored to its rightful state” – RSV
  • “properly restored” – NASB

Daniel 8:14, as translated in the KJV, focuses on the cleansing and removal of sin from the new covenant sanctuary in heaven. This is a very important work in the ministry of Jesus for His people.

As translated in the NASB, RSV and NIV, the focus is on the restoration of the sanctuary message at the termination of the 2,300 years.

Both of these views are supported by the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and are taking place at the present time. Actually, how can anyone explain the cleansing of the sanctuary unless the understanding of the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven first be restored?

Ellen White emphasized the importance of this text: “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, 409. We have looked at four translations of this verse, all of which contribute to our understanding of this verse and its application to the opening of the second-advent movement.

We are familiar with the message of the cleansing of the sanctuary and purification of God’s people by the atoning blood of Jesus, but we are not as familiar with the message of the restoration of the sanctuary message to its rightful place in the great second-advent movement.

Let’s review briefly the history of the sanctuary message—at the time Jesus ascended and opened the Holy Place in A.D. 31 and what happened to this message during the Dark Ages—to help us understand why this message must be, and will be, fully restored during the second-advent movement.

When Jesus opened His ministry by cleansing the temple in A.D. 28, He pronounced this startling prophecy to the dignitaries: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” John 2:19. The Jews applied this prophecy to the temple building. They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” Verse 20. The disciple John said that Jesus was speaking of His body. “But the temple He had spoken of was His body.” Verse 21.

Actually, Jesus had both views in mind when He spoke this prophecy. In The Desire of Ages, 164, we read: “In these words His meaning was twofold. He referred not only to the destruction of the Jewish temple and worship, but to His own death—the destruction of the temple of His body.”

It is common knowledge that Jesus rose from the grave on the third day after the crucifixion to raise the temple of His body. It is not so well understood that He raised the temple building that same day, but that is exactly what happened.

When Mary desired to worship Jesus on the morning of the first day of the week, Jesus replied, “Detain Me not; ‘for I am not yet ascended to My Father’ [John 20:17]. …

“Jesus refused to receive the homage of His people until He had the assurance that His sacrifice was accepted by the Father. He ascended to the heavenly courts, and from God Himself heard the assurance that His atonement for the sins of men had been ample, that through His blood all might gain eternal life. The Father ratified the covenant made with Christ, that He would receive repentant and obedient men, and would love them even as He loves His Son. Christ was to complete His work, and fulfill His pledge to ‘make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.’ Isaiah 13:12.” Ibid., 790.

In the case of both of these temples, the one on earth and the sanctuary in heaven, it was not the buildings that were destroyed or raised at this time. In either one, the buildings were not changed at this time, but the services were.

“When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance to the temple and its services. Its sacredness had departed. It was doomed to destruction. From that day sacrificial offerings and the service connected with them were meaningless. Like the offering of Cain, they did not express faith in the Saviour. In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple.” Ibid., 165.

In the sanctuary in heaven, Jesus opened the Holy Place to begin His ministry as our High Priest. On the Day of Pentecost [Acts 2:1], the Holy Spirit came down upon the 120 disciples and confirmed to them that Jesus had been inaugurated as High Priest and opened the Holy Place in the sanctuary in heaven.

At this time, everyone who desired to do so could go directly to Jesus through prayer and confess their sins to Him. No more sacrificing of a lamb was needed. Jesus would make the atonement for those confessed sins with His blood. The sinner was then given the promise of eternal life. The new covenant was now ratified in him by the blood of Christ.

The disciples were then instructed to share this wonderful gospel message of the ministry of Jesus in the sanctuary of heaven with the whole world. The news of the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus to open the new covenant sanctuary electrified the world, so much so, that the comment was made that it was turning the world upside down. During the centuries that followed, millions of people placed their faith in this redemption message, even to the point of giving up their life because of their faith in it.

This message of the sanctuary in heaven was the foundation and central pillar of the apostolic church. The papacy’s interception of the ministry of Jesus in the new covenant sanctuary in heaven was a major, major attack on the foundation and central pillar of the church.

When the papacy, or Roman Catholic Church, came to power in A.D. 538, it made some major changes in the teachings of the church. To refresh our minds to these changes, the following statement is found in The Great Controversy, 55: “The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that none could approach God except through him; and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed.”

Daniel 8 is a prophecy of this action of the papacy against the ministry of Jesus in the sanctuary of heaven. The prophecy says of the small horn, “Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised [sic], and prospered.” Daniel 8:11, 12. KJV

The end result of the work against the ministry of Jesus in the sanctuary by the papacy during the Dark Ages was that no one in the church knew where the sanctuary was located during the advent awakening in the 1840s.

The restoration of this sanctuary message is very important to the fulfillment of Daniel 8:14, as translated in the RSV: “Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” Only as the knowledge of the sanctuary in heaven is restored can the “cleansing” of the sanctuary be understood. This knowledge is critical to the success of the new covenant (the everlasting gospel), in the great second-advent movement. This is pointed out in the following quote:

“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.” The Great Controversy, 488.

“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.” Ibid., 489.

We have seen thus far that the opening of Christ’s ministry as our High Priest in the Holy Place of the sanctuary in heaven was the foundation of the disciple’s message to the world in the first advent. We have also seen how the papacy did away with the knowledge of Jesus’ ministry in the sanctuary in heaven by instructing the people to confess their sins to the priests in the church on earth. We have also found good news in Daniel 8:14 where prophecy says that the sanctuary message will be restored to its rightful place.

Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New International Version.

Maurice Hoppe is retired and volunteers at Steps to Life. His primary responsibility is working with the Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders and the Training Program for Lay Workers. He also conducts a Bible Correspondence School from his home with emphasis on Bible prophecy. He may be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

Keys to the Storehouse – Red Flags

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Every repentant sinner appears at the door of the Most Holy Place. Have you been to that door this morning—where Jesus is? Were you there last night?

“Day by day the repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice.” The Great Controversy, 418.

Are you a sinner? It may be that you don’t recognize yourself as a sinner or have anything for which to be sorry. Or maybe you don’t think you have denied Him in any of your actions or words.

We are told in Romans 3:23 that, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”—come short of God’s character.

Do you suppose that you may have overlooked something? Or are sins, because of repetition, no longer sins in your mind, and you are thinking all is well? God does not want us to be deceived. Several red flags are brought to our attention in the following paragraph so that we may ponder the path of our life before it is too late.

“A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them.” The Desire of Ages, 357. (Emphasis supplied.)

Have you overlooked anything in your life that has not been brought to the door of the Most Holy Place where Jesus is waiting to hear from you?

Sinners do not have eternal life. Each time the law of God is broken, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual laws, that guilty person is living on “death row” waiting for execution, unless or until those sins have been confessed and repented of.

Have you been to the Most Holy Place today to confess, repent of and transfer that sin and guilt to the Most Holy Place and to receive the Holy Spirit, the life of Jesus, in your soul? Go to Him in sincerity, confess, repent, remove the clutter and invite Him into your heart and plead for His Holy Spirit. Why? Because, “The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul.” God’s Amazing Grace, 195.

“Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices, they will give evidence of their relationship to Christ. When men who claim to be Christians retain all their natural defects of character and disposition, in what does their position differ from that of the worldling? They do not appreciate the truth as a sanctifier, a refiner. They have not been born again.” The Review and Herald, April 12, 1892. (Emphasis supplied.)

Have you been to the Most Holy Place today?

My precious Jesus, I come humbly to the door of the Most Holy Place to repent of my behavior that has denied entrance of Thy life, through the Holy Spirit, into my soul. You have opened my eyes to see that I have sinned and fallen short of Thy character. Forgive me. As I lift my soul heavenward I sincerely desire to be filled with Your life through the influence of Thy Holy Spirit. I choose Your life and not death. Amen.

Out of Position

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“It is those who by faith follow Jesus in the great work of the atonement who receive the benefits of His mediation in their behalf, while those who reject the light which brings to view this work of ministration are not benefited thereby.” The Great Controversy, 430.

This means that if we do not understand the mediation that is going on right now in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary, we cannot act in faith. We know that, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. Unless we have scriptural evidence to rest our faith upon, shall we ask for something we do not understand?

Throughout the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy it is stated very clearly that those who reject the light, which brings to view this work of ministration, are not benefited thereby. They do not receive the benefit or the power available from the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary.

In A.D. 31 when the disciples understood the work of Christ and saw Him ascend into heaven and the angel told them that this same Jesus would return unto them, they immediately went into the upper room and prayed for Pentecostal power for the benefits that Christ was doing in the Holy Place. At that time when they prayed for that power, they received it. They knew what their Saviour was doing, and they received the benefit of His mediation in the Holy Place. Many believe that we do not need to understand anything about the sanctuary or the Most Holy Place or what kind of position we need in this time and that we are going to be benefited by a latter rain power, even salvation. Many have no idea about 1844 and the prophecies but believe they are going to receive the divine outpouring of grace.

“The condition of the unbelieving Jews illustrates the condition of the careless and unbelieving among professed Christians, who are willingly ignorant of the work of our merciful High Priest.” The Great Controversy, 430. Professed Christians are willingly ignorant of these things, even though they have the books on their shelves.

“In the typical service, when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place, all Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary and in the most solemn manner humble their souls before God, that they might receive the pardon of their sins and not be cut off from the congregation. How much more essential in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest and know what duties are required of us.” Ibid., 430, 431.

What would happen then, if someone went to the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement and said, “I am not going to humble my soul in solemn reverence before God by fasting and praying. I am going to come and thank and praise God and be thankful that I am saved by grace. I am going to put on my best robes and sing to the Lord as if I am already in heaven.” If they did this, they would be removed from the camp, because although they may have had a form of worship, it was not acceptable for the occasion; therefore, they would be out of position. That kind of worship would not be acceptable and could not be allowed in the congregation of Israel at that time. That was not the necessary work that was to be for that time.

We are told very clearly how much more essential it is in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest and know what duties are required of 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.” Ibid., 488.

“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.” Ibid.

There are duties that we need to understand and partake of right now. There is a position that God requires us to fill, but because many are willingly ignorant allowing Satan to encumber and to distract their minds, they are out of position. Many are in positions of leadership in the church but out of position with God. There are even people in positions in the home as fathers, mothers and children, but they are out of position. They are not in a spiritual condition to be that witness whom God needs during this time, having an understanding of the things that have been prophesied for these last days.

In Revelation 3, we see in the church of Laodicea (meaning a people judged), an illustration of the last church, the last generation that lives before Christ comes, in the time of the judgment. “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:14–16.

It does not say they will be spued out of the church. They may be part of a congregation, holding positions of trust, and still be spued out of the mouth of God. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (verse 17).

They are poor and blind and naked because of the lack of understanding of the necessary soul work for this time in which we are living. Jesus Christ is right outside the door of their hearts knocking and seeking entrance (Revelation 3:20). For some reason many can see themselves as being rich, but they cannot see their spiritual condition. They do not understand what is going on in the heavenly sanctuary and how to be in harmony with that work of soul searching. They are busy in the church doing certain works that are causing Jesus to say, “I have to spue you out of My mouth unless you repent; unless you receive Me into the heart; unless you overcome and move away from this carnal idea of what spirituality is; as you sit in the last church.” You are out of position. You need to understand that there are duties required of you. You do not understand what Christ is doing in the Most Holy Place right now. You do not understand the position in which you need to be, a co-laborer with Jesus, understanding the work of our great High Priest so that you may benefit from His mediation.

I have heard it said over and over again that we are living in the end of time, and we need to awaken to the fact that we have liberty in Christ. The Bible says there are some people who will preach liberty but it will lead to destruction. While preaching that they are in liberty and freedom, they continue in the bondage of sin. Many people understand liberty in Christ to mean do as they please. At this most solemn time in earth’s history instead of receiving the robe of Christ’s righteousness, they choose their own apparel, as did Adam and Eve when making their garments from fig leaves, and adorn their mortal bodies, their corruptible house of clay—which will one day die. People will adorn these things with gold, pearls and all kinds of costly accessories and say that this is their liberty in Christ because they are praising the Lord in the beauty of holiness. This kind of wisdom does not come from above. The last church gets this kind of wisdom from below, and it is earthly and devilish. This is not found in the word of God but is found in those who do not know what duties are required of them right now. They do not know the position they are to occupy right now.

Paul describes those who had liberty in Christ. “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” I Timothy 2:9, 10.

“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; … Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel, But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands.” I Peter 3:1, 3–5. It was not by the wearing of jewelry that women were known to be married, but by a meek and quiet spirit showing respect to their families. There has been a worldliness that has permeated the church so that the church is reflecting the world instead of following the Lamb whithersoever He goes and reflecting Him.

All through the word of God the same message is clear that God is a holy God. We are not going into a less holy place but entering by faith into the Most Holy Place. The Bible says very clearly in Revelation 14 that the message of this church claims to be wide awake, but God says that they are asleep. This church has a message that they are keeping the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. So if they are keeping the commandments of God, note what the first commandment says, beginning in Exodus 20:3–5: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

Many people today make an idol out of their homes, cars and apparel, which consumes the majority of their salary. They are slaves to the banks who own them.

We just want to do our own thing and exercise liberty in Christ! “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.” Isaiah 4:1.

Jacob, in the word of God, clearly describes these strange gods in the very first book of the Bible. “And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, [Bethel means the house of God, you are going to worship before God] and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.” Genesis 35:1, 2.

Right here Jacob commands his household to put away the strange gods and change their garments. What were those strange gods? “And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem” verse 4.

Some people believe that the strange gods in their hands were statues of Buddha but these could not have been in their ears. In this verse the earrings were equated with the strange gods. God commanded not to have any strange gods before Him (Exodus 20). Some say that it is okay to wear jewelry because the high priest wore a crown of jewels. We live in the time of the antitypical Day of Atonement. This is a time for all to gather around the sanctuary and in a most solemn manner come before God with fasting and prayer to seek Him that He may be found and call upon Him while He is near. On the typical Day of Atonement, God’s people did not adorn themselves; neither did the priests wear their crowns but a specific dress for that occasion. When the high priest entered in before God in the Most Holy Place, he wore clothing whereby no glory was given to himself.

Right now we believe that Jesus is in the Most Holy Place, and we as sons and daughters of God here on earth should be holy within.

When Christ entered the Holy Place in A.D. 31 and was anointed, that anointing fell upon the disciples on earth, and they preached and lived with Pentecostal power. They understood the work of Christ and they were in position, praying and fasting and waiting for Him without gold and pearls and costly array. When they received this outpouring of His Holy Spirit, they went forth and preached a message in harmony with what Christ was doing.

We believe that Christ has entered the Most Holy Place; He is our High Priest and is ministering before the Ark of the Covenant in the presence of God. If this is the type, let’s see how He was dressed so that we will know how we should dress. Remember, on a daily basis the priest would wear a golden mitre and have diamonds upon his chest.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died; And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.” Leviticus 16:1, 2.

What holy place was within the veil? A veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy in which the mercy seat was on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron could enter the Holy Place at all times to offer the daily offering; however, there was only one day each year when he could enter the Most Holy Place. On that day, the Day of Atonement, he would have to go through a special cleansing and be dressed in a certain way.

“Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.” Leviticus 16:3, 4.

His holy gold in-wrought coat with the golden breastplate with all of the diamonds and the golden mitre were to be put aside for the holy linen garment that was devoid of gold, silver and precious stones. We are called to be a holy generation. We are living in the most holy period of time, and are solemnly gathered around the sanctuary. In type, God shows us what we should be doing while Jesus ministers in the Most Holy Place. There is to be no gold or silver—even in New Testament times they did not put on those things as they were not in harmony with the Holy Place ministry. To enter into the Most Holy Place, there was a humbling of their dress and they wore simple linen garments.

There is an interesting description of Lucifer before his fall: “Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:11–15.

Lucifer was adorned with all of these brilliant stones and this contributed to his selfish pride causing his fall from heaven. In verse 17 it says, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.”

And we poor mortals feel that we could put on all this decoration without impunity and not be lifted up when an angel, the highest angel in heaven, fell because he was so beautiful! If iniquity is found in us as it was found in Satan, even that which is good becomes corrupt or a curse. When sin is no more and we receive an immortal body and our hearts and minds are changed completely, we will be given a golden crown and walk on streets of gold. At that time these precious stones will not produce pride but gratitude to God who is truly a God of beauty. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. God created man in perfection and He claimed that His work was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no need to add to his beauty by a covering of precious stones; he was already perfect. It is only in our enfeebled state due to sin that people feel the need to decorate their bodies with jewelry, tattoos and body piercings. God had scattered the precious stones all over the earth, and because of man’s greed and selfishness, they became a curse to him. The worldwide flood buried all of those treasures, and ever since, man has sought to dig them back out of the earth where they were hidden.

Does this mean that God cannot use a person to witness for him just because of a little thing such as a ring or an earring or a little stud in his/her tongue? Is God so particular?

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:17. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” Acts 17:30.

God, in His mercy, winks at our ignorance, but now, in this judgment hour, the message is going forth to everybody to repent and to turn away from their idols and prepare to receive the latter rain power.

Is God particular? Ask Cain who thought it would be all right to offer the fruit of his field instead of the required blood sacrifice.

Is God particular? Ask Saul who thought it would be alright to offer sacrifices himself instead of waiting on Samuel.

Is God particular? Ask Judas who thought he could make a few quick dollars selling his Lord.

Is God particular? Put your own name here _______________.

Very soon, all decisions will have been made. Some people will cast in their lot with Cain, Saul and Judas who were deceived into thinking they could make up their own rules. No one will want to share the page of their record of which it will be said that even with all that God had done for them, they are still castaways—they chose to be out of position.

The temptation is so great for this generation who want to do as they please, dress how they wish, wear their earrings, wedding rings and nose rings. Who wants to look different than those around us? It should be remembered that it was the slaves in Bible times that had their ears bored through. However changing is worldly fashion! How blind can we be?

Examine your own heart today and make your election sure while the door of mercy is still open. Take note of the two women described in Revelation 12 and 17: the pure woman clothed with light with her feet on the moon and the crown of stars compared to the harlot decked with gold, pearls and costly array and riding on a beast.

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” I Corinthians 7:1.

The Lord is coming. Are you entering by faith into the Most Holy Place? Are you in position, ready to do as the Lord commands and be ready for the final battle? Let us reflect Jesus in all that we do, even in our outward appearance to show that Christ is truly upon the throne of our hearts.

John R. Cofer is a medical evangelist and may be contacted at: 661-209-7142. For more information see www.gospelofhealth.org.

Our Past History – The Third Angel

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We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196. This quotation has been the theme of the last two Bible studies (LandMarks July 2011, September 2011). The subject we have been contemplating is the Three Angels’ Messages. So far we have looked at the first two angels, and in this article we will look at the third angel’s message. “The unlearned as well as the educated are to comprehend the truths of the third angel’s message, and they must be taught in simplicity.” Medical Ministry, 299. With this in mind, let us begin.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:9–12.

There are five characteristics of the message to be noted:

  • the third angel followed them
  • the worship of the beast and his image
  • receiving the mark of the beast
  • receiving the wrath of God
  • the patience of the saints

Because this message is very broad, here we will study only the last aspect, that which has to do with the patience of the saints (Revelation 14:12). As for the first description, whom the third angel followed, we have already touched upon this over the first two parts. The third angel follows the first and second angels of Revelation 14. The three are united in proclaiming the last message of mercy to a perishing world. In this study we will reflect upon the solution rather than the problem and more upon the protagonist than the antagonist.

Recall the great disappointment we studied in part two (LandMarks, August 2011). The early Adventist Christians believed that the earth was the sanctuary and that the year 1844 was the end of the 2,300 symbolic days. Therefore, they thought that Jesus was going to return in 1844 and bring an end to sin. But after the passing of October 22, 1844, the Adventist believers became greatly disappointed when Jesus did not return to this earth to cleanse it as they expected. At the time, these believers needed great patience. One can only imagine the pain they felt not only by the disappointment, but also by the scorn, ridicule, and mocking they received from the whole world. Without patience they could have easily lost their souls, but they exhibited the patience of the saints. Patience is for all who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. In order to do this, there is only one place in the entire universe where we must abide; there is only one place wherein we can become saints.

“Jesus did not come to the earth as the waiting, joyful company expected, to cleanse the sanctuary by purifying the earth by fire. I saw that they were correct in their reckoning of the prophetic periods; prophetic time closed in 1844, and Jesus entered the Most Holy Place to cleanse the sanctuary at the ending of the days. …

“He sent His angels to direct their minds that they might follow Him where He was.” Early Writings, 243, 244. The third angel was to direct the minds of the believers to where Jesus was, namely, the Most Holy Place. “As the ministration of Jesus closed in the holy place, and He passed into the holiest, and stood before the ark containing the law of God, He sent another mighty angel with a third message to the world.” Ibid., 254. The Most Holy Place is the only place wherein we can become saints. And what significant articles do we find in there?

“And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.” Exodus 25:21. Here we learn that the mercy seat is found above the ark, and the testimony (the ten commandment law) is found inside the ark. But where is the ark? “And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.” Exodus 26:33, 34. The ark itself is found in the Most Holy Place of God’s Temple. So, the mercy seat and the ark of the testimony are the two articles found in the Most Holy Place representing grace and law.

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. Therefore, in order for us to keep the commandments of God, we must look into the ark that contains the commandments, and in order to look into the ark we must first enter into the Most Holy Place. There is only one way to enter into that sacred place. “I saw the third angel pointing upward, showing the disappointed ones the way to the holiest of the heavenly sanctuary. As they by faith enter the most holy, they find Jesus, and hope and joy spring up anew.” Early Writings, 254, 255.

The question must be asked, How do we enter into the Most Holy Place? We enter by faith, and not just by any faith. Ephesians 4:5 says there is only “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Emphasis added.) The only faith by which we can enter the Most Holy Place is the all-sufficient faith of Jesus. Only by this faith can we enter into the Most Holy where Jesus is and behold the precious law of liberty. Let’s conclude by examining three characteristics of this faith:

The object of our faith is the power of God alone

“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” I Corinthians 2:4, 5. And what is the power of God? “Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” I Corinthians 1:24. Do you have faith in the power of God? Do you believe He can save you from sin?

Faith must be united with works

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” James 2:21, 22. It is not enough to say we believe; we must show we believe by obedience to present truth. Faith without works is dead.

Faith enables us to overcome the sin that is of this world

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” I John 5:4.

“The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in His blood be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home.” The Great Controversy, 484.

Do you want to overcome? If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believes.

Are you praying for victory over sin? Do you truly believe that God will grant you this request? “True faith lays hold of and claims the promised blessing before it is realized and felt. We must send up our petitions in faith within the second veil and let our faith take hold of the promised blessing and claim it as ours. We are then to believe that we receive the blessing, because our faith has hold of it, and according to the Word it is ours.” Early Writings, 72. If we have been praying for victory, then we must take hold of the promised blessing and believe that we have received it. And what will be the results of such blessing?

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people … For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:10, 12. Notice, the law of God will be engraved into our characters, and our sins will never again be remembered.

This is the goal of the New Covenant; this is character perfection. This is how we “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” May the three angels help us to reach this standard! In the meanwhile, remember, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 31.

Demario Carter is currently working as a Bible worker for Steps to Life. 

Where This World is Headed

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Have you ever been deceived by having a false hope? Jesus taught that many people in the last days will believe they are saved, will but come right up to the end of the world and find out that they are lost for eternity. Don’t let it happen to you! Find out what is involved in gaining eternal life.

Whether a person has life or death in this world depends upon his or her choices. That is true not just for this temporal life alone but also for eternity. Whether a person receives eternal life or eternal death is dependent on the choices made in this life. The apostle Paul said, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 KJV. All in this world, whether they are righteous or wicked, whether they are Christian or non-Christian, whether they are good or bad, will die unless they are still alive when Jesus comes. But this death is not the death about which you need to be concerned. There will be many people who will be resurrected and then die again the second death. The Bible talks clearly about the second death in Revelation 20 and 21.

One wonders why somebody would choose to die the second death. In I John 3:4 KJV, it says that sin is the transgression [or the breaking] of God’s law, and in Romans 6:23, it says, “The wages of sin is death.” Paul here is referring to the second death and not to the first death. The wages of sin is death, that death that will go on forever. A person who suffers the second death will never be alive again; they will be dead forever. They will be blotted out of existence. You can read about that in both the Old and the New Testaments—in Obadiah, Jeremiah and Revelation. There is only one way that you can escape the second death, and that is for your sins to be removed from you. The Bible says that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death.

The only way for sin to be removed is to have your guilt transferred to somebody else whose righteousness or innocence could be transferred to you to remove any guilt. The Bible teaches that this is exactly what happens in the plan of salvation. The apostle Paul said, “For He made Him [that is, God made Christ] Who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:21. Jesus did not know any sin. It says, in I John 3:5, “In Him there is no sin.” He knew no sin. He was righteous, but the One Who was righteous took upon Himself our sins. Our sins were transferred to Him, and His righteousness was transferred to us. This is clearly taught in both the Old and the New Testaments.

If your guilt can be transferred to somebody else, then he has to pay the penalty of your guilt, allowing you to escape the penalty. Notice how truly this is stated: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5, 6. So, the iniquity, the sin, the transgression, the guilt can be transferred. If it could not be transferred, it would be impossible for you to be saved, and you would have to die because the wages of sin is death.

In the beginning, the accusation that Satan brought against the government of God was that He could not be just and also forgive sin. But God can be both just and righteous while also forgiving sin. The death of Christ on the cross proves that God could both forgive sin and also be righteous and just. At the cross, justice and mercy met, the penalty for sin was paid. God can also be merciful and forgive those who accept the sacrifice that was made on their behalf. “Whom God set forth as a propitiation [that is, to pay the price] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:25, 26. Now, there is only one way to be saved, and that is to believe in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:15 makes it very clear that those who lived under the Old Covenant are saved by the same sacrifice as those who live under the New Covenant. In fact, God gave to the children of Israel a picture of the plan of salvation, a picture of the everlasting covenant by which a person can be saved from their sins. This picture is called the Old Covenant, and it is centered in the earthly sanctuary service that was given to the children of Israel to explain in detail the workings of the plan of salvation. Under the Old Covenant, when a person sinned, he brought an animal sacrifice to the sanctuary where he had to place his hands on the head of that sacrifice and confess his sins (Leviticus 4, 5). There had to be repentance and confession of sin. Repentance is being sorry for sin and turning away from it.

David said, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Once the sins were confessed over the head of the animal, it had to be killed. By this act the lesson was to be learned that the wages or consequence of sin is death. They also understood that the sacrifice was a symbol, or that it pre-figured the fact that some day in the future the seed, a descendant of Eve, was going to come and pay the price of their sins if they would confess and forsake them.

They understood also that the guilt from their sins could be transferred to the animal sacrifice. Paul said that the animal sacrifices could not take away sin, but that it was a symbol for them to understand how it worked. Their guilt was transferred symbolically to the sacrifice. When their guilt was transferred to the sacrifice, and because the wages of sin is death, the sacrifice had to die. They were forgiven and they could be free.

They understood that someday Somebody was going to come Who would be their substitute. Their guilt would be transferred to Somebody else. “The life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Leviticus 17:11. The blood represented the life, and when the animal was sacrificed, it was a substitute for the life of the sinner. Their sins were transferred in figure, in type, as a symbol to the animal sacrifice. The animal sacrifice became the sin bearer. The animal sacrifice, usually a lamb, was also symbolic of the real substitute that was to come.

Who is the real sin bearer?

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ ” John 1:29. Jesus is the true sin bearer, the only One Whom your sin can be transferred onto and Who can take it away. Since the blood represents the life, it is the blood that takes away the guilt. In other words, your guilt is transferred to the substitute, and the life of the substitute is sacrificed in the place of your own life. The guilt of your own life is transferred onto His life. Your guilt is transferred from your blood to His blood. In other words, His life, His blood receives the pollution, receives the defilement from your guilt. Remember, God has made Christ to be sin, Who knew no sin (II Corinthians 5:21).

Why is He sin when He didn’t know any sin, and never sinned?

The Bible is very clear, over and over again, that Jesus never sinned. In fact, He once said to the Jews, “Which of you convicts Me [or convinced Me] of sin?” John 8:46. They couldn’t answer. The Bible says over and over again that He did no sin, and there was no sin in Him. But God made Him to be sin, because your guilt was transferred to Him. In Hebrews Paul spoke about this very fact, of how sin is forgiven: “According to the law almost all things are purified [or purged] with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22. The blood of the sacrifice, which had become defiled by the guilt of the repentant sinner, was taken into the sanctuary, representing the fact that God has a record in His sanctuary of every sin that has ever been committed. The sanctuary then became defiled from the defilement of God’s repentant people, and it had to be cleansed in type, and this cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, in type not in reality, happened once a year on the Day of Atonement. And it was clearly necessary because of the uncleanness of the transgressions, the sins of the children of Israel.

Describing the cleansing of the sanctuary, the Bible says, “So he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions, for all their sins. And so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. … He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his fingers seven times, cleanse it, and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Leviticus 16:16–19 literal translation. The sanctuary became polluted because of the defilement that had been registered there by the confession of sins throughout the year. Daily, the people were forgiven and their guilt was transferred, by the blood, into the sanctuary. It was appointed that once a year, on the Day of Atonement, they were not just forgiven, but cleansed from all defilement. “For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Leviticus 16:30. All year long you could go and confess your sins, sacrificing your lambs, but if you did not participate in the Day of Atonement, you were cut off from the children of Israel. It was absolutely a vital necessity that you not only be forgiven but that you be cleansed, that is, to have your sins taken away from you, and that was symbolized to happen on the Day of Atonement.

Paul says, in Hebrews 8 and 9, that everything that happened in the earthly sanctuary is a symbol or type of what happens in the heavenly sanctuary. When is the heavenly sanctuary cleansed? As was the earthly sanctuary, the heavenly sanctuary also has to be cleansed. Concerning this cleansing we read, “It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience. … But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the holy places once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:9, 11, 12 literal translation. Paul goes on to say that just as the earthly sanctuary had to be cleansed, also the sanctuary in heaven has to be cleansed. “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these.” Verse 23. In other words, it was necessary for the earthly sanctuary to be purified with the animals—the type. But the heavenly things themselves, that is the sanctuary in heaven, the holy places in heaven, with better sacrifices than these—the sacrifice of Christ. “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood of another.” Verses 24, 25 literal translation. The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary would be cleansed once, not every year as in the earthly system.

Holy places are a more correct translation than either holy place or most holy place as many translations have. Paul says that it is not once a year like it was in the Old Covenant. He makes it very clear, in verse 26, that this will happen in the end of the ages; it is in our time, the last days when the sanctuary is cleansed—when the sins of the people are taken away. When sins have been confessed, they are forgiven, but they are not taken away from you. But the plan of salvation involves not only forgiveness of sins, but having the sins actually taken away from you, or as Peter describes it, blotted out. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, Who was preached to you before, Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19–21.

Peter, like Paul, indicates that the blotting out of sin, the taking away of sin, occurs in the end of the world. This was also taught by the prophet, Daniel. Paul says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Notice how Paul links the concept of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary with the judgment; then he continues, “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:27, 28. When Jesus comes a second time, He will not come as the sin bearer. He came the first time to bear your sins to the cross and to pay the price for your sins. John the Baptist said, “Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29.

When Jesus comes a second time, He will not be coming as a priest. He will not be coming as a sin bearer. He will be coming as the King of kings, and Lord of lords; He will be coming apart from sin. That simply means that when Jesus comes again, unless your sins have already been taken away from you, you cannot be saved. He is not coming to save you then. He is coming to save the people who have already been saved by His grace. He is not coming to offer sinners an opportunity or a second chance. Those who have rejected the plan of salvation will be lost. Jesus is not coming a second time to offer the plan of salvation. When He comes again it is to take the people home, those who have already accepted the salvation He provided at His first coming. He has nothing else to offer that was not available by His one sacrifice.

The apostle Paul goes into detail about this in Hebrews 10. He says in the first verse that “the law was a shadow” (that is, the Old Covenant) and that it can never, with those animal sacrifices that were offered, make the worshipper perfect. It cannot really take your sins away from you, because if it could, then they would cease to be offered. That is not hard to understand. If, after the Day of Atonement, the people’s sins really were taken away from them, they wouldn’t be sinning anymore, and if they weren’t sinning anymore, they wouldn’t be bringing a sacrifice to the sanctuary, and if they weren’t bringing sacrifices to the sanctuary, there wouldn’t be anything to atone for the next year. But in the Old Covenant it happened every year, because the blood of bulls and goats can’t really take away sin. You can read that in verses 3 and 4. But Paul goes on to show that it is not enough to have your sins forgiven. That was covered by the daily service in the earthly sanctuary. Before you can go to heaven, your sins have to be taken away, or blotted out; they have to be removed from you. And this is done, as Paul says, in the end of the world (Hebrews 9:26).

According to Zechariah 3, it will happen in one day. And when that happens, there will be no more offering for sin (Hebrews 10:15–18). Why? The plan of salvation is over. Some people are already saved; their sins have been taken away. Others are still living in sin, and they will never be saved. When the plan of salvation is over, if you are living in sin, you are lost. When your sins are taken away, then there is no more offering for sin. The plan of salvation is over. You don’t need it anymore. Jesus says, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.” Revelation 22:11, 12. If you are righteous, Jesus said, “Let that person be righteous still. He can remain righteous and holy. His sins have been taken away.” But if you are still living in sin, you are unrighteous. Then you are unjust and not holy. You are either unjust or filthy. When this pronouncement is made, you will stay that way, because the plan of salvation is over. You are either saved or it is too late to be saved.

This is where our world is headed. There will be only two classes of people left—those who are saved; those who reflect the image of Jesus (I John 3), and those who are not saved; those who reflect the lawless character of Satan. In which group are you going to be? This world is headed for its climax, and soon it will be too late to change your mind. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served … But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.

Bible texts are NKJV unless otherwise stated.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.