THE GOSPEL BY Pr. Jack Sequeira

By Pr. Jack Sequeira
http://www.jacksequeira.org/
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 The Everlasting Gospel 3
Matthew 24:14-22
The primary reason God raised the Advent Movement
What constitutes the everlasting gospel of Revelation 14?

Chapter 2 Objective and Subjective Salvation 8
Ephesians 2:4-10
The objective facts of the gospel,
and the subjective experience of the gospel.

Chapter 3 The In Christ Motif 16
Ephesians 1:3-8
What does it mean and does it apply to
believers only for the entire human race?

Chapter 4 The Doctrine of Substitution 24
Isaiah 53:4-11
What is the difference between vicarious and
actual substitution?

Chapter 5 The Humanity of Our Savior 31
Hebrews 2:14-18
How a wrong understanding has negatively
affected our thinking.

Chapter 6 Justification and Sanctification 39
Romans 5:1-5
The distinction between imputed and imparted righteousness.

Chapter 7here The Two Covenants
Galatians 4:21-31
What does it mean to be delivered from under law
` and placed under grace (Romans 6:14)?
Does this mean the law was done away with?

Chapter 7 Eternal Security or Assurance of Salvation 46
Hebrews 10:19-23
How is the assurance of salvation different from
“once saved always saved”?

Chapter 8 The Two Atonements 53
II Corinthians 5:18-21
One is an objective truth that was completed,
the other a subjective experience.

Chapter 9 The Sanctuary Message 59
John 2:18-22
Does it reveal our subjective experience
or the total plan of salvation in Christ?


Chapter 10 1844 and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary – Part 1 66
Daniel 8:9-14
Is it cleansing our records in heaven
or cleansing the gospel of heresy?

Chapter 11 1844 and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary – Part 2 71
Daniel 9:24-27
The correct interpretation of Daniel 8:14 –
why our church exists.

Chapter 12 The Investigative Judgment 79
Daniel 7:26-27
The saints vindicated –
shown ready for citizenship in heaven.

Chapter 13 The Sabbath/Sunday Issue 88
Exodus 31:13-17
Is the issue the day of worship or
the truth these two days represent?

Chapter 14 The Time of Trouble 97
Isaiah 54:5-8
Is the issue food, sinless living, Sabbath or
vindication of the power of the gospel?

Chapter 15 The Remnant 103
Revelation 12:13-17
What is the Biblical meaning of the word;
how does it apply to the SDA church?

Chapter 16 The 144,000 110
Revelation 14:1-5
Is it a literal or a figurative number?
What is so special about this group of people?

Note: All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version and appears in italics. Pastor Sequeira’s clarifying comments appear in [a regular font].

Chapter 1

The Everlasting Gospel

Matthew 24:14-22: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken by through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

Most Adventists are familiar with the fact that God raised the Advent movement out of the rubbles of the Great Disappointment of 1844. As Adventists, we believe that this was in fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in Revelation 10:8-11. According to verse 11, God gave the little flock that came out of the bitter experience of 1844 a special commission: You must prophesy (proclaim) again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. This commission is spelt out in greater detail in the three angels message of Revelation 14, the everlasting gospel. This is the primary reason God raised the Advent Movement. To fulfill the prediction Christ made regarding His second coming: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.
However, the devil, the enemy of souls, hates this incredible good news of the everlasting gospel. This is what has defeated him and robbed him of his kingdom. Therefore, he has done his level best to hinder this global mission and unfortunately has had some degree of success. He has created issues within the church that has polarized us as a people. As a result there is much confusion in our midst as to what constitutes the everlasting gospel. This in turn has affected some of our key doctrines which are being proclaimed in a legalistic manner.
As an introduction to this series of studies, “Gospel Issues in Adventism,” we must first come to grips with what constitutes the everlasting gospel and how it differs from the gospels preached today within Christiandom. This in turn will lay the foundation to solving the other issues that is dividing our church and hindering us from fulfilling our God given mission, to lighten the earth with the glorious truth of the everlasting gospel. This is God’s final plea to a doomed world and must take place before Christ can come to take us home
Seventh-day Adventists believe, and rightly so, that “the little book which is open” in Revelation 10 is the book of Daniel. God told Daniel to seal this book until the time of the end. It’s very interesting to note that very few books on Daniel were published prior to the 19th century. It was a closed book. However, since the 19th century many books have been published on this prophetic book. Men have indeed been running to and fro through the book of Daniel and knowledge has increased. One such man in the mid 19th century was William Miller. After studying Daniel he came to the conclusion that Christ was coming in October 22, 1844. The news was extremely sweet. After all, this was the blessed hope of the Christian church. Hence, Miller’s message was met with great rejoicing by thousands of believers. But when the day arrived it resulted in a bitter disappointment.

Out of this bitter disappointment God raised the Advent Movement, to proclaim to the entire human race the everlasting gospel. This message makes it inexcusable for anyone to be lost. That is why when this mission is fulfilled the end can come. To appreciate this message we need to first understand the prediction made by Apostle Paul to the believers in Thessalonica. These Christians believed that Christ was coming in their day. In II Thessalonians 2:1-4, Paul is correcting this misunderstanding. Note what he wrote: Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day [the coming of Christ] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin [lawlessness] is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. [He himself is set up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.]
Paul is saying before Christ comes, there will first be a falling away from the truth of the gospel. If you look at church history, this began in Paul’s day. The Galatians were trapped in a false gospel. In II Corinthians 11:3-4 Paul says just like he was deceived by the devil, I’m afraid that you will be sidetracked from the real gospel. There was a falling away that plunged the Christian church into the dark ages. Jesus said before I come again, the pure, the true, the full gospel will be restored; will be proclaimed again. I believe the restoration began in the 16th century Reformation. Unfortunately, soon after the Reformation began, this world entered into the scientific age. The scientific method was introduced at the beginning of the 17th century. By the 18th century, we reached the age of enlightenment. The devil used the scientific method and sidetracked the Christian church that came under the Protestant Reformation to accept a liberal approach to scripture. As a result, the restoration of the pure gospel was stopped. I believe God raised up the Advent movement to put the finishing touches on what the Reformation began. They laid three very basic foundations that we must never forget:
-- All truth is based on the Bible and the Bible alone.
-- We are saved by grace and by grace alone. By that, we mean what Jesus accomplished 2,000 years ago by his birth, life, death and resurrection.
-- This salvation is made effective in us individually by faith alone.
These are the three fundamental pillars of the Reformation gospel.

Unfortunately, this was stopped and even perverted.

The devil knew why God raised this movement. The enemy of souls was fully aware that God raised this movement to put the finishing touches on the Reformation gospel. That is why, from the very beginning of our existence as a church, the devil has sidetracked us from the mission that He has called us to do – to preach the everlasting gospel. God has tried to correct us, but the devil has been working extremely hard and unfortunately has had much success.

Let me give you a quotation from Ellen G. White to a group of ministers in Battle Creek a little over 100 years ago, in 1890. “The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people, false ideas of justification by faith. I have been shown for years that Satan would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point. The law of God has been largely dwelt upon and has been presented to congregations, almost as destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law as was the offering of Cain. I have been shown that many have been kept from the faith because of the mixed, confused ideas of salvation, because the ministers have worked in a wrong manner to reach hearts. The point that has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of Christ. I have wondered that this matter was not made the subject of discourses in our churches throughout the land, when the matter has been kept so constantly urged upon me, and I have made it the subject of nearly every discourse and talk that I have given to the people.” (Faith and Works, 18.1)

I discovered this statement in 1970. I went to the lady in charge of the E.G. White Estate at Andrews University and asked for a copy. She said, “No.” I asked, “Why?” She said it has not been released. I said, “Please, release it. Our people need to read this statement.” It took five more years before it was released. It is now the first chapter of the book Faith and Works. Please read the whole chapter. This is our sad history. The fact is, after 150 years of existence, we have not made better progress than when Sister White made that statement. In fact, Jeffrey Paxton, an evangelical scholar from Australia, did a survey on what Adventists preach about the gospel 16 years ago. He was so confused by the many views he found that he challenged us, “Will the true Seventh-day Adventist please stand up?” If you are keeping your ears and eyes open and listen and read, you will discover that within Adventism, there are five different gospels preached today. No wonder our people are confused with the mixed ideas of salvation.

What are these five views? Incidentally, each view is condemning the other.

The conservative view: This is the majority view. Conservative Adventists are preaching what is known as the Arminius gospel. Arminius was one of the church fathers during the Reformation who opposed Calvin’s doctrine. The Arminius gospel is anything but good news because it teaches what Jesus accomplished in His earthly mission did not actually save anybody. It only made a provision. We must take the initiative by fulfilling three basic requirements: we have to believe, repent, and confess our sins. Only then will God take you and place you into Christ and save you. The trouble is, when you discover you cannot fully meet these three requirements, you say to yourself, “If I have failed to do my part, then surely God will not do His part.” As a result, people who belong to this camp have been robbed of the joy and assurance of salvation and many, out of discouragement, have left the church.

The traditionalist view: Closely related to the first group. This view preaches historic Adventism not realizing historic Adventism was struggling with the gospel. They are preaching what we call the Galatians gospel. We are not save by grace alone, through faith alone, but we are saved by grace plus keeping the law or by faith plus works. Since their works do not measure up to God’s ideal or standard, here also we have some very discouraged people, some of whom have actually committed suicide because they feel there is no hope.

The social gospel: The liberal view. This view says the gospel means practicing the life of Christ – going about doing good and standing up against certain things that need to be condemned. I call this a sophisticated form of legalism. Let us be clear. The genuine gospel does produce a people who will go about doing good. That’s not the problem. The problem is that the moment you define Christian living as the gospel – the moment you define going about doing good things as the gospel – you are substituting the truth as it is in Christ to your own personal performance. You are using Christ as an example rather than a Savior. This is very sophisticated because it is very appealing to the educated class. But the focus of the Bible clearly teaches the gospel is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Please don’t add to that.

The evangelical gospel: Since the 1960s, another gospel has infiltrated or been introduced into Adventism. While there is much truth in this gospel, my main concern is that it is an incomplete gospel because it stops where the Reformation stopped. Its emphasis, unlike the traditional and conservative view, is justification. They limit salvation, to a large degree, from the guilt and punishment of sin that is really an egocentric concern. In other words, sanctification, holy living is not really part of what Christ accomplished for the human race. He only saved us from the guilt and punishment of sin. They don’t deny sanctification, but they don’t make it part of the good news of what Christ accomplished for us so that what He does in us is the fruit of that salvation.

One of the best evangelical ministers, John Stott said, “We evangelicals know how to preach the good news, but we have failed miserably to preach the good life.” The conservatives and traditionalists know how to preach the good life, but they have failed miserably to preach the good news.

The everlasting gospel: The true and full gospel that God raised the Advent movement to proclaim. The word “everlasting” has two definitions. There is only one method that God has for saving mankind from beginning to end – Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He’s the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It is only through Him, and Him alone, that we will make it to heaven. It also means the effect of the gospel is everlasting. Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The result of accepting the gospel is eternal life. That is why Jesus said he wanted to make a final plea before this world is brought to an end. The only hope of mankind is the everlasting gospel. It will be proclaimed to every nation, tongue and people.

What is this everlasting gospel? It’s more than I can explain in a few seconds. It has come under fire. There are confusing statements about the everlasting gospel. I’m going to deal with the issues that surround the everlasting gospel and what they mean from scripture.

I believe the time has come for us to realize why God has called us and what His commission is. We have emphasized our doctrine as our unique contribution to Christian theology. I believe the main purpose God raised this truth is to restore the everlasting gospel. Once we do that, the doctrines will fall into place. The moment you preach the doctrines first without preaching the gospel, you are going to end up with legalism. That is one of the greatest accusations thrown at us. That is why Jeffrey Paxton challenged us, “Will the true Adventist please stand up? What I’m hearing and reading in your material is contradicting even the foundation that was laid by the reformers.”

It is my prayer that you will be established as we deal with some very important studies in the next few chapters. I want you to be part of that great throng that will lighten the earth with the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 18 has made a prediction that when this goal has been reached, this earth will be lightened with the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. When that happens, there will be no excuse for anyone to be lost. Just like the resurrection of Christ gave the Jewish nation no excuse to reject Him as the Messiah, the restoration and the proclamation of the gospel will give no one an excuse – whether you’re in the scientific camp, educated, uneducated, rich or poor – every human being will have to make a deliberate choice for or against Christ. Then the end will come. I believe that day is not too far away from now. The devil has been working extremely hard and I believe the time has come for God to step in. I want you to be part of that program.

I pray that you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Chapter 2

Objective and Subjective Salvation

Ephesians 2:4–10: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

As I travel around and proclaim the gospel, certain areas come under conflict. In this chapter, we are going to consider a quite controversial problem – the issue of objective and subjective salvation.

Let me start with the Reformation. Two main, distinct views of salvation which dominate Protestant Christian churches today came out of the 16th century Reformation:
- Calvinism: The most popular view is from the teaching of John Calvin. According to this view, God actually redeemed mankind on the cross. However, since the Bible clearly teaches that there are some who will be lost, Calvinists concluded Christ did not die for the entire universe. He died only for those who God predetermined He would save. They call it the limited atonement.
- Arminianism: In the other camp you have a view based on the teaching of Jacob Arminius who was a contemporary of and locked horns with John Calvin. Arminius taught that Christ died for the entire human race. However, they also take into consideration that some will be lost. So they conclude Christ did not save anybody on the cross. No actual salvation took place on the cross, but Christ simply made provisions for our salvation. For this salvation to become a reality in our lives, we have to meet certain requirements: we have to believe in Jesus Christ, we have to repent and turn away from our sins, and we have to confess all our prior sins. Only then will God put you in Christ and save you.

Both views of salvation defend their position from scripture. Both camps have met in a verbal battle for the last 400 years with no sign of reconciliation. Both are representing certain aspects of truth while both have ignored certain texts. For example, the Calvinists have great difficulty explaining the universal texts of the New Testament, i.e.,
- John 3:16, “For God so loved the world… ” – not the elect.
- John 3:17: God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
- John 12:47, "And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
- I Timothy 2:5-6, For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…”
- Titus 2:11, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…
There are clear texts in the Bible that the Calvinists have difficulty with – that is, Jesus came to save the entire human race.

The Arminius, on the other hand, also has difficulty with those texts that clearly state what the Calvinists believe: God actually saved, He actually redeemed, He actually reconciled the human race to Himself on the cross. It was not just a provision; He actually did it. - Romans 5:10, For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
- Romans 5:18, Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
- II Corinthians 5:18-19, Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
- I John 2:2, And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

In first chapter we came to realize, unfortunately, that the Adventist church today is full of at least five different camps concerning the gospel. Today we are a confused people when it comes to the gospel. Historically speaking, as a people, we belong to the Arminius camp. As a result, most Adventists, if not all, have been raised up to believe that Christ did not actually save you on the cross, but simply made a provision for your salvation. For this salvation of all mankind to be personally yours, you have to take the initiative and repent, confess your sins and believe in Jesus Christ. Only then will God take you and put you into Christ as Savior. There are two practical problems that this theology has brought to our church. Since repentance is turning away from sin and since Christians are struggling with the sin problem, then many Adventists begin to question their repentance. They question whether it is genuine. “If I’m really repentant, if I’ve really turned my back to sin, why am I still struggling, why am I still falling? “ Then they begin to think: “If I fail to do my part, then God surely will not do His part.” This, in turn, has robbed people of the assurance of salvation, the prerequisite for genuine Christian living. Hence, more Adventists are insecure about their salvation. All you have to ask is, “If you were to die today, would you make it to heaven?” They will say, “I hope so” or “I’m not sure.” How can you witness the good news of the gospel if you are not sure of your own salvation?

My family and I were traveling from the capital of Ethiopia to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. There is a huge section of the country that is a desert where the Masai (ph) live. They drink cow’s blood and milk as their staple food. During a drought, the cows stop giving milk. They are so skinny you can hardly draw any blood. A Masai with five kids stopped us. They were starving and had no water – the water holes were dry. He asked, “Can you give me some water?” We had just drunk our last drop of water. The only water we had was in the radiator with antifreeze in it that would have killed his family. My son had a bottle of orange soda. I handed the bottle to the Masai. He knows what blood and water look like, but he’s never seen a bottle of orange soda. He looked at it for the longest time and asked, “Is this drinkable?” That’s a valid question. I said, “I don’t know if it’s drinkable. I hope so.” He looked at the bottle for a long time trying to make up his mind. He handed the bottle back to me and said, “If you are not sure, I’m not willing to take the risk to drink it.” I was a poor witness to him. So I took the bottle back, opened it up, took a swig and said, “Brother, you have no idea how wonderful this drink is. Not only does it quench your thirst; it is sweet.” I didn’t have to offer it; he grabbed it.

If Christianity is not contagious, you are wasting your time. There are too many Adventists with long faces because they are not sure of their salvation.

The Arminius gospel has robbed our people of the joy of salvation. A recent survey of our youth has proven that the majority of them had no assurance of salvation because they were still struggling with their conduct. They were not sure if God would accept them. Added to this problem is the fact that you must confess your sins every time you sin. You can only confess your past sins. The moment you commit a brand new sin you go back from justification into condemnation until you confess. You confess, then fall again. This yo-yo type of Christianity is devastating to your Christian experience. After you have gone back and forth 70 x 7, you begin to say, “How long is God going to forgive me?” Then you look around the church and see some very saintly looking people because we are expert at putting the mask on our faces. You ask, “How are you doing?” “Fine. Everything is wonderful.” Yet they are hurting inside. Because of the two-fold problem, we have produced a people who are experiencing no joy of salvation. They are trying to live the Christian life purely out of fear of judgment or desire for reward – both egocentric concerns. They are afraid to witness because they have nothing to witness about. This Arminius mindset has become a great stumbling block to many Adventists when they hear the true good news of salvation. To them it sounds like heresy. It’s too good to be true. It’s beyond belief. As one man said, “Look at me, I have to work for everything that I want in this world. Why should salvation be different?” I said, “Because God’s ways are not our ways. That’s the difference.”

As a result, many of our people have great difficulty when I speak of objective and subjective salvation. They don’t know what I’m talking about. I agree they are theological terms, but what do these terms mean? When one reads the Bible, especially the New Testament and the writings of Paul, one realizes that scripture speaks of salvation as an already accomplished fact on one hand. Please note the scripture reading, Ephesians 2:4-10. We are already sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. On the other hand, the Bible also talks about salvation as something that is an ongoing process that will not be completed until the second coming of Christ. Romans 8:22, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. And not only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. This will take place at the second coming of Christ.

The Bible describes two phases of salvation – objective salvation and subjective salvation. When you realize this, you can say on the one hand, as a Christian, I am already saved. On the other hand, you have to admit that I am being and will be saved. This is a paradox. How can you be saved and not yet be saved? Let me be frank with you, the Bible is full of paradoxes. Let me give you some examples. Take Christ himself. Christ was fully God and fully man at the same time. Do you know what this means? He was immortal and mortal at the same time. That’s a paradox. How can a person be immortal and mortal at the same time? Let’s take Christians. According to the truth of the gospel, the wonderful truth of righteous by faith, we are sinners and righteous at the same time. How can we handle this? Luther was absolutely correct when he said a Christian is simul justice epicata (ph). We are simultaneously justified, declared righteous and 100% sinners. The Bible says in ourselves, we are still sinners; but in Christ, we stand complete, we stand justified before God. This is a paradox.

I want to explain the paradox about our salvation so you can understand what the theological terms of objective and subjective salvation are all about. The best way to do is to look at our situation in Adam. When Adam sinned, he actually objectively condemned the entire human race. The Bible is absolutely clear. Romans 5:18, By one man’s disobedience, condemnation came to all men. I Corinthians 15:21-22, In Adam, all died. When Adam sinned, he actually objectively brought condemnation on the entire human race. The condemnation in Adam that objectively took place thousands of years ago does not become yours personally – it does not become yours subjectively until you were born in this world. In other words, Adam’s condemnation did not affect you until you were born. I know when you were born, your parents thought you were the most beautiful child in the world, but the law says you must die. In the same way, the entire human race was placed in Christ, the second Adam (the Bible calls him the Last Adam), at the incarnation, so that by His obedience, the entire human race was objectively justified unto life on the cross. Romans 5:18 says, Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. But, like Adam, this objective salvation does not personally become yours; it does not affect you personally or subjectively until you experience the new birth. The old birth makes Adam’s condemnation effective in you. The new birth makes Christ’s justification effective in you. This is what Jesus said to Nicodemus who had not understood the gospel even though he was a leader in the church. John 3:3, Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

There is one major difference between our being subjectively condemned in Adam and being subjectively justified in Christ. When you were born in this world, you had no choice. You were born through procreation. That means the condemnation that came to you at your birth came to you as a result of an inheritance. It was obtained for you at the fall and became yours. You inherited it the moment you were born in this world.

In contrast, the justification unto life that Christ objectively obtained for the entire human race at the cross is experienced only to those who believe in Him and who have experienced the new birth. The salvation that God brought to the human race in Christ is God’s supreme gift to mankind. It does not automatically become yours subjectively. It is a gift that has to be received.

While condemnation in Adam is inherited by procreation and therefore applies to all mankind, this is not true with salvation as a subjective experience. Only those who believe and experience a new birth will make it to heaven. That’s why John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Put another way, when we look at salvation from God’s point of view, God looks at every human being as a redeemed child of His – not just the believers. In the judgment, Jesus will say to both the sheep and the goats, whatsoever you have done to the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me because Jesus identified Himself with the entire human race. From God’s point of view, all mankind has already been reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. Unfortunately, not everybody knows that, so God asked us to be ambassadors to tell them.

Here’s an illustration. I had to speak at a college in Nairobi. They have the same problem there as we have in Washington, D.C. – it’s hard to find a parking place. There were none. A section of the road said “No parking,” but an embassy car was parked there. Suddenly the Lord put a wonderful text in my mind – II Corinthians 5 that Christians are ambassadors, too. I parked my car next to his. When I came back, a policeman was sitting on the hood of my car. I went up to the car. The policeman stood up and the following conversation ensued. (P = policeman; S = Sequeira)
P Is this your car?
S Yes.
P You have broken the law. I’m going to give you a ticket.
S Are you going to give the ambassador a ticket?
P No. The embassy car has diplomatic immunity.
S Officer, I want you to know that I am an ambassador, too.
[ He looked at my beat up car implying what are you doing with this beat up car if
you are an ambassador. Then he went to the back of my car to look at the license
plate that was an ordinary number plate and said to me,]
P If you’re an ambassador, how come you have an ordinary number plate?
S The embassy I belong to does not belong to this world.
[He looked at my hands and saw the Bible.]
P You’re a reverend?
S No. I’m a sinner like you saved by grace, but I’m a pastor.
[Then he came close to me and asked,]
P If you’ll do me a special favor, I will forgive you and do you a special favor and
not give you a ticket.
S What can I do for you?
P Can we get into your car?
S Sure.
P Pastor, I have committed a mortal sin and I’m a Roman Catholic. If I die, I will
Burn in fire forever. Here’s my problem. I’m afraid to tell my priest what I
have done because he has great respect for me. But you don’t know me, so can I
confess it to you and you give me absolution?
[I was tempted, but I knew better. As an ambassador of Christ, I showed him
from the Word of God that there is only one human being who has the legal right
to forgive him, and that’s our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not have to go to any
other human being. There is only one mediator between the holy God and sinful
man that can forgive you. He not only forgave me for parking there, but he was in
charge of that area and said, ]
P Pastor, as long as I’m in charge here, you have permission to park you car here
any time.
That was grace.

The world is afraid of God. They are running away from God.

People today want security. The future looks bleak. They do not know that they have already been reconciled to God. Who is going to tell them? If we don’t, who will? How can we tell them if we, ourselves, are not sure of our own salvation? The Bible is clear that in Jesus Christ the entire human race was reconciled to God at the death of His Son. This is objective salvation. This is a gift to be received. Romans 5:17 says only those who receive the gift of righteousness will reign in life with Christ. How can you receive a gift if you don’t know it is there? We need to realize that man is not lost because he is a sinner. We are born sinners. We had no choice. The only reason any one will be lost is because they have deliberately, ultimately and finally rejected the gift of salvation in Christ. Example: When Jesus gave the great commission in Mark 16:15-16, He told His disciples to go into all the world and preach good news to every creature. Why every creature? Because Jesus redeemed them. Jesus added, he who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned. John 3:16-18. If you read verse 18, you will discover the only reason man is lost, according to the words of Jesus Christ, is because they do not believe in the only begotten Son of God. Verse 36. If you don’t believe in His Son, the wrath of God still abides in you. Hebrews 2:1-4, Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast [the law given through Moses], and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? If you deliberately, persistently and ultimately reject the gospel, there is no hope. You have the same thing in Hebrews 10:26–29. If you deliberately sin against the gospel, the cross of Christ, there is nothing else for you to look forward to but the judgment hour.

If objective salvation includes the entire human race, God can actually take to heaven those who, through no fault of their own, have never heard the gospel but have been faithful to the light that they had, whatever that light may have been. They will hear the gospel for the first time in heaven and praise Jesus Christ for saving them. Christ has the right to take them to heaven because He has objectively redeemed them. He’s not blaming them for not hearing the gospel. According to the Arminius gospel, there are millions of people who have never heard the gospel through our fault and can never be saved. Ellen G. White says there will be people in heaven that will hear the name “Jesus” for the first time.

This concept of salvation brings something else to us. Normally when we look at people on the street – especially in the gutters – we say, “Oh this wretched sinner.” Maybe we should witness. There are two ways that we can look at human beings – what they are in themselves or what they are in Christ. When you see someone in the street, remember you are looking at somebody who has already been redeemed in Jesus Christ. That person may not know the good news. You need to tell them the good news. We as a people need to understand that salvation in Christ is already a reality; only our subjective experience is left. Our subjective experience is an ongoing process that will not be fully experienced until Christ comes the second time. Because it is a reality in Christ, we no longer need to preach good advice to the world. What the world needs is good news. Good advice is only for believers who are already resting in Christ for their salvation.

In closing, I would like to give you some distinctions between objective and subjective. Objective salvation can also be called imputed righteousness. Subjective salvation can be called imparted righteousness.

Distinction No. 1:
-- Objective salvation is complete. You can’t add to it, you can’t improve on it. As Colossians 2:10 says, and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. According to Ephesians 2:6, we are already sitting in heavenly places. We stand perfect in Christ. When you become a Christian, God looks at you as if you have never sinned, not as if you have been forgiven.
-- Subjective salvation is an ongoing process. We are growing in Christ, growing in knowledge and in truth. Philippians 3:12-14 says, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. As subjective, I want to reach that goal – it’s an ongoing process.
When people ask, “Are you saved,” you can say “I am saved” because of the objective gospel. But because of the subjective view, you should also add, “I am being saved and I will be saved.” You will have an opportunity to witness the good news when they ask, “How come you’re already saved and being saved?”

Distinction No. 2:
-- Objective salvation is universal. It includes the entire human race. See Romans 5:18, II Corinthians 5:19, Titus 2:11.
-- Subjective salvation is particular. It applies only to believers who have accepted Christ, who have experienced the new birth and are walking as well as they can in the Spirit.

Distinction No. 3:
-- Objective salvation is an alien righteousness. It is a righteousness produced by God in Christ without any contribution from us. Paul’s definition of the gospel in Romans 1:16 and Romans 3:21 is righteousness of God. It was planned by God from the foundation of the world. It was made known to man by God since the fall of man. It was fulfilled on the cross. It was all of God. We made no contribution. All we do is receive the blessings of that salvation. It is a righteousness that was obtained for us outside of us, but in Christ. It is entirely God’s work.
-- Subjective salvation involves the believer’s cooperation. We have to learn to walk in the Spirit. That is why it has no merit. We have to learn to walk in the Spirit because we are not robots. As Jesus says, “Anyone who follows Me, let him deny himself daily.” Take up the cross and follow Him.

Distinction No. 4:
-- Objective salvation obtained for all men in Christ is meritorious. It is the righteousness in Christ that qualifies us for heaven now and in the judgment.
-- The subjective righteousness God produces in us is demonstrated. It reveals to the world, it witnesses to the world what is already ours: love, joy, peace, longsuffering – the fruits of the Spirit. When people see such fruits, they will say, “Where did you get it from?” Then God opens the way for you to witness the wonderful facts of salvation in Christ. Tell them it’s a gift.

When the devil comes to you and says you are not good enough to be saved, he’s telling you the truth, but half a truth. You should him the other half. Yes, devil, I am chief of sinners, but my salvation is not what I am in myself, but what I am in Christ. If you can show me one sin in Christ, you have won. Can he do it? No. He puts his tail between his legs and takes off.

On the one hand, we are saved; on the other hand, we are being saved. This is a paradox. But, it is a Bible truth. You can either accept it or reject it. I feel sorry for you if you reject it, because you will have no joy of salvation.

Let me relate a conversation I had with a pastor converted from the Lutheran church who opposed this message. (P = Pastor; S = Sequiera)
P What you’re preaching is not Adventism
S Fine. Let me ask you a question, how do we go to heaven?
When you were Lutheran, did you have joy of salvation?
P Yes
S Do you have it now?
P No, but I have the truth.
S What do you mean?
P I give up grace for the law.
S Are you keeping the law perfectly?
P No, but I’m trying.
S Have you ever asked Jesus to help you?
P Every day.
S How come He’s not answering your prayer?
P I have asked myself this question many times.
S Maybe you’re not praying loud enough.
P No, pastor. Sometimes I’ve screamed to Christ.
S Then why isn’t he helping you?
P I don’t know.
S I can tell you why. Because to help you to be good so you can go to heaven, He
would have to contradict His own gospel, and God never contradicts Himself. I
don’t care how long you live, you will never be good enough in yourself to go to
heaven. Brother, I suggest you accept the gift.
He did. Three months later, one of the young people in his church came to me and said “Thank you. He’s finally preaching the gospel, but now he’s even smiling.”

May you smile because you know in Whom you believe. That He is able to save you to the uttermost because you come to God in his name.

Chapter 3

The In Christ Motif

Ephesians 1:3-8: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.

The Calvinists are teaching that those that will be saved are only those whom God predetermined He would save. Therefore, Jesus only died on the cross for the elect. For the last 400 years, they have been preaching what is known as limited good news. The gospel is good news, they say, but it is limited only to those who God predetermined He would save.

The Arminius camp believed that Jesus died for all men, but it is only a provision. Salvation as a reality is limited only to those who meet the condition of salvation. They have to repent, confess all their sins, and believe in Jesus Christ.

On the one hand, Calvinism has been preaching limited good news; and Arminianism, to which Adventists traditionally belong, has been preaching conditional good news. As you know, this conditional good news has produced a lot of insecurity among God’s people.

Is this the assumption of the New Testament? When you carefully looks at the scriptures, especially the writings of Apostle Paul, with an open mind, putting aside your prejudices and preconceived ideas, you begin to realize that what Paul taught was the very opposite of this assumption. By that I mean that God has actually already reconciled the entire human race to Himself at the cross. Only those who deliberately, persistently and ultimately reject the gospel or reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit will be lost. This is a paradigm shift. This is a new idea that has come under fire. It’s one of the big issues that the G.C.’s Primacy of the Gospel Committee is fighting over. Wherever I go I get opposition to this new idea of salvation. Some say it’s too good to be true. Some say this is not what we have been preaching. They’re right.

We’re going to study the “in Christ” motif that is the central theme of Paul’s theology at the very heart of the gospel. I would like you to put aside your preconceived ideas and what you have been taught and honestly look at Paul. Since most Adventists believe in conditional good news and they don’t meet the conditions, we have produced a people who are insecure about their salvation. I have discovered that when people realize they have already been saved in Jesus Christ while they were still sinners, they come alive and they want to share this good news with others. We’re going to ask ourselves if we are correct in teaching that God puts us into Christ only after we believe, or did God put us in Christ 2,000 years ago when He redeemed us, reconciled us to Himself and that faith is simply saying “Thank you God for this unspeakable gift of salvation.”

I have become convinced Paul is teaching that the entire human race was saved in the same way that the entire human race was lost. What do I mean by that? The entire human race was lost in Adam when he fell. Why? Because we were in him. In the same way, God redeemed the entire human race in Christ.

Let me give you a couple of statements to back up what I’m saying. In Romans 5, Paul is using Adam as a type of Christ. He discussed the human situation in Adam in Romans 5:12-14. He tells us that sin entered the world – the human race – through one man. The sin brought death that spread to all men because we were in Adam when he sinned. When he expounds on that, he ends up in verse 14 saying, Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who [Adam] is a type of Him who was to come. In verse 15, he explains in what sense Adam and Christ are similar. What Adam did affected the entire human race. Likewise, what Christ did affected the entire human race. Our eternal destiny is based on two facts: what Adam did and what Christ did. The only difference is that what Adam did comes to us by nature we inherit at birth. What Christ did for the entire human race is a gift that has to be received. The basic foundation is the same.

Romans 5:18, Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

There’s a similar idea in I Corinthians 15:21-22, For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. There are two resurrections instead of one because some will reject the gift of salvation in Christ. The first resurrection is for those who have believed and accepted Christ and what He did 2000 years ago. The other resurrection is for those who have rejected Christ. Paul is saying that the source of the resurrection is Jesus Christ. The lost will be lost because they have rejected the gift of salvation in Christ.

Having said that, what is the implication? What is the problem? The idea that God redeemed the entire human race, He actually reconciled, He actually saved the entire human race at the cross is a new thought to most of Christiandom. Since the third century, it has been assumed that we are born lost. As a result, the Christian church has created problems. One major problem it has created is that if only believers are lost, what do you do with millions of people who have never heard the gospel through no fault of their own? Are we saying there is no hope of salvation for them? If we take the Arminius position, the answer is yes. If you take this new paradigm, there is hope for people to go to heaven even though they have never heard the gospel. Why? Because God redeemed them and they were faithful to the light they had – whatever that light may have been. God knows that He can take them to heaven because of what Christ did.

If God puts me into Christ because I believe, and only because I believe, then what we are saying in a very subtle form is that faith is contributing toward my salvation, so faith becomes a subtle form of works. I am saved because I believe and you are lost because you do not believe. As a result, there are many Christians today who can pinpoint the date they were saved. The fact is, all of us were saved 2,000 years ago. Our faith does not save us. Nowhere in scripture does it teach that we are saved because of our faith. What the Bible teaches is that we are saved by faith or through faith. Faith is only an instrument or a channel by which we receive the salvation that God obtained for us 2,000 years ago in Christ. We are making faith a subtle form of legalism.

There are others that condemn me when I tell them we were saved in Christ 2,000 years ago, before we accepted Him. They say, “If I obey in Christ, are you not teaching that I am contributing towards my salvation?” The answer is no way. The Bible is clear that I am not responsible for Adam’s sin. Likewise, I get no credit for Christ’s obedience. I receive the blessing, but get no credit. All the glory must go to Christ.

Let me give you a couple of statements. II Corinthians 5:18. Paul has been expounding the wonderful truth of reconciliation between a holy God and sinful man. He says, Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

Notice how Paul describes the gospel in Romans 1:16-17, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." We get no credit for the righteousness of Christ, but we get the blessings. We have no responsibility, no guilt, for Adam’s sin, but we suffer its consequences.

The main argument I receive against this wonderful truth is that Paul’s in Christ statement, which is the central theme of his theology, was only addressed to believers. Therefore, it applies only to believers. I would like to spend a few moments to show you that is not true.

We know God set aside the Apostle Paul to bring the gospel to the Gentile world. Unfortunately, none of Paul’s sermons preached in his evangelistic meetings for the unchurched have been recorded or preserved. All of Paul’s writings that we have were addressed to believers, people who were already converted. There is enough evidence in his writings to show that Paul gave the “in Christ” motif an objective application that applied to the entire human race, to all mankind. That is to say Paul does not limit the “in Christ” truth to believers.

Let me spend a few moments explaining what I mean by the “in Christ motif.”

I Corinthians 1:30-31, But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God -- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption -- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." If you read on, you will discover that “Him” is God the Father. The “you” is earth’s human beings. “In Christ” refers to the second person of the Godhead who became a man to be our Savior. The whole statement reads, “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus who has become for us wisdom, a special knowledge from God…” that is, our righteousness, our holiness our redemption. “Therefore, as it is written, let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” Christ gets all credit; we get none.

Let me illustrate this. I have a piece of paper and a Bible. For illustration purposes, we are the paper; Christ is the Bible. By putting us into Christ, the two have become one. That is what the “in Christ motif” is all about. God put us into Christ at the incarnation. This did not save us, but it qualified Christ to be our substitute.

Now that Christ was qualified to represent us, He had to do two things to save us. Let’s say I’m sending this Bible to my son in China. I wrap it in brown paper, go to the post office and drop it in the mail. Does the piece of paper also go to China? Yes. Can the paper legally claim it went to China? Yes. It can’t claim it went to China on its own. The paper gets no credit for going to China. It can claim it went to China in the Bible. China is still a Marxist country and it’s illegal to import Bibles. The postmaster examines the package, sees it’s a Bible and burns it. What happens to the paper? It shares the burning. That is exactly how God saved us in Christ.

When God created Adam, He was not creating an individual. He was creating the human race in that one individual. That’s why God called him Adam. The word Adam appears 510 times in the Hebrew text. You won’t find it 510 times in your English Bibles. The word “Adam” is used in two ways. The primary use of the word is in what it means – mankind. Only on a few occasions is it used as a proper name of a person, the first man.

Example: Genesis 5:1-2 is the written account of Adam’s lying. This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they [Adam and Eve] were created. In the original Hebrew, He called them “Adam.” When God created Adam, he was creating the entire human race in the one man. Look at Acts 17:26 where we are told by Luke that God created all the nations that lived in this world out of one. We all have a common origin – Adam. That is why, when Satan got Adam, he was not touching an individual. He was touching the entire human race. Likewise, God placed the human race into the second or the last Adam. Don’t ask me how He did it. As far as God is concerned, to Him, Jesus Christ was the substitute, the representative of the entire human race just like the first Adam was.

In I Corinthians 15:45, Paul gives a certain title to Jesus which represents the truth of His name. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Paul is trying to say Adam was dead when God created him from the dust of the earth. There was no life in him. He was a piece of clay. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and Adam became a living being. The life that God gave Adam was never to die as far as God was concerned. It was conditionally immortal. When Adam sinned, that life became mortal. That’s what he passed on to us. The way God saved the human race is by putting the life that stood condemned into Christ and by His life, death and resurrection, Jesus redeemed us. Christians are saved because they are faithful to the truth as it is in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Did He provide this blessing only for the believers or the entire human race? The entire human race. The only difference is that the believer is faithful to this truth. Look at the introduction. Verses 1-2, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, they have accepted the truth as it is in Christ and therefore, the blessing that God has prepared for the entire human race has now become precisely for them because they have accepted the gift.

Here is the evidence that Paul used the “in Christ” motif even for people who were unbelievers – for the entire human race.

Paul reminds the believers that they were redeemed or chosen in Christ before their conversion. Ephesians 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He [God] chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. That has to be before our conversion. If you say this applies only to believers, you have to admit Calvin was right in his doctrine of predestination that we reject. He did not only chose believers, He chose the entire human race in Christ before the creation of this world so that we would be holy and without blame before God in Christ.

Did God know that Adam would sin when He created him or did the fall take God by surprise? God knew Adam would fall. But He also planned our salvation in Christ before He even created Adam. He created us in Adam at creation, but He chose us in Christ before creation. Isn’t that wonderful? How can we apply that only to believers?

Let me give you another text to prove my point. Ephesians 2:1-3. Paul is talking to believers before their conversion. Verse 1, And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. They were sinners by performance; they were sinners by nature.

Verse 4 introduces the gospel. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). When were we saved by grace? When we accepted Jesus or 2,000 years ago? Let us be honest with the context. He made us alive together with Christ while we were still dead in trespasses and sins. That means before our conversion. Then He raises us up together with Christ and we are sitting in heavenly places with Christ.

Let me give you another text, Romans 5:6-10. Paul is contrasting God’s love that is unconditional with human love that is conditional. Paul makes four statements about us. (1) While we were helpless. (Incapable of saving ourselves.) (2) While we were ungodly. What did Christ do? He died for us. He died for us before we accepted Him. (3) God demonstrates His love for us even while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. (4) While we were enemies of God, we were reconciled (we were saved) by the death of His Son.

Here is some evidence that we are all “in Christ.”

Point No. 1: Matthew 25:31 talks about the end of the world. Jesus divides the human race into two camps: the one on right, the sheep; the one of the left, the goats. He makes a simple statement to both the sheep and goats: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:40 says, And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” He is identifying Himself with the entire human race. You touch any human being and you’re touching Him.

Point No. 2: I Corinthians 15:22, Paul points out to the Corinthian believers that just as all died in Adam, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. “All” refers to the entire human race.

Point No. 3: Paul refers to Christ as the last Adam. In Hebrew, the word “Adam” means mankind. The only reason Christ is called the last Adam is because all mankind was in Him. We can legally claim what He did by faith.

Point No. 4: There are many statements in Paul’s writings referred to as universal texts – which they apply to the entire human race.
- Romans 5:18, Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
- John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He gave His Son to the entire human race. That’s His free gift.
- II Corinthians 5:18-21, Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
- I Timothy 2:5-6, For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
- I Timothy 4:9-10, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. He is the Savior of all men, but especially for the believers who have accepted the truth as it is in Christ.
- Titus 2:11, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
- Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Jesus tasted death for every human being.
These universal texts tell me that Jesus reconciled the entire human race.

Point No. 5: In most cases, Paul’s subjective application of the “in Christ” truth is based on an objective truth. Examples: Galatians 2:20, Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ… What does Paul mean? He’s referring to a truth that took place at the cross that he later accepted – that the death of Christ on the cross was not simply one individual dying, but all mankind dying in that one man. In II Corinthians 5:14, Paul is saying I was crucified in Christ. Galatians 6:14, But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Point No. 6: Look at baptism in Paul’s writings. It’s always into Christ. Galatians 3:27, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Baptism is our public confession that we have accepted what God did to us in Christ. The act of baptism is an outward act that we are confessing the truth as it is in Christ.

How does this truth affect us? How does it affect our Christian experience? How does it affect our mission as a church? How does it affect how we look at the human race?

How does this truth affect us? Once we accept this truth, it will affect us in all three areas. If I was redeemed, if I was reconciled in Christ 2,000 years ago when I was His enemy and a sinner, I have absolute assurance that my salvation was obtained even before I accepted Christ. Jesus says in John 5:24, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Your performance does not contribute towards your salvation. Your faith does not contribute to your salvation. Faith is simply accepting something that has already been accomplished. That becomes a solid rock for us. Is your faith built on the rock, Jesus Christ, in which you were already redeemed, reconciled to God 2,000 years ago. If that is your faith, then you will not worry whether you will make it to heaven. You will be so happy in the truth that your one desire is now to live for Christ.

How does it affect our mission to the world? We have been preaching conditional good news. We have been telling the world if you believe in Jesus Christ, if you repent, if you confess your sins, then God will put you into Christ. You have to take the initiative before God can actively save you. With this truth we can tell the world to stop running away from God. He has already reconciled you to Himself by the death of His Son. We can teach unconditional good news. When people hear this they’ll say, “You mean I’ve been running away from God for nothing?” You can tell them, “Yes. It is the goodness of God that will call you to repent.” Romans 2:4.

How does it affect how we look at the human race? There are two ways at looking at human beings. When you look at a wretched, miserable person in the gutter, you can say, “Oh, he’s terrible,” or you can look at him and say, “He’s a child of God.” When you see an alcoholic, someone who is depressed, someone in jail for life who has lost complete self-esteem, say, “You may feel like a failure, but I have news for you, in Christ, you have never been a failure. In Christ, you have never sinned. In Christ, you stand perfect, complete before God. In Christ, you are the son or daughter of God. Stop looking down at yourself.” The gospel becomes something that completely changes our attitude towards the human race; toward any individual we meet. When that happens, I believe the earth will be lightened with the glory of Christ because the truth as it is in Christ will become clear to us.

It is a paradigm shift -- something that the Christian church has not taught since the third century A.D. The fact we have been teaching certain things for years does not make it truthful. We need to go back to scripture and ask ourselves how the Bible defines the good news of salvation. As I see it, the Bible defines the gospel as what God did for the entire human race in Christ 2,000 years ago. As far as God is concerned, He has already reconciled Himself to the entire human race. What is left is for the earth to be reconciled to Him. That’s good news! It’s better than you think. But, the world doesn’t know it. Who is going to tell the world this good news? How can we tell the world this good news if we don’t see it ourselves?

It is my prayer that you will know the truth as it is in Christ, that you will be rejoicing in this truth and, as a result, you will say for me to live is Christ. If I die in the process, it is profit because in Christ, there is no death; there is only sleep.

May God bless us as a church that we will lighten the world with the truth as it is in Christ.

Chapter 4

The Doctrine of Substitution

Isaiah 53:4-11, Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by Hi 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. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked – but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.

Please notice what God has clearly stated to the Jews and through them to the human race in Deuteronomy 24:16, “The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.” In other words, you can’t transfer guilt and punishment from a guilty person to an innocent person. That is the clearest teaching of the word of God. It is repeated many times in II Kings. Look at Ezekial 18:20, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Since Christ Himself was innocent – Christ did not commit any sin Himself – the big question that the doctrine of substitution has raised is how could God punish His Son on the cross for our sins when He Himself was innocent? Isn’t God going against His own law?

How can God justify sinners (Romans 5:4) on the basis of what Christ did and still maintain His integrity to His law that condemns us? This was the main issue fought over the doctrine of justification by faith in the Counter Reformation. Roman Catholic scholars like Juan de Atienza and John Henry Newman accused the Reformers of legal fiction. This is their argument. If God can justify sinners without first making them righteous, then He is guilty of breaking His own law. As a result, the Catholic Church came up with a gospel that is far from the good news of salvation. Their gospel is that God infuses the believer with grace so that through His grace God can make the sinner righteous and only when he’s righteous can He take him to heaven. If he hasn’t succeeded in this world, He sends him to purgatory where he has to make up for where he failed on this earth – a complete contradiction of Paul’s message of justification by faith. A complete contradiction of the message the reformers preached that we are justified by faith alone, through grace alone, because of what Christ did alone.

Today the Muslims are accusing the Christian church of this very same thing. They are accusing Christianity of being the most unethical religion in the world. Let me tell you about an incident that just took place in the second largest city in Kenya. In 1980 or 1981, an American merchant ship docked at the port of Mombasa. Some of the sailors went to a nightclub, got drunk, and got into a fight. One of the sailors fatally stabbed a Kenyan woman. As a result, he was taken captive by the police. Kenya practices capital punishment. They don’t wait for years to execute a criminal. The sailor’s mother, who was a Pentecostal in New York, asked the church to pray for her son. Then she went to the Senator of New York and pleaded with him to try to ask the Kenyan government to release her son. At that time, the U.S. was giving aid to the Kenyan government. The Senator used that as leverage and actually got her son set free. He came home a free man. The Kenyans were furious. I was Chaplain of Nairobi University at the time. The head of the faculty of law, who was a Muslim, stood up before a student body of 15,000 students and said, “Kenya has lost all sense of justice. We can’t blame the Kenyan government for this. Nor do we blame the British government where Kenya got it’s legal system. The blame has to go to the Christian church because Christianity has taught us that we can commit a crime and transfer the guilt and punishment of the crime on an innocent person, Jesus Christ who died on the cross, and we can go scotch free. No law will allow such an unethical solution to a sin problem. Christianity has become the most unethical religion in the world.”

How do we solve this ethical problem? First of all, make no mistake that the Reformers were absolutely right. They were Biblical in teaching the doctrine of substitution. The Bible is clear – Jesus lived and died for us in our place. The Reformers failed to show how Christ qualified to be our substitute. Before Christ could represent us – before He could be our substitute – He first had to be qualified to be our Savior. The Reformers could not clearly present Christ as legally qualified to be our substitute because they made a distinction between the humanity of Christ and our humanity that needs redeeming. When you make that distinction, you come up with an ethical problem.

Vicarious substitution has been taught, and is being taught today, in the Evangelical churches. That means Christ took our place, lived and died instead of us without first identifying or uniting Himself to the human race that He came to redeem. The word “vicarious” means you have sympathy for somebody else without actually participating in the problem. Sometimes when someone gets hurt, somebody else gets pain because they can’t bear suffering by others. That’s vicarious.

Those who teach vicarious substitution say that sin is a problem, and they are right. (1) Sin is a condition. We are sinners by nature. In Ephesians 2:3, Paul tell us that we are by nature children of wrath because we are sinners by nature. (2) Sin is behavior. Most Adventists know that sin is the transgression of the law. I John 3:4. How did Christ save us from this two-fold sin problem? Vicarious substitution teaches that Christ took on a sinless human nature to substitute our sinful nature, and His perfect performance substitutes our failure. In other words, by His sinless nature, He substitutes our sinful nature. By His sinless performance, He substitutes our sinful performance. That sounds wonderful. Does the Bible teach that? Can this be supported from scripture? After all, scripture is the measuring stick of truth. Scripture does not teach vicarious substitution. It teaches the idea of substitution, but not vicarious substitution.

On the contrary, the Bible is clear that in order for Christ to quality to be our substitute, He had to become one of us. In fact, the Bible says that in order to be our High Priest, He had to be one of us. Let me give you some evidence. Start with the genealogy of Christ. If Christ was not one of us, He would not have a genealogy. He would be a unique person outside of the human race. Matthew 1:1 says, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. Matthew is primarily concerned with convincing the Jews that He was the Messiah. God had promised that the Messiah would be a descendant of David and of Abraham. Matthew is giving the genealogy to prove that Jesus fulfilled this promise. He could not do that if His humanity was different from the humanity that He came to redeem. Look at Luke 3:23-38. Luke was a Gentile. Luke’s concern is to convince the Gentile world that Jesus is their Messiah. He gives the genealogy; not taking Christ only to David and Abraham, but to Adam, the father of the human race. Verse 23 says, Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli. Verse 38 says, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Jesus took a humanity that was part and parcel of the human race to which we belong and which needs redeeming. Look at Romans 1:3-4. After introducing himself and the mission, Paul says, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.

The writer of Hebrews is a lot more specific, clearly identifying the humanity of Christ with our fallen sinful human nature that needs redeeming. He became us. Hebrews 2:10-11, 14-17, For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation [Jesus Christ] perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies [Christ] and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. He became us. Verse 14 – 17, Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. He had to be made us to be legally qualified to save us.

I want to point out two things. First, the two-fold problem that vicarious substitution has created. Second, the true Biblical teaching of substitution.

What is the two-fold problem?
-- Vicarious substitution presents an unethical gospel. The accusation is that Christ illegally represented us. Because vicarious substitution has made a distinction between Christ and us, they ask how can He represent us, how can He substitute us when He was not us or one of us?
-- Vicarious substitution has also created another problem. It has opened the door to cheap grace. Here’s the argument. Since Christ lived and died instead of me, without me actually being implicated in His life and death, all I have to do is simply believe in Him, that is, mentally consent to what He did for me, and I can be saved and still live as I please. I can eat, drink and be merry, do whatever I want, but because He did it all instead of me, all I have to do is believe and I’ll be saved. This is not what the Bible teaches.

Many Adventists are afraid of the true doctrine of substitution. They are afraid it will open the door to cheap grace. As one pastor said, if you tell me what Christ did at Calvary 2,000 years ago already fully, totally qualifies me for heaven, then what incentive are you giving me to keep the law? His argument is the result of vicarious substitution.

Here’s a conversation I had with a young Ugandan while I was ingathering. (U = Ugandan; S = Sequeira)
U Are you saved?
[I knew he was a Pentecostal because that’s their typical approach. If he was an Adventist, he would have asked, “Are you keeping the Sabbath?” He didn’t know who I was. He thought I was a Hindu. He wanted to witness to me.]
S Saved from what?
U Are you saved from sin?
S Can you be more specific? Are you talking about the guilt and punishment of sin,
the nature of sin, or about the power and slavery to sin, which one?
U You sound like a pastor.
S Yes, I am a pastor. Can I ask you, are you saved?
U Praise the Lord I was saved three months ago.
S Brother, you were not saved three months ago, you were saved 2,000 years ago. Please don’t give any credit to your faith. We are never saved because of our faith. We are saved through faith. Faith is only an instrument or channel by which we receive the righteousness of Christ. It is the object of faith that saves us
– the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ. If you are saved, how come I smell beer on your breath?
U Pastor you know we are saved by grace, not by what we do.
S Explain what you mean when you say we are saved by grace.
U Pastor, you should know. Christ did it all.
[He was right in that statement, but he was misusing it.]
S Do you mean to say that Christ lived a perfect life for us, in our place?
U Yes.
S And you mean He died instead of us?
U Pastor, you’ve got it now.
S Now, one more step. I’m taking your theology to its logical conclusion. He also
went to heaven instead of you.
U No, I’m going to go to heaven.
S Brother, II Timothy 2:11 is based on actual substitution, not vicarious
substitution. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live
with Him.
I then proceeded to give him some texts.

Romans 6:1-2 has to do with our baptism, our confession that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. Jesus said to the disciples, go and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. Romans 6:1-4, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Verse 10 is dealing with Christ, For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Verse 11, Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In other words, the death of Christ to sin was a corporate death – it included you. By faith, you accepted your death to sin in Christ and your resurrection to new life.

Colossians 3:3. This is what Paul says about the believer who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

I Peter 2:24, who Himself [Christ] bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed. That is substitution. The death of Christ included the entire human race.

In order for Jesus to be qualified as our substitute, God put us into Christ. He had to unite us, join us into Christ so that we became one. That’s the only way He could legally be our substitute.

I Corinthians 1:30, But of Him [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption …

Ephesians 2:5-6, Paul tells us while we were still sinners, God united us with Christ and made us spiritually alive. The word “together” appears three times in those two verses. We were united, we were made alive with Christ, we were raised together with Christ; we are sitting together with Christ in heavenly places. The word “together” means we became one.

That is why true righteous by faith, which so many Adventists are afraid of, is more than a mental ascent to what Christ did 2,000 years ago. It’s more than mentally saying, “Yes, I believe Jesus lived and died for me 2,000 years ago.” For what Christ did for us in His life and death we are actually implicated in His life and death. Righteousness by faith is our submission to the new history that God has given us in His Son Jesus Christ. This means by faith, I obey the gospel, I surrender to the demands of the gospel, I identify myself in His life, death and resurrection. In other words, when we accept Jesus Christ, we accept His death as our death. His burial as our burial; His resurrection unto new life as our resurrection.

Faith is accepting what God did to us in Christ as our substitute. Romans 6 is addressing the Christians in Rome. Verse 17-18, But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered [the gospel]. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. In other words, obeying the gospel is surrendering the will to what God did to you in Christ as our substitute. This is the true meaning of baptism. That’s why all through the New Testament baptism is never into a denomination, it’s always into Jesus Christ. Baptism is putting on Christ. It’s entering into the history of Christ. If you read Romans 6:3-8, Paul tells us, Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.

In Galatians 3:27 Paul tells us that all who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You see, 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ identified Himself with me. The Bible calls this “you in Christ.” For the union to be complete, I have to surrender my will to what I am in Christ. “You in Christ” is what God did to us 2,000 years ago. “Christ in you” is the result of you abiding in Christ; accepting what He did to you in Christ.

In I Peter 3:18-22, Paul uses the experience of the exodus. Paul says Noah and his family were saved when they entered into the ark; they were not saved by building the ark. They were saved because they entered the ark. The ark is a symbol of baptism because baptism is entering into Christ. When the flood came, the people who refused to enter into the ark were drowned; those in the ark were saved.

Once again, Christ is going to come to destroy this earth – not by water, but by fire. When He comes the second time, this earth will be melted with fervent heat. What will happen to those who have entered into Christ – those who have identified with His life, death and resurrection? They will rise up to meet Him in the clouds. Those who refuse to enter into Christ will be lost. By actually becoming us, by actually becoming the second Adam that is mankind, Christ could legally or lawfully represent us as our substitute, so His holy history can be applied legally to those who accept Christ by faith.

This truth is clearly demonstrated every time we participate in the Lord’s supper. I Corinthians 10:16, The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ. Every time we take the Lord’s supper, we’re reminding ourselves that as Christians, we have become one with Christ. That is possible because we became one 2,000 years ago.

Such an understanding of the doctrine of substitution and our response to it leaves no room for cheap grace. Every believer who has received Christ as their personal Savior by faith has to confess with Paul what he confessed to the Christians in Galatia. Galatians 2:19-20, “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ [Why? Because I was in Christ when He died and I have accepted the truth.]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. It is by faith I let Him live in me.

Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. The life He lived 2,000 years ago, He wants to now live in us. Not to save us – He already saved us 2,000 years ago. The doctrine of substitution saves us. But, He wants to live in us so the world may see Him once again – God manifested in the flesh.

Colossians 2:6-7, As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Notice, you receive Him, now live in Him. It is Christ our substitute that saves us. When we respond to the doctrine of substitution, He comes and lives in us so that the world may see Christ in us.

Correctly understood, the doctrine of substitution, which is a clear teaching of scripture, offers Christians two things. On one hand, it gives us full assurance of salvation because we are already sitting in heavenly places in Christ. We should no longer worry if we’ll make it to heaven. If you understand the true doctrine of substitution, you know that you are already saved in terms of going to heaven. On the other hand, this truth does not give us license to live as we please. Our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. As a result, we must from now on put on Christ, remind ourselves we are in Christ, and make no room for the flesh.

I want to conclude with Romans 13:14, Paul’s ethical counsel to Christians. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

How many of us would like to experience this two-fold joy of the doctrine of substitution – full assurance of salvation and Christ living in you so the world sees Christ, not you?

Loving Father, we thank You that 2,000 years ago You took us miserable, wretched human beings and united us with Your Son, Jesus Christ. This was, indeed, an act of love. Once You qualified Christ to be our substitute, we thank You for His life, death and resurrection. Thank You for the new history He has given us; the new status in which we no longer stand condemned, but justified unto life. Lord, the world doesn’t know this wonderful truth of substitution. They don’t understand it. They oppose it because it is unethical, because they have not seen the true light. May we as a church be your ambassadors. May we present the true doctrine of substitution that the world may realize that they have a new history in Your Son and that this history is legal, because Jesus became one of us. He was made sin for us that we, in Him, may be made the righteousness of God. Thank you Lord for this unspeakable gift. Bless us now that we may go out and be Your light, Your witnesses to this wonderful truth. May the earth be lightened with this glory. We pray in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Chapter 5

The Humanity of Our Savior

Hebrews 2:14-18: Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of the flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

After the disciples passed from the scene, the leadership of the church fell into the hands of what is known as the church fathers. Many were of Greek origin. Greeks are great philosophers. The Bible has many mysteries. One of the major theological problems that arose in the early Christian church is what is known as the Christological controversy. Unfortunately, that problem has not been solved and is one of the major issues in our own church today. That is why I have included the Humanity of Christ as part of the gospel issues in Adventism.

How did the controversy begin? It began over the divine/human nature of Christ. The church fathers argued how can one person be both God and man at the same time? As a result, some of them said, “No, He was only God but He appeared like a man.” They denied His humanity. The others said, “No, He was just a man mightily used by God.” They denied His divinity. This argument went for years until the church decided they better solve the problem. They met at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. and came to a conclusion that Christ was both God and man. They said we cannot explain this, it’s a mystery but it is Biblical. You would think this would have solved the problem, but it didn’t.

A new problem arose. How much of Him was God and how much of Him was man? Was it 50/50? They began to discuss that for the next hundred plus years. They said they better solve this problem completely, so they met in Chalcedon in 451 A.D. and came up with a conclusion that is part of the Apostle’s Creed – that Christ is fully God and fully man at the same time in one person. They call this the “unique personality of Christ.” This became the established position of the Christian church. While this decision was generally accepted, it did not solve the problem.

The third problem that arose had to do with Christ’s human nature. Was it like Adam before the fall (pre-fall) or like our sinful nature after the fall (post-fall)?

For the first five centuries, the church fathers concluded that Christ could not redeem what He did not assume. Therefore, to deliver the human race totally from the sin problem, He had to assume our fallen nature that needs redeeming. Unfortunately, this view is not held by the Christian church at large. Why? I’ll tell you why, but first I want you to read a quote from The Meditation of Christ, a book authored by Thomas Torrence, a New Testament scholar from Scotland. “Perhaps the most fundamental truth which we have to learn in the Christian church or rather realize since we have suppressed it, is that the incarnation was the coming of God to save us in the heart of our fallen and depraved humanity where humanity is at its wickedness in its enmity and violence against the reconciling love of God. That is to say that the incarnation is to be understood as the coming of God to take upon Himself our fallen human nature, our actual human existence laden with sin and guilt, our humanity diseased in mind and soul, its estrangement or alienation from the Creator. This is a doctrine found everywhere in the early church in the first five centuries, expressed again and again in the terms that the whole man had to be assumed by Christ if the whole man was to be saved. That the unassumed is unhealed or that what God was not taken up in Christ is not saved. Thus the incarnation had to be understood as the sending of the Son of God in the complete form of our own sinful nature and as a sacrifice for sin in which He judged sin within that ready nature in order to redeem man from his former hostile mind.”

Why doesn’t the Christian church hold this view today? Why does it emphasize the pre-fall view? You have to blame the Roman Catholic Church for that. They came up with a doctrine called the “Immaculate Conception.” They said by some miracle, Mary was born with a sinless nature so that she could produce a sinless child. The Reformation rejected the doctrine of Immaculate Conception and said Mary is just like us but they held out the heresy that Christ, by some miracle, was born in the womb of Mary without the problems that you and I are born with – a natural bent towards sin. His humanity was like Adam before the fall. This became the established view of the protestant churches, and is to this day.

In 1964, Harry Johnson, a Protestant scholar from the University of London, did a doctrinal dissertation on the humanity of Christ. He scholarly and Biblically came to the conclusion that Christ had to assume what we are in order to be the Savior of the world. Today, many famous, reliable, New Testament scholars are moving to this position. But there is a battle going on. Unfortunately, the battle has crept into our church.

Our pioneers, even though they did not take an official action, held the post-fall view that Christ was like us that He might be our Redeemer. In fact, if you’ll read our Sabbath School lessons, books and magazines in the early years, you will discover that this was our position. But in the 1960s, something happened. To be accepted by the Evangelicals, we made a flip. That is what has caused the controversy. Unfortunately, the argument you hear in our church over the humanity of Christ is mainly brought up in the context of Christian living. Example. Most of the independent ministries pushing this issue take the post-fall view of Christ in order to present Him as our example. They say that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ lived a sinless life in our sinful nature, therefore, God expects us to do the same if we are going to make it to heaven, especially to withstand the time of trouble. When presenting Christ as our example, without presenting Him as our Savior, you end up with legalism. You end up with the heresy of perfectionism. You get the result of people turning inward to themself instead of looking at Christ as their righteousness. That’s where the problem is. No wonder those who are pro- justification by faith condemn these people.

If we are to come to a correct understanding of Christ’s humanity or His human nature, we must study it in the context of the gospel. All through the New Testament the emphasis of the humanity of Christ is that He became a man, He became one of us, in order that He might be the Savior of the world. Only to the believer who has accepted Christ as their Savior is Christ ever presented as an example. But the first and primary reason He became man is that He might be our Savior. Because He redeemed us in our humanity, He now qualifies to represent us as our High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary so that we can come to God boldly through Him because He is our representative in heaven.

According to the New Testament, the human nature of Christ is presented in the topic of three fundamental truths, all related to the gospel. Any discussion about the nature of Christ outside of these three fundamental truths in the Bible becomes futile, meaningless and simply hot steam. I want to lay that foundation. Whatever position you take, I plead with you, look at the nature of Christ in the context of these three facts.

Fact 1: The gospel constitutes the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Please don’t add to that.

Fact 2: In this gospel, Christ redeemed sinners from every aspect of the sin problem. He left no stone unturned so that on the cross He said, “It is finished.” You can’t add to that; you can’t improve on that. All you can do is accept it as a gift from God.

Fact 3: All Christian experience, whether it’s justification, sanctification or glorification, must be based on the finished work of Christ. In other words, the Holy Spirit adds nothing to the finished work. The work of the Holy Spirit is to communicate the gospel first to the unbeliever, then to those who accept it into their lives.

Let’s look at each fact.

Fact 1: The birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ. Each of these events plays a vital part in our salvation.

Birth: What part does it play in our salvation? We covered this in the doctrine of substitution. We saw that at His birth – at the incarnation – God united the divinity of Christ with our humanity in one person. He was fully God and fully man. His divinity was His own. His humanity was ours that He took upon Himself because it needed redeeming. This did not save us, but it qualified Christ to be our substitute. He could now represent us in His work of redemption. He could legally rewrite our history and change our status from condemnation unto death that we all inherited from Adam to justification unto life that is God’s gift to all men in Christ. Let me give you a couple of statements that bring this out.

Romans 5:18. This is the conclusion of his exposition of the gospel. Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

I Corinthians 15:21-22, For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. That is the wonderful, good news of the gospel. Christ has changed the destiny of man by the gospel. To do that, He had to be legally qualified as our substitute. God did that by joining His divinity to our humanity that needs redeeming. If He took a humanity like Adam’s before the fall, (one that did not need redeeming), that would have created a problem with the gospel. He had to take a humanity that needed redeeming.

Life: The life of Christ is imparted for our salvation because it represented His perfect life. The law of God, which is God’s measuring stick of righteousness, says if you want to live, you have to obey Me perfectly and continually. All of us have failed in this. All of us have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. Romans 3:23. Christ did what we have failed to do in our corporate humanity that is assumed at His birth. John 3:17 says, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Galatians 4:4-5, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Death: Before Christ came to this world, God gave the Jewish nation the wonderful promise of salvation through the sanctuary service, the sacrificial system. Unfortunately, many of the Jews took the sacrificial system and made it a means of salvation instead of being a shadow, model or visual aid of the plan of salvation. One Jew offered 1,000 sacrifices in one day. He felt if one animal helps our salvation, 1,000 will guarantee heaven.

Hebrews 10:5-9, Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure, then I said, ‘Behold, I have come – in the volume of the book it is written of Me – to do Your will, O God.’” Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. “I have come to do Your will” is a quote from Psalms 40. If you read Psalms 40:6–8, it says, Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the Book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” Jesus came to fulfill the law in that body which is our body. That is why the New Testament says the Christian church is an extension of the incarnation. When you accept Christ, you are bound to the body that perfectly kept the law of God. But Jesus came to save sinners. That perfect obedience is not enough to save us – it only met the positive demands of the law. The law of God also says if you disobey, you must die. Jesus could not ignore that sentence. He obeyed the law perfectly from birth to manhood (age 30), He went to the cross at age 33 and submitted the body (our humanity) to the wages of sin. He met the justice of the law on the cross.

I Peter 1:18-19, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

I Peter 2:24, who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.

I Peter 3:18, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

Resurrection: What part does the resurrection play in our salvation? Something took place in the resurrection. God gave the human race eternal life in Jesus Christ in exchange for our debt that came to an end at the cross. Jesus died. His human life that came to an end on the cross was our human life that stands condemned. In exchange, God gave the divine life, the eternal life of Jesus, to the sons so that He rose from the dead and we rose with Him in a new life. That is the gift of God.

John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” When you are baptized, the pastor puts you in the grave because you have said goodbye to your old life and he raises you up in a new life in Jesus Christ so that you can say it is not I, but Christ who lives in me. He is my righteousness.

Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:14 that when one died, all died. According to II Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

I Peter 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

These four events – the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – constitute the good news of the gospel. The humanity of Christ must be studied and understood in this context. He had to take the humanity that needed redeeming; otherwise His humanity becomes meaningless.

Fact 2: The gospel redeemed us from every aspect of the sin problem. We, as God’s people, need to know this. Scripture presents sins as a threefold problem, not a single problem like some people believe.

Sin is the transgression of the law: In the first place, sin is the transgression of the law that results in the curse – the curse and punishment of sin. Since all of us have sinned, we all face the guilt and punishment of sin. This is our predicament. Thank God that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, from the guilt and punishment of sin by being made a curse for us. Galatians 3:10, For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” Galatians 3:13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).

Sin resides in our sinful nature: Sin is more than transgression of the law – it is also a force. It is a principle – a law – that resides in our sinful nature and has us in its grips. Because of Adam’s sin, we have all been sold under sin; therefore, we are slaves of it. Being under means ruled by. Paul tells us in Romans 3:9 that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. Because of that, he adds in verse 10 and 12 that there are none righteous, not even one. In Romans 7:14, we are told that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold as a slave to sin. Paul proves it by clearly demonstrating that you may want to keep the law, you may want to do good, but can not keep it in your own strength. In Romans 7:24 he cries out, O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

This second aspect of sin is something that most of us discover after we become Christians. Before we become Christians, our first concern is to be saved from the guilt and punishment of sin. After we become Christians and try to live the holy life in our own strength, we discover that sin is more than an act. It is also a force that dwells in our members.

Does the gospel give us any hope from this problem? Yes. Thank God for it. Paul tells us in Romans 7:25, I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! He goes on in Romans 8:2, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. From previous verses you will note the law of sin and death is in our human bodies, in the members, in the flesh. Then he explains how it was done, verse 3, For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh. The law of God can demand righteousness from us, but it cannot produce it because of our sinful nature. What the law could not do, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful man. Christ was God. He was sinless by nature. But He took upon Himself our sinful nature. Christ took our nature in order to redeem us. He could have consented to that nature had He yielded to the pull of that nature by depending on self (the lust of the flesh, the lust of eyes, and the pride of life are the three basic drives of self of sinful nature) instead of depending on God. In Christ’s case the drive was, don’t depend on the Father, you have divine power in your possession. It is Yours. Why don’t you use it? Turn the stones into bread. Come down from the cross and save yourself. But Jesus never yielded. He said, “Not my will, but the Father’s.” All through His life He said, “I have come not to do my will, but the will of Him who sent me.” He never allowed this principle of self to yield to the drives of His flesh. Because of that, He not only redeemed us, He not only set us free, but look at Romans 8:4, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Verse 4 is the fruits of salvation. We have already been set free from sin. But now, because we have been set free from the law of sin and death, we can have the hope of revealing the love of God that is the fulfillment of the law.

Corruption: There is a third aspect of the sin problem – corruption. That is why we fall sick, why we get tired, why we cannot do what we want when it’s too hot. Our human bodies are full of corruption, full of problems. That is not the kind of body God created in Adam. Was Christ’s body subject to fatigue? Was it subject to aging? Yes. So is yours. But thank God, Jesus left the corrupt body in the grave. He raised up our glorified humanity. You don’t have it yet; He will give it to you at His second coming. Paul says in Romans 8:20-25 that we look forward to the redemption of our bodies.

Philippians 3:20-21, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Christ could not have redeemed us from all three aspects of the sin problem if He did not take the body that needed to be fully redeemed from sin. An example is in Ephesians 2:10 when Paul talks about Christian living. Verse 8 and 9 say, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Our works do not save us. Verse 10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Our good works are not in addition to what Christ did. Our good work are a manifestation of what Christ has already prepared for us in His holy history. Our good works are not in addition to what Christ did. Our good works are simply an extension of Christ’s good works. We are an extension of His body. The Father will be glorified when the world sees our good works. Matthews 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

All Christian experience must be based on the finished work of Christ. When God gives you victory over sin, He is not adding to what Christ did, but simply reproducing what Christ did. Otherwise, you have to say that Christ’s work was unfinished. You would have to say that what God does in us is greater than what He did in Christ. If you have a nature that is bent towards righteousness, living a righteous life is natural. It’s a mystery when God produces righteousness in our sinful nature. That is God manifested in the flesh.

The only way Christ could have accomplished all these things was by laying the foundation. I Corinthians 3:11, For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Every subjective experience must be based on that foundation. Please don’t look at your performance as a contributing factor to your salvation. Jesus saved us from the guilt and punishment of sin. He saved us from the power and slavery of sin. He saved us from the nature and presence of sin so that we are already sitting in heavenly places in Christ. You know why? II Corinthians 5:21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. When He took our humanity, He was made sin even though in Himself He has no sin. When did Christ become sin for us? Please don’t say this took place at the cross. It was from the incarnation. He had to conquer the power of sin. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. When Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross, our humanity in Christ was completely changed from condemnation to justification -- from being sinners to being righteous. As you look at yourself in Christ, you are not looking at a sinner, you are looking at a redeemed sinner, a person whose destiny, whose status has been changed from sinner to righteousness, from condemnation to justification, from death unto life. All this was possible because of what Hebrews 2:14-18 tells us, Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Are you afraid to die? That’s not abnormal. The fear of death must be superceded by another hope – the resurrection. When your hope of resurrection controls your fear of death, you will look at death as sleep and you will say to God, “I’m ready to be offered up because when Christ comes, I will be awakened from sleep.”

Please remember, Jesus took our humanity in order to destroy the hold Satan has on humanity. Satan claimed that we should join him in the lake of fire. We are a brand plucked out of the fire. Hebrews 2:16-17, For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Merciful because He loves us. Faithful because legally He could not apply His righteousness to us unless His humanity was our humanity. He’s both a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.

The humanity of Christ is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds sinners to a holy God. Adam’s sin broke that connection. Christ’s perfect birth, life, death and resurrection joined us back to God so that in Jesus Christ we have been accepted in the Beloved.

May God always remind you that you are now sitting in heavenly places because the humanity of Christ is your humanity. Every aspect of the sin problem has already been dealt with. All that is left is for us to experience that redemption. In justification, we experience salvation from the guilt and punishment from sin. We have peace with God. In sanctification, we experience the victory that Christ had over the flesh and the power of holy living – an ongoing process. When Christ comes in glorification, we will be redeemed from the nature and presence of sin. Hallelujah. What a wonderful Savior we have!

May you look at Christ as your elder brother who has redeemed you from every aspect of the sin problem is my prayer, in Jesus Christ.


Chapter 6

Justification and Sanctification

Romans 5:1-5, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

There are two things that I am absolutely convinced of: God has raised the Advent movement to fully restore and proclaim with a loud voice the pure and full everlasting gospel, and the devil is doing is very best to stop this. After 150+ years, we are still wrestling with some of the major issues that constitute the gospel.

One major area of confusion among Adventists – and many other Christians – has to do with the relationship between justification and sanctification which are often referred to as imputed and imparted righteousness of Christ. I want to focus our attention on this issue which is closely related to an earlier chapter, the objective and subjective aspects of salvation.

Since many of you reading this were raised as Adventists, we need to start our study with a brief description of the traditional way we have been teaching these two areas of salvation: justification and sanctification. Unfortunately, this is the view still being taught by the majority of the independent ministries who claim to defend what they call historic Adventism. Following this, we will look at the two terms – justification and sanctification, or imputed and imparted righteousness – and examine what they mean and how they are used in scripture. The measuring stick of truth is not what we think, but what the Word of God says.

We have seen in a previous chapter that traditionally Adventists have been teaching what is known as the Arminius gospel based on the teaching of Jacobus Arminius, i.e., that the salvation Christ accomplished on the cross was only provisional. We have to take the initiative to make that provision a reality – we have to repent, turn away from our life of sin, confess all of our past sins, and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. We have been teaching that then, and only then, will God put you into Christ and save you. This traditional understanding of salvation has affected our understanding in many areas of our theology and doctrines including our teaching on justification and sanctification. As a result, we limited the word justification only to the forgiveness of past sins. Since forgiveness of sins, wonderful as this may be, is only negative, i.e., it only cancels a bad debt, this in itself does not make us righteous and therefore does not qualify us for heaven. Hence, we have been teaching that justification has to be accompanied by sanctification or holy living if one is to make it to heaven. Consequently, our traditional teaching has been justification plus sanctification together ultimately qualifies us for heaven. However, we all know that sanctification is an ongoing process that, unfortunately, is accompanied by failure. What do we do with the new sins which we have committed since justification is only the forgiveness of past sins? Our traditional response has been that we need to confess and repent of this sin, otherwise we will be lost. In other words, the experience of most Adventists has been the experience of a yo-yo, jumping from justification to condemnation, back to justification every time he confesses sin, then back to condemnation. This yo-yo experience is, to say the least, very frustrating. There comes a time when the devil will convince you that you might as well give up. You’ll never make it. You’re not good enough. It is this view of justification and sanctification that is to a large degree responsible for robbing God’s people of their assurance of salvation. Still worse, it is responsible for many leaving the church. Tell me, who wants to remain in a church that offers no real peace with God and is constantly putting you into guilt trips?

It was these confused ideas of salvation that lead Ellen G. White to correct our pastors in 1890 at Battle Creek. When we dealt with objective and subjective salvation, I quoted a statement made to the pastors. I’m going to repeat the essence of that statement and recommend that you read the whole chapter, if not the whole book. Faith and Works 18. “The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people, false ideas of justification by faith. I have been shown for years that Satan would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point. The law of God has been largely dwelt upon and has been presented to congregations, almost as destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law as was the offering of Cain. I have been shown that many have been kept from the faith because of the mixed, confused ideas of salvation, because the ministers have worked in a wrong manner to reach hearts. The point that has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of Christ.”

Unfortunately the mixed, confused ideas of salvation are still among us and are being taught by some historic Adventists. Justification or imputed righteousness is still defined as the forgiveness of past sins. I have met with some of the historic Adventists and asked them to defend their position from scripture. You know what the typical answer is? Two texts, both of which are taken out of context.

I John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. They use the word “if.” You have to first confess your sins before He can forgive you. They forgot Jesus forgave them on the cross for they know not what they do. What did John mean? In what context are we to understand this text? To understand the statement, we need to start with verse 5. Verses 5–10 is a unit dealing with walking in the light. John is dividing believers into two camps, ones who are still walking in darkness even though they come to church, and others who are walking in the light. You will notice he vacillates between the two camps. Verse 5-10 say, This is the message which we have heard from Him [Christ] and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him [Christ] , and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another [we are abiding in Christ and Him in us], and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin [There is no mention of confession.]. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. Why? Because Jesus came to save sinners. If you claim you have stopped sinning and have no sin, the only one you’re kidding is yourself.

A young man told me at a campmeeting that he had not sinned for the last two years. I told his wife, “It must be wonderful for you to live with a husband who has stopped sinning. My wife has a hard time with this wretched sinner.” His wife just smiled. She dared not answer less he did sin. I gave him the text that says if you say you have no sin, you deceive yourself and the truth does not abide in you. I added verse 10 that is dealing with people walking in darkness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. It is in this context we need to look at verse 9. Christians who are walking in the light recognize and confess that they are sinners by grace. When sinners come to the foot of the cross, Jesus is faithful and just, legally right, to forgive us all our sins. It’s not saying if you sin, He will forgive you. It’s saying, Christians who recognize that they are sinners will come to Jesus as sinners. As Paul wrote about himself in I Timothy 1:15, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

The other text they use out of context is Romans 3:25, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. They say, “Jesus forgives past sins when you confess them.” Let’s look at the statement in its context starting with verse 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Why does he make this statement? Verse 22 says, even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe for there is no difference… Paul is saying there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, we have all sinned in the past and are presently coming short of the glory of God. The good news is in verse 24, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus … “Freely” in the Greek is “graciously” – something you do not deserve. He didn’t give it to you because you confessed your sins. He gave it to you because He loved us and graciously forgave us.

What did God do to the human race on the cross? Look at II Corinthians 5:18, Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. What is this ministry? Verse 19, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. All this took place at the cross. Paul is saying because of His loving grace, He has redeemed us through Christ, and is freely justifying us now because of the cross.

In Romans 3:25, God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. To understand this statement, you need to look at another statement. Hebrews 9:22, And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission [forgiveness]. Did God forgive the people who lived before Christ shed His blood? Did He forgive Abraham and Noah? Yes. He forgave all the saints of the Old Testament. It is true they offered the blood of animals in the Old Testament, but the book of Hebrews makes it clear that the blood of animals was only a shadow, a type, it did not give God a legal right to forgive them. What did God do? He forgave the Christians, the believers of the past – those who lived before the cross – out of His forbearance that generally means out of His kindness and patience. In other words, legally, God could not forgive those who lived before the cross because the shedding of blood of animals did not give Him that legal right. The moment Jesus died on the cross as our substitute, as our representative, as one of us, then that gave God a legal right to forgive us. Before the cross, salvation was a promise. Since the cross, God is just in justifying those who accept Jesus Christ. Romans 3:26, to demonstrate at the present time [after the cross] His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Nowhere in scripture do we find that justification is only the forgiveness of past sins. Nowhere in scripture do we find justification plus sanctification qualifies us for heaven. Please don’t misunderstand me. The Bible clearly teaches that genuine justification by faith always results in sanctification and good works. You can never separate the two, but they are not synonymous. The good works produced by sanctification are the evidence of our salvation. They are a witness to our justification by faith. James makes this clear, especially in James 2:14, 17, 20. He says justification by faith that is not accompanied by good works is dead.

The question is, how are justification and sanctification defined in scripture and applied to us as Christians? The words “justification” and “condemnation” are both legal terms used in the courtroom. Deuteronomy 25:1 is a good example of how the two words are used. “If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked … The NIV says “acquitting the innocent,” the Hebrew word is “justifying the innocent” and “condemning the guilty.”

When used in the context of the gospel, the word “justified” or “justification” is used in two ways: as an objective truth that took place on the cross, and as a subjective experience that is applied to those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:18, Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act [the obedience of Jesus Christ] the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. This objective justification is God’s supreme gift to the human race accomplished in Christ 2000 years ago. It has to be received and applied to our life in order to experience it. Therefore, when we accept this gift, we experience the subjective aspect of justification that the Bible terms “justification by faith.”

Example. When Jesus gave the great commission in Mark 16:15, And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Tell the world that God has already reconciled them to Him. Stop running away from God. You stand justified in Christ. Verse 16, He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” He who rejects the gift will be condemned.

Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We may not have peace with our neighbors, our spouse, the government, but we do have peace with God. If God is for us, who can be against us?

This dual application of justification – objective and subjective – is also true of the word “sanctification.” When used in a spiritual sense, the word “sanctified” or “sanctification” means holy or set apart for a holy use. (The word “sanctification” can also be used in a unspiritual sense, for example the prostitutes of the pagan temples were sanctified which means they were set aside for a specific use.)

I want to give you at least two examples of sanctification as something that is already an objective truth and sanctification as a subjective experience. I’m going to take the worse church in the New Testament, the Corinthians, I Corinthians 1:2, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. If you are already sanctified in Christ, then you are a saint, you are holy, not in your experience, but as you are in Christ. The letter, to a large degree, is a letter of rebuke and correction. The church in Corinth had theological and behavioral problems. In fact, in chapter 6, Paul is dealing with the problem of Christians taking Christians to court before unbelievers. I Corinthians 6:9, Do you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Then he gives a list of terrible things that constitute wickedness in verse 9 and 10. Verse 11, And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God..” In other words, as far as God is concerned, you stand holy and without blame. See Ephesians 1:4, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Is this beyond belief? I’m not giving you my ideas. I’m quoting scripture!

Let’s look at sanctification as a subjective issue. What Paul is saying to the Corinthians is this: “Look, you have already been sanctified. Please behave like sanctified people. Your behavior is contradictory to what you are in Christ.”

You will see the subjective application of sanctification in II Thessalonians 2:13, But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

The same idea is in I Peter 1:2, the work of the Holy Spirit is to make real in our experience what is already true of us in Christ. We are holy in Christ and thereby sanctification of the spirit is making that real in our experience.

What can we conclude? In Christ, the whole world has already been sanctified, has already been made holy because God planned this from the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4) This became an objective fact, a truth, a historical fact on the cross by His life and death. But sanctification as an experience does not apply to the whole world. It applies only to believers who have been justified by faith and by the grace of God are walking in the Spirit. True justification by faith is saying not I, but Christ. Please read Galatians 2:20. This is true justification by faith. Paul has made it clear in Galatians 2:16 that by the works of the law no flesh will be justified. How are we justified? I am crucified with Christ. But I am still living. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Justification by faith has its dangers. If I am already qualified for heaven, if I’m already holy, if heaven is already mine through justification by faith, can I then live as I please? No. Please read Galatians 5:13-14. Paul corrects any misunderstanding of the misuse of justification. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That is sanctification. The entire law is summed up in one single commandment; love your neighbor as yourself.

In justification, God declares sinners righteous because they believe in Christ. If you don’t believe me, read Romans 4:5, But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

The question that has been raised throughout the history of the Christian church, especially by the Roman Catholic scholars, is: How can God justify sinners and still maintain His integrity to His law that condemns us? The answer is that the word justification can be lawfully applied in two ways.
-- If a person is found not guilty, the judge will acquit him. (Deuteronomy 5:1)
-- There is another way justification can be correctly, legally applied and accepted by the law. When the guilty, condemned person meets the just requirements of the law in terms of that crime. Example. If I rob a bank and I’m caught, brought to court and found guilty and the judge sentences me to 10 years in prison. When I get out of prison after 10 years, the law can no longer condemn me for that crime – not because I’m not guilty, but because I paid the price. The law of God says the soul that sins must die. Did you know when you were baptized into Christ, you were baptized into His death? See Romans 6:3. Did you know when Christ died on the cross; He died to sin? See Romans 6:10.

Romans 6:7-8 is the second application of sanctification. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. Why? Because the law has dominion over you only as long as you are living. See Romans 7:1

As sinners, the law condemns us to death. But when we were baptized into Christ, when we identified ourselves with the death of Christ and were buried by the pastor and rose up, not with the old life, but with the new life of Christ, the law no longer condemns us because we have now passed from condemnation to justification; from death to life. See John 4:24. Thus, on one hand, justification by faith means we stand complete, perfect in Christ, perfect in justice, perfect in performance, perfect in nature. See Colossians 2:10. On the other hand, it also means that from now on, it is not I, but Christ. Colossians 2:6, As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

I spent a whole chapter in my book, Beyond Belief, on justification and sanctification. I’m going to briefly quote the relationship between the two wonderful truths. Justification and sanctification cannot be separated, but they must be kept distinct. Beyond Belief, p.105, “This, then, is what righteousness by faith is all about. It is making real in our lives the righteousness of Christ by faith. In Christ, we are perfect and complete in every respect – in character, in performance, in nature, and legally. This is what God has obtained for us by the life, death and resurrection of Christ. But, in actual practice, we often fall short of this perfect righteousness, so the Christian life of sanctification is the experience of becoming in character what we already are in Christ through justification by faith.” Then I give a whole list of statements comparing the two – what our standing is through justification by faith and what our experience should be because of this truth of justification by faith. Let me share a few of them:
- In Christ we are dead to sin. Therefore, in experience give no place to sin.
- In Christ we are alive to God. Therefore, in sanctification let us live unto God.
- In Christ we are the adopted children of God. Therefore, as children of God, let us behave like God’s children.
- In Christ you have a new life. Please now, walk in newness of life.
- In Christ you have already been made holy. Therefore, in practice please live holy lives.
- In Christ we have been made secure in Christ. Please enjoy that security.
- In Christ you have been Spirit gifted. Please use that gift.

May God bless us that on the one hand we can say I know in Whom I believe. That God is able to save me to the uttermost because I come to Him as a sinner saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. While we wait for His coming, may God help us to reflect the wonderful life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Loving Father, we thank You for Your supreme gift, Jesus Christ. We realize that in Him not only we have all our sins forgiven, but we actually stand positively righteous, fully qualified for heaven now in the judgment. Our hearts are grateful. Lord, what You have done for us You have done for the entire human race, but they don’t know it. You have made us ambassadors of this wonderful message. We pray that You will make it really our experience. Let the world not only hear our words but may they see the wonderful saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives, that we may become a light, that the world may realize that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. We ask these blessings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Chapter 7

Eternal Security or Assurance of Salvation

Hebrews 10:19-23, Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

There are some Adventists – laymen, pastors, leaders – who strongly object to preaching the assurance of salvation. There are three objections. (1) Some feel our pastors are taking away the incentive to keep the law if they give the members assurance of salvation. As one church leader said to me, “You may be Biblically correct, but if you give our members the full assurance of salvation, what incentive do they have for keeping the law?” (2) Others object to teaching assurance of salvation because they equate it with the Calvinist concept of once saved always saved or what the Calvinists call eternal security. (3) Others say, don’t you know Ellen G. White warns us that we should never say I am saved? They equate the statement with the assurance of salvation. These objections against the teaching of assurance of salvation have become another gospel issue in Adventism that needs to be addressed.

Before we look at the objections and deal with them, let us look at the Biblical record. Turn to Hebrews 10:19-23. This was written to Jewish believers who were under tremendous pressure, both from there own Jewish nation and the Gentile world, and were very easily discouraged and tempted to go back to the safety of Judaism. The writer of Hebrews says in verse 19, Therefore, brothers, having boldness [Confidence. Confidence in our salvation in Christ.] to enter the Holiest [the Most Holy Place. The emphasis is not a room. The term “Most Holy Place” simply means the very presence of God. We can enter the very presence of God.] by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us … [That was new to many of the Jews because they were brought up to be afraid of God. They were afraid to even copy or speak His name. Now Christ has brought to them a new and living way.] through the veil, [That was something only the high priest could do once a year.] that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkles from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. How much clearer can the writer be that Christians should have assurance of salvation? This is not an isolated statement.

Let me give you a couple of statements made by Jesus Christ. He clearly revealed that He wanted the believers to have this assurance of salvation. John 5:24 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” That is something that is already a fact. He has crossed over from death to life, from condemnation to justification.

Go to the great commission that Jesus gave the disciples in Mark 16:15-16, And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved [That doesn’t say “they may not be saved,” but “they will be saved.]; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Since He created the free will, whoever does not believe will be condemned. If you are condemned for not believing, then the opposite is true. You are justified because you believe.

Now I want to look at a couple of statements from Acts. This is what the apostles preached. The first Jerusalem counsel is recorded in Acts 15. Some believers of Jewish origin opposed Paul’s message of salvation by grace alone. We call them Judaeizers. They come to the church at Antioch, Acts 15:1, And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” They were adding to the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not enough to believe in Jesus Christ, you must add to that. Well, there was much argument at this Jerusalem counsel. Notice Peter’s response. After much dispute, Peter stands up and in verses 10-11 says, “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples [believers] which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” He’s saying, “Let us be honest. None of us Jews have really been able to keep the laws of Moses. No, we believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved just as we are.” Please notice, he doesn’t add to that grace. If we are saved by grace, we should have absolute assurance of salvation.

Acts 16:28-31, But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Genuine justification by faith gives us the things that are contradicting what God wants us to have. Please remember what saved us – what gives us assurance of salvation – is our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Peter 3:21. The context is baptism. Peter has just told us during the flood, only eight souls were saved because they entered into the ark that represented Christ. In verse 21, he applied it to our baptism. There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The water of the flood symbolizes baptism. Just as Noah and his family entered the ark, baptism is entering into Christ. Not the removal of dirt from the body -- that is, our sinful natures don’t change -- but the pledge of a good conscience towards God. By being justified by faith, we have peace with God.

Having established the fact through the scriptures, Christians should have full assurance of salvation. If you don’t have full assurance of salvation, you cannot live the Christian life. If you don’t have the full assurance of salvation, you cannot be a model for Christ. Why should you die if you’re not sure you’ll make it? Assurance of salvation is extremely important as the foundation for Christian living even to the point of standing up for execution and even death.

Now let’s look at the threefold objection I mentioned.

Objection 1: Does the assurance of salvation take away the incentive to obey the law? This objection makes sense if you are using the law as a means of salvation. Why should I struggle to keep the law if I’m already saved? That’s the mentality of the legalist. Why should I struggle to keep the law if heaven is already mine? This sounds like good human logic. But the fact is, the Bible makes it clear by the works of the law no flesh will make it to heaven. See Galatians 2:16.

Romans 3:20, Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. What does it tell you if anyone uses the argument that we should not preach assurance of salvation? Obviously, they do not understand the good news of the gospel. This, I believe, is the fruit of the Arminius gospel that we have been traditionally teaching – that salvation is only provisional. God will save me only when I meet His requirements.

Sad to say, many of our people – young and old – have been trapped in a subtle form of legalism and have been robbed of the assurance of salvation. When 12,000+ young people were questioned, the majority of them confessed they had no assurance of salvation because their conduct does not meet God’s requirements. I have news for you. Even if you live as long as Methusalah, your conduct will never match up with the righteousness of Christ that saves you. You better depend on His righteousness, or you’ve had it.

Whenever we use selfish motives like fear of the judgment or desire for reward to get our people to keep the law or do good works, we are no different than the pagan or non-Christian religions. The principle of self belongs to Satan and this evil world. Every manmade religion is based on salvation by works. The gospel of Jesus Christ is unique. Why? Because God’s ways are not like our ways.

Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

A young man once told me, “I have to work hard for anything I want. Why should it be any different with salvation?” Because salvation comes from God and His ways are not our ways. Thank God for that.

The principle of self was introduced by Lucifer when he became Satan. Then he infected the human race through the fall. Isaiah 53:6, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way… Philippians 2:21, For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. We are egocentric by nature and we apply this to God’s way of saving us because human love is reciprocal. I am only good to those who are good to me. We tell our children, if you’re good, Jesus will love you and take you to heaven. That’s a lie. Thank God He loved us when we were sinners and redeemed us in Christ while we were still enemies. God’s love, which is unconditional and selfless, is a unique love. It’s agape love. It is this love that is the basis of our salvation.

Paul contrasts human love to God’s love all through his writings. In Romans 5:7 he says, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. God demonstrates His love towards us in that while we were still sinners, He died for us.

Jesus told the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:43, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

Paul defines Christian love – the manifestation of God’s love, the supreme gift, the most excellent gift of the Holy Spirit – in I Corinthians 13:5, does not seek its own. He says you may give up your body to be burned, you may be an expert at collecting money for Dorcas or ingathering, you may do all sorts of good things, but if you have no love, you are not reflecting your Savior. God’s love has no self in it for it seeketh not her own.

When the love of Christ constrains us, compels us, we will turn this world upside down. It is the most powerful incentive.

There is only one motivation for living the Christian life. It is not fear of the judgment. It is not a desire for heaven. Heaven is already ours in Christ. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:6, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. What motivates us to live the Christian life? Does giving assurance of salvation take away the incentive to serve Christ? II Corinthians 5:14-15. For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. This is what drove the disciples to burn out for Christ and die as martyrs after the cross.

Before my wife and I left the mission field, we visited the birthplace of the greatest missionary to Africa, David Livingston. The chapel in his town had two inscriptions: “The love of Christ constraineth us” and a statement from Livingston’s diary, “The love of Christ compelled me.” He was willing to give up his liberty, profession and go to Africa when there were no amenities. He gave his life to Africa, not because of some reward, but because the love of Christ compelled him. That is the true incentive for serving Christ, for keeping the law.

Objection 2: Is the assurance of salvation the same as once saved always saved? The answer is no. The doctrine of once saved always saved, or what the Calvinists call eternal security, is based on the doctrine of double predestination—that God has chosen some to be saved and the rest left to be retrobates. The assurance of salvation is based on the good news of the gospel and the doctrine of justification by faith. These are two different foundations for the above two different beliefs.

The doctrine of predestination is based on the idea that God is sovereign. That means whatever God decides or chooses will happen because He is sovereign. Since the Bible clearly teaches some will be some lost, Calvin concluded that God could not have saved all mankind on the cross. He limited the atonement to only those that God predetermined He would save. He called the rest of humanity “reprobates.” They will be lost. But to those who He elected, to those who Christ died for, the predetermined ones, He gives the gift of faith. When this gift is exercised and you experience the new birth and pass from death to life, you have eternal security, you can never be lost – once saved always saved – no matter what you do afterwards. The Calvinists say now you become a child of God and you cannot lose this fact. You will always be a child of God, even if you leave the church.
One of the examples they give is the prodigal son. They say when he left home, he was still the son of the father. They are perfectly correct, but please remember, when he left home, he left the blessings of that home, too. Had he not returned in repentance, he would never have enjoyed the blessings of home. Yes, God still loves us when we turn our backs on Him, He loves us to the very end. Just as the father did his prodigal son. That’s why the destruction of the wicked is a strange act for God.
But if a born again Christian deliberately and persistently turns his or her backs on Christ through such a person is also saying good-bye to heaven. When you turn your back on Christ you are deliberately choose to be lost. And it won’t be because God has condemned you, but because you have rejected truth as it is in Christ. That is why the New Testament is full of admonitions. Persevere unto the end and under no circumstances should you give up your faith in Christ. Your faith in Christ, even though it’s not tangible – you can’t see it, you don’t have a card that reminds you that you have it – is the most valuable thing you possess. Don’t give it up.

Objection No. 3: When Ellen G. White warns us as a people that we should never say I am saved, is she implying that Christians should not have or be given the assurance of salvation? Is her statement synonymous with assurance of salvation? Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only did Ellen G. White emphasize assurance of salvation, but the very last letter that she penned, written to a discouraged lady, was to give her assurance of salvation.

I meet these objections wherever I travel, so I take several pages with statements by Ellen G. White giving us assurance of salvation. Let me read a few of them.
-- “When the free gift of Christ's righteousness is not presented, the discourses are dry and spiritless; the sheep and the lambs are not fed.” Evangelism 186. When God calls you to accept His Son, He is offering you salvation, full and complete in His Son.”
-- “The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought. The enemy of God and man is not willing that this truth should be clearly presented; for he knows that if the people receive it fully, his power will be broken.” (Gospel Workers 161) I know that’s truth. When the devil knocks me down and says, “You’re not good enough to be saved”, I say “Yes, you are absolutely correct, but that’s only half the truth. Let me give you the other half. In Christ, I stand perfect and complete. Can you find one fault in my Savior so you can condemn me?” He puts his tail between his legs and takes off.
-- “We must center our hopes of heaven upon Christ alone, because He is our substitute and surety.” (1SM 363) That’s assurance of salvation.
-- “Christ alone is the source of all hope and salvation. … The tidings that Christ is our righteousness has brought relief to many, many souls, and God says to His people, ‘Go forward.’” (1SM 356-357) We go forward because the love of Christ compels us, not because we want a ticket to heaven. It’s already ours.
-- “There are conscientious souls that trust partly to God, and partly to themselves. They do not look to God, to be kept by His power, but depend upon watchfulness against temptation, and the performance of certain duties for acceptance with Him. There are no victories in this kind of faith. We can do nothing, absolutely nothing, to commend ourselves to divine favor. (1SM 353)
-- “God will accept every one that comes to Him trusting wholly in the merits of a crucified Savior. Love springs up in the heart. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there is an abiding, peaceful trust. Every burden is light; for the yoke that Christ imposes is easy. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. The path that before seemed shrouded in darkness becomes bright with beams from the Sun of Righteousness. This is walking in the light as Christ is in the light. (1SM 354)
-- “When we seek to gain heaven through the merits of Christ, the soul makes progress.” (1 SM 364)
“We are not to be anxious about what Christ and God think of us, but about what God thinks of Christ, our Substitute.” (2SM 32, 33)
--“The Lord has given me a message for you, and not for you only, but also for other faithful souls who are troubled by doubts and fears regarding their acceptance by the Lord Jesus Christ. His word to you is, ‘Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine’ (Isaiah 43:1). You desire to please the Lord, and you can do this by believing His promises.” (2MCP 640)
-- “The Lord has given me a message for you, and not for you only, but also for other faithful souls who are troubled by doubts and fears regarding their acceptance by the Lord Jesus Christ. His word to you is, ‘Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine’ (Isaiah 43:1). You desire to please the Lord, and you can do this by believing His promises. He is waiting to take you into a harbor of gracious experience, and He bids you, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10). You have had a time of unrest; but Jesus says to you, ‘Come unto Me, . . . and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28). The joy of Christ in the soul is worth everything. ‘Then are they glad,’ because they are privileged to rest in the arms of everlasting love.” Lt 2, 1914 (TM 516)
-- “The feeling of guiltiness must be laid at the foot of the cross, or it will poison the springs of life. When Satan thrusts his threatenings upon you, turn from them, and comfort your soul with the promises of God. The cloud may be dark in itself, but when filled with the light of heaven, it turns to the brightness of gold; for the glory of God rests upon it.” (TM 518.3)
-- “God's children are not to be subject to feelings and emotions. When they fluctuate between hope and fear, the heart of Christ is hurt; for He has given them unmistakable evidence of His love. He wants them to be established, strengthened, and settled in the most holy faith. He wants them to do the work He has given them; then their hearts will become in His hands as sacred harps, every chord of which will send forth praise and thanksgiving to the One sent by God to take away the sins of the world.” (TM 518.4)

How are we to address Ellen G. White’s statement addressed to us as a people. “We must never say I’m saved”? As with scripture, Ellen G. White must never be read out of context. Unfortunately, this is a common problem among God’s people. We need to do proper exegesis. We need to look at statements in their context. When you read this statement in the context, you will notice that she is condemning one of two heresies that existed in her day – the heresy of the holy flesh movement that plagued the General Conference toward the end of the 19th century. Even the president of the conference took a statement from Ellen G. White where she said when probation closes, we will have to live without sin, without a mediator and lead holy lives. She did not say without a Savior. We must not confuse the two. They said, how can we live as long as we are sinful flesh? They came up with a program that when your name comes up and you happen to pass the judgment, the Holy Spirit will come down and remove your sinful nature so you will have holy flesh so that you can live a sinless life without a mediator. She said we must never say we are saved because she was warning the people when you say that – they were talking of being saved not in terms of assurance of salvation, but in terms of I can never sin again – that’s a lie. In that sense, she says I must never say I am saved. She was not referring to the assurance of salvation. This heresy resurrected in the 1960s under the awakening Brimsmeeds (ph) group. Today, some independent ministries are very close to the holy flesh movement.

Hebrews 10:35-39 is an admonition that we must never forget. It was written to the Jewish believers, but it’s recorded for our benefit. Therefore do not cast away your confidence [in Christ], which has great reward. For you have need of endurance [hold onto our faith], so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back [says goodbye to faith], My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

The most valuable thing you possess is your faith in Christ. Don’t give it up. Yes, you may be mistreated. You may be ignored. You may not be appreciated. When you die, you are not dead; you are sleeping. When Christ comes, He’ll wake you up, not with the old body, but with a brand new body. We have a hope. Don’t give up that hope. We have full assurance of salvation. Our salvation is guaranteed because we are complete in Christ. We can face the ups and downs of life no longer having to worry will I make it to heaven, will I pass the judgment. We have an advocate who is able to save us to the uttermost.

While we live on this earth, may we live to glorify Him so the people around us see the joy, the peace that passeth understanding. That’s what the world is craving.

Chapter 8

The Two Atonements

II Corinthians 5:18-21, Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

As Seventh-day Adventists, we have some unique doctrines. One is called the Doctrine of the Final Atonement. It is a doctrine based on the Old Testament yearly ceremonial service of the sanctuary that is the most important feast day for the Jews, even to this day, Yom Kippur, which we all know as the Day of Atonement. According to our fundamental beliefs, we believe that in 1844 Christ, as our great High Priest, moved from the Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary into the Most Holy Place to begin what we call the final stages of the plan of salvation, to begin a judgment, to bring an end to sin, and then usher in everlasting righteousness.

The fact we have designated this last culminating work of Christ in the plan of salvation as the final atonement has raised a big question in the minds of many – both within and without the church. The question is: If what Christ is going to do and is doing is the final atonement, are we not implying, and some even teaching, that the atonement that Christ obtained for the human race was incomplete at the cross?

The Christian church in general, especially the Evangelicals, teach that Christ atoned for the sins of the whole world on the cross 2,000 years ago and that this atonement was full, complete, perfect. You can’t add to it, you can’t improve on it. Therefore, if we refer to the second phase of Christ’s heavenly ministry, the Day of Atonement ministry, as the final atonement, is it not tantamount to saying that what Christ accomplished on the cross was incomplete? This is what some have accused us of. This has brought a gospel issue within Adventism.

The question I would like to address is: Are we right in defining this final phase of Christ’s priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary as the final atonement? If we are right, what do we do with the fact that Christ cried out “It is finished” on the cross?

The first thing we have to do in addressing this issue is defining the word “atonement.” The word is made up of three different words joined together -- at one ment. It is a word that is normally translated today as reconciled or reconciliation.

Here’s an example where you will see “atonement” meaning “reconciled.” Romans 5:11, And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation [atonement]. The word “atonement” means removing any barrier that has caused a separation between two people or two groups of people. When the barrier is removed, you bring them back together. When the word atonement or reconciliation is used in a theological sense, it is removing that which separates us sinners from a holy God.

What separates us from a holy God? Isaiah 59:2, But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. He is referring to his people, the Jewish nation; but this applied to the whole human race since we are in the same camp. The sin problem has brought about a separation between the holy God and us sinners. This sin problem has to be removed in order for reconciliation between God and mankind to occur.

Let us be absolutely clear, the sins of the entire human race were atoned for by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. As a result, sinful humanity was reconciled to God on the cross. This atonement or reconciliation was perfect, full and complete. This is part and parcel, the very heart of the good news of the gospel. The gospel tells us to stop running away from God. He’s not out to punish us. He has reconciled us to Himself by the death of His Son.

Let me give you some New Testament statements that clearly bring this out so we are clear what the Word of God teaches.

Romans 5:10-11, For if when we were enemies [not just referring to believers, but to the whole human race that were enemies of God] we were reconciled [past tense] to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. We have already been reconciled to God through the death of His Son.

II Corinthians 5:18-19 is another statement that tells us the human race was reconciled to God on the cross. Now all things [all the blessings of the gospel] are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us [the believers] the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. The sins of the entire human race – past, present and future – were atoned for on the cross. We must never undermine the cross. It is the central message of the New Testament. Even Sister White tell us of all professing Christians, Adventists should be foremost in lifting up Christ, the crucified Savior, to a perishing world.

Colossians 1:19-20, For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Reconciliation took place on the cross. The atonement was perfect, it was finished, it was complete.

If that is true, do we have a right to have a Doctrine of the Final Atonement? Yes. The Bible clearly teaches a final atonement. How are we to explain this final atonement when the atonement at the cross was complete, finished and perfect? Let me give you the Bible’s answer. As I mentioned in a previous chapter, the Bible is full of paradoxes. This is one of them. The problem is solved once we realize that salvation is presented in the Bible as both an objective truth – something that has already taken place; as well as the subjective experience – something that takes place in the lives of those who believe in Jesus Christ. In dealing with the subject of assurance of salvation, we face the same issue. As an objective truth, all Christians can claim I have already been saved in Christ. Ephesians 2:6 says, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That’s an objective truth. That is what gives us the assurance of salvation. But as a subjective experience, we must also add I am being saved. In what sense? I am being saved daily from the power of and slavery to sin – the process of sanctification. Since sanctification does not change our sinful nature to our dying day or until Christ comes, we must also add that I will be saved from this corrupt body, I will be saved from the nature and presence of sin at the second coming of Christ. That is what glorification is all about.

The same truth of the objective/subjective idea must be applied to the doctrine of atonement. As an objective truth, the entire human race has already reconciled to God by the death of His Son. But as a subjective experience, we have not experienced the fullness of that “at one ment.”

Atonement or reconciliation as a subjective experience is expressed in at least three ways in the Bible, culminating in the third one – the final atonement. Keeping this in mind, let me give you the three main phases of the subjective experience of atonement as brought out in the Word of God.

Phase 1: The reconciliation between mankind and God. Please notice, I did not say between God and mankind. That has already taken place on the cross. We have already been reconciled to God by the death of His Son. What is left is for us to be reconciled to God. Please note the word “reconciliation” is used twice in our scripture reading – one as an objective truth, and one as a subjective experience. Look at verse 18: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ [the objective truth], and has given us [the believers] the ministry of reconciliation. What is this ministry? The ministry is to tell the world that God has already been reconciled them. What is left is for them to be reconciled to God. Look at verse 20, Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. Reconciliation or atonement is a two-way affair. When you bring two people together, you must remove the barrier from both sides. You must bring both people together. We as human beings have turned our backs to God. We are sinners by nature. God has been reconciled us – He has removed the barrier between Him and us through the cross, but we have to accept its removal. If we don’t accept the cross, then we are placing a barrier between God and us. Paul is saying, as Christians, we must tell the world that God has already removed the barrier between Him and us. It is not our confession or performance that removes the barrier. The cross removed the barrier. Our performance, our confession, everything else is the result of the fact that we have been reconciled to God. Since we have been made righteous in Jesus Christ, we have to live a righteous life as Christians – not to be saved, but to glorify our Savior.

So, reconciliation as a subjective experience has to be between us and God. In the case of believers, that has already happened. The moment you accepted Christ, reconciliation from both sides took place and you are no longer condemned by God or stand guilty. You have passed from death to life. We have become the children of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Phase 2: The Bible also speaks of atonement as an ongoing application through our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, in the heavenly sanctuary. We stand complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10) We stand perfect, blameless, without fault in Christ. (Ephesians 1:4) But in ourselves, we are still sinners. Even if we have stopped sinning, we are still sinners by nature. God is not blaming you for that. But Satan is using the fact that we are sinners by nature, using the fact he has knocked us down, to accuse us before God day and night. Revelation 12:10 says Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He is saying to Jesus, “You have no right to take these people to heaven. Can’t you see what they are doing? Don’t you know they have a nature that doesn’t qualify them for heaven?” And Jesus, our mediator, says, “Yes, but you forgot that I have made atonement for their sins and they have accepted that by faith and therefore, you cannot accuse them because of what they are in Me.”

Hebrews 2:17, Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. In other words, Jesus redeemed us when He became one of us by His life and death. He made atonement for our sins. In the heavenly sanctuary, Christ is taking that finished atonement and using it as the weapon to defend the believers against Satan’s accusations. He’s a lawyer that will guarantee winning the case. That is also subjective.

Phase 3: The Bible speaks of a final atonement when sin will be eradicated and the whole universe will be “at one ment” with God. Even though Christians are perfect in Christ and have full assurance of salvation, we still have a sinful nature that is antagonistic and against our converted mind – what Paul called the inner man. We have a war within us. There is no “at one ment” in us as Christians because now our mind is on the side of God and our flesh is on the side of Satan or sin.

In Romans 7:15-25, Paul is describing the struggle between flesh and spirit. He’s saying, in my mind, in my inner man, I want to do good, I hate evil. I delight in the law of God. But in my flesh, in my members, I have the law of sin that is warring against my mind and making me a captive. Then he cries out in agony in verse 24 over the inner turmoil, O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Paul does not have “at one ment” in himself. Neither do we. Look at his answer in verse 25, I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Christ will one day bring atonement between your mind (that is converted and qualified for heaven) and your nature (that is corrupt). Atonement needs to take place between my converted mind and my sinful nature. That will take place when Christ comes. We won’t have that struggle in heaven or the new earth. We’ll have a mind and nature that is in perfect harmony with God. There will be “at one ment.” But that is future. It’s part of the final atonement. As Christians, we look forward to the second coming of Christ. Why? Because even though the atonement is finished on the cross, it is still future in the fullness sense as a subjective experience.

Romans 8:22-25 is part of the final atonement. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. When Adam sinned, it not only affected the human race, but because he was given dominion over this whole earth, it affected nature. That is why Hebrews 2:9 says, But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. God took the foolishness of man when they placed a crown of thorns on Christ’s head and made it the symbol of bearing the curse of sin because God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of your fault.”

In Philippians 3:20-21, Paul says, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. The “at one ment” between your sinful nature and your converted mind will not take place until the second coming of Christ. Don’t be discouraged. In Jesus Christ you stand perfect. You stand accepted in the Beloved.

As Christians, we are citizens of heaven. But we are still living in enemy territory. To a large degree, this world is still under Satan and he’s going to use this opportunity to make our lives hell. He makes it so miserable hoping we’ll give up Christ. When Christ comes, there will be no enmity between your nature and your flesh. When Christ restores this earth to its original perfection, everything – animate and inanimate – will be “at one ment.” All the universe will declare God is love.

Sometime you need to read the last paragraph of the book Great Controversy. That is when the final atonement will take place – at the third coming of Christ in the new earth.

Let me give you a taste of what it will be like. Revelation 21:1-5 refers to the third coming of Christ. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. [The first heaven and first earth were handed over to Satan because of the fall.] Also there was no more sea. [Which means there will be no more separation.] Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them … This is the final atonement. The barrier was removed at the cross. But now, God is going to dwell with man. He will live with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. Who said this earth isn’t the center of the universe? Maybe not physically, but it is the center of the universe in the final atonement. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. This is the final atonement. This is what the Doctrine of the Final Atonement is all about. It is not adding to the finished work of Christ on the cross. But, it is making real in experience what Christ obtained for the entire human race on the cross. In other words, the final atonement is the climax. It’s the Hallelujah Chorus of the plan of redemption. We will all stand up at that time and we will not sing “Glory for Me,” but we’ll take our crowns and lay them at the feet of Jesus and say “Glory to Him.”

I know that too often we have presented this doctrine in a legalistic way. We have implied that what Christ did on the cross is incomplete and therefore, He has to finish the work in you and unless you stop sinning, you’ll never make it to heaven. It has driven people out in despair. It has robbed our people of the joy of salvation. That is not the purpose of the final atonement. Let me put it this way. We must not be ashamed of the glorious Doctrine of the Final Atonement because it points forward to a reality that, at the moment, is ours only by faith.

Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Salvation in its fullness is not tangible at the moment. It is ours in Christ. It will be a reality one day. The Doctrine of the Final Atonement helps believers to hold on to their confidence in Christ.

Revelation 22:20, He who testifies to these things says, “Sure I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! And I say to you, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, be with you now and forevermore. Amen. May God bless you that you look forward to this final atonement because of what Christ accomplished on the cross.

Chapter 9

The Sanctuary Message

John 2:18-22: So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

If there is anything that the devil hates, it is that we understand the gospel. Ever since God brought the promise of salvation to the human race after the fall, Satan has tried his very best to sidetrack God’s people from what the gospel is all about.

One of the major doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is what we call the Sanctuary Message.

I would like to start our study by reading the main text of this doctrine as it is spelled out in our Fundamental Belief No. 23. “There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefit of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. He was in inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of his ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment that is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. … The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences those among the dead who are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus.”

This unique doctrine has made no positive impact on the Christian church. In fact, some aspects of it have come under fire from non-Adventist scholars and more recently from some of our own. Therefore, we need to ask the question: Have we been following cunningly devised follies? My honest belief is that our pioneers, who first formulated this doctrine through their own Bible study that was later endorsed by Ellen G. White, were lead by God in spite of their limitations. We are going to divide this doctrine into four studies because it is too detailed and complicated to do it in one study as part of the series in studying the Gospel Issues in Adventism.

This chapter will consider the Sanctuary Message itself. The next three chapters will look at 1844 and the Doctrine of the Investigative Judgment – which has brought a lot of insecurity among our people – all in the light of the gospel.

After the death of our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles established the Christian church according to the commission given to them by Jesus, the leadership of the church fell into the hands of what we call the church fathers mainly of Greek origin. The church fathers, as a whole, believed that the sanctuary message belonged to the Jewish dispensation, not to the Christian church. Therefore, this doctrine became obsolete except for a few individuals who touched on it until the mid-19th century when the Adventist church raised it up again. Sometimes we claim this is our contribution towards modern theology. The impact has been negligible and sometimes controversial. Why is this so? Is it their fault or our fault? Could it be that we have put emphasis in the wrong place just like the Jewish nation did? What do I mean by that?

Please turn to Acts 7. I want you to read the sermon of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. He did not mince words. He was very straightforward. What he said led to his martyrdom. There is going to be opposition whenever you preach the gospel. In Acts 7:44-50, Stephen is addressing the Sanhedrin, the leadership of Judaism. “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built Him a house. However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My thrown, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’ You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” You know the rest of the story. They grabbed and stoned Stephen.

What went wrong with the Jewish nation? They took the sanctuary that God had given them and instead of looking at what it pointed to, they made the sanctuary everything. It became the reality. When God gave the sanctuary to the Jewish nation, He was not pointing to a building in heaven even though we know from Hebrews there is a sanctuary in heaven. God gave the sanctuary to explain the plan of salvation in a visual way. It was what we would say in America, “God’s show and tell.” In Psalms 77, David says everything in the sanctuary points to the glory of God through Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In the incarnation, Jesus became the sanctuary of God. He became the reality of all that the sanctuary message pointed to. The incarnation was when the divinity of Christ and our corporate humanity that needed redeeming joined together. Jesus became the second Adam, legally qualified to be our representative, to be our substitute. His perfect life met the positive demands of the law which says obey and live. His death met the justice of the law which says the soul that sins must die. Jesus redeemed the entire human race so that when He rose from the dead, He rose having cleansed and glorified humanity. He took this redeemed, glorified humanity to heaven in Himself to represent us in His heavenly ministry.

The total plan of salvation is contained within the sanctuary courtyard. The courtyard was 100 cubits by 90 cubits, approximately 180 feet long and 90 feet wide, or two squares 90 feet by 90 feet. The brazen alter where animal sacrifices were consumed was in the center of the eastern square. That represented the cross – where our sins were consumed in the body of Jesus Christ. The eastern square represented the earthly mission of Christ. The spotless lamb reflected His perfect obedience. The sacrificial lamb represented His death on the cross. The western square, which housed the sanctuary building itself, represented Christ’s heavenly ministry. It had two rooms – the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. These two rooms represented the two-phase ministry of Christ. His intercession, which began from His ascension, will continue until probation closes. There comes a time when God has to bring the plan of salvation to an end. The Most Holy Place represents the final place of His heavenly ministry when He will eradicate sin and usher in everlasting righteousness. God gave this visual aid to establish His people in the wonderful hope of salvation. Through the sanctuary model we have a complete picture in a nutshell of the total plan of salvation. We know how it will end with the eradication of sin and the ushering in of everlasting righteousness. The sanctuary is a message that must give us full hope in Christ. It must establish our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

When you and I became Christians, Satan lost a citizen from his kingdom of the world. He does not take this sitting down. He’s doing his very best to turn against us. One way he does this is to accuse every believer, day and night, before our God. See Revelation 12:10. When we come to God, we are still sinners. When we come to God in the name of Jesus Christ, He stands before God in our place and we can come to God boldly with full assurance because Jesus is our righteousness. We have an intercessor on the right hand of God who is defending us.

Having said this, let me explain to you from the Word of God how Christ is the reality of the sanctuary message. It is Jesus Christ who saves us, not buildings or rooms.

Let us look at the statement that God made to Moses when He instructed him to build the sanctuary. Exodus 25:8, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” The purpose of this sanctuary was so God could dwell among them.

Now turn to John 1:14. In the previous verses, John is making it very clear that Jesus Christ, who is described as The Word, is God and was with God, but something took place in the incarnation. And the Word became flesh [human] and dwelt among us, … [Can you see the similarity? Now you have the reality. In fact, the Greek word for “dwelling” is “tabernacle” that is the sanctuary word. The Word was made flesh and tabernacled with us, and we have seen His glory. In the earthly sanctuary, the glory that came out of the Most Holy Place was veiled – it was only a shadow, it was a type.] and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” That is why Jesus said in the same gospel, John 14:9, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father …” In the earthly sanctuary, they saw Him in type, but now they see Him in reality.

The biggest mistake the Jews made is that they took the buildings, furniture, rituals, and ceremonies and gave them merit, made them the reality. The book of Hebrews, which is addressing the Jewish people, tried to correct this.

Hebrews 9:1-5. In the first five versus of Hebrews 9, the writer briefly describes the sanctuary model and its services. Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant [the Ten Commandments]; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. [In other words, he’s giving a brief description of the earthly sanctuary. It was not his purpose to explain the detail.] Verse 6 onwards describes the actual service. Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle [the Holy Place], performing the services [the daily ministry]. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All [the heavenly] was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service in regard to the conscience – concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation [that is, the reality].

What is this new order? Turn to Hebrews 10:5-10 where the new order, the reality of the sanctuary model, is described. Therefore, when He came into the world [the incarnation], He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure [He was not pleased with the way they used the sacrificial system. They took the type and made it reality.]. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come – in the volume of the book it is written of Me – to do Your will, O God.’ [What was the will of God? Read John 3:17.] Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offerings, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, not had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law) [God never gave it as the means of salvation], then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” [By doing that, He set aside the first – the type, the symbol, the model – to establish the second that is the reality.] He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Unfortunately the Jewish nation completely missed the point of the sanctuary message, the sanctuary model. That is why Jesus tried to correct them in John 2:18. Jesus had given clear evidence by signs and wonders that He was the Messiah. But their leaders came to Jesus and said, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Listen to the answer Jesus gave in verse 19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” How did the Jews understand this statement? Verse 20. Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” Verse 21, But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” [The reality.] Verse 22, Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Even the disciples had a veil in front of their faces after three years with Jesus. The believed the scriptures (the Old Testament and the words Jesus had spoken) only after He was raised from the dead. At last it clicked that the sanctuary of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ were really one and the same. One was type; the other was antitype. One was a visual aid; the other was a reality.

Why did Jesus use this as final proof that He was the Messiah? He said destroy this temple. Meaning what? His body. Did they destroy the body? Did they kill him? Yes. What method did they use? What did they demand from Pilate how this Man was to be put to death? Crucifixion. The Romans used crucifixion; it was not a Jewish method of execution. They remembered a statement in Deuteronomy 21 where God said to the Jews, if you hang a person on a tree, that means the irrevocable curse. It means good-bye to life forever. In the days of Christ, crucifixion was synonymous with hanging on a tree. The sermons preached in the Book of Acts by the disciples to the Jews often used the word “tree,” not “cross.”

Let me give you an example. Peter and the other apostles are speaking to the Sanhedrin who were responsible for putting Christ on the cross. Acts 5:29, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” [The Sanhedrin had commanded the apostles that they were to no longer preach in the name of Jesus Christ.] Verse 30, “The God of our father raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.”

Why did the Jews cry out “Crucify him”? They were asking God to keep this Man in the grave forever. The curse of God. Jesus said, you do that, and I will be raised up in three days. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest proof that God gave to the Jewish nation that Jesus was the Messiah. Before then, He would forgive them for all their rejection. After the resurrection, they were inexcusable for rejecting Jesus Christ as the Messiah. The temple that represented Jesus Christ was raised. Unfortunately the Jewish nation rejected Him. As a result, the building was destroyed. To this day, they are wailing, crying to God to please build it up. God is saying, “Look, I have already raised the temple in Jesus Christ. Please turn to Him. He’s your Messiah.”

Let me give you some statements.
- John 1:29. John introduced Christ to the Jewish nation as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. The lamb of the sanctuary services finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
- John 1:9-12, John 8:12. Jesus refers to Himself as the Light of the world. The candlesticks that were in the sanctuary represent Christ as the light who lights every human being. Jesus is now the reality.
- John 6:32-51. Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you will have eternal life.” (Paraphrased) The bread in the sanctuary had to be replaced every week. The bread that came down from heaven does not get stale or moldy – it is life itself. Jesus is the bread.
- Romans 3:24-25. Different versions use the word “propitiation” or “expiation” or “atonement.” The word used by the Apostle Paul is the same word that is used in the Old Testament for the mercy seat that covered the Ark of the Covenant. The Ten Commandments were in the ark that condemned us – we are all sinners. But that condemnation was covered by the mercy seat sprinkled by the blood of the lamb.
- Galatians 3:13 says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Paul is quoting a verse from Deuteronomy when he says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Christ is the mercy seat. He covers the condemnation so we can boldly come to God.
- Hebrews 7:25. The NIV uses a word that is equivalent to the Hebrew word “tamid” which means “continual.” Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them. Christ is the intercessor.
- Hebrews 10:19-20. Christ is the veil. When the priest came to the Holy Place daily, he could not directly face God. There had to be a veil. When Christ died on the cross, that veil was torn apart so that you and I can come boldly to God with full assurance through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has made a way into the very presence of God.

Let me explain the relationship between type and antitype. In Adam, humanity sinned, was defiled and condemned to death. The Bible is clear on that. In Christ, the same humanity was reconciled to God, was cleaned from all defilement, and was justified unto life. This is the sanctuary message that was given to the Jews in a model form. This is why Paul tells us in Romans 5:18, “By one man’s obedience, justification unto life came unto all men.” Through faith in the reality [Jesus Christ], everything that the sanctuary model pointed to becomes ours.

Let me give you a few points.

No. 1: The sanctuary was where God met His people. Exodus 25:8, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Also see Exodus 25:22, Exodus 29:42 – 43. God does not meet us in buildings today. He meets us in Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 5:19, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself … In Jesus Christ, the barrier between a holy God and sinful man has been removed.

No. 2: The sanctuary was where God revealed Himself. Through the sanctuary model, they saw what God was like. When a person sinned and brought his lamb to the sanctuary, everybody could see him and the tongues wagged. The moment he entered the courtyard of the sanctuary; he was covered by a white linen wall nine feet high. The sanctuary was a place of safety. Exodus 29:46. Today, God reveals Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. John 14:7-9. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” If you want to see a picture of God, look at Jesus Christ. He went about doing good. The publicans and sinners flocked to Him because Jesus revealed a God of unconditional love.

No. 3: The sanctuary is where God dwelt with sinners. Can you imagine a holy God dwelling with sinners? Exodus 25:8, Exodus 29:45-46. Today God dwells with us in Christ. Matthew 1:23 shows the kind of God we worship. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated “God with us.” John 14:23 brings out the same idea. God dwells with us in Jesus Christ.

No. 4: The sanctuary was where God spoke to sinners, where He revealed Himself. Exodus 29:42, Leviticus 1:1. God spoke to sinners through the priests in the sanctuary. Today, He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2, God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. God speaks to us through Jesus. The more you know about Jesus, the more you will know about God, the more you will rejoice in His love and redemption. See John 8:43-47.

No. 5: The sanctuary was where God accepted sinners. Leviticus 1:4. As long as you were outside the courtyard, you were a sinner. The moment you entered the courtyard, you were clothed with the righteousness of Christ. In Ephesians 1:6, Paul tells us that we have been accepted in the Beloved.

There is a statement “as a person thinks, so is he.” If you look at yourself constantly as you are in yourself, you see a sinner. When you see yourself as a sinner, you produce sin. If you think you are a sinner, you will act as a sinner. I advise you to look at yourself as you are in Christ. There you don’t see a sinner. You see a redeemed individual, a person in righteousness because of Christ. By beholding yourself as in a mirror, you see the glory of God; not yourself as you are, but as you are in Christ. You will be transformed from image to image until you begin to look like what you are in Christ. If you want to live the Christian life, stop looking at yourself as you are in yourself. Look at yourself as you are in Christ. Your thoughts, desires, ambitions will change into the image of what you are in Christ.

No. 6: The sanctuary is where God forgave sinners. There is forgiveness in Christ. Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31, 35. The Jews found forgiveness only as they came to the sanctuary. Today, God forgives us in Christ. Ephesians 1:7-8, In Him [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.

God has restored the sanctuary message to the Adventist church that we may get a total picture of the plan of salvation and that we may take this total plan of salvation and proclaim it to the world by preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified, resurrected and at the right hand of God until He comes. Because of this message, we can have assurance of salvation. We can say with Paul, “I know in Whom I believe.” Why? Because God has revealed Himself through the sanctuary that which He fulfilled in Christ and is fulfilling in Christ today in heaven until He comes to take us home. When He does, He will say, “Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Rejoice in this wonderful message. May we lift up Christ as we glorify Him.

Loving Father, we thank You for Your indescribable gift, Jesus Christ. We thank You that through the sanctuary model You have revealed to us Your total plan of salvation so that we can be sure of our eternal destiny. We know that He is able to save us to the uttermost because we come to You in His precious name. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, may Your unconditional love revealed in Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit remain with us we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Chapter 10

1844 and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary – Part 1


Daniel 8:9-14: And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?” And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.

How long, God, will you allow this to take place? The answer is in verse 14 – after 2300 evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary will be cleansed (restored, vindicated or re-consecrated). Some people say we took verse 14 out of context and made it say something the text is not saying. Finally, the opposition is on the investigative judgment itself. The argument is that our traditional explanation of the investigative judgment of the saints contradicts the gospel and the truth of justification by faith alone. They say all these arguments prove our doctrine of 1844 is unbiblical. What do we do?

These are serious charges that we cannot ignore. We can say we had been following cunningly devised fables or that our pioneers had limitations – they did not use all the correct rules of interpretation, they used the proof-text method, etc. In spite of this, God was still leading our pioneers and there is a Biblical validity for our existence as a church. As one evangelical scholar says, “If Seventh-day Adventists cannot prove 1844 from the Bible, they have no right to exist as a denomination.” That’s pretty serious. If that’s true, we better close this church down. I don’t believe it’s true. I believe there is a Biblical validity for 1844. Why? Because I believe that 1844 is vitally connected to our global mission to restore and proclaim the everlasting gospel into all the world. I honestly believe that God raised us up out of the Great Disappointment in 1844 to do a special work.

I want to look at this message in three studies.

In this chapter, we will examine Daniel 8:14 in the context of the entire book of Daniel. Then having done that, we will do an exegesis of Daniel 8:14 in the context of Chapter 8. Chapter 11 will consider the date and day/year principle. We will then be in a position to correctly interpret Daniel 8:14 as God intended the verse to be understood. Our final study (Chapter 12) will be the investigative judgment in the light of the gospel. Does this doctrine contradict the gospel? I hope our study will help you in your own personal faith journey as well as our mission to present the gospel and all the truth about God as understood by Seventh-day Adventists.

Notice that the book of Daniel is divided into two parts: historical events that took place in the nations of Daniel’s day, and prophetic, apocalyptic events that will take place in this world until the coming of Christ. Daniel 8:14 belongs to the apocalyptic, prophetic section of Daniel.

In studying the prophetic part of Daniel, you will discover certain chapters deal with the same kingdoms and the same periods of time. This is especially true with Daniel 2, 7 and 8. They are parallel passages even though they use different symbols. Therefore, we are going to use the hermeneutic principle of parallelism or recapitulation, a principle first used by the Christian church in the third century AD. It is not something that we invented.

The head in Chapter 2 and the lion of Chapter 7 belong to the same kingdom, Babylon, 605 BC – 538 BC.

The torso of silver in Chapter 2 and the bear of Chapter 7 and the ram of Chapter 8 are dealing with Medo-Persia, 538 – 331 BC. Chapter 8 does not deal with Babylon because it was on it’s way out.

The first five kingdoms have one thing in common; they are all kingdoms of the world on the decline. If you think America is moving up, please remember that it will go down one day. All worldly kingdoms are on the decline. The last kingdom is the Kingdom of God. How does Daniel 2 describe the Kingdom of God? A great stone cut without hands that will come down and destroy the statue that Daniel saw in his vision of Chapter 2 that represents all the earthly kingdoms which will be replaced by an everlasting kingdom, the Kingdom of God.

In Chapter 7:9-27, you have a judgment scene as the last item in the prophetic scheme.

Finally, in Chapter 8, you have the cleansing of the sanctuary.

There are some things you need to keep in mind as we look at Daniel 8:14 in the context of the whole book. The cleansing of the sanctuary does not belong to an early kingdom. It belongs to the Kingdom of God. It belongs to the same kingdom as the judgment scene of Daniel 7 and as the great stone of Daniel 2. The great stone of Daniel 2 is the establishment of the Kingdom of God. When Christ comes the second time, He will destroy every other earthly kingdom. By the time you finish His first, second and third coming, Christ will establish His own kingdom on this earth. The great stone of Daniel 2 is describing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ which will be literally established beginning at the second coming.

We have to solve a problem before He comes the second time to establish His kingdom that He will give to the believers. We have an accuser who accuses us before God day and night. Revelation 12:10. The trouble is, his accusations are right. We are sinners. According to the accusations, sinners have no right to heaven. The Bible is clear; the unrighteous cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Before Jesus comes the second time, He has to vindicate the saints which is the purpose of the investigative judgment.

Daniel 7 is dealing with the investigative judgment in which Jesus will vindicate the saints. That will give Him the right to come and take us to heaven.

What about Daniel 8? What is the cleansing of the sanctuary? To define that, we have to do an exegesis of Daniel 8:14. We have seen one very important truth as we look at Daniel 8:14 in the context of the whole book – that Daniel 8:14 belongs to the end-time period, to the Kingdom of God. Please don’t try to link it with Epiphanius (ph), or you will be contradicting the hermeneutic principle of parallelism.

In Daniel 8, you will discover the prophet Daniel was shown four major events in the vision that he is given during the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign. Verse 1: In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me – to me, Daniel – after the one that appeared to me the first time.

What are the four things he saw and how are they interpreted by the angel Gabriel who gave him the vision? In Daniel 8:3-4 you have the ram with two horns. Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no beast could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great. Daniel is not left in darkness. Please turn to verse 20 where Daniel is given the meaning of this symbol. “The ram which you saw, having the two horns – they are the kings of Media and Persia.” The first item is clearly explained.

Now let’s go back to Daniel 8:5-8. And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand. Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.

What’s the interpretation? Look at verse 21. “And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. [Alexander the Great] As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.”

Medo-Persia is the first thing Daniel sees. Greece is the second thing he sees. The same format as Chapter 2 and 7.

Now we go to the third item, the little horn. Look at Daniel 8:9-13. And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered. [The little horn takes the truth concerning the sanctuary and throws it to the ground and prospers.] After Daniel sees this in verse 12, he hears a voice in verse 13. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary, and the host to be trampled under foot?” How long will you allow the little horn to cast the truth of the sanctuary to the ground and prosper? How long will you allow him to go against the Prince of Hosts? Verse 14 is answering the question in verse 13. And he said to me, “for two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

I want to pause here to explain something in case you are not familiar with it. The actual statement that Daniel recorded was 2300 evenings and mornings. That statement can either apply to sacrifices, which most of our translations do, or it could apply to days. When you go to Genesis and read about the creation of each day, Moses says evening and morning were the first day, evening and morning were the second day, etc. The 2300 could refer to days. When you go to the sanctuary, they had a morning and evening sacrifice. They had two sacrifices in one day. If you interpret the 2300 as sacrifices; how many days would that be? 1150 days. Some translations, like the Good News Bible, say 1150 days, not 2300 days. Now you know where they got that number. Nowhere in scripture is the sacrifice ever described as evening and morning. It’s always reversed – morning and evening. It’s evening and morning when it deals with days. I think Professor Young who wrote Young’s Commentary on Daniel and Young’s Concordance clearly proves that the 2300 days is days, not sacrifices. That is not the major issue.

Let’s go to verse 26-27 and see how Gabriel explains the third item, the little horn, and the fourth item, the 2300 evenings and mornings. First, let’s look at verse 23-25 which is the explanation of the little horn. “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [Note: not by his own power. Revelation helps us, the beast was given power by the dragon]; He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people [God’s people]. Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand; [How true this is. Here’s an example. Yesterday I was watching a program by an ex-Protestant who had become a Roman Catholic. He was explaining the need for purgatory. He said we human beings, except for the few saints, are still imperfect when we die. That’s a correct statement. God cannot take imperfect people to heaven. Therefore, He has to take us to purgatory which is like a dry cleaning place except they use fire, and cleanse us so we are spotless so we may go to heaven. That is destroying the gospel to the ground.] And he shall magnify himself in his heart. [He will consider himself superior to all other earthly kings because all the other earthly kings were only political powers. This one will claim to be not only political, but an ecclesiastical power. So much so that he will prove that the ecclesiastical power is superior to the earthly power so he can actually put his leg on the King of France and make him bow down before him. He will consider himself superior.] He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes [Christ]; but he shall be broken without human hand [the stone cut without hands]. The third symbol is also explained. It’s a political and ecclesiastical power that will rule the world.

Look at the fourth item. The 2300 evenings and mornings or days. Verse 26. “And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.” What part of the four items is verse 26 talking about? Daniel 8:14. The vision of the evenings and mornings.

In Chapter 12 it says, when the prophecy is about to be fulfilled, men will run to and fro. Daniel is not talking about airplanes and missiles in Daniel 12. Daniel is saying men will run to and fro to the book of Daniel. Knowledge will increase concerning the book of Daniel. The seal has been broken, but it takes more than one study.

How are we to interpret Daniel 8:14? Did God leave Daniel in the dark? He said seal up the book, it’s concerning the distant future. Did God leave Daniel hanging in the air regarding Daniel 8:14? No. You will notice in verse 27 that Daniel fainted. And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. What vision is he referring to? The vision that God told him to seal up until the time of the end – Daniel 8:14. Why was Daniel astonished or appalled by the vision that nobody could explain to him? Or as the NIV put it, why was it beyond understanding? In the next chapter, we’ll look at why Daniel fainted and was appalled, how Gabriel came to him as the result of his sincere prayer in Chapter 9 and explained the meaning of the vision. What I want you to keep in mind is that through our contextual study of the whole book of Daniel and through our exegesis of Daniel 8:14, one thing is clearly established – Daniel 8:14 is dealing with a last day event. It is dealing with the Kingdom of God. Let me give you another verse in Daniel 8 that brings this out. After Daniel was shown the four kings in the vision, Gabriel begins to interpret. Daniel 8:15-17, Now it happened, when I Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the bank of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” [God asked Gabriel to explain the vision.] So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” The vision was similar to the vision in Chapter 2 and Chapter 7 – it will take you to the time of the end. This vision is apocalyptic. It begins with Medo-Persia but will end with the Kingdom of God. Before that kingdom can take place, not only must the saints be vindicated, but the sanctuary must be cleansed. Which sanctuary? We’ll find out next chapter.

May God bless us as we wrestle with this key doctrine that is the foundation and central pillar of the Adventist church.

Loving Father, we thank You that Jesus is the rock of our salvation. Help us to link every one of our doctrines to that rock so that we may have a sure word of prophecy that we may know in what we believe, that He is the one who is the source and the means of our salvation. May we lift Him up as the Savior of the world. May we restore the truth as it is in Christ and may we rejoice in the blessed hope that we have in Him. We pray in His name, Amen.


Chapter 11

1844 and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary – Part 2

Daniel 9:24–27: “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

Did you understand all that? Unto 2,300 days – to be more accurate, evening, morning – then the sanctuary will be cleansed. Ellen G. White wrote that this scripture was the foundation and the central pillar of the Advent faith. (GC 409)

In the last chapter, we touched on the linguistic and contextual problems caused by our traditional interpretation of this text, which, of course, has caused many in our midst to say good-bye to 1844. I also mentioned 1844 is significant to our global mission. In the last chapter I laid the foundation to what I believe is the correct interpretation of Daniel 8:14. This chapter will give you the rest of the story. We will see why 1844 is significant to us as a people. But, knowing human nature, I believe I better start with a quick review to jog your memory.

Two things are required to come to a correct understanding of Daniel 8:14. We first looked at Daniel 8:14 in the context of the entire book of Daniel. We discovered two very important facts: (1) The book of Daniel is divided into two sections – historical and prophetic. Daniel 8 is prophetic. (2) All the prophetic chapters of Daniel, especially chapter 2, 7 and 8, use the principle of parallelism. That is, they recapitulate world events or world history. Therefore, following the hermeneutic principle of parallelism, we discovered that the great stone of Daniel 2, the judgment scene of Daniel 7, and the cleansing of the sanctuary of Chapter 8 all belong to the Kingdom of God that will culminate the history of this world.

There is something I didn’t mention in the last chapter. You will notice a list of worldly or human kingdom in all three chapters: Chapter 2 - the head of gold, the torso of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and the feet of clay and iron. These are worldly, human kingdoms. The same thing in Chapter 7 – lion, bear, leopard. Daniel is using different symbols, but they all belong to the same kingdom. Each of these chapters introduced the last symbol with the word “till” or “until.” Daniel was shown that this world will be run by human kingdoms until the great stone cut without hands would step in, or until the Ancient of Days will come and vindicate the saints, or until 2300 days and the sanctuary will be cleansed. These three symbols – great stone, judgment and cleansing of the sanctuary – belong to an end time period. They belong to the time when God will step in and establish His kingdom.

The second thing we did last chapter was an exegesis of Chapter 8 itself. We narrowed our study to Daniel 8:14 and saw four symbols given to Daniel 8; three of which were clearly explained. When it came to the fourth symbol, the cleansing of the sanctuary in Daniel 8:14, Daniel was only told that the vision of the 2300 days is true, but its meaning has to be sealed because it belongs to the distant future. That agrees with the conclusion we came to in our study – that it belongs to the end time period. It’s in the distant future because all the kingdoms of this world will eventually be destroyed and replaced with the Kingdom of God.

Daniel 8:26 says, “And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.” This information was devastating to Daniel. Verse 27, And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. Why was Daniel appalled, astonished, faint and sick? He tells us why in Chapter 9 where Daniel pleads with God. Daniel wrestled with the vision of Daniel 8:14 for approximately 13 years – the gap between Chapters 8 and 9 – and nobody could explain it to him, nobody understood.

To appreciate Daniel’s concern and prayer in Daniel 9, you need to keep two things in mind:
-- At the time Daniel was given the vision of Daniel 8:14, the temple in Jerusalem and the city of Jerusalem were laying in ruin.
-- In Daniel’s day, nations fought in the name of their gods. Therefore, the god of the victorious nation was considered superior to the god of the defeated nation. Keep in mind that Babylon defeated Israel in 605 B.C., destroyed the city and the temple, and were bragging, our god is superior to the God of Israel. Daniel knew they weren’t right, and it bothered him. As long as the temple and the city were in ruins, the name of his God was in the dust.

Read Daniel 9:1-3 to get the context of the prayer. In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans – in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord, given through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Please notice his prayer in Daniel 9:4-19. Even though Daniel was a prophet, even though he was greatly beloved by God, he still identified himself with the mistakes of his church. He did not say, “I am right God, but my people are wrong.” He uses the pronouns “we,” “us.” If you see errors in your church, please don’t say the church is wrong and I am right. The moment you do that, you cut yourself from the body. The church is the body of Christ.

What I want you to notice in the first three verses is that Daniel understood from his contemporary prophet, Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years. When Daniel got the vision of Chapter 8:14, those 70 years were nearing their completion. When he heard Gabriel say, “by the way, the cleansing of the sanctuary is in the distant future,” his immediate conclusion was that God had changed His mind and postponed the restoration of Jerusalem because God’s people were still a bunch of sinners.

Notice his plea at the end of his prayer. Daniel 9:17-19, “Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. Oh Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” Daniel had jumped to a conclusion that Chapter 8:14 was not referring to anything but the restoration of the earthly temple and city. He’s pleading with God not to delay the restoration, not to change His mind. He’s saying, “God, if you delay the restoration of the earthly sanctuary, Your name will be in the dust because people will look down at You as the defeated God. This creates a problem for God. In the last chapter, we saw in the contextual approach to Daniel and the exegesis of Daniel 8 that the cleansing of the sanctuary has nothing to do with the restoration of the earthly sanctuary. That’s the conclusion Daniel came to. By looking at the parallelism, the cleansing of the sanctuary belongs in the distant future when God will establish His kingdom. But Daniel did not realize that. He thinks that God has postponed so prays to God, “Please don’t change your mind. Please don’t delay the restoration of the temple.” How did God deal with this situation? We have a wonderful God. He knows we have limitations. He knows we can’t understand or bear certain things. What God did with Daniel is the same thing Christ did with the disciples when they linked the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place in 70 A.D., with the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus did not correct them and say, “Oh, by the way, they are two different events” because Jesus knew the disciples could not handle it. God knew Daniel could not handle the true meaning of Daniel 8:14.

I want you to look at Matthew 23 and 24 to see what Jesus did to the disciples. Matthew 23:37-39 shows Jesus approaching Jerusalem for the last time. He’s about to be crucified. He has come to Jerusalem on a donkey. As he stands on the Mount of Olives and looks down at the great city representing the City of God, He says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” In other words, You will not see me until God steps in and establishes His kingdom. In Chapter 24, the disciples came up to Jesus as He was leaving the temple to call His attention to its buildings. Verse 2, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Some of you may say every stone was not thrown down in 70 A.D. That is true – we have the wailing wall which is part of the city. Please look at it in the context. What Jesus was referring to in its fullness is till He comes, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Jesus is saying yes, in 70 A.D. the temple will be destroyed, but when He comes, not a single stone will be left. There’s no use wailing to restore the temple because even that will come down. Matthew 24:3, Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” They connected the destruction of the temple with the Second Coming. Jesus was also referring to the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. What did Jesus do? He did not tell them there is a huge gap of time. He simply combined the two. I believe God did the same thing with Daniel.

In Daniel 9, I want you to notice how God responded to Daniel’s prayer. Daniel 9:20–23: Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God [Jerusalem] , yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision [the vision in Chapter 8] at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision…” We know the vision has to be Daniel 8:14.

However, when you look at the explanation in verse 24 – 27, you will discover that Daniel is only told about the final probationary period determined for his people and Israel, and the restoration of the temple and the city. Daniel is told what will take place in the 490 days – the 70 sevens. Daniel 9:24-27, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. [When you analyze that statement, Daniel is told during the 490 years, all the predictions in the Old Testament that pointed to the Messiah would be fulfilled – that is, His earthly mission.] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” Clearly, no explanation is given for what will take place at the end time. Daniel is only told what will take place to his people during the probationary period of 490 years. Does this mean that Daniel was not given a true explanation of Daniel 8:14? If you say yes, then Gabriel lied because in verse 22 he makes it very clear, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.” God never lies. God gave Daniel an explanation of the concern he had which he thought was Daniel 8:14. But He expects us to look beyond that to see what will really take place after 2300 evenings and mornings. In other words, the only way we can solve the problem is to give verse 24–27 a dual explanation because verse 24–27 is an explanation of Daniel 8:14.

This may surprise you, but even Desmond Forde believes in it. Here is a statement from his book, Good News for Adventism, p. 35. “We [his movement, Good News Unlimited] take the position that the vision of Daniel 8:14 is briefly explained in Daniel 9:24–27. We have already mentioned that Daniel was left hanging in confusion regarding the earlier vision. In chapter 9, Gabriel appears again; this time to give Daniel wisdom and understanding. Gabriel commands Daniel to consider the word and understand the vision. What vision? Could it be the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the seventy years? Some scholars think so. However, this position is questionable since it turns the prophecy on it’s head making the first part regarding restoration, the 70 years of desolation. We are inclined to favor the vision of Daniel 8:14 [the 2300 days]. Thus, in Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel is told in more detail than before just what the vindication [the cleansing of the sanctuary] consists of.”

It’s clear that Daniel 9:24-27 is describing or explaining Daniel 8:14. When we look at it, it’s describing what will take place in Jerusalem for the Jewish nation. The only way of solving the problem is a dual application just like we did with Matthew 24.

When you analyze what takes place, you will discover five major events.

Event No. 1: The 490 years, which was the beginning of the probationary period for the Jewish nation, will begin with the command to restore the temple and the city. Daniel 9:25, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks…”.

Event No. 2: For this command to restore Jerusalem and the temple to be carried out, the Jews who were mainly in Babylon would have to leave Babylon and go back to Israel. That is implied in the command.

Event No. 3: The actual restoration of the temple and the city. I want you to notice that the restoration would be accomplished but in difficult, troublous times. Daniel 9:25, “The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.” When you read the history of the restoration in Ezra and Nehemiah, you will discover the trouble did not only come from the outside; it also came from the inside. In fact, mostly from the inside. The Jews were so busy building their own houses, they forgot the temple and the city. The Jews were also fighting among themselves. The fact that the prophecy brings out is that it will be restored.

Event No. 4: In the 70 weeks, the sanctuary model, which pointed to Christ, would become reality. The sanctuary was not about buildings, furniture, curtains; it was a visual aid of the plan of salvation beginning with the gospel -- the earthly and the heavenly ministry of Christ. Sin had brought separation between a holy God and sinful man. In Exodus 25:8 Moses was told by God, “And let them [Israel] make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” That is the promise. The fulfillment is John 1:14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. In Greek, the word “dwell” is “tabernacled.” This is the reality.

John 2:12-16 talks about Jesus cleansing the temple of the moneychangers. The Jews had taken the temple that was a visual aid of the wonderful good news of the gospel and made it a den of thieves. You want to offer a sacrifice, it will cost you so much. There was no other place they could get an animal; sacrificial animals were prepared by priests who worked in the temple. Since there was no competition, they were charging tremendous prices with the money going in their pockets. Jesus took some cord, made a whip, and cleansed the temple. He told the high priest, “Get thee out of here. You have turned the house of God into a den of thieves.” They came back to Him in John 2:18 and said, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus had performed many signs and wonders. Now they wanted a miracle that would prove He had authority to cleanse the temple. In verse 19 He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” They responded in verse 20, “It has taken us forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” Christ was not referring to a building; He was referring to Himself. Hebrews 10:5, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.”

Do you think your people, Daniel, will accept Him, the Messiah, with open arms? No. Instead, in the middle of the week they will crucify Him.

Why did the Jews demand Pilate crucify Him? To the Jews, crucifixion was synonymous with hanging on a tree that meant the curse of God -- goodbye to life forever. This man had predicted He would be raised the third day. The Jews said crucify Him because they were asking God to curse Him so that He would not rise. God allowed Him to be cursed not for blasphemy, but for our sins. He was cut off for our sins. He brought the sacrificial system to an end. Daniel is told, He will bring to an end the sin offerings. Galatians 3:13 says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) … Christ rose three days later. God gave the Jewish nation the greatest miracle that Jesus was the Messiah. Now there is no excuse for them to reject Him. When they rejected Jesus by the stoning of Stephen at the end of the 70th week, they were outwardly showing that they had committed a deliberate rejection of the Messiah. This was final and deliberate.

When you have some time, please read Acts 7:44-52. Stephen stands up and says, “Our fathers had the temple of testimony, a witness of the gospel. What did your fathers do? They killed the prophets. Now, God sends the Messiah and what do you do? You crucified Him, you murdered Him. But God raised Him up.”

Event No. 5: I will leave your house desolate. The stoning of Stephen was the close of probation for the Jewish nation; not for individual Jews.

Let’s quickly go through these five points and I will show you how each one of them can be interpreted in terms of 1844.

Point 1: Daniel 8:14, like the explanation to Daniel in Chapter 9, begins with a command. There is only one book in the Old Testament that was sealed. Daniel 8:26, “And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.” If you turn to Daniel 12:4, Daniel is told, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Running to and fro is not by airplane, trains and cars. Daniel is told when the seal is broken, many will run to and fro in the book of Daniel. Knowledge concerning the book of Daniel will increase.

Because the great stone of Daniel 2 deals with the Second Coming of Christ and the judgment deals with the end of time in Chapter 7, they concluded the cleansing of the sanctuary had to be the Second Coming of Christ. It agrees with the principle of parallelism. So the Millerite movement believed that Christ was coming October 22, 1844. The news was sweet in their mouth says Revelation 10. But when the date arrived, Christ did not come. It was extremely bitter. They had to come down the hill and face the crowd who said to them, “I thought you went to heaven. How come you’re still here?” Can you imagine the tremendous problems they faced?

Listen to what God says in Revelation 10:11, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” What did God mean to the little flock? You must proclaim again. Why again? Because God restored the gospel to the disciples. He established the Christian church on the gospel. On this rock, the confession of Christ being our righteousness, I will build my church. But the devil came in and there was a falling away. The little horn came in and took the truth of the sanctuary – not the building, but the truth of the gospel – and cast it to the ground and convinced the Christian church that you cannot be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone. They say that helps, but God expects you to contribute towards your salvation. How can God take sinners to heaven? He has to make you righteous. Yes, He helps you with infused grace. So the truth of the sanctuary that was cast to the ground is not simply the priestly ministry of Christ in heaven, it has to do with the gospel. “How long will you allow this?” God said in 1844, “I’m going to give a command. You must prophesy again. You must restore the gospel and proclaim it again.”

God raised the Advent movement in 1844 to fulfill a prediction that Jesus made in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Just as the sanctuary model was a testimony to the Jewish nation, the gospel will be a testimony to the world. The pure, true gospel, with no human devicing, then the end will come. That fulfillment of the prophecy is Revelation 14, the three angels’ message that has to go to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. 1844 is crucial. It is the date when God, the foundation and central pillar, laid down that the church must restore and proclaim the gospel. That’s the commission God has given to this church. I’m not saying we have done it, but I am saying that’s the commission.

Point 2: In order for that commission to be fulfilled, we will have to come out of spiritual Babylon. Babylon stands for the principle of self. Daniel 4:30, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” Man-made religion is based on human effort, human promises. I am not saved by Christ + me + keeping the Sabbath + paying tithe. We do all these things as evidence of salvation. We are saved by grace alone. You may ask, doesn’t the Reformation teach this? Not really. They laid the foundation. They defined the gospel. Even to this day, Evangelicals define the gospel as the life, death and resurrection of Christ. They miss out one very important truth – the first time the gospel is used in the New Testament, it has nothing to do with the life, death or resurrection of Christ, but His birth. The angel announced to the shepherds, “I bring you glad tidings. This day is born a Savior.” The birth is crucial because the birth represents the union of divinity with our humanity that needs redeeming. That qualified Christ to live and die for us.

God has raised this church to restore the full gospel, but we have to come out of Babylon.

Point 3: The restoration of this everlasting gospel will take place. However, just like the restoration of the temple, it will be realized in troublous times. I believe we are in No. 3 today. We are fighting over the gospel. There is only one truth, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His birth, life, death, and resurrection is the true gospel.

Point 4: When the gospel is restored and finally proclaimed with a loud voice, Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” The gospel will confirm the everlasting covenant to the Gentile world. When that happens, there will be no excuse for anyone to be lost. Anyone who rejects the gospel at that time will have to do it deliberately. Unfortunately, the Gentile world will repeat the history of the Jewish nation and God will say, “I leave your house desolate.” The end of the world will come when Christ comes the second time; when all the kingdoms of the world will be destroyed.

I pray to God, “How long will You delay the restoration of the gospel?” We have to have the same burden that Daniel had. His burden was the temple in Jerusalem because of the name of God. Our burden should be the restoration of the Gospel because there are too many people going into their grave without knowing Christ.

“As Christ’s ambassadors, they [God’s people] are to search the scriptures to seek the truth that had been hidden beneath the rubbish of error. Who has been hiding the truth? The little horn has been the primary culprit. And every ray of light received is to be communicated to others. What is this truth? One interest will prevail. One subject will swallow up every other. Christ our righteousness.” (Review & Herald, 12/23/90) I believe this is why God raised up the Advent movement. This, I believe, is the significance of 1844. This, I believe, is our global mission.

May this mission be fulfilled soon. May we pray on our knees, “God, we have sinned. We have confused our people. We have brought all these problems. It is not for us, but for Your name’s sake, for Your glory. Please, restore the gospel soon.” This is my prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Chapter 12

The Investigative Judgment

Daniel 7:26-27: ‘But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

Let’s also read Daniel 7:10, A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.. And the knees of the Adventists were shaking. This text, more than any other text in the Bible, has put more fear in the hearts of our people. That was never God’s intention.

So far in our study of the sanctuary doctrine, we have seen that the sanctuary message is vitally linked with the everlasting gospel. We saw when God gave the sanctuary model and it’s services to Moses, He was giving the Jewish nation a visual aid of the plan of salvation from beginning to end. The eastern courtyard depicted the earthly mission of Christ, the gospel. The western courtyard represented His heavenly ministry.

Then we spent two chapters looking at the significance of 1844 – when God raised up a movement out of the rubble of the Great Disappointment of 1844 and gave them a commission to proclaim the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people before He comes to establish His kingdom.

Today we are going to look at the third aspect of the sanctuary doctrine, the part of the doctrine that has put fear in our people – the investigative judgment. That’s not a Biblical term, but a theological term that we have coined. The word “investigative” is what has put fear in us. Anyone who is investigated is afraid. This is another major gospel issue within Adventism.

In 1980 I was asked to defend the doctrines of the church at one of the largest, if not the largest, theological seminaries in Africa. The first question they bombarded me with was: Please defend the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the investigative judgment in the light of justification by faith alone. The same question is being raised by some of our own scholars and pastors today. According to our traditional teaching, we have given the impression that the purpose of the investigative judgment is for God to scrutinize the lives of the believers to determine who is good enough to go to heaven. This, they say, is a contradiction to the truth of justification by faith alone. It’s a contradiction to the truth that we are saved by grace alone. They argue that according to II Timothy 2:19, the Lord knows those who are His. If that is true, then why the need for an investigative judgment? Once again we have to raise the question, have we been following cunningly devised fables? I, myself, take the position that the answer is no. However, as with the other issues of doctrine we have covered, we must present this key doctrine of the church in the context of the everlasting gospel. When we do that, the investigative judgment doesn’t become bad news; it becomes good news. We must present the doctrine of the investigative judgment in the context of justification by faith alone. That is what I’m going to try to do in this chapter.

The Bible is clear that this last day judgment includes the judgment of the believers. Let me give you some texts from the Apostle Paul, the champion of justification by faith. The church in Romans was almost equally divided between Jews and Gentiles. Each group had their own idea of how they should live the Christian life. Each one was pointing a finger at the other. Paul says in Romans 14:10, But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. II Corinthians 5:9-10, Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. I Peter 4:17, For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? We are not exempted from the last day judgment.

If God knows those who are His, why do we need a judgment for believers? The answer to this question is not because God has to find out who is good enough to make it to heaven. If that were true, we would have to admit that we are not saved by grace. If we are saved by grace, it’s entirely what Christ did as a gift, for sinners. I Timothy 1:15, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. If that is true, why should He turn around to see if we’re good enough to be saved? We must not contradict the gospel in our understanding of the investigative judgment.

We need to keep in mind what we have already studied to see why there is an investigative judgment. We saw that the great stone of Daniel 2, the judgment scene of Daniel 7, and the cleansing of the sanctuary of Daniel 8 belong to the closing history of this world when Christ will establish His kingdom on earth and eradicate sin. There is an investigative judgment for the believers because they are accused by Satan, the enemy of souls, day and night. Please notice Revelation 12:10 in the context of the gospel. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” Satan had grounds to accuse us before the cross. Why? Because as Hebrews 9:22 says, And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Since the cross, salvation, the power and authority of God has come because He has a legal right to justify and forgive us of all our sins.

Do you think Satan keeps quiet because of this? No. He is still accusing us. He’s saying to God, “You have no right to take the sinners to heaven.” Christ has to vindicate the saints before He can come and take them to heaven, before He can establish His kingdom on earth. To put it more correctly, He has to vindicate Himself for taking us to heaven because Satan is accusing Him of being unjust. That is the purpose of the investigative or the pre-Advent judgment.

That is what Daniel 7 is all about. When you study the judgment scene in the Bible, you will find that the judgment of God, just like the judgment of human beings in America, always involves three stages: the trial, the verdict, and execution of the verdict. The trial is where witnesses are brought up. When the trial is over, the jury decides whether the person is guilty or innocent. Daniel 7:9-10, the passage we love to quote in our evangelistic efforts, is only discussing one aspect of the judgment – the trial, the investigative judgment, the scrutinizing of the life of the saints. We produce fear when we emphasize that passage alone. It says, “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. That is enough to put fear in anybody who reads only that section of the judgment scene of Daniel.

I want you to look at the verdict that changes everything. Daniel 7:22, “I was watching [the judgment scene]; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High [we are told the outcome of the case], and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.”

Finally, the judgment is executed. It not only gives the kingdom to the saints, but actually destroys the accuser so that we will no longer have to face the accuser. The execution is found in Daniel 7:26-27, ‘But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

In the last two chapters, we saw that the cleansing of the sanctuary of Daniel 8:14 has to do with the cleansing of the gospel, the errors that have crept into the gospel that has turned the gospel from good news to good advice. The gospel is not good advice. The gospel is good news. Yes, the Bible is full of good advice to believers who are resting in Christ. But that advice is not for you to be saved. Salvation is a gift. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone.

Before Christ can come, the gospel has to be cleansed of all error. One truth must prevail. One subject must swallow up every other – Christ our righteousness. We must never connect Daniel 8:14 with the cleansing of the sanctuary of Leviticus. Linguistically and conceptually, it will not agree. However, we can link the cleansing of the sanctuary of Leviticus with the judgment of Daniel 7. Why? Because the cleansing of the sanctuary explained in Leviticus on the Day of Atonement is the solemn day of judgment to the Jews.

Let me give you a couple of statements so you will be clear what the Day of Atonement is all about. On the Day of Atonement, our High Priest will be engaged in one work, and we are required to do something else. We are involved in the day of the judgment. Leviticus 16:29-31, “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who sojourns among you. 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. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. Leviticus 23:26-31, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted of soul on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. [The same phrase Isaiah 53:8 used in referring to Christ when He hung on the cross. He was cut off from His father. We will be cut off from the living if we do not deny ourself.] And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

First I want to look at our role in the judgment scene, then we will look at Christ’s role. According to these verses, two things are required. While Christ is cleansing us from all sins, from all accusations made by Satan, the saints are required to do two things: (1) to afflict their souls or deny themselves, and (2) do no work on that day because it is a solemn day of sabbath rest. As you listen to these two passages, it becomes clear that if you do not meet these two requirements, God cannot vindicate you in the judgment. In other words, you will be cut off from the living; you will be lost. That sounds like salvation by works, doesn’t it? Let me explain.

We need to look at these two requirements in the context of the everlasting gospel or we will miss the point. When you take the everlasting gospel and apply it to yourself, you will discover that the gospel demands two things from you – one negative that is equivalent to denying yourself, and the other positive. Let me use Paul’s words, “The gospel demands of me to say, ‘Not I, but Christ.’” I gave you many ways Paul brings this truth out, but let me give you one that is so clear that you can’t miss the point. This was one of the last letters Paul wrote before he was executed as a martyr for Christ. Paul was afraid when he left this earth, false teachers would come and pervert the gospel. One thing he was afraid of was of the Judaeizers, the Jewish Christians who rejected Paul’s message of salvation by grace alone, who insisted that the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved. By that, I’m referring to the act of circumcision. In Philippians 3:3 Paul says, For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice [glory] in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh…

Our English translation does not give us the full meaning of the word “glory.” Let me give you an illustration. When we returned to this country after spending almost 18 years in Africa, we came to California and stayed a couple of days in Modesto with a family that were missionaries with us in Kenya. They had three boys. One said, “Come and see my car.” I was surprised by what I saw – a Ferrari. He bought a wreck through an insurance company and had learned how to fix the car and repaired it himself. It looked brand new. It looked so perfect I had to touch it. The moment I touched it, he yelled, “Don’t touch.” I thought, maybe the paint was wet, but it wasn’t. He didn’t want my fingerprints on his beautiful car. He was glorying in his car. He pulled out his handkerchief and polished the car.

Paul is saying Christians are glorying in Christ and have no confidence in the flesh. He explains what he means by “flesh”: anything that is true of you – your birth, your inheritance, your genealogy – that you are depending on, wholly or partially, for your ticket to heaven. Paul says, “Before I became a Christian, I was depending on the fact that I was circumcised, the fact that I was a Pharisee, one who was very zealous to keep all the rules of my church meticulously. I was boasting in the fact that I thought I was serving God zealously by persecuting the church. In fact, regarding the righteousness of the law, I thought I was blameless.” He was glorying in the flesh before his conversion. Then he says in Philippians 3:7-9, But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. He’s saying, “Whatever was to my profit, I now consider lost for the sake of Christ. When I discovered Christ my righteousness, my own righteousness looked like filthy rags. What is more, I considered everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I lost everything, I willingly gave it up. I consider them rubbish, that I may be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own.” That is what denying self is all about. If you think it is easy, please notice Paul says, “I suffered the loss of all things.” Who suffered? Paul’s flesh.

One thing we have a difficulty with is when we work very hard for the church or for somebody and they don’t appreciate it. We feel terrible, don’t we? You work all your life for the church and they kick you in the dirt. How do you feel? You stop coming to church because they don’t appreciate what you have done. It is extremely painful when you feel the flesh has attained righteousness through hard work and you have to throw it away in the dust for Christ your righteousness. If you do not deny yourself in the judgment, Christ will say, “I don’t know you even though you claim to have cast out devils and did some wonderful works in My name.” If you say, “Not I, but Christ. Lord, I have no confidence in my performance in what I have done and what I am doing, I am totally depending on Your righteousness,” then Christ will vindicate you in the judgment. If you’re depending on your righteousness and you refuse to deny that you have nothing good in you, then Christ will say, “I don’t even know you. Depart from Me into the fire.”

The denying of self and the resting in Christ (the Sabbath) is simply a sign that we are resting in the finished work of Christ. At the end of the sixth day of creation, Jesus, my Creator, said “It is finished.” On the cross, He said, “It is finished.” You can’t add to that redemption. You can’t even improve on it. All you can simply do is rest in it. We who believe the gospel are resting in Him. See Hebrews 4:2 onwards.

Our part is not doing something in order for us to pass the judgment. Our part is resting in Christ that requires denial of all our self righteousness.

Let’s go to Christ’s part. When we are resting entirely in Christ’s hands, then Christ will be able to vindicate us in the judgment. How does He do that? How does Jesus vindicate me, a sinner, when His own law condemns me? How can He vindicate me if I am simply resting in His righteousness for my salvation?

Before I can answer that question, I want to expose you to a Biblical paradox concerning the truth of justification by faith. If you read your Bible, especially the New Testament, you will find two sets of texts that, on the surface, contradict each other. One group of texts makes it very clear that we are justified by faith alone, apart from keeping the law and any good works that we do. There is another group of texts that says you will be judged and rewarded according to your works. This is a paradox. It sounds as if the Bible is contradicting itself. If you think I’m making it up, let me point you to some of those texts.

Let’s start with justification by faith alone.
- Romans 3:38, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
- Romans 4:4-5, Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
- Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
- Titus 3:5, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is clear. There are some in our midst who do not like it, but salvation is 100% gift, totally apart from what we do.

Let’s go to the other group of texts that say we will be judged and rewarded according to our works.
- Matthew 16:27, For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”
- John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Doesn’t this sound like salvation by works?
- II Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
- Revelation 22:12, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

The human mind that believes in the total authority of the scripture – which is what we are – cannot handle paradoxes in the Bible. The tendency is that we will harp on one group of texts at the expense of the other. Within our own church you will discover that the Evangelical Adventists emphasize the texts that deal with justification by faith alone; and the conservative Adventists emphasize the texts on the judgment and reward by works. The truth demands that we give both texts equal consideration. Only then are we being fair to scripture.

I want to add something here before I go on. We must make a distinction between salvation and reward because the Bible makes that distinction. Look carefully and you will see it. Salvation is a gift. Reward is how we respond to the gift and carry it out in our lives. If you think the bigger the reward, the bigger your mansion in heaven, forget it. That’s the system of the world. The bigger the reward you receive in heaven is the bigger opportunity you will be given to serve others. He that is greatest will serve the least. You will enjoy doing it because that is the principle of heaven.

Unless we solve the paradox, we will not be able to see how Christ can vindicate us in the judgment. The solution is not to ignore one group of texts at the expense of the other. The solution is to look at a third group of texts that bring the other two together. This third group of texts point out that genuine justification by faith always produces works. Those works don’t have any merit; they don’t save us. You may not even be aware of the works, but they are the evidence of justification by faith.

The Apostle James brings this out clearly in his writings. James 2:12, So speak and so do [speak and act] as those who will be judged by the law of liberty [the law that gives freedom]. That is not the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments never give us freedom; it is the gospel that gives us freedom. Freedom from what? Not only from the condemnation of the law, not only from death, but it gives us freedom to live a life of love. James is saying that if justification does not produce a people who produce works of love, then their faith is a sham; it is non-existent.
- James 2:14, What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? Then he gives an example in Verse 15-16, If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? James says your words are useless.
- James 2:17, Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Genuine justification by faith loves your brothers the same as you love yourself.
- James 2:20, But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? James was writing to the Jews.

James gave an example regarding Abraham. James 2:21-24, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. His faith and his actions were working together and his faith was made complete or perfect by what he did. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In other words, James is not opposing Paul. He’s saying if genuine justification by faith does not produce works of faith, then it is non-existent. When Abraham offered up Isaac, it was not to be justified. He was already justified at the age of 75. He was 83 when Abraham believed God and was declared righteous. He was 120 years old when he offered up Isaac. Why did he offer him up? Because God commanded him to kill his son. Why? He was testing his faith, not his performance. Not his righteousness. Look at Hebrews 11:17–19, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. When Abraham lifted up his knife to kill his son, Abraham said, “God gave me this son when it was impossible for me to produce him and He always keeps His promise, I know He will raise him up from the dead, so I have no problem killing him.” Abraham’s work was not a work of the law, but a work of faith. We must make a distinction between works of the law (trying to keep the law in order to earn salvation) that Paul condemns, and works of salvation (the works of justification by faith). They may look similar. In I Thessalonians 1:2-3, Paul commends the Christians at Thessalonica for their works of faith.

Having solved the paradox, let’s examine how does Jesus vindicate us in the investigative judgment, in the trial, in the scrutinizing of the saints.

No. 1: All three members of the Godhead are on our side in the judgment. Romans 8:31-32, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Please don’t think the Father is not sure about your salvation. He has justified you. He will never condemn you. Christ is interceding for you, defending you as a defense lawyer. He will not condemn you. The Spirit convinces us in Romans 8:16-17, that we are the children of God. Satan is the one against us.

No. 2: How does Jesus vindicate us? He has to prove that we have a right to go to heaven. Our works don’t prove that, but He does bring up our works of faith – not to prove our righteousness, but to prove our faith. Those works of faith are brought as witnesses to our faith, not to our righteousness. When Christ gives evidence that our works of faith prove that we are depending on Him 100% for righteousness, then He says to Satan, “If you want to condemn me, you will have to find sin in Me. You will have to prove that I am a sinner because I am taking the place for these dear people who are resting in Me.” Romans 10:4, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. If you are resting in Christ, the law of God is satisfied. John 14:30, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world [Satan] is coming, and he has nothing in Me. So, in the investigative judgment, Satan will accuse us of our sins. Jesus does not deny them. He says, “Yes, they are sinners, but their works of faith prove that they are resting in Me for salvation. If you are to condemn them, you will have to find fault in Me.” Can he do that? No. Jesus responds, “If you don’t believe My word, please listen to the words of scripture.”

Zachariah 3:1-4 describes the investigative judgment, Then he showed me Joshua [Jesus in Greek] the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem [the church] rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” The purpose of the investigative judgment is to vindicate the saints so that before He comes, He will declare to the universe, “I have a right to take them to heaven because they are resting entirely in My righteousness.”

There was a time when I was scared of the investigative judgment. I would secretly pray, “Dear Jesus, please don’t bring my name up yet because I am not ready.” I discovered something. Even if you live as long as Methuselah, you will never be ready in yourself. Today my prayer has completely changed. Now I pray, “Dear Lord, please bring my name up quickly. I’m sick and tired of the accusers of the brethren. I want you to shut his mouth forever.” May this be your desire and your goal in life.

Loving Father, we thank You that in Jesus Christ we have salvation full and complete. Lord, teach us to keep our eyes focused on Him alone. Teach us to rely on that righteousness that is able to save us to the uttermost because we know that Jesus is at Your right hand not only interceding for us, but defending and vindicating us when our name comes up. We thank You Lord that You are able to take us to heaven, not because of what we are or what we do, but because You loved the world so much that You gave us Your Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. May our hearts be filled with gratitude and appreciation and may we join the Apostle Paul in saying thank You God for your unspeakable gift. Amen.

Chapter 13

The Sabbath/Sunday Issue

Exodus 31:13-17: “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”

I must confess that my first introduction to Adventism was anything but positive. I was a Roman Catholic sincerely worshiping my Lord on Sunday when I was told quite emphatically that if I did not change my day of worship from Sunday to Saturday, I would receive the mark of the beast and be lost forever. This made no sense to me. I could not understand how a loving God would condemn me, and millions of others, to eternal punishment just because I worshiped Him on the wrong day. Even today when the issue of Sabbath/Sunday comes up, we tend to make it an issue between Sabbath-keeping Christians (us) vs. Sunday-keeping Christians (them). Is this the real issue? Let’s be honest. It may take you by surprise, but the majority of believers who make it to heaven probably were Sunday-keepers when they were on this earth. The change took place around 200 A.D. and through all the years, to this day, the majority of Christians are keeping Sunday.

If salvation is through faith alone because of what Christ did 2000 years ago, what then is the Sabbath/Sunday issue? Is it an issue between Sabbath-keeping Christians and Sunday-keeping Christians? I believe it is only in the light of the gospel and the great controversy between Christ and Satan that we can truly understand the real issue between these two days. That is why we are going to consider the Sabbath/Sunday issue in the light of the gospel and the great controversy. We are going to examine Sabbath keeping and how it will become the seal of God only after probation closes, after Matthew 24:14 has been fulfilled, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Then the universal Sunday law will become the mark of the beast.

To understand this issue, we need to begin with the fall. At creation, God gave our first parents dominion over this world. Genesis 1:26, And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” At the fall, Satan snatched the dominion from our first parents, and he became the lord of this world. Jesus was taken into the high mountain to be tempted after His baptism. His second temptation is found in Luke 4:5-6, Satan showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” Jesus never questioned that claim. In fact, on more than one occasion, Jesus called Satan the prince or lord of this world. John 14:30 is a good example. As a result of the fall, the entire human race was handed over to Satan and he began to have domination over the human race.

Revelation 12:7-9 is where the great controversy began between heaven and Satan. John describes what took place in heaven and the consequences of that first revolution. And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. When Lucifer rebelled against God, he was really rebelling against the very nature, the very government of God which is based on agape love which seeketh nor her own. I Corinthians 13:5. Satan insisted that this self-less love, that leaves no room for self, deprives one of happiness. That is why in Isaiah 14:12–14 Satan said, “I am going to live for myself.” That’s what he convinced the other angels who followed him. When he was defeated and cast out of heaven, Satan came to this world, deceived Eve, and using Eve as the tool, got hold of Adam and dominion of the world.

Since the fall, Satan has developed this world under the principle of self. You look at everything in the world – politics, education, commerce – and you will notice the principle of self at the very heart of everything that runs this world. You will notice that this is expressed in I John 2:16, For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. These three basic drives are based on the principle of self. All went well with Satan until Christ came 2000 years ago to redeem mankind from the hands of Satan and the consequences of sin.

Jesus told a parable that beautifully illustrates this. Luke 11:21-22, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace, but when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. Satan was not stronger than Christ in heaven. Jesus came as one of us and was victorious in the battle between Him and Satan on this earth. At the cross, Satan’s dominion was taken back by Jesus Christ. Satan was totally defeated and we were bought back by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

The birth of Christ qualified Him to be our Savior. Satan was defeated at the cross. John 12:31-33, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the rulers of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Christ said this to show the kind of death He was going to die. We were redeemed from the hands of Satan on the cross. I Peter 1:18-19, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ. This is what the good news of the gospel is all about.

God created mankind with a free will, freedom of choice. The gospel has divided the human race into two camps – those who have accepted Christ as their Savior and have come under His banner, and those who have rejected Him and still remain under Satan’s banner. Two texts bring this out. Matthew 10:34-39, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. [Is Jesus contradicting Himself? He told His disciples, “Peace I leave with you.” The peace Jesus brought to this earth was between us and God. Here He’s talking about peace between man and man, parents and children.] For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.’ And ‘a man’s foes will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Christ is simply saying the gospel is a sword. It divides people who were raised up together – parents and children, friends. I know this is true because I lost all my friends when I became an Adventist. You, I’m sure, have lost some of your loved ones as a result of accepting Christ. The gospel has divided this human race into two camps. John clearly explains these two camps in I John 5:19, We know that we are of God [the children of God], and the whole world lies under the sway of [under the control of] the wicked one.”

We are going to discover Sunday represents rest in man’s unfinished, imperfect work to the world still under Satan.

The issue between Sabbath and Sunday is not an issue between Sabbath-keeping Christians and Sunday-keeping Christians. We may disagree on which is the right day and other areas, but one thing is clear – both groups stand on the same platform, Jesus Christ our Redeemer. The issue is between Christians (the church which is divided today) and the world under Satan.

Sunday is the international day of rest. Example. We lost our hospital in Khadafi’s country. A few years later, the same thing happened when the Communist Revolution took place in Ethiopia. We had just paid $6 million U.S. to build this wonderful hospital and were about to lose it. The Communist government made a decree that we could form labor unions in the hospital. We were almost willing to give in and say, “We’d rather give in to the labor union than lose a hospital.” But to make sure we did the right thing, we brought the issue to our headquarters in Silver Springs. The brethren were divided. Finally, one said, “Let us send somebody who knows about these issue to investigate.” A lawyer went to Ethiopia and discovered that if we, as an international church, gave in in one area of the world, then the international labor union could use that to get all of our hospitals around the world to legally accept labor unions. We took an action – the answer was no. As a result, we lost another hospital. The international labor union has set aside Sunday as the day of rest.

Why has Sunday been set aside? Not because of something God did, but because they have chosen that as the day for rest from man’s work. Banks are closed. If you go to non-Christian countries, Sunday is the day of rest. Sunday has become man’s day of rest in terms of his work. Not because it’s perfect or complete, but because he needs a break.

Before Adam sinned, he was totally God dependent. The Sabbath stands for resting entirely on God’s provision. After Adam sinned, God said, “You will eat your bread by the sweat of your brow.” Genesis 3:19. As a result, man experienced fatigue, exhaustion. He needed a break. Sunday became established as the day of rest from man’s work. It was not given a spiritual meaning.

The issue is not between Sunday-keeping Christians and Sabbath-keeping Christians; it’s between the world and the church. This issue will not take place until Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” When Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled, every human being in the world that has reached the age of accountability will have to make a deliberate choice for or against Christ. Nobody will be sitting on the fence. No one will question what is the gospel or the true religion. Don’t ask me how God will do it. I know one thing: If He took a bunch of incapable, frightened, even selfish men and in 50 days turned them around through Pentecost and turned the world upside down so that Paul could say the gospel had gone to every corner of the world [the Mediterranean in his day], God can and will repeat that. How? I don’t know. He has 1,001 ways. I know one thing: Matthew 24:14 is a prophecy that will be fulfilled. This gospel will be preached into all the world for a witness.

What is the gospel? What does this have to do with the Sabbath? We shall see that in a moment. Just as the Sabbath pointed Adam and Eve to a perfect and finished creation, to us, it points to a perfect and finished redemption. That is why you will notice in our scripture reading, Exodus 31:13-17, God said to the Jews of the exodus, if any of you work on the Sabbath (breaks the Sabbath), he should be put to death, he shall be cut off from the living. Verse 13, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”

I’m going to show you the connection between the gospel and the Sabbath. Turn to Ephesians 1:4, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love… Did God know Adam would fall? Yes. Adam’s fall did not take God by surprise. But before the creation of the world, God chose us in Christ to be holy and without blame in God’s sight. The Sabbath was a sign that Christ would do this. He did not say Sabbath would be a means of your salvation. He said it’s a sign, it’s something to remind you that God is the one who is going to make you holy. Exodus 31:14, “You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.” On one hand God says it’s His Sabbath; on the other hand, it’s holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death. Then he explains in verse 17, “‘It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’” Verse 16 says, “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual [everlasting] covenant.” Is he referring to the old covenant or the new covenant? The old covenant is where God gave His law and man said we will keep it, and in exchange, God will give them heaven. The new covenant says, I Your Lord will redeem you through my Son, Jesus Christ. Your part is simply to receive it by faith. The Sabbath is a sign of the new covenant.

To explain the plan of salvation, God gave a model, a visual aid, called the sanctuary. The sanctuary revealed to the Jews the entire plan of salvation from beginning to end. In that sanctuary service, He gave them feast days – about 7 of them. Each feast day was designed as a sabbath, a ceremonial sabbath. Why? Each feast day pointed to one aspect of the plan of salvation. The supreme feast day that brought the plan of salvation to an end, the culmination of the plan of salvation was called the Day of Atonement. During that feast day, the Jews were told that God would cleanse them from all the sin problem, vindicate them, but they had to do two essential things for Him to do his part. Leviticus 23:26-32, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted of soul on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”

We believe we are living at the end time. This brings us to the issue of Sabbath and Sunday. We must never make the Sabbath/Sunday issue an issue between Sabbath-keeping Christians and Sunday-keeping Christians. Yes, we disagree on many things today, including the day of worship. But, there are Sunday-keeping Christians today who are keeping the Sabbath for the right reason. I’m talking of Saturday. We have argued that the Sabbath is the day that God has set aside for worship. Please give me one text that says that. I challenge you. Yes, it becomes an ideal day of worship. The reason God gave the Sabbath to the people is because it is the day that He wanted them to rest. Not only worship, but rest. How much time do we spend in worship from sunset Friday to sunset Sabbath? Four, five, maybe six hours. But the Sabbath is 24 hours.

Let me show you something. The first time that God introduced the Sabbath to the Jews was before He gave them the Ten Commandments. The first time the word “Sabbath” is used is in Exodus 16. I want you to look at it because it’s very significant. He did not say on that day you are not only to do no work, but I want you to have a sacred assembly. Exodus 16:22-29, And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’” So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.” Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” There was no worship assembly on the Sabbath during the Exodus. They were to stay in their tent. This does not mean that you can stay home, in bed, on Sabbath. The text is saying that this is the day when you are to do no work; you are to rest.

Let me make it clear. There are no merits in the fact that you do not work on Sabbath. Otherwise, you have to say Sabbath-keeping contributes towards your salvation. Then why does God say “Do not work on My Sabbath”? Let’s go to the meaning of the Sabbath. I’m going to give you three facts about the Sabbath which will help us understand what the Sabbath/Sunday issue will be all about at the end time.

No. 1: Both the Old and New Testament make it clear that the Sabbath is designated as God’s day of rest, not man’s. The word “Sabbath” means rest. That is what the fourth commandment brings out, Exodus 20:10, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God ... Jesus stated to the Jews of that day that the Sabbath rest was made for mankind.

What did Jesus mean it was made for mankind? When was it made? At the Exodus? No. He says “Remember.” When was it made? At creation. Genesis 2:1-3 makes it clear. Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended his work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Jesus made it clear that the Sabbath rest was made for mankind, but He did not say it belongs to mankind. In fact, He made it clear to the Jews that He was the Lord of the Sabbath. The Jews accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath on more than one occasion.

Mark 2:27-28, And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” On what basis could Christ claim to be the Lord of the Sabbath? Because He was God’s spokesman at creation. He was the word that brought everything into existence. He spoke and it happened. The Bible is clear, John 1:3, All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. Ephesians 3:9, and to make all people see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:16, For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. In Revelation 3, the Laodicean message, He says that He is the source of creation. It is He who created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He had a perfect right to call Himself the Lord of the Sabbath. Why did He rest? Was He tired? No. Did He need a break? No. Why did He rest? Genesis 2:1-6 tells us why: what He had created was perfect. Genesis 1:31. What He had created was perfect. He could not improve or add to His creation, all He could do was simply enjoy it. The Sabbath belongs to God because He’s the creator.

No. 2: The Sabbath is God’s Sabbath day, not ours. God said, let us make mankind and give him dominion. What day of the week did God create Adam? The end of the sixth day. When Adam and Eve opened their eyes, they saw a perfect and finished creation. They could not add to or improve on it. What did they do on the first whole day of their lives? They rested. Why? They couldn’t say “what a hard week it was.” It wasn’t a hard week for them. When you look at the Sabbath from God’s point of view, He worked first, and He then rested. When you look at the Sabbath from man’s point of view, because it was made for man, you do not begin by work, you begin by resting, then you work. To Adam and Eve, work was not sweat. It was enjoying the perfect creation that God had created for them.

What does this have to do with the Sabbath/Sunday issue?

No. 3: When Adam sinned, He handed this world – materials things and the human race – over to Satan. Satan claimed that he would make this world a better place. You need to remember what God create this world from. What was the condition of this earth before Jesus created it? It was without form and void. And in six days Jesus created the perfect and finished world. Satan takes over this world and says, “Look, I’m going to make this a better place.” And God said, “I will give you that opportunity.” Using the human race, he tried to make this world a better place. Did he succeed? Has the world become better since the fall? Does the Bible teach evolution or devolution? The world has been getting worst. The environment has gotten worse. Crime has increased. Sin has increased. How far will God allow the world to go before He steps in? We are told that when Satan has done his job, the world will be reduced into exactly what it was before creation. Satan will have 1,000 years to contemplate his wonderful ideaology that sin is better than God’s righteousness.

What did God do to the human race? Did he leave us entirely in the hands of Satan? No. Jesus, the Creator, said “I’m going to go down to this world and redeem it. I’m going to do the work, not them. They can’t save themselves. They are slaves to sin and Satan.” He came to this world 2,000 years ago not as a tourist, but as our Redeemer. By His perfect life and sacrificial death, He redeemed us. On the cross, John 19:20, He said, “It is finished.” What did He mean? He meant redemption was finished. It was perfect and complete. Romans 10:4, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Guess what day it was when he cried out, “It is finished”? The sixth day. Just like He rested on the seventh day from His perfect and finished work of creation, now He rested in His tomb from His perfect and finished work of redemption. Then He rose up because there was one more work to be done – restoration. When He finishes that, we read in Isaiah 66:22-23, “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.

The gospel has restored the Sabbath rest. The Jews took the Sabbath and completely missed the point. They made it a requirement for salvation. They took the requirement of the Day of Atonement, deny yourself and keep the day of Sabbath, and gave it a very legalistic application. Sometimes we do the same thing. Denying yourself simply means “not I.” Resting on the Sabbath means “but Christ.” It is His perfect work that saves us. The two requirements for the Day of Atonement are: Not I, but Christ. If we are on the platform, He guaranteed He will vindicate us in the judgment and take us to heaven.

The Sabbath rest was restored. That is the first thing Jesus tried to convince the Jewish nation. Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” After His resurrection, the writer of Hebrews said the same thing to the Jews.

Let me give you a few statements. We looked at Exodus 31:13-17 where the Sabbath was given as a sign of redemption. Let me give you another one. Just before Moses said goodbye to this world, he repeated the Ten Commandments. Listen to what he said about the Sabbath. Deuteronomy 5:15, And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath.

When you have some time, please read I Corinthians 10:1-11 where Paul takes the exodus from Egypt to Canaan and uses it as a type of salvation. Moses is a type of Christ. The crossing of the Red Sea is a type of baptism. Egypt obviously becomes a type of world. Pharaoh becomes a type of Satan. Canaan becomes a type of heaven. They were resting in God who delivered them from a mighty hand just as Christ delivers us from the hand of Satan, Canaan was the promised land. The majority of them never made it to the promised land. Why? Look at Hebrews 3:19, So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Then in Hebrews 4:1-10, he takes the gospel and links it with the Sabbath. Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place for the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works;” and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today, after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice [the gospel], do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God [the Jewish nation of the New Testament times. They were keeping the right day as a nation, but they had rejected the Lord of the Sabbath. It isn’t the day that saves us, it is the Lord of that day that saves us. Sunday-keeping Christians believe in the Lord of the Sabbath. They may keep the wrong day today, but they believe in the Lord of that day. That’s what qualifies them for heaven.]. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. If you are resting in Christ for salvation, and that salvation is perfect and finished, you will stop trying to add your works towards your salvation. You will deny yourself of your self-righteousness and rest 100% on the righteousness of Christ.

When Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled, it will become very clear it’s either all of Christ and none of me, or all of me and none of Christ. The gospel will divide the human race into only two camps – believers and unbelievers. Those who have built their house on the rock Jesus Christ, and those who have built their house on the sand of their self-righteousness. There will be no one in between. The two days will represent the two systems of salvation that were introduced in this world right from the very beginning of the fall.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. That is man’s way of saving himself. God covered them with sheepskin that is God’s way of saving us. Cain and Abel offered sacrifices. The issue was not offering sacrifices; the issue was motivation. One was motivated by faith in the promised Messiah; the other was motivated by what he had produced. Right through the history of the world, this has been the issue.

The great controversy will culminate in this final showdown between God’s method of salvation which is salvation by faith alone, by grace alone, and Christ alone vs. salvation by self-righteousness, man’s efforts, man’s work, man’s ability. No one will be sitting on the fence. There will be no mixture of grace + law or faith + works. Genuine righteousness by faith produces works, but we are not talking about the fruits of salvation, we are talking about what the Sabbath represents. The Sabbath will become the sign, the seal of righteousness by faith alone, through grace alone, through Christ alone. Sunday, which will be the symbol of the world under Satan, will become the mark of the beast. The issue is not the beast. Who gave the beast power? Please read Revelation. It’s the dragon. It will be the mark of Satan whose system is based on self. It will be self-righteousness, which is Satan’s method of taking you to heaven, vs. God’s method. The Sunday/Sabbath issue is not an issue over days but what they will represent at the end of time.

Today there is confusion in both camps. There are Sunday-keeping Christians who are totally resting in Christ for their salvation but keeping the wrong day. Today there are Seventh-day Adventists who are keeping the right day for the wrong reason. That confusion will be removed when Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled. The issue will be only on those who are for Christ and those who are against Christ. Those who are resting 100% in His righteousness and those who are resting in their righteousness. That is why we are advised by the Spirit of Prophecy that we need to search the scriptures. When we find the final truth, one truth will prevail, one subject will swallow up every other – Christ our Righteousness.

May God bless us that we may know this truth, and the truth will set us free.

Chapter 14

The Time of Trouble

Isaiah 54:5-8: “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God. “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.

Some of you may be wondering why I’m spending so much time on the gospel issues in Adventism. Once you are established in the gospel, God is going to use you as ambassadors to witness this gospel to your neighbors and fellow believers who have not understood the message. When you do that, I can guarantee you will come under fire. People will raise questions. People will disagree with you. The purpose of these studies is to equip you to meet those objections.

The time of trouble doesn’t sound like good news, does it? When Jesus finished His earthly mission of redeeming and reconciling the human race to God, He ascended into heaven, sat at the right hand of the Father to begin His heavenly ministry as our Great High Priest. When this ministry is finished, He will stand up and according to the prophet Daniel, the Christian church will be plunged into a time of trouble, a time of distress, that has never been experienced by any previous generation of believers. Please note how the prophet Daniel describes this time of trouble in Daniel 12:1. Daniel has been describing the heavenly ministry of Christ and when that is finished, “At that time Michael [Christ] shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.”

According to scripture, this time of distress is the last event that will take place on this earth before Christ comes to take His people to heaven. This time of trouble is referred to in the theology of the Christian church as the “great tribulation.” I want to turn our attention to this great event because I believe we are living in the last days and very likely we may be involved in this great time of trouble. Also, there is much confusion and misunderstanding among God’s people about this important topic. So I want to look at scripture and see what the Bible has to say about the great time of trouble.

In the first place, we must not confuse the time of trouble with the seven last plagues mentioned in the book of Revelation which applies to the unbelievers who have deliberately and ultimately rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior. The time of trouble is not the seven last plagues. I say this because there are many Christians that you probably mix with who believe in the doctrine of the rapture – the idea that Christians will be raptured into heaven before the time of trouble so they will be exempt from this problem. It is true, we will be exempt from the seven last plagues, but no where in scripture does it teach that we will be exempt from the great tribulation. For example, the text we just read in Daniel 12:1 said, And at that time your people [Christians] shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book [the book of life]. Delivered from what? From this great tribulation.

Turn to Jeremiah 30:4-7, Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah [God’s people]. “For thus says the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.’” Remember Jacob is the one who wrestled with the angel and he would not let go of God until he was blessed. This is a description of God’s people during the time of trouble. Israel, Judah, Jacob are terms that refer to God’s people, not the unbelievers.

Here are a couple of points to keep in mind:
-- The great tribulation will include the last generation of believers. They will include the remnant, the 144,000.
-- This great tribulation will take place only after Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled; after the angels of Revelation 14 have fulfilled their mission and this everlasting gospel has been proclaimed as a witness unto the entire world, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. In other words, the great tribulation will take place only after every human being who has reached the age of accountability will have made a deliberate and ultimate choice for or against Christ. When this happens, the world will be polarized in only two camps. Nobody will be sitting on the fence not knowing which way to go. Matthew 24:14 will be so clear and precise that there will be no misunderstanding.

When Jesus died on the cross, He died the wages of sin, He died the curse of the law. The Greeks believed in the immortal soul, but in general, the Jews do not believe in an immortal soul. They believe you die when you die. The hope of the believer is the resurrection. Jesus’ death by crucifixion symbolized the curse of the law. See Galatians 3:13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). When He arose from the dead, it was the greatest proof that He had conquered sin, He had conquered the grave that sin puts us in forever. That was the greatest evidence that God gave that Jesus was the Messiah.

When the last generation of Christians are plunged into such a time of trouble, it will only be after probation has closed and the eternal destiny of every human being has been sealed.

This brings us to a question: Why, then, should God’s people be plunged into a time of trouble if our eternal destiny has been settled? The answer is that this event is the great final showdown in the great controversy between Christ, the Savior of mankind, and Satan, the enemy of souls. The issue is the gospel and its power. The gospel of Jesus Christ claims His power unto salvation. The question is, can God produce a people who will manifest a total victory over the principle of self, which we are born with and the core of the sin problem? Can God give us victory over self? Let me put it this way. When you and I first accepted Christ, we were no different than His disciples. They accepted Him for an egocentric reason. They thought that He had come to overcome the Roman Empire and establish the kingdom of Israel. They were thinking, if I accept Christ and become one of his disciples, maybe I can be the Prime Minister of this new government. Their goal was self-centered. God did not rebuke them for this because their very nature makes them victims to such a motivation. Can God produce a people who will be loyal to Him even though the hope of salvation is taken away from them? Can God produce a people who will be loyal to their God even though they cannot see the hope of making it to heaven? That is the issue.

When Jesus cried on the cross (Matthew 27:46), “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” [“Father, Father, why have You forsaken me?”], He was experiencing God abandonment, the curse of the law. At that point in time, He could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present a resurrection to Him. He felt that sin was so offensive to the Father that the separation was to be eternal. In other words, His feelings were goodbye to life forever. But, by faith, He held on to His God, to His Father, because He knew His Father so well that He knew the Father would keep His promise that He would raise Him up the third day and so He cried out in Luke 23:46, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commend My spirit.’” He was victorious by faith. Victorious over what? During that moment, the devil came to Him (Luke 23:35-39) three times and said, “Don’t be a fool. Why are you dying for these human being who have rebelled against You, who are mocking You, cursing You? Come down and save Yourself.” Jesus could have used His divine power and come down, but He loved us more than Himself. He believed His Father more than His feelings. That is how, by faith, He was victorious.

The big question is: Can such faith in God be reproduced in the body of Christ, the church? The three angels’ message, which prepares such a people, claims it can. The time of trouble will prove it. Turn to Revelation 14:12-16 and note what the three angels’ message will produce. This calls for patience and endurance on the part of the saints. Why? Because they are going to face the time of trouble. Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. The three angels’ message will produce a people who will be so loyal to Christ that they will be willing to give up heaven rather than let Him down. The last generation of Christians will have such a clear understanding of the gospel, of His love and redeeming grace, that they know in Whom they believe. No amount of temptation will cause them to deny their Savior. Let me put it this way. During the time of trouble, and this is what we read in Isaiah 54:5-8, they will feel forsaken of God, and the devil will come to them and say, “Why are you loyal to Him who has forsaken you?” He will tempt them to join him and escape the impending death sentence that he has passed on the believers.

This brings us to the question: How do we prepare our people for this great event especially in view of the fact that we believe, as a people, that we are living in the last days? The answer depends on what we believe the issue will be in the time of trouble. Some Adventists believe the issue will be physical – food, human hardship or deprivation, etc. There is a limit to how much a human being can physically and mentally suffer. Let us be honest, there are human beings who, in the past and present generation, have suffered this limit. Look at the early Christians under the dominion of Nero, the Emperor of Rome, the persecution that took place. There is a limit to how much human beings can stand. Christians have withstood everything that the mind and body can handle. Look at Christians in today’s communist countries who are under tremendous pressure. There is a limit. Some Christians have already experienced this limit. But, the text that we read says no other generation will experience such a time of trouble, so we have to rule out physical torture. Please, let us not be deceived. Yes, the time of trouble will involve physical hardships. But that will not be the real issue. Christ suffered tremendous physical torture when He hung on the cross, but that was not the real issue He faced. He cried at Gethsemane, “Father, Father, if possible remove the cup.” He was not referring to the physical torture of the cross, but God abandonment, the curse of the Lord that He knew He had to face to be our Savior.

What will be the trouble? Some among us believe that the issue in the time of trouble will be sinless living. They based this view on a statement made by Ellen G. White that during the time of trouble we will have to live a holy life without a mediator, without an intercessor. These people confuse Christ as our mediator or intercessor with Christ our Savior. The two are related but not synonymous. Let me explain. As the believer’s High Priest, Christ is our mediator. But this ministry will come to an end, it will cease when probation closes because the saints will have been vindicated by Christ in the investigative judgment. But Christ as our Savior will never cease, especially in the time of trouble. If ever we need a Savior or faith in a Savior, we need it in the time of trouble.

Yes, I believe – and I want to make it very clear – that the power of God is greater than all the power Satan can master through sinful human flesh. I believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God can give man total victory over the sin problem. But, nowhere in the Bible do I read that the issue in the time of trouble will be sinless living. When God gives you victory, you will not know it. Your nature will tell you that you are still a sinner.

What is the issue? There are two main texts I want to bring to your attention that give us a clue as to what the issue is. In Luke 18, Jesus is relating a parable, not to the general public, but to His own disciples. His one purpose in mind is to develop in His disciples a faith that is unshakeable no matter what happens. Verse 1, Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. Then He tells them the parable of the persistent widow who bug the judge and did not stop until he carried out her wish. After relating this parable, I want you to notice how He concludes and makes a statement regarding the last generation of Christians that will live on this earth. Verse 8, “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” The issue is faith. Can God produce a people whose faith is unshakeable even though the heavens fall? Remember faith is never in ourselves; faith is in Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear, we are never saved because of our faith. We are saved by faith or we are saved through faith. Faith is only a channel or instrument by which we receive the righteousness of Christ. It is the object of faith, Christ and His perfect righteousness, that saves us.

It is easy to have faith in Christ as your Savior when everything goes well. But, the moment you face a crisis in your life – the moment your prayers don’t go above the ceiling of your room, the moment you see no evidence of Christ’s love – then your faith is being tested. Can God produce a people whose faith in Him is so great that it conquers every feeling of God abandonment? Can God produce a people who will demonstrate the full faith which works by love so that we are even willing to give up heaven rather than let our God down? I want to point to individuals who reached this stage.
-- Moses: Moses was the great deliverer in the Exodus. His people did not give him the best of support. They murmured and made life difficult for him. They began to worship a golden calf not long after they promised to keep the commandments that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. I want you to listen to how Moses responded to this. Exodus 32:31-32, Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have sinned a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” Moses was willing to be lost that the people may take his place. Moses was reflecting what Jesus revealed on the cross when He said, “I will die that they might live.” He was reflecting the character of his Savior.
-- Paul: Paul was a Jew. When he became a Christian, he was looked upon by his people as a heretic, as a traitor. I want you to see how Paul felt about his own people. Romans 9:1-3, I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed [cut off] from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh [the people of Israel].

Can God produce such a people? Let me give you the picture. God has produced a people who have clearly understood the true everlasting gospel. God has produced a people whose faith is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ. Their fate is sealed. He says to Satan, “Here are my people who have total confidence in Me.” And Satan says, “Yes, they have confidence in You because You have dangled heaven in front of their eyes. Take away this hope, and they will turn against You.” And God says, “Yes. I will take away this hope. You can do anything with them except one thing, you can’t kill them. You can hound them, you can persecute them, you can do what you like with them. I will take away the hope of salvation from them. I will make them feel forsaken and you can test them.” That is what the time of trouble is all about. If you are too old to face it, or if your faith has not been developed enough to face this time of trouble, you are not going to be lost, God will put you to sleep until the resurrection morning. God will allow those He wants to use to vindicate the gospel to go through the time of trouble. Just as Satan tempted Christ to come down from the cross and save Himself, he will come to us in the time of trouble, he will take advantage of our feelings. Those feelings will be real. It will be like Isaiah says, “For a mere moment I have forsaken you.” Don’t ask me how small the moment is, 1,000 years is like a day in God’s eyes. It will feel like an eternity just like Jonah in the belly of the great fish. But God says, “For a mere moment I have forsaken you.” Not because you are sinners or because we deserve it, but because He wants to use us to vindicate Him in the final controversy, the final showdown, between Him and Satan. When we remain faithful to Christ, Satan will get so mad – he has already made life hell for the rest of the world through the seven last plagues – he will unite the world and say that they are going through all the crisis because there are people who need to be killed. He will pass a decree, “Kill them at midnight.” Now midnight is a different time for different people around the world. He will pass a universal law that at midnight every Christian who is resting in the Lord of the Sabbath must be destroyed. We will be afraid, physically. We will be hiding in caves. We will hear them coming.

When I preached the gospel in Ethiopia, the Abuna (ph) (the Pope of that area) ordered me to stop or I would be killed. I refused. While I was holding a morning meeting with nine pastors and four students from the college, a young man came running and said, “Please run.” I asked, “What’s the problem?” He said, “There’s a huge mob coming with sticks and stones to kill you.” The pastors stood up and said, “Let’s run.” I asked, “Run where? These people know these mountains better than we do. We are strangers. If we die, let us die in God’s church.” The young man said, “Please, these people are serious. They are coming to kill you.” I said, “I know they are serious, but we have a God. If we have to die, we are dying in Him.” I did not know that the young man’s father was the chief of police. He ran away to tell his father. In the meantime, our knees were knocking and we were praying because we really believed that was the end. A truck full of policemen with automatic rifles drove to the church and stood in a line. We heard and saw the crowd coming. The policeman spoke to them over a loud speaker, “One more step, and we’ll open fire. You have no right to touch these people. They are legally here. Their church is legally established in this country.” The crowd turned their backs.

We will be shaking in our boots, but we know in Whom we believe. We will see the crowds coming, shouting and screaming. There will be a great earthquake because God has not given them permission to do what they are planning. As we look out of the caves and holes, we will see the Son of Man coming. “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.” The crowd will also see Him coming and their knees will begin to shake. We will come out of our hiding places and look up into heaven and say, “This is the Lord. We have been waiting for Him.” Our enemies will take the places we just vacated. They will cry out for the rocks to fall on them because they are not able to see Him, for the great day of God has come.

I want you to be in that crowd. The solution is not learning to eat all the edible weeds in the mountains or trying to overcome every sin so that you may stand in the time of trouble. (We want to overcome sin to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.) The solution is to be established in the truth as it is in Christ so that you know that nothing can separate you from the love of Christ and nothing can pull you out of Christ except your own unbelief.

May God bless each one of us that we will be established in Christ and become ambassadors for Him so that we will turn this world upside down.

Our Father and our God, we thank You for Jesus. May we be fully established in His love that was manifest on the cross and His redeeming grace. Lord, we want to vindicate You, that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Bless us now. May the grace that we have heard about – Your love that is the ground of our salvation, and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit – remain with us now and evermore. In His name, Amen.

Chapter 15

The Remnant

Revelation 12:13-17: Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Jesus prophesized that the world is going to get one last chance to accept the gift of salvation offered in Him before God will bring this wicked world of ours to an end. He says in Mathew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” When this prophesy is fulfilled, every living person who has reached the age of accountability will have made up their ultimate choice – for Christ or against Christ. Nobody will be sitting on the fence. At that time, the whole world will be polarized in two camps – believers and unbelievers. The Apostle John defines these two camps in I John 5:19, We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. The Bible describes these two camps in different ways. They are called sheep and goats; those who have built their houses on the rock, Jesus Christ, and those who have built on the sand of their own self-righteousness; those who are totally God dependent and those who have decided to be self dependent; those who have received the seal of the living God and those who have received the mark of the beast. As a result of the polarization, the closing event of this world’s history will culminate with the final showdown in the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

According to Revelation 12, this controversy began in heaven with Lucifer, who is referred to as the dragon. One-third of the angels followed him and rebelled against God. There was war in heaven. The record tells us that Satan and his angels were defeated and cast out of heaven. Satan came to this world, deceived our first parents, and usurped dominion over this world. As a result, the great controversy has been transferred to this earth.

Turn to Revelation 12:7-9 to see how this whole incident is recorded. And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The book of Revelation describes the final showdown that will end the great controversy as the war of Armageddon, “the battle of the great day of God Almighty.” The conflict will be between God’s people, those who have come under the banner of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Satan’s people, those who have deliberately and ultimately rejected the gift of salvation in Christ and have chosen to come under the banner of Satan, the enemy of the gospel.

The war is described in Revelation 16:12-14, Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.

There was a time when this world was quite large. It has been squeezed together. There was a time when anything that happened in America, at least financially, would affect the world. Now anything that happens in the world affects America, too. There is a goal of making one-world government, the new order that we hear about. The book of Revelation is saying this will happen. The whole world will follow after the dragon who gave power to the best. Verse 15 – 16, “Behold, I [Jesus] am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments [Christ’s robe of righteousness], lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. That’s where the great war takes place.

These are symbolic terminologies. This is not a Middle East crisis. This is a world crisis. It is a crisis in the final showdown between God’s people and Satan’s people.

At this time, the faith of the last generation of believers will be tried and tested to the utmost in a way that no other generation has experienced. This final conflict is referred to as the “great tribulation” or “the time of trouble.” It will take place just before Christ steps in to bring an end to the final conflict and to show Satan that even in this final conflict, he is a defeated foe.

This final generation of believers, which I believe we are going to be part of because we are living in the time of the end, will endure this great time of trouble, and will triumph over the full forces that Satan will use to attack us. This is described in Revelation 12:17, Ands the dragon was enraged with the woman [the church], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [remnant], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

We are going to look at this special group – the remnant – the final generation of believers who will endure the great tribulation and will come out triumphant, who will vindicate the power of the gospel. Revelation 12:11 describes the weapon they will use in the final conflict. “And they overcame him [the dragon or the serpent] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” In other words, these are mature Christians who have experienced the full power of the everlasting gospel which was proclaimed to them through the three angels’ message.

I want you to notice how Paul described this group in Ephesians 4:14-16, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. The body (the church) will reflect the head (Christ). This is the ultimate goal of the everlasting gospel that I believe God has raised the Advent movement to proclaim.

According to the visual age of the plan of salvation – the sanctuary model – we are living in the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement was the culmination of the plan of salvation, when God’s people were cleansed, when the sanctuary was cleansed, and when the earth was cleansed. We are living in the closing events of the plan of salvation. Therefore, it’s God purpose not only to save human beings, which has always been His purpose, but He wants His people to make sure, to reach full maturity in their Christian walk so they will be able to vindicate Him and His gospel in these last days. That’s the goal for the final generation of God’s people. This is what the final showdown will be all about. This is the final conflict between Christ, the source of our salvation, and Satan, the enemy of souls.

I believe this final generation will vindicate Christ and is part of the gospel.

In this chapter, our attention is on the remnant. We will begin by looking at the primary meaning of that word. We don’t go to Webster’s dictionary to see what it means; we have to go to the Bible. I want to look at how the word is used in the New Testament. Two texts clearly define what the Bible means by the word “remnant.”
- Romans 9:27, Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.
- Romans 11:1-6, I say then, has God cast away [rejected] His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew [those who accepted Jesus as Messiah]. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

What does “remnant” mean? It is not the last cloth on the bolt. It is those who are faithful to God, those who are faithful to the truth as it is in Christ in spite of persecution or apostasy. It is being faithful to God in spite of the fact that the church may have apostacized or that they are facing persecution, even unto death. They remain faithful to the very end. That’s what the word remnant means.

When the Bible applies the word “remnant” to the last generation of Christians, it is talking about those who will endure the great tribulation, the time of trouble, and who will not give up their faith even though they feel forsaken by God. Their faith does not falter even though they feel that their Savior has forsaken them. They have the faith of Jesus who cried on the cross, “Why have You forsaken Me?” to the Father, and yet, by faith, was triumphant.

Having established who the remnant are in the last days, we must now consider the word “remnant” as it is used by us as a people. We face a problem. I want you to be aware of the problem and know what the text is really saying. Normally, we apply the word “remnant” in Revelation 12:17 to us as a people – to our church. We are the remnant. In fact, you had to agree to that when you were baptized. The problem is this. The Greek word that John used does not refer to a church or denomination, but to a special people that form part of the church – the mature Christians that belong to the church. I believe they will be the 144,000 which we will study in the next chapter. Let me explain.

The Greek words normally used in the New Testament to describe the remnant is katalimma. But the word John used in Revelation 12:17 is loipoi which really means the rest of her seed of the woman which refers to the church. This refers to those who have matured within the church and whose faith is sealed (unshakeable) and who will endure the time of trouble. The RSV, NIV and the NAS Bible accurately translate loipoi “the rest of the offspring.”

What does this mean? Turn to Revelation 12 and let’s look at the word in context. We’re going to read the scripture reading again. Verses 7–9 refer to the war in heaven that took place between Christ and His angels and Satan and his angels. We learned that Satan was defeated, cast out, and took dominion over this world. Revelation 12:10-16 refers to the great controversy as it became a major issue after the cross. The controversy started when Adam and Eve fell and Satan took over, but the real issue magnified and became a real controversy when Christ redeemed the human race on the cross and bought the world back. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Before the cross, Satan had a legal right to accuse us because the price for our sins had not yet been paid. On the cross, the justice of the law was met on behalf of the human race by our Lord Jesus Christ. Since the cross, Satan’s accusations have no legal merit. The believers who have accepted the blood of Christ have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. The early Christian church, the New Testament church believers, were willing to die because they knew in Whom they believed. As the famous church father declared, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The more you mow us down, the more new comes come up.” That is the power of the gospel. But Satan is angry. Verse 12, “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” That refers to the New Testament period.

What did Satan do? His first attempt to destroy the church is described in verse 13. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman [the church] who gave birth to the male Child [Christ]. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. God protected the church. Yes, it had to flee into the various parts of the earth to protect itself from the devil’s attack, but persecution did not destroy the Christian church. For 300 years the devil tried to destroy the church and he failed.

There is a statement, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” He tried to destroy the church from the outside through persecution for the first 300 years. Now he’s trying another method – he’s trying to destroy it from within. Verse 15, So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. The devil convinced Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, to become a Christian. Mainly for political reasons. Emperor Constantine became a Christian and made a proclamation, “Don’t persecute the Christians, join them.” One of the most successful things Satan has done to destroy or pervert the gospel is to fill the church with unconverted people. As a result, the gospel was perverted and the Christian church was plunged into darkness. That is why we must be very cautious in terms of numbers. I’ve seen it happen in the third world. It’s easy to baptize them. As a result, all kinds of heresies are brought into the church.

The most successful way Satan had to destroy Christianity was to pervert the gospel. But thank God. Verse 16, But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. That’s referring to the Reformation which was God’s tool of stepping in and trying to restore the church back onto the right road of salvation. The devil had sidetracked us from the gospel just as Paul said to the Galatians, “The devil has sidetracked you from running the race of the gospel.”

Through the Reformation, God restored three fundamental pillars of the gospel.

Pillar No. 1, solus scriptura: The Bible and the Bible alone must be the source of truth. No human philosophy. No tradition.

When I first became an Adventist, my father sent my uncle, a Jesuit priest, to bring me back. His college gave him two weeks to bring me back. He had 12 years of training – twice as much as I had. He came to our home in Uganda to convert me back to what he called the mother church. I told him, “Uncle, before we can discuss theology, we have to agree on one point.” He asked, “What’s that?” “We have to decide what is the measuring stick of truth. I am willing to use the Roman Catholic Bible, as the measuring stick of truth – no philosophy, no church history – only the Word of God.” He fell for it. I said to myself, “I’ve got you, brother.” He was supposed to stay for two weeks. He only lasted for four days when he said, “You better stop.” He was afraid I would convert him to Adventism.

We must stand on the Bible and the Bible alone. Yes, we have a lesser light than the Bible, but ultimately the Bible must be the measuring stick of truth. That was one of the pillars that the Reformation established.

Pillar No. 2, solus gratia: We are saved by grace alone. Not by grace plus circumcision or keeping the law. By grace alone. That means we are saved by what Christ did by his birth, life, death and resurrection. Please do not add to that.

Pillar No. 3, solus fides: Salvation by grace is by faith alone.

Salvation is by the Bible alone, grace alone, and by faith alone in what Christ has done. That is the foundation of the Reformation.

Unfortunately, the devil knew this was dangerous, so he stepped in. Within a few years, the birth of the scientific age took place and the devil convinced the Christian theologians that you have to compromise, you have to make the Bible be in harmony with the scientific method. Of course, science does not believe in anything supernatural. The theologians began to reinterpret the Bible to demythologize the supernatural acts and the church was plunged into darkness again. I believe that God raised the Advent movement to restore the gospel. This has been my emphasis for a long time. I am not saying that we have done. I am saying that is the significance of 1844.

The devil will be angry when Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled and God produces a group of people from within who have matured, who have surrendered fully to the demands of the cross, and who are totally united to Jesus Christ by faith. This is what Revelation 12:17 is saying, And the dragon was enraged with the woman [the church], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In this final showdown, God will produce a people who will be able to withstand the full force of Satan’s attack. The issue, as we saw in the last study, is: Can God produce a people whose faith in Him is unshakeable even though they feel forsaken? That is the remnant for the last day.

How do we apply Revelation 12:17 to us as a people? I believe the statement made in the March 13, 1979 issue of Insight Magazine represents a more accurate representation of this text than our traditional position. “Technically, two movements must occur before God will have a remnant. [We must be honest. Not everyone who is a member of the Adventist church is a mature Christian. Not everyone in the Adventist church is converted. We have sheep and goats, wheat and tares, even today. In fact, we are not even united over the gospel.] What are they? First, many Seventh-day Adventists will decide to leave the church and join Babylon. (GC 608) [In other words, many will say this is not God’s church, they will leave it and join Babylon – the group that believes in salvation by works.] Second, a great number of people who are not now Seventh-day Adventists will be convinced that God is truthfully perceived in this church and will join. (GC 319) This blending of God’s friends at the end time is what will make up the remnant.”

The question is, do you want to be among those people? The three angels’ message is to prepare such a people. It is the everlasting gospel which has to be proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

It is the fourth angel in Revelation 18 that gives the power to the three angels. Revelation 18:1-5 says, After these things [after the three angels have restored the gospel and are proclaiming it with a loud voice] I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” [This is what’s happening today. This is what Revelation 16 is describing – preparing for the great war of Armageddon.] And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

You have a choice as to which camp you will belong to. Many of you may be sitting on the fence. Many of you may be struggling with the gospel – you’re not sure whether your sins are already forgiven. Ultimately, you cannot sit on the fence. You will have to make a choice.

Let me end up with an experience. When I was a young teenager, I joined the Boy Scouts. One day I swam about a mile out into the ocean to a raft – two huge planks of wood joined together by a rope. I had one leg on one plank, the other leg on the other plank. I was boasting I was the king of the raft. I would push anyone away who tried to get on the raft. One of the scouts had a penknife in his pocket. He went under the planks and cut the rope that joined the two planks. The planks began to separate. I did had to make a choice – I could not stand on both planks. I chose one plank and left the other. There are many who have one leg in the world and one leg in the church trying to enjoy both. When the gospel is clearly presented to you and the Holy Spirit convinces you that you cannot stand on both sides, you either have to be for Christ or against Christ. This is the final showdown. It is my prayer that all of us will be on the right side. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Our Father, all around us we see the signs of the end. You have held back the full winds of strife because You want to see Your people with a faith that is unshakeable. Lord, establish us in the gospel. May our faith be solidly grounded in Him who loved us and gave Himself for us that when the time comes, we can say with the Apostle Paul, I know in Whom I believe. That He is able to save us to the utmost even though the heavens are falling. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, may Your love which was revealed at the cross and may the power of the gospel be with us now and forevermore, to this end we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Chapter 16

The 144,000

Revelation 14:1-5: Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who followed the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The topic about the 144,000 has produced more heat than light in our own church, as well as in many other denominations. It is amazing the number of views that have come out regarding this special group of Christians who will be living in the last day and who will be there to welcome the return of our Lord.

Let me share with you some of the things I have been hearing and reading.
-- Some believe that the 144,000 is a literal number because the text says 144,000 in number.
-- Others insist that these are only Jews since Revelation 7:4 describes them as being taken from all the tribes of Israel.
-- Believe it or not, there are a few who actually believe they will only be single people. Why? Because as our scripture reading noted, they are virgins.

There is all kind of speculation. When we get down to the nuts and bolts, there are only two passages in the whole of the Bible which explicitly and accurately discuss the 144,000. Both are found in the book of Revelation, a prophetic book that deals with the events in the world at the end of time, but primarily revealing to us what will take place in the last days before Christ comes and after. As a prophetic book, much of the truth is expressed in symbolic language. We need to keep that in mind. The trouble with symbolic language is that it opens the door to speculation. That’s why there are so many views.

The two passages that deal with the 144,000 is the whole of Revelation 7 and Revelation 14:1-5. Revelation 7 describes this group of believers in the context of the seven seals. Revelation 14:1-5 deals with the 144,000 in the context of the three angels message, the everlasting gospel that will be proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue and people before the end comes. If we are to come to a correct conclusion or to at least get a key idea of who they are, we have to look at the 144,000 in the context in which they are brought to us, otherwise, we can make the Bible say what we like.

We will start with Revelation 7. To get the context of the 144,000, we need to start with Revelation 5:1-5. And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” Who is this Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David? Jesus Christ.

Then in Revelation 6, we have the seals opened and a description of the seven seals. You will notice that most of the seals are described in one to three verses except for the sixth seal. The first seal is described in Revelation 6:1-2; the second seal is described in Revelation 6:3-4; the third seal is described in Revelation 6:5-6; the fourth seal is described in Revelation 6:7-8; the fifth seal is described in Revelation 6:9-11. However, when we come to the sixth seal, we find the description begins with verse Revelation 6:12 and does not end until the end of Revelation 7. A huge section of Revelation is dealing with the sixth seal. Then the seventh seal is described in Revelation 8:1.

It is in the context of the sixth seal that we find the description of the 144,000. We need to look at the 144,000 in the context of the sixth seal. What is the context of the sixth seal? Let’s read it. Revelation 6:12-17, I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

As we look at this passage, three main things stand out:
-- The sixth seal begins with the signs of the second coming of Christ. Verses 12 – 14 are clearly the signs of the second coming of Christ.
-- Following the signs is the actual second coming of Christ along with the reaction of the men and women who have rejected Christ. The second coming of Christ is good news to believers. It is not good news to unbelievers. It is the great day of wrath. That is why they are pleading for the rocks and mountains to fall on them and cover them, to hide them from the face of the Lamb.
-- Verses 15–16 describe the reaction of the human race who rejected Christ at the second coming. It sounds like nobody will be able to withstand the second coming of Christ who will not come with His divinity shielded by a human being. He will come in all His glory. Remember Hebrews tells us that God, in all His glory, is a consuming fire. If you look at verses 15-16, it sounds like nobody will be able to stand. As verse 17 says, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Who will be able to stand in confidence and look up to the sky to welcome our Lord Jesus Christ?

Actually, this statement in verse 17 is very similar to what Jesus expressed when He was on this earth. The context is the parable of the persistent widow. He gave this parable to strengthen the faith of His disciples. Luke 18:8, “... Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Why did He ask that question? As we saw in previous chapters, before Christ comes, God’s people will be plunged into a time of trouble that has never been experienced by any other generation – the great tribulation, the time of trouble. Some Christians believe they will be raptured before that time. I don’t find that in scripture. The Bible says they will be delivered by Christ. The question is: Who will be able to stand? According to Revelation 6:15-16, it sounds like nobody. But Revelation 7 says yes, some will be able to stand through the great tribulation and will face the second coming of Christ with confidence because they are in Him; they stand righteous in Him. There is no barrier between them and a holy Christ because the gospel has set them free.

Something has to take place before they can stand in this great event. Matthew 24:14 is one of the last prophecies that will take place before Christ comes. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Revelation 7:1, After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. If you look at these statements in the context of Revelation, this is referring to the great time of trouble – the day of wrath. God is holding back the four corners of the earth. Romans 1:18-32 is the finest description of God’s wrath. Never confuse God’s wrath with human wrath. Human wrath is an outburst of anger. God’s wrath is very different. If you look at Romans 1:26 and other passages in that chapter, you will find that God’s wrath is simply Him letting go. If man refuses to acknowledge Him, He doesn’t force them. He says, “Okay, if you want to live without Me, go ahead.” You will notice in these verses Paul is saying, “It’s time. Let God allow men to do what they please.” When you turn your back against God, you are turning your back against His protection.

Revelation 7:2-3, Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” Revelation 14 also talks about the name of God in their foreheads. That means their minds have been settled into the truth of Christ our righteousness. What does it mean to have your faith sealed?

Here’s a good example of what a seal is as expressed in the experience of Abraham. God promised Abraham a son when he was 75 years old. But it took 25 years for God to give him that son. During those 25 years, Abraham’s faith went up and down. In Genesis 15, God said to him, “Why are you doubting? I can imagine Abraham saying to God, “It takes human beings nine months. How long is it taking you?” This was about 8 years after God had made the promise. Before God gave Abraham a son, God said to him, “Abraham, I’m tired of your faith going up and down. I want to seal it so that it becomes unshakeable.” The sign of that seal was circumcision.

Turn to Romans 4:11. According to the Judaeizers, God gave circumcision to Abraham because it is a requirement for salvation. Remember in Galatians and Acts 15, the first Jerusalem Council demanded the Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas opposed this idea. The question had to be answered. Why did God give circumcision to Abraham if it is not a requirement for salvation? Romans 4:11, And he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also. Abraham was justified by faith before circumcision took place. Circumcision was a covenant that sealed that faith. A son came a year later.

Why did God seal that faith? Because Abraham’s faith was to be tested. The test is in Hebrews 11:17-19, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. God made a promise to Abraham that one of Isaac’s descendants would be the Messiah. Before Isaac was even married, before Isaac had any children, God said to Abraham, take him and kill him. If I was Abraham, I’d probably say to God, “But that’s against your law, thou shalt not kill.” But Abraham did not do that. What was God doing when He asked Abraham to offer up Isaac? He was testing Abraham’s faith. James brings out that the offering up of Isaac proved that Abraham’s faith was perfect. James 2:21-22, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? Hebrews 11:19, accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him a figurative sense. Abraham said to himself, “God, You have made me a promise. The promise is that through Isaac, the Messiah will come. Now you are asking me to kill him. I have learned one thing in my experience with You. When You make a promise, you always keep it.” God always keeps His promise. Abraham proved his faith was perfect.

The question is: Can God produce a people whose faith is unshakeable even though they feel forsaken of God? Remember, we covered the time of trouble of Isaiah 54:7 “for a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.” Did Jesus feel forsaken of God on the cross? Yes. What did the devil do? He took the opportunity and said to Jesus, “Don’t be a fool. These people are mocking You and Your disciples have forsaken you. Why are You laying down Your life for them? Come down and save Yourself.” Believe me, that was a temptation that we will never understand because the temptation was when He felt God had forsaken Him, the One that promised to raise Him up from the dead had said goodbye to Him. As He hung on the cross, He could not see the reconciling face of His Father. He felt that sin was so offensive to His Father that the separation was to be eternal. He was tasting death for every human being. Hebrews 9:11. He was experiencing what the book of Revelation calls the second death – the wages of sin, the curse of the law. But by faith, He was victorious, because He knew His Father. He knew, like Abraham, that His Father always keeps His promise.

The question is: Can God produce a people whose faith is unshakeable? Can He produce a people who will demonstrate the faith of their Lord Jesus Christ? Can God produce a body who is an extension of Him who will manifest His faith? Revelation 7 says yes, the 144,000.

Going back to Revelation 7:4, And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred forth-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed… Verses 5-8 describe each of the 12 tribes. Some believe that because of these verses (Revelation 7:4-8), that these have to be Jews. Keep in mind that the Bible must interpret itself. Revelation is a prophetic book. If you read your New Testament, especially the great Apostle Paul’s epistles, you will discover that the Jews, Israel in the New Testament, is defined as those who have the faith of Abraham, who are born from above like Isaac, and whose faith endures or prevails to the end like Jacob. That is Israel.

Let’s read some texts.

Romans 2:28-29. The context is the Jews’ claim they were the children of God because God gave them the law. They were His covenant people. This is Paul’s response. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Romans 4:16-18, Therefore it is faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law [the Jews], but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) [the Jews who believed in Christ and the Gentiles who believed in Christ, together, are Abraham’s offspring] in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

Romans 9:6-8. Chapter 9 is addressing the Jewish nation. God promised Abraham that all his children will be saved. Then Christ comes on the scene and says to the Jewish nation, not individual Jews, “I have left your house desolate.” The Jews said, “If that is true, then God has not kept His promise.” So Paul responded, But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”

Galatians 3:6-9, But from those who seemed to be something – whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man – for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles)…

The 144,000 represent spiritual Israel – people from all over the world (Jews and Gentiles) who in the last days will have a faith in Christ that is unshakeable even though the heavens fall. I believe that the 144,000 are not literal Jews but are spiritual Jews.

I believe that the 144,000 is not a literal number, but a vast multitude. Here’s my argument. In Revelation 7:4, he hears the number 144,000. Why doesn’t he see that in verse 4 when they are sealed? Because they are scattered all over the world. Read Revelation 7:9-10, After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Some of you may say, well, this is all the saved people. I would like to suggest it is referring only to the 144,000. Here’s my reasoning. The context of Chapter 7 is answering the question of verse 17, “Who will be able to stand?” Chapter 7 is not discussing the whole human race that could be saved, it’s discussing those who will be able to stand when Christ comes. They will be sealed first, then they will go through the time of trouble, then they will stand at the coming of Christ and say, “Here is our Lord, we have been waiting for Him.” The context of the passage tells me that it’s limited to the 144,000.

In Revelation 7:4, he hears the number sealed, but in verse Revelation 7:9 he sees. Why? Because verse 9 is not dealing with the 144,000 on earth, but in heaven after the second coming of Christ. They are now together around the throne of Christ. You say, but that’s not proof. Well, let me go to Revelation 7:13-17, Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore, the sun shall not stroke them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This is a description of those who have gone through the time of trouble.

Revelation 14:1-5 is in the context of the three angels message, which is the everlasting gospel, God’s final plea to the human race. God doesn’t want us to perish. Before He brings this world to an end, He is going to restore the gospel fully and completely from all the heresies that have crept into the Christian church. The pure gospel, as it was preached by the apostles, will be fully restored along with its power. There is going to be a second Pentecost. There will be signs and wonders. The message will be preached in such a way that every human being will realize that this is their only hope. Every human being who has passed the age of accountability will have to make a deliberate choice for or against Christ. Revelation 14:1-5 describe those who will take the stand for Jesus Christ even though things are falling apart all around them. They know in Whom they believe. Their faith will be sealed. These five verses are not describing the 144,000 as they are on earth. You will notice it is describing them as they are in heaven. Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who followed the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

II Corinthians 11:2 gives us a good idea of what “virgin” refers to in a spiritual sense. Corinthians was a problematic church. Paul wrote them two letters. In II Corinthians 11:2, he makes the statement, For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. You need to read that statement in its context. Look at verse 3-4, But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted you may well put up with it. What is Paul talking about? He wants us to be pure virgins in the sense that our total devotion is in Jesus Christ. Which Christ? The true Christ.

In the days of the New Testament, the issue was whether Christ was the Messiah. That is no longer the issue today. The issue is, which of the many Christs that are preached today in the Christian church is the true one? The three angels will preach the true Christ, the true gospel. Those who accept it will be sealed, then God will remove His protection and He will say to Satan, “Here are My people who have the faith of Jesus Christ, who are keeping the commandments” By that, He doesn’t mean mechanically keeping some rules, but in whose heart the Spirit of the Lord, which is love, will be manifested. And Satan will say, “Yes. They are loyal to You because You are protecting them. But remove Your protection and I will show You how they will turn their back on You.” And Christ will say, “You can have them. You can do what you like to them, but you can’t kill them.” That’s when the great tribulation will begin. We will feel forsaken of God, but we know in Whom we believe. When Satan fails, he gets so mad that he breaks his contract with God. He passes a decree, “Kill them!” At midnight, everyone of us is supposed to be killed. But there is going to be an earthquake. The scroll will part and we who are afraid, hiding in caves, will look out and see the signs of the second coming of Christ. We will come out and we will say, “Here is our Lord, God and Savior. We have been waiting for Him.” Those that came to kill us will take our places in the caves and rocks.

This is the end of the great plan of salvation. The choice is yours. Which side of the camp do you want to belong to? I know the choice I want to make. For me and my household, we will serve the Lord. This is my prayer for you.

Loving Father, all around us we see signs of the end. We pray that our faith will be rooted and grounded in Your love and the redeeming grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray will be able to stand and vindicate the power of the gospel when the test comes, that Your name may be glorified and every knee will bow down and confess, just and true are Your ways. To this end, bless us, in Jesus’ name, Amen.









Gospel Issues
In
Adventism

By: E.H. (Jack) Sequeira

Pastor: Capitol Memorial SDA Church