priest

Bible Study Guides – Unfaithful Priests

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January 17 – 23, 2021

Key Text

“And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” (Ezekiel 44:23).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 359–362.

Introduction

“We must abstain from any practice which will blunt the conscience or encourage temptation. We must open no door that will give Satan access to the mind of one human being formed in the image of God.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 360.

Sunday

1 THE CONSECRATION OF AARON AND HIS SONS

1.a. Describe briefly the ceremony of consecration of Aaron and his sons for the service of the sanctuary. Leviticus 8:1–9, 12, 13, 24, 30, 33.

Note: “All had been done as God commanded, and He accepted the sacrifice, and revealed His glory in a remarkable manner; fire came from the Lord and consumed the offering upon the altar. The people looked upon this wonderful manifestation of divine power with awe and intense interest. They saw in it a token of God’s glory and favor, and they raised a universal shout of praise and adoration and fell on their faces as if in the immediate presence of Jehovah.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 359.

1.b.      What was required of those who were called to service in the presence of the Lord? Exodus 19:22. What disqualifies men for sacred responsibilities?

Note: “If one has not a vital connection with God, his own spirit and sentiments will prevail. These may be well represented as strange fire offered in the place of the sacred.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 371.

Monday

2 NADAB AND ABIHU ARE SLAIN

2.a. What action on the part of Nadab and Abihu showed that they were not qualified for the sacred office that was given them? Leviticus 10:1. How do professed Christians use “strange fire” in our days?

Note: “The converting power of God must come upon men who handle sacred things, yet who are unable, through some cause best known to God, to distinguish between the sacred fire of God’s own kindling and the strange fire which they offer. That strange fire is as dishonoring to God as was that presented by Nadab and Abihu. The sacred fire of God’s love would make men tender and kind and sympathetic toward those in peril. Those who indulge in sharp, overbearing words, are really saying: I am holier than thou. Do you not see my exalted position?” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 356.

“Converted men are needed—men who will love and honor God, fearing to move in their own wisdom, and realizing that their efforts can prove successful only as recognized by Him without whose blessing there is no prosperity. Every moment divine power must be combined with human effort, else strange fire will be offered instead of the sacred. …

“To handle sacred things as we would common matters is an offense to God; for that which God has set apart to do His service in giving light to this world is holy. Those who have any connection with the work of God are not to walk in the vanity of their own wisdom, but in the wisdom of God, or they will be in danger of placing sacred and common things on the same level, and thus separate themselves from God.” The Review and Herald, September 8, 1896.

2.b.      How was their profane behavior punished? Leviticus 10:2.

Note: “At the hour of worship, as the prayers and praise of the people were ascending to God, two of the sons of Aaron took each his censer and burned fragrant incense thereon, to rise as a sweet odor before the Lord. But they transgressed His command by the use of ‘strange fire.’ For burning the incense they took common instead of the sacred fire which God Himself had kindled, and which He had commanded to be used for this purpose. For this sin a fire went out from the Lord and devoured them in the sight of the people.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 359.

Tuesday

3  THE RESULTS OF FAULTY TRAINING

3.a. As Moses immediately saw the cause of the trouble, what did he say to Aaron? Leviticus 10:3. What made the sin of Nadab and Abihu all the more grievous in the eyes of God?

Note: “Next to Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu had stood highest in Israel. They had been especially honored by the Lord, having been permitted with the seventy elders to behold His glory in the mount. But their transgression was not therefore to be excused or lightly regarded. All this rendered their sin more grievous.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 359.

3.b.      What principles should Aaron have known in the training of his sons? Proverbs 22:6; 29:21. In what area did he fail?

Note: “Nadab and Abihu had not in their youth been trained to habits of self-control. The father’s yielding disposition, his lack of firmness for right, had led him to neglect the discipline of his children. His sons had been permitted to follow inclination. Habits of self-indulgence, long cherished, obtained a hold upon them which even the responsibility of the most sacred office had not power to break. They had not been taught to respect the authority of their father, and they did not realize the necessity of exact obedience to the requirements of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 360.

“Too much importance cannot be placed upon the early training of children. The lessons learned, the habits formed, during the years of infancy and childhood, have more to do with the formation of the character and the direction of the life than have all the instruction and training of after years.” The Ministry of Healing, 380.

3.c. What instruction and warning did Moses give to Aaron and his surviving sons? Why? Leviticus 10:6, 7.

Note: “By no manifestation of grief must he [Aaron] seem to sympathize with sin. The congregation must not be led to murmur against God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 361.

Wednesday

4 A WARNING TO US TODAY 

4.a. What warning did the Lord give against the use of alcoholic beverages? Leviticus 10:8–11. Does this warning extend to us today? Exodus 19:5, 6.

Note: “The use of spirituous liquors has the effect to weaken the body, confuse the mind, and debase the morals. It prevents men from realizing the sacredness of holy things or the binding force of God’s requirements. All who occupied positions of sacred responsibility were to be men of strict temperance, that their minds might be clear to discriminate between right and wrong, that they might possess firmness of principle, and wisdom to administer justice and to show mercy.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 362.

4.b.      What biblical principles show us that the wine provided by Jesus at the marriage feast was unfermented grape juice? Proverbs 20:1; 23:32.

Note: “It has been declared by some that Christ favored the moderate use of fermented wine, in witness whereof they refer to His miracle of changing water into wine. But we protest that Christ never made intoxicating wine; such an act would have been contrary to all the teachings and example of His life.” The Health Reformer, July 1, 1878.

4.c. What will those do who are striving for the mastery in the Christian life? 1 Corinthians 9:25.

Note: “True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful, and to use judiciously that which is healthful.” Temperance, 138.

“The only safe course is to touch not, taste not, handle not, tea, coffee, wines, tobacco, opium, and alcoholic drinks. …

“Let us never partake of a glass of alcoholic liquor. Let us never touch it.” Ibid., 163.

“The youth and children should understand the effect of alcohol, tobacco, and other like poisons in breaking down the body, beclouding the mind, and sensualizing the soul. It should be made plain that no one who uses these things can long possess the full strength of his physical, mental, or moral faculties.” Education, 202.

Thursday

5 “HOLY AND REVEREND IS HIS NAME”

5.a. Why was the sin of Nadab and Abihu recorded? Romans 15:4. What can we learn from this incident?

Note: “God designed to teach the people that they must approach Him with reverence and awe, and in His own appointed manner. He cannot accept partial obedience. It was not enough that in this solemn season of worship nearly everything was done as He had directed. God has pronounced a curse upon those who depart from His commandments, and put no difference between common and holy things.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 360.

5.b.      What kinds of men does the Lord call to occupy positions of sacred responsibility? Titus 1:5–9.

Note: “A minister of Christ should be pure in conversation and in actions. He should ever bear in mind that he is handling words of inspiration, words of a holy God. He must also bear in mind that the flock is entrusted to his care, and that he is to bear their cases to Jesus, and plead for them as Jesus pleads for us with the Father. I was pointed back to the children of Israel anciently and saw how pure and holy the ministers of the sanctuary had to be, because they were brought by their work into a close connection with God. They that minister must be holy, pure, and without blemish, or God will destroy them. God has not changed.” Early Writings, 103.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS 

1    Why is it that we sometimes bring our own opinions and selfish ideas into the work of God?

2    What is necessary in order to avoid placing sacred and common things on the same level?

3    When is self-control to be learned? Why?

4    Why does God want me to be strictly temperate today?

5    Why is reverence so important? Where does this begin? How?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 2:17-3:12

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January 26- February 1, 2003

MEMORY VERSE: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Hebrews 3:12.

SUGGESTED READING: Patriarchs and Prophets, 293, 294.

INTRODUCTION: “Some have given a willing ear to the tempter and have talked out their unbelief and wounded the cause. Satan has claims upon them, for they have not recovered themselves from his snare. They have conducted themselves like children who were wholly unacquainted with the wiles of the tempter. They have had sufficient experience and should have understood his workings. He has suggested doubts to their minds, and, instead of repelling them at once, they have reasoned and parleyed with the archdeceiver, and listened to his reasonings, as though charmed by the old serpent. A few texts which were not perfectly explainable to the satisfaction of their own minds have been sufficient to shake the whole structure of truth and to obscure the plainest facts of the word of God. These men are erring mortals. They have not perfect wisdom and knowledge in all the Scriptures. Some passages are placed beyond the reach of human minds until such a time as God chooses, in His own wisdom, to open them. Satan has been leading some on a trail which ends in certain infidelity. They have suffered their unbelief to becloud the harmonious, glorious chain of truth, and have acted as though it was their business to solve every difficult passage of Scripture, and if our faith did not enable them to do this, it was faulty.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 377.

1 How does the priesthood of Christ relate to things pertaining to God? Hebrews 2:17; 9:15.

NOTE: “Christ is our Mediator and officiating High Priest in the presence of the Father. He was shown to John as a Lamb that had been slain, as in the very act of pouring out His blood in the sinner’s behalf. When the law of God is set before the sinner, showing him the depth of his sins, he should then be pointed to the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. He should be taught repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus will the labor of Christ’s representative be in harmony with His work in the heavenly sanctuary.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 395.

2 What strong assurance have the tempted sufferers that Jesus can sympathize with them and help them? Hebrews 2:18.

NOTE: “Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, that He might know how to succor those who should be tempted. His life is our example. He shows by His willing obedience that man may keep the law of God and that transgression of the law, not obedience to it, brings him into bondage. The Saviour was full of compassion and love; He never spurned the truly penitent, however great their guilt; but He severely denounced hypocrisy of every sort. He is acquainted with the sins of men, He knows all their acts and reads their secret motives; yet He does not turn away from them in their iniquity. He pleads and reasons with the sinner, and in one sense—that of having Himself borne the weakness of humanity—He puts Himself on a level with him.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 294.

3 Because of Christ’s sufferings for us, what are we exhorted to do? Hebrews 3:1.

NOTE: “Study Christ. Study His character, feature by feature. He is our Pattern that we are required to copy in our lives and our characters, else we fail to represent Jesus, but present to the world a spurious copy. Do not imitate any man, for men are defective in habits, in speech, in manners, in character. I present before you the Man Christ Jesus. You must individually know Him as your Saviour before you can study Him as your pattern and your example.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 170.

4 Webster defines apostle as “one sent.” Why is Jesus called an apostle? John 17:3, 8.

NOTE: “[John 17:3 quoted.] These words mean much. It is only by knowing Christ that we can know God. The Sent of God calls upon all to listen to these words. They are the words of God, and all should give heed to them; for by them they will be judged.” The Signs of the Times, January 27, 1898.

5 Christ was counted worthy of more glory than Moses. Why? Hebrews 3:3.

NOTE: “[Heb. 3:1-3 quoted.] Because of the unbelief manifested toward Christ, the originator and foundation of the whole Jewish economy, a heavier retribution will come upon men than befell unbelieving Israel in the wilderness. Moses was the prophet by whom God communicated to the church in the wilderness; but great as was Moses, a greater than he is the Son of God, who builded the house.

“The presence of Jesus Christ, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, followed this people in their wilderness wandering. The Angel of the covenant came in the name of God, as the invisible leader of Israel. . . . (Letter 97, 1898).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 927, 928.

6 Who built all things, and what bearing has this fact on the glory of Christ? Hebrews 3:4. Compare Hebrews 1:2; John 1:1–3.

NOTE: “The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both. . . . Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will. The Son of God had wrought the Father’s will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due. Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God’s plan, but would exalt the Father’s glory and execute His purposes of beneficence and love.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 36.

7 In what capacity did Moses act over his house? Hebrews 3:5.

NOTE: “Moses was a type of Christ. He himself had declared to Israel, ‘The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken.’ Deuteronomy 18:15. God saw fit to discipline Moses in the school of affliction and poverty before he could be prepared to lead the hosts of Israel to the earthly Canaan. The Israel of God, journeying to the heavenly Canaan, have a Captain who needed no human teaching to prepare Him for His mission as a divine leader; yet He was made perfect through sufferings; and ‘in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted.’ Hebrews 2:10, 18. Our Redeemer manifested no human weakness or imperfection; yet He died to obtain for us an entrance into the Promised Land.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 480.

8 Over whose house does the Son preside? Hebrews 3:6, first part.

NOTE: “The church of Christ is God’s agency for the proclamation of truth; she is empowered by Him to do a special work.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 11.

9 On what condition are we Christ’s house? Hebrews 3:6, last part.

NOTE: “If she [church of Christ] is loyal to God, obedient to His commandments, there will dwell within her the excellence of divine power. If she will honor the Lord God of Israel, there is no power that can stand against her. If she will be true to her allegiance, the forces of the enemy will be no more able to overpower her than is the chaff to resist the whirlwind.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 11.

10 Is not our faith, our conversation, sufficient evidence that we are the house of Christ? Hebrews 3:7–10. Compare Matthew 24:14; 2 Peter 1:10.

NOTE: “But faith is in no sense allied to presumption. Only he who has true faith is secure against presumption. For presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith. Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God, and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequence of their sin. It is not faith that claims the favor of Heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is to be granted. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures.” The Desire of Ages, 126.

11 To whom does the apostle apply the warning given in Hebrews 3:7–11? Hebrews 3:7, 12.

NOTE: “The unbelief and murmurings of the children of Israel illustrate the people of God now upon the earth. Many look back to them, and marvel at their unbelief and continual murmurings, after the Lord had done so much for them, in giving them repeated evidences of his love and care for them. They think that they should not have proved thus ungrateful. But some who thus think, murmur and repine at things of less consequence. They do not know themselves. God frequently proves them, and tries their faith in small things, and they do not endure the trial any better than did ancient Israel.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 251.

12 What is the character of an unbelieving heart? Hebrews 3:12.

NOTE: “There is no encouragement given for unbelief. The Lord manifests His grace and His power over and over again, and this should teach us that it is always profitable under all circumstances to cherish faith, to talk faith, to act faith. We are not to have our hearts and hands weakened by allowing the suggestions of suspicious minds to plant in our hearts the seeds of doubt and distrust [Heb. 3:12 quoted] (Letter 97, 1898).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 928.

[The questions in this series are adapted from lessons written in 1889.]

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 7:15-26

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March 23-29, 2003

MEMORY VERSE: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25.

SUGGESTED READING: The Desire of Ages, 165, 166.

INTRODUCTION: “The Lord Jesus is your personal intercessor. . . . Repeat over and over many times through the day, ‘Jesus has died for me. He saw me in peril, exposed to destruction, and poured out His life to save me. He does not behold the soul as a trembling suppliant prostrate at His feet without pity, and He will not fail to raise me up.’ He has become the advocate for man. He has lifted up those who believe in Him and placed a treasurehouse of blessing at their demand. Men cannot bestow one blessing upon their fellows, they cannot remove one stain of sin. It is only the merit and righteousness of Christ that will avail anything, but this is placed to our account in rich fullness. We may draw upon God every moment. As we turn to Him, He answers, ‘Here I am.’

“Christ proclaims Himself our Intercessor. He would have us know that He has graciously engaged to be our Substitute. He places His merit in the golden censer to offer up with the prayers of His saints, so that the prayers of His dear children may be mingled with the fragrant merit of Christ as they ascend to the Father in the cloud of incense.” In Heavenly Places, 79.

1 How did the first priests receive their positions? Hebrews 7:16, first part. Compare Exodus 29:29, 30; Numbers 20:26, 28.

NOTE: “Doubtless [it is] called ‘carnal’ with reference to the fact that the commandment specified succession by physical descent.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 441.

“By divine direction the tribe of Levi was set apart for the service of the sanctuary. In the earliest times every man was the priest of his own household. In the days of Abraham, the priesthood was regarded as the birthright of the eldest son. Now, instead of the first-born of all Israel, the Lord accepted the tribe of Levi for the work of the sanctuary. . . . The priesthood, however, was restricted to the family of Aaron. Aaron and his sons alone were permitted to minister before the Lord; the rest of the tribe were entrusted with the charge of the tabernacle. . . .” The Faith I Live By, 195.

2 How was Christ made a priest? Hebrews 7:16, last part, 17.

NOTE: “The high priest was designed in an especial manner to represent Christ, who was to become a high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. This order of priesthood was not to pass to another, or be superseded by another.” Review and Herald, December 17, 1872.

3 Why was the former commandment disannulled? Hebrews 7:18, 19, first part.

NOTE: “[Matthew 26:62, 63, quoted.] According to the Jewish form of administration, Christ was placed on oath by the priest: ‘I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God.’ This appeal was made by the first magistrate of the nation. He occupied a position higher than any in earthly courts. But his religion was a cloak that hid the deformities of a hard, cruel heart. He lorded it over the people, making his supposed godliness a source of gain. He was not accepted by God as a typical high priest at any time. His fitness for the priesthood ended with the covering garment, set apart for the use of the priests, which he wore. He was incapable and unworthy.

“The priesthood itself had become corrupt. Priest after priest filled his appointment and performed his religious duties as an actor in a theater.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 399.

4 How did the Father declare the priesthood of His Son? Hebrews 7:20, 21.

NOTE: “And I saw if there was any one on earth who could consistently testify under oath, it is the Christian. He lives in the light of God’s countenance. He grows strong in his strength. And when matters of importance must be decided by law, there is no one who can so well appeal to God as the Christian. I was bid by the angel to notice that God sware by himself. Genesis 22:16; Hebrews 6:13, 17. He sware to Abraham, Genesis 26:3, to Isaac, Psalm 105:9; Jeremiah 11:5, and to David, Psalm 132:11; Acts 2:30. God required of the children of Israel an oath between man and man. Exodus 22:10, 11. Jesus submitted to the oath in the hour of his trial.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4b, 43.

5 Of what did Jesus become surety? Hebrews 7:22.

NOTE: “The word [surety] here has the meaning of one who becomes responsible for, or guarantees, the performance of some agreement, here, the ‘better testament.’ ” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 442.

“The terms of the ‘old covenant’ were, Obey and live: ‘If a man do, he shall even live in them’ (Ezekiel 20:11; Leviticus 18:5); but ‘cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them’ (Deuteronomy 27:26). The ‘new covenant’ was established upon ‘better promises’—the promise of forgiveness of sins and of the grace of God to renew the heart and bring it into harmony with the principles of God’s law.

“The blessings of the new covenant are grounded purely on mercy in forgiving unrighteousness and sins. . . . All who humble their hearts, confessing their sins, will find mercy and grace and assurance. Has God, in showing mercy to the sinner, ceased to be just? Has He dishonored His holy law, and will He henceforth pass over the violation of it? God is true. He changes not. The conditions of salvation are ever the same. Life, eternal life, is for all who will obey God’s law. . . .

“Under the new covenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the same as under the old—perfect obedience. . . . In the new and better covenant, Christ has fulfilled the law for the transgressors of law, if they receive Him by faith as a personal Saviour. . . . In the better covenant we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ.” God’s Amazing Grace, 136.

6 Why were there many priests under the old covenant? Hebrews 7:23. See 1 Chronicles 6 (especially verses 48, 49); Nehemiah 12:1–23.

NOTE: “I was also shown a sanctuary upon the earth containing two apartments. It resembled the one in heaven, and I was told that it was a figure of the heavenly. The furniture of the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary was like that in the first apartment of the heavenly. The veil was lifted, and I looked into the holy of holies and saw that the furniture was the same as in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. The priest ministered in both apartments of the earthly. He went daily into the first apartment, but entered the most holy only once a year, to cleanse it from the sins which had been conveyed there. I saw that Jesus ministered in both apartments of the heavenly sanctuary. The priests entered into the earthly with the blood of an animal as an offering for sin. Christ entered into the heavenly sanctuary by the offering of Hisown blood. The earthly priests were removed by death; therefore they could not continue long; but Jesus was a priest forever. Through the sacrifices and offerings brought to the earthly sanctuary, the children of Israel were to lay hold of the merits of a Saviour to come. And in the wisdom of God the particulars of this work were given us that we might, by looking to them, understand the work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.” Early Writings, 252. [Emphasis supplied.]

7 Why is the priesthood of Christ perpetual (not transferred from one to another)? Hebrews 7:24.

NOTE: “Christ rent not His robe as did Caiaphas. He gave up His body to be rent, to be bruised, to be wounded for the transgression of the world. As by His own choice He died in the presence of an assembled nation of worshipers, type met antitype. Priest and victim combined, He entered the Temple as a place of sacrifice. Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He is a true high priest, for after enduring humiliation, shame, and reproach, after being crucified and buried, He was raised from the grave, triumphing over death. He is a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 398.

8 What is Christ able to do for us? Hebrews 7:25, first part.

NOTE: “The faith that is unto salvation is not a casual faith, it is not the mere consent of the intellect, it is belief rooted in the heart, that embraces Christ as a personal Saviour, assured that He can save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. To believe that He will save others, but will not save you is not genuine faith; but when the soul lays hold upon Christ as the only hope of salvation, then genuine faith is manifested. This faith leads its possessor to place all the affections of the soul upon Christ; his understanding is under the control of the Holy Spirit, and his character is molded after the divine likeness. His faith is not a dead faith, but a faith that works by love, and leads him to behold the beauty of Christ, and to become assimilated to the divine character. [Deuteronomy 30:11–14 quoted.] ‘And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live’ (Deuteronomy 30:6).” Selected Messages, Book 1, 391, 392. [Emphasis supplied.]

9 What further assurance does Christ’s priesthood give us? Hebrews 7:25, last part.

NOTE: “Type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb slain for the sins of the world. Our great High Priest has made the only sacrifice that is of any value in our salvation. When He offered Himself on the cross, a perfect atonement was made for the sins of the people. We are now standing in the outer court, waiting and looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. No sacrifices are to be offered without, for the great High Priest is performing His work in the Most Holy Place. In His intercession as our advocate, Christ needs no man’s virtue, no man’s intercession. He is the only sin-bearer, the only sin-offering. Prayer and confession are to be offered only to Him who has entered once for all into the Most Holy Place. He will save to the uttermost all who come to Him in faith. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. . . .” Lift Him Up, 319.

“Let us remember that our great High Priest is pleading before the mercy seat in behalf of His ransomed people. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. ‘If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ [1 John 2:1.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 948.

10 How is it that such a high priest became us? Hebrews 2:16, 17.

NOTE: “In stooping to take upon Himself humanity, Christ revealed a character the opposite of the character of Satan. But He stepped still lower in the path of humiliation. ‘Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ Philippians 2:8. As the high priest laid aside his gorgeous pontifical robes, and officiated in the white linen dress of the common priest, so Christ took the form of a servant, and offered sacrifice, Himself the priest, Himself the victim. ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.’ Isaiah 53:5.” The Desire of Ages, 25.

11 What characteristics of our High Priest are identified? Hebrews 7:26, last part.

NOTE: “Walking in the midst of sin, He was holy, harmless, undefiled. He was wrongfully accused, yet He opened not His mouth to justify Himself. How many now, when accused of that of which they are not guilty, feel that there is a time when forbearance ceases to be a virtue, and losing their temper, speak words which grieve the Holy Spirit (Manuscript 42, 1901)?” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1148.

“The character of Christ was one of unexampled excellence, embracing everything pure, true, lovely, and of good report. We have no knowledge of His ever visiting a party of pleasure or a dance hall, and yet He was the perfection of grace and courtly bearing. Christ was no novice; He was distinguished for the high intellectual powers He possessed even in the morning of His life. His youth was not wasted in indolence, neither was it wasted in sensual pleasure, self-indulgence, or frittered away in things of no profit. Not one of His hours from childhood to manhood was misspent, none were misappropriated. . . .” Our High Calling, 59.

12 What is meant by Jesus being “higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26, last part)? 1 Peter 3:22; Romans 8:34; Acts 7:56.

NOTE: “Jesus said, ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ He walked once a man on earth, His divinity clothed with humanity, a suffering, tempted man, beset with Satan’s devices. He was tempted in all points like as we are, and He knows how to succor those that are tempted. Now He is at the right hand of God. He is in heaven as our advocate, to make intercession for us. We must always take comfort and hope as we think of this. He is thinking of those who are subject to temptations in this world. He thinks of us individually, and knows our every necessity. When tempted, just say, He cares for me, He makes intercession for me, He loves me, He has died for me. I will give myself unreservedly to Him.” Lift Him Up, 184.

The Pen of Inspiration – Home Duties of the Father

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Few fathers are fitted for the responsibility of training their children.  They, themselves, need strict discipline that they may learn self-control, forbearance, and sympathy.  Until they possess these attributes they are not capable of properly teaching their children.  What can we say to awaken the moral sensibilities of fathers, that they may understand and undertake their duty to their offspring?  The subject is of intense interest and importance, having a bearing upon the future welfare of our country.  We would solemnly impress upon fathers, as well as mothers, the grave responsibility they have assumed in bringing children into the world.  It is a responsibility from which nothing but death can free them.  True the chief care and burden rests upon the mother during the first years of her children’s lives, yet even then the father should be her stay and counsel, encouraging her to lean upon his large affections, and assisting her as much as possible.

The father’s duty to his children should be one of his first interests.  It should not be set aside for the sake of acquiring a fortune, or of gaining a high position in the world.  In fact, those very conditions of affluence and honor frequently separate a man from his family, and cut off his influence from them more than anything else.  If the father would have his children develop harmonious characters, and be an honor to him and a blessing to the world, he has a special work to do.  God holds him responsible for that work.  In the great day of reckoning it will be asked him: Where are the children that I entrusted to your care to educate for me, that their lips might speak my praise, and their lives be as a diadem of beauty in the world, and they live to honor me through all eternity?

In some children the moral powers strongly predominate.  They have power of will to control their minds and actions.  In others the animal passions are almost irresistible.  To meet these diverse temperaments, which frequently appear in the same family, fathers, as well as mothers, need patience and wisdom from the divine Helper.  There is not so much to be gained by punishing children for their transgressions, as by teaching them the folly and heinousness of their sin, understanding their secret inclinations, and laboring to bend them toward the right. . . .

The teachings of Jesus unfold to the father modes of reaching the human heart, and impressing upon it important lessons of truth and right.  Jesus used the familiar objects of nature to illustrate and intensify his meaning.  He drew lessons from every-day life, the occupations of men, and their dealing with one another.

The father should frequently gather his children around him, and lead their minds into channels of moral and religious light.  He should study their different tendencies and susceptibilities, and reach them through the plainest avenues.  Some may be best influenced through veneration and the fear of God; others through the manifestation of his benevolence and wise providence, calling forth their deep gratitude; others may be more deeply impressed by opening before them the wonders and mysteries of the natural world, with all its delicate harmony and beauty, which speak to their souls of Him who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and all the beautiful things therein.

Children who are gifted with the talent or love of music may receive impressions that will be life-long, by the judicious use of those susceptibilities as the medium for religious instruction.  They may be taught that if they are not right with God they are like a discord in the divine harmony of creation, like an instrument out of tune, giving forth discordant strains more grievous to God than harsh, inharmonious notes are to their own fine musical ear.

Many may be reached best through sacred pictures, illustrating scenes in the life and mission of Christ.  By this means truths may be vividly imprinted upon their minds, never to be effaced.  The Roman Catholic church understands this fact, and appeals to the senses of the people through the charm of sculpture and paintings.  While we have no sympathy for image worship, which is condemned by the law of God, we hold that it is proper to take advantage of that almost universal love of pictures in the young, to fasten in their minds valuable moral truths, to bind the gospel to their hearts by beautiful imagery illustrating the great moral principles of the Bible.  Even so our Saviour illustrated his sacred lessons by the imagery found in God’s created works.

It will not do to lay down an iron rule by which every member of the family is forced into the same discipline.  It is better to exert a milder sway, and when any special lesson is required, to reach the consciences of the youth through their individual tastes, and marked points of character.  While there should be uniformity in the family discipline, it should be varied to meet the wants of different members of the family.  It should be the parents’ study not to arouse the combativeness of their children, not to excite them to anger and rebellion, but to interest them, and inspire them with a desire to attend to the highest intelligence and perfection of character.  This can be done in a spirit of Christian sympathy and forbearance, the parents realizing the peculiar dangers of their children, and firmly, yet kindly, restraining their propensities to sin.

The parents, especially the father, should guard against the danger of their children learning to look upon him as a detective, peering into all their actions, watching and criticizing them, ready to seize upon and punish them for every misdemeanor.  The father’s conduct upon all occasions should be such that the children will understand that his efforts to correct them spring from a heart full of love for them.  When this point is gained, a great victory is accomplished.  Fathers should have a sense of their children’s human want and weakness, and his sympathy and sorrow for the erring ones should be greater than any sorrow they can feel for their own misdeeds.  This will be perceived by the corrected child, and will soften the most stubborn heart.

The father, as priest and house-band of the family circle, should stand to them as nearly in the place of Christ as possible—a sufferer for those who sin, one who, though guiltless, endures the pains and penalty of his children’s wrongs, and, while he inflicts punishment upon them, suffers more deeply under it than they do.

But if the father exhibits a want of self-control before his children, how can he teach them to govern their wrong propensities?  If he displays anger or injustice, or evidence that he is the slave of any evil habit, he loses half his influence over them.  Children have keen perceptions, and draw sharp conclusions; precept must be followed by example to have much weight with them.  If the father indulges in the use of any hurtful stimulant, or falls into any other degrading habit, how can he maintain his moral dignity before the watchful eyes of his children? . . .

The dangers of youth are many.  There are innumerable temptations to gratify appetite in this land of plenty.  Young men in our cities are brought face to face with this sort of temptation every day.  They fall under deceptive allurements to gratify appetite, without the thought that they are endangering health.  The young frequently receive the impression that happiness is to be found in freedom from restraint, and in the enjoyment of forbidden pleasures and self-gratification.  This enjoyment is purchased at the expense of the physical, mental, and moral health, and turns to bitterness at last.

How important, then, that fathers look well after the habits of their sons, and their associates.  And first of all he should see that no perverted appetite holds him in bondage, lessening his influence with his sons, and sealing his lips on the subject of self-indulgence in regard to hurtful stimulants.

Man can do much more for God and his fellow-man if he is in the vigor of health than if he is suffering from disease and pain.  Tobacco-using, liquor-drinking, and wrong habits of diet, induce disease and pain which incapacitate man for the use he might be in the world.  Nature, being outraged, makes her voice heard, sometimes in no gentle tones of remonstrance, in fierce pains and extreme debility.  For every indulgence of unnatural appetite the physical health suffers, the brain loses its clearness to act and discriminate.  The father, above all others, should have a clear, active mind, quick perceptions, calm judgment, physical strength to support him in his arduous duties, and most of all the help of God to order his acts aright.  He should therefore be entirely temperate, walking in the fear of God, and the admonition of his law, mindful of all the small courtesies and kindnesses of life, the support and strength of his wife, a perfect pattern for his sons to follow, a counselor and authority for his daughters.  He should stand forth in the moral dignity of a man free from the slavery of evil habits and appetites, qualified for the sacred responsibilities of educating his children for the higher life.

The Signs of the Times, December 20, 1877.

Ellen G. White (1827–1915) wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books during her lifetime.  Today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English.  She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender.  Seventh-day Adventists believe that Mrs. White was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world’s attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ’s second advent.

Where This World is Headed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who is the real sin bearer?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bible texts are NKJV unless otherwise stated.

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

Sanctuary, part 2

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The priesthood of the worldly Sanctuary of the first covenant belonged to the sons of Levi; but that of the heavenly, of the better covenant, to the Son of God. He fulfills both the priesthood of Melchisedec and Aaron. In some respects, the priesthood of Christ resembles that of Melchisedec, and in others that of Aaron or Levi. 1.) He was “made an High Priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec.” Taxis, rendered order, properly signifies “series, succession.” Christ, like Melchisedec, had no priestly descent of pedigree; (See Hebrews 7:3 [margin] i.e.) he never followed nor will have a successor in office; and “because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable Priesthood,” (which passeth not from one to another; margin.) Verse 24. The priesthood of Levi to be continuous had many and a succession of priests, “because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.” Verse 23. 2.) Being after the order of Melchisedec, He is superior to the sons of Levi because he blessed and received tithes from them in Abraham. Verses 1, 7, 9, 10. 3.) He is King and Priest; a King by birth, being from the tribe of Judah, and a Priest by the oath of His Father. Verses 14, 21. 4.) Being Himself perfect, and His priesthood unending, He is able to “perfect forever” and “save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Verse 25. He was not called after the order of Aaron, i.e. not in his succession but this does not at all prove that the priesthood of Aaron was not typical of the priesthood of Christ. Paul distinctly shows that it is.

1.) After calling upon us to “consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession (religion), Christ Jesus,” he lays the foundation of the investigation by drawing the analogy between Moses over his house (olkos, people) and Christ over His (Hebrews 3:1-6), and says: “Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after.” This clearly shows that the Mosaic economy was typical of the divine. 2.) He shows that He was called of God to be an High Priest “as was Aaron,” Hebrews 5:1-5. 3.) Like Aaron and his sons, He took upon Him flesh and blood, the seed of Abraham, “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” was made “perfect through suffering,” and “in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren; that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:4. 4.) Both were ordained for men in things pertaining to God: that (they might) offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” Hebrews 5:1, 8:3

Typical of Christ’s Ministry

5.) Paul evidently considered the Levitical priesthood typical of Christ’s from the pains he takes to explain the analogies and contrasts between them. 6.) “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death, but this Man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.” 7.) “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the people’s for this He did once when He offered up Himself.” 8.) “For the law maketh men high priests which have infimity; but the word of the oath which was since the law, maketh the Son who is consecrated (perfected, margin) for evermore.” Hebrews 7:23-28. 9.) “But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry” than theirs. Hebrews 8:6 10.) “By how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant” than theirs; Hebrews 8:6. 11.) “But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle” than theirs. Hebrews 9:11. 12.) “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place.” Verse 12. 13.) “For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, Who, through the eternal spirit offered Himself without spot to God purge your conscience.” Verses 13, 14. 14.) “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself. Verse 24. 15.) “Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;” but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Verses 25, 26. 16.) “And as it is appointed unto [the] men [priests] once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Verses 27, 28

17.) “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually, make the corners thereunto perfect;” but “by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14. 18.) “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” “but a body hast Thou prepared Me.” Verses 4, 5. These are a part of the contrasts or comparisons the apostle draws between the Levitical priesthood and Christ’s, and there is a resemblance in every instance; but Christ’s is superior to Levi’s.—I add one more. Hebrews 8:4, 5. “For if He were on earth He should not be a priest, seeing that there (many, they) are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.”

The Substance and its Shadow

The features of the substance always bear a resemblance to those of the shadow, hence the “heavenly things” referred to in this text must be priestly service “in the heavens” (see verses 1, 2) performed by our High Priest in His Sanctuary; for if the shadow is service, the substance is service also.

As the priests of the law served unto the example and shadow of the heavenly service, we can from their service learn something of the nature of the heavenly service. “Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.”

None can deny that, in obedience to this admonition, Moses made or instituted the Levitical priesthood; it was then “according to the pattern” which the Lord showed him, and that pattern was of heavenly things. (See Hebrews 9:23.) If there was not another text to prove that the Levitical priesthood was typical of the Divine, this would abundantly do it. Yet some are even denying this obvious import of the priesthood; but if this is not its import, I can see no meaning in it. It is an idle round of ceremonies without sense or use, as it did not perfect those for whom it was performed; but looked upon as typical of the heavenly, it is replete with the most important instruction. As this is the application made of it by the New Testament, so we must regard it, while we examine the atonement made under the Levitical priesthood.

“Now when these things [the worldly Sanctuary with its two apartments and the furniture in each] were thus ordained, the priests went always [daily, Hebrews 7:27; 10:11] into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

“But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people.” Hebrews 9:6, 7

Daily and Yearly Services

Here Paul divides the services of the Levitical priesthood into two classes—one daily in the Holy and the other yearly in the Holy of Holies.

Their stated daily services, performed in the Holy and at the brazen altar in the court before the tabernacle, consisted of a burnt offering of two lambs, one in the morning and the other at even, with a meat offering which was one tenth of an ephah of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and a drink offering which was one-fourth of an hin of strong wine. The meat-offering was burnt with the lamb, and the drink offering was poured in the Holy. (See Exodus 29:38-42; Numbers 28:3-8.) In connection with this, they burned on the golden altar in the Holy, sweet incense, which was a very rich perfume, when they dressed and lighted the lamps every evening and morning. (See Exodus 30:34-38; 31:11; 30:7-9.) The same was afterwards done at the Temple. 1 Chronicles 16:37-40; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 13:3, 4-12; 31:3; Ezra 3:3.)

This did not atone for sins either individually or collectively. The daily service described was a sort of continual intercession, but the making of atonement was a special work for which special directions are given. Different words are used both in the Old Testament and New to express the same idea as Atonement.

Examples—From the following texts we learn that the words atone, cleanse, reconcile, purify, purge, pardon, sanctify, hallow, forgive, justify, redeem, blot out, and some others, are used to signify the same work, viz., bringing into favor with God; and in all cases, blood is the means, and sometimes blood and water. Exodus 29:36: “Thou shalt cleanse the altar when thou hast made an atonement for it.”—Leviticus 12:8: “The priest shall make an atonement for her and she shall be clean.” Leviticus 14:2: “This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing.” Verse 21: “The priest shall make an atonement for him and he shall be clean.” Leviticus 14:2: The atonement could not be made for him till after he was healed of the leprosy, (see Leviticus 13:45, 46.) Till he was healed, he had to dwell alone without the camp. Then, Leviticus 14:3, 4. “The priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and behold if the plague of the leprosy be healed in the leper; then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean,” etc. The law was the same in cleansing a house form the leprosy. (See verses 33-57.) The stones affected with the plague were removed and the house “scraped within round about” and then repaired with new material.

Physical uncleanness is now all removed and we would call it clean, but not so; it is only just prepared to be cleansed according to the law. Verse 48: “And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds” etc. Verse 48: “And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird” etc. Verses 52, 53: “And make an atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.” Leviticus 16:18, 19: “And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Leviticus 8:15: “And Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his fingers and purified the altar round about with his fingers and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.” 2 Chronicles 29:29. 2 Chronicles 29:24: “And they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel,” Jeremiah 33:8: “I will cleanse them from all their iniquities…and I will pardon all their iniquities.” Romans 5:9-11: “Being now justified by His blood….by Whom we have now received the atonement.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-19: “Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 2:16: “And that he might reconcile both unto God.” Hebrews 9:13, 14: “The blood of bulls sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; but the blood of Christ shall purge our conscience from dead works.” He is the Mediator for the “redemption of the transgressions,” and to “perfect forever them that are sanctified,” Hebrews 10:14. Ephesians 1:7: “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins.” Acts 3:19: “Be converted that your sins may be blotted out.”

The atonement is the great idea of the Law, as well as the Gospel; and as the design of that of was to teach us that of the Gospel, it is very important to be understood. The atonement which the priest made for the people in connection with their daily ministration was different from that made on the tenth day of the seventh month. In making the former, they went no further than into the Holy; but to make the latter, they entered the Holy of Holies—the former was made for individual cases, the latter for the whole nation of Israel collectively—the former was made for the forgiveness of sins, the latter for blotting them out—the former could be made at any time, the latter only on the tenth day of the seventh month. Hence, the former may be called the daily atonement, and the latter the yearly; or the former the individual, and the latter the national atonement.

Individual Atonement

The individual atonement for the forgiveness of sins was made for a single person, or for the whole congregation in case they were collectively guilty of some sin. The first chapter of Leviticus gives directions for the burnt offering, the second for the meat offering, the third for the peace offering, and the fourth for the sin offering, which, as its name implies, was an offering for sins, in which he who offered it attained forgiveness of his sins. The trespass offering, Leviticus 5; 6:1-7, was similar to the sin-offering. “If a soul sin through ignorance,” Leviticus 4:2, “when he knoweth of it, then shall he be guilty,” Leviticus 5:3. “And it shall be when he shall be guilty in any of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing.” Verse 5

From Numbers 5:6-8, it appears that confession and restitution are necessary in all cases before the atonement could be made for the individual. “When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty; then they shall recompense his trespass with the principle thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.”

Then he or the elders (if it was for the congregation) brought the victim for the sin or trespass offering to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation on the north side of the altar of burnt offering in the court (see Leviticus 4:24; 1:11; 17:1-7); there he (or the elders) laid his hand on its head and killed it. (See Leviticus 4:2-4, 13-15, 22-24, 27-29.) Then, the victim being presented and slain, the priest that was anointed took some of the blood into the Holy, and with his finger sprinkled it before the veil of the Sanctuary and put some of it upon the horns of the altar of incense, then poured the remainder of the blood at the bottom of the altar. Thus he made an atonement for the individual, and his sin was forgiven. (See Leviticus 4:5-10, 16-20, 25, 26, 30-35.) The carcasses of the sin offering were taken without the camp and burned “in a clean place.” Leviticus 4:11, 12, 21

It should be distinctly remembered that the priest did not begin his duties till he obtained the blood of the victim, they were all performed in the court (the enclosure of the Sanctuary), and the atonement thus made was only for the forgiveness of sins. These points are expressly taught in this chapter and the following one on the trespass offering. Here is an atonement, to make which, the priests only entered the Holy; and to make it they could enter that apartment “always” or “daily.” “But into the second [the Holy of Holies] went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people [laos, nation].” Hebrews 9:7. This defines the yearly to be.

National Atonement

The Lord “speaks particularly” of the national Atonement in Leviticus 16: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron, thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat:” Verse 2. For what purpose and when could he enter it? “To make an atonement for the children of Israel [the whole nation] for all their sins once a year” “on the tenth day of the seventh month.” Verses 34, 29. This was the most important day of the year. The whole nation, having had their sins previously forgiven by the atonement made in the Holy, now assemble about their Sanctuary, while the High Priest, attired in his holy garments for glory and beauty (see Exodus 28:4) having the golden bells on the hem of his robe that his sound may be heard when he goeth in before the Lord, the breast plate of judgment on his heart, with their names therein that he may bear their judgment, also in it the Urim and Thummim (light and perfection), and the plate of pure gold, the holy crown, (see Leviticus 8:9: Exodus 28:36), with “Holiness to the Lord” engraved upon it, placed upon the forefront of his miter that he may bear the iniquities of the holy things, enters the Holy of Holies to make an atonement to cleanse them that they may be clean from all their sins before the Lord.” Verse 30. The victims for the atonement of this day were, for the priest himself, a young bullock for a sin offering (see verse 3), and for the people, two goats; one for a sin offering and the other for the scapegoat, and a ram for a burnt offering. (See verses 5-8. He killed or caused to be killed the bullock for a sin offering for himself. (See Verse 11.) “And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bringing it within the veil; and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not; and he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy sea eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times,” Verses 12-14. So much, in preparation to make an atonement for the people; a description of which follows:

“Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat; and he shall make an atonement for [cleanse, see marginal references] the holy place [within the veil, verse 2], because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for [i.e. atone for or cleanse] the tabernacle of the congregation [the Holy], that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.” Verses 15, 16. “And he shall go out [of the Holy of Holies] unto the altar that is before the Lord [in the Holy], and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood [for himself] of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat [for the people], and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Verses 18, 19. The altar was the golden altar of incense in the Holy upon which the blood of individual atonement was sprinkled during the daily ministration. Thus it received the uncleanness from which it is now cleansed. Exodus 30:10: “Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements.” We see from Leviticus 16:20 that at this stage of the work, “he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar,” i.e. the Holy of Holies, the Holy, and the altar in the latter.

We have before seen that atone, reconcile, cleanse, etc., signify the same hence, at this stage he has made an end of cleansing those places. As the blood of atonements for the forgiveness of sins was not sprinkled in the court, but in the tabernacle only, the entire work of cleansing the Sanctuary was performed within the tabernacle. These were holy things, yet cleansed yearly. The holy place within the veil contained the ark of the covenant , covered with the mercy seat and overshadowed by the cherubim’s, between which the Lord dwelt in the cloud of divine glory. Who would think of calling such a place unclean? Yet the Lord provided at the time, yea, before, it was built, that it should be annually cleansed. It was by blood, and not by fire, that this Sanctuary, which was a type of the new covenant Sanctuary, was cleansed.

The high priest on this day “bore the iniquities of the holy things which the children of Israel hallowed in all their holy gifts.” Exodus 28:38. these holy things composed the Sanctuary. Numbers 18:1 “And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou, and thy sons, and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary.” This “iniquity of the Sanctuary” we have learned was not its own property, but the children of Israel’s, God’s own people’s, which it had received from the them. And this transfer of iniquity from the people to their Sanctuary was not a mere casualty, incident on scenes of lawless rebellion, bloodshed or idolatry among themselves, not the devastation of an enemy; but it was according to the original arrangement and regular operation of this typical system. For we must bear in mind that all the instructions were given to Moses and Aaron before the erection of the Sanctuary. Provision was made to make atonement for sins committed in ignorance; but not till after they were known; (See Leviticus 4:14, 5:3-6); then, of course, they became sins of knowledge. Then the individual bore his iniquity (Leviticus 5:1-17; 7:1-8) till he presented his offering to the priest and slew it. The priest made an atonement with the blood (see Leviticus 17:11), and he was then forgiven and free from his iniquity.

Sin Transferred

Now at what point did the individual cease to bear his iniquity? Evidently, when he had presented his victim slain, he had then done his part. Through what medium was his iniquity conveyed to the Sanctuary? Through his victim, or rather its blood, when the priest took and sprinkled it before the veil and on the altar. Thus the iniquity was communicated to their Sanctuary. The first thing done for the people on the tenth day of the seventh month was to cleanse it, thence by the same means, the application of blood. This done, the high priest bore the “iniquity of Sanctuary” for the people “to make atonement for them.” Leviticus 10:17. “And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place [within the veil], and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar [or when he hath cleansed the Sanctuary], he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited (margin, of separation). Leviticus 16:2-20. This was the only office of the scapegoat, to finally receive and bear away from Israel all their iniquities into an uninhabited wilderness and there retain them, leaving Israel at their Sanctuary and the priest to complete the atonement of the day by burning the fat of the sin offerings and offering the two rams for burnt offerings on the brazen altar in the court. (See verses 24, 25.) The burning without the camp of the carcasses of the sin offerings closed the services of this important day. (See verse 27.)

The Heavenly Sanctuary

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The finishing of the mystery of God involves the opening of the second apartment of the temple in heaven wherein is the ark of God’s testament. This is the place where our Lord finishes His priesthood; hence this apartment of the heavenly temple must be the place of that tribunal at which the righteous are acquitted, their sins blotted out, and themselves accounted worthy of the kingdom of God. The temple of God in heaven, and especially its second apartment, is therefore worthy of our most attentive study. The Scriptures contain many explicit testimonies to the existence of the heavenly temple.

“Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is; and let the Lord God be witness against you; the Lord from His holy temple. For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.” Micah 1:2, 3. (See Psalm 11:4; 2 Samuel 22:7, 8. See also Psalm 18:6, 7; Isaiah 6:1–4.)

“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Revelation 11:19. (See Revelation 14:17, 18; 15:5; 16:7.)

Two Holy Places in Heaven

The heavenly temple consists of two holy places. This is proved by many conclusive arguments. The first of these is drawn from the statements respecting the tabernacle erected by Moses. When God called Moses into the mount to receive the tables of the Law (see Exodus 24:12), He first bade him make a sanctuary that He might dwell among them and that the priests might minister in His presence. (See Exodus 25–28.) He also bade him to make an ark to contain the tables of the Law, to be placed in the second apartment of the sanctuary. This building consisted of two holy places (see Exodus 26), and both itself and its sacred vessels were made like the pattern showed in the mount. (See Exodus 25:9.)

“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” Hebrews 8:5. (See also Exodus 25:40; 26:30; Acts 7:44.)

The tabernacle thus constructed was a pattern of the heavenly temple. Thus Paul bears testimony:

“It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Hebrews 9:23, 24

This establishes one plain, incontrovertible argument, that the heavenly temple has two holy places. The temple erected by Solomon furnishes the second argument, and it is of the same character as that drawn from the tabernacle. The temple was a larger and grander building than the tabernacle and differed from it in being an immovable structure; but it was constructed on the same plan, in that it was an edifice consisting of two holy places with sacred vessels of the same kind and occupied with the very same ministration as that which had previously served in the tabernacle. (See 1 Kings 6–8.) This building with its two holy places was a pattern of the heavenly temple, as the words of David and of Solomon declare:

“Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercyseat, and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things.” “All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.” 1 Chronicles 28:11, 12, 19

This is a second decisive argument that the heavenly sanctuary has two holy places. The third is drawn from the fact that the plural term “holy places” is used in the designation of the greater and more perfect tabernacle.

The Way of the Holy Places

Thus when Paul says, as expressed in our common version (see Hebrews 8:2), “A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man,” it is literally in the original, “a minister of the holy places.” And thus also when we read respecting the heavenly temple, “The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing,” it is literally in the Greek, “the way of the holy places.” Hebrews 9:8. So also where we read of the greater and more perfect tabernacle, in verse 12, that Christ “entered in once into the holy place,” it is also literally “holy places.” Again, in verse 24, we read in our common version the same thing, literally rendered, “the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true,” which last word is plural in the original, showing that there are holy places in the heavenly temple. And again in Hebrews 10:19, the term “holiest” is not, in the original “holy of holies,” as in chapter 9:3, but simply “holy places.” These passages form a most convincing argument that there must be two holy places in the heavenly temple. A fourth argument is found in the fact that each of the two holy places of the heavenly temple is definitely set forth in the description of that building not made with hands.

The first apartment is identified by the things which it contains. When John was called in vision to ascend to the place of God’s throne, the heavenly temple, a door was opened in heaven and the throne of God was revealed to his view. This is manifestly the door of the heavenly temple, for the throne of God which it discloses to view is within that temple. (See Psalm 11:4; Revelation 16:17.) That it was the first apartment of that temple into which he looked is evident from what he saw therein. “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thundering and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Revelation 4:5. Here is a plain reference to the seven lamps which burned in the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary. (See Leviticus 24:2–4.)

And again, when the seven angels receive the seven trumpets, the scene of vision is still the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. Thus we read:

“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” Revelation 8:2, 3

The golden altar stood in the first apartment of the sanctuary, i.e., in the same room with the candlestick on which were the seven lamps. (See Exodus 40:24–26.) The place of God’s throne at the time when the book with the seven seals was delivered to Christ, and also when the seven trumpets were given to the seven angels, is the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. But when the seven vials are delivered into the hands of the seven angels who have the duty of pouring them out, the second apartment of the heavenly temple is opened and they come out from thence to execute the wrath of God upon men. This opening of the holiest takes place under the seventh trumpet.

The Temple Opened

“And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened; and the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” Revelation 15:5–8

This opening of the heavenly temple, which is followed by the pouring out of the unmingled wrath of God, is an event connected with the closing up of human probation. And it is certain that we have in this case the opening of the holiest of all, here called the tabernacle of the testimony. The expression, “tabernacle of the testimony,” is a familiar term taken from the Old Testament and is precisely equivalent to “tabernacle of the ten commandments.” In proof of this, take the use of this term in the Bible. We begin with the first use of the Hebrew word gehdooth, and trace it through the books of Moses. Thus it occurs for the first time in Exodus 16:34: “Aaron laid it up before the testimony.” That is to say, he laid up the pot of manna before the ark of the Ten Commandments. (See Hebrews 9:4.) The next is Exodus 25:16: “Thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.” This was the Ten Commandments. (See Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 10:4, 5.) Again, “In the ark thou shalt put the testimony,” (see Exodus 25:2), i.e., the Ten Commandments. (See 1 Kings 8:9.) And now the ark itself takes its name from what was put in it. “The two cherubim’s which are upon the ark of the testimony.” Exodus 25:22. “And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony; and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. And thou shalt put the mercyseat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.” Exodus 26:33, 34. Here we have the ark of the Ten Commandments assigned to the most holy place of the tabernacle and the mercyseat placed over the ark. Presently we shall find that this testimony gives name to the tabernacle itself. As we read onward we find in Exodus 27:21; 30:6, 26, 36; 31:7, 18; 32:15; 34:29, the terms “testimony,” “tables of testimony,” “ark of the testimony,” each time by testimony meaning definitely the Ten Commandments. The term, “tabernacle of testimony,” occurs for the first time in Exodus 38:21.

The Second Apartment

Thus we see that the testimony of the Almighty gives name to the tables on which it was written, to the ark in which the tables were placed, and to the tabernacle itself, whose second apartment received the ark. Next, we thrice read of the ark of the testimony. (See Exodus 39:35; 40:3, 5.) And now we are brought to the acts of Moses in setting up the sanctuary. It is said in Exodus 40:20, “He took and put the testimony into the ark,” i.e., he put the Law of God therein. Then he placed the ark itself within the tabernacle and covered the ark of the testimony by hanging up the second veil. (See Exodus 40:21.) In Leviticus 16:13, the mercyseat is said to be upon the testimony. In Leviticus 24:3, the veil which hides the ark is called the veil of the testimony. Next, we read of the tabernacle of the testimony in Numbers 1:50, 53. Next, of the ark of the testimony. (See Numbers 4:5; 7:89; Joshua 4:16.) Next, of the tent of the testimony (see Numbers 9:15), and of the testimony itself. (See Numbers 17:10.) Next, of the tabernacle of witness, or testimony (for the two words are synonymous). (See Numbers 10:11; 17:7, 8; 18:2.) In all of these texts, it is certain that the Ten Commandments are called the testimony and that they give name to the tables, to the ark, to the veil, and to the tabernacle, especially to the second apartment.

This term has, therefore, a well-defined meaning in the Scriptures. By the testimony, the tables of the testimony, the ark of the testimony, the veil of the testimony, and the tabernacle of the testimony, are meant respectively the Ten Commandments. The term, “tabernacle of witness,” or “testimony,” does therefore definitely signify the tabernacle of the Ten Commandments. Now it is remarkable that this term occurs twice in the New Testament. In Acts 7:44, the tabernacle of witness, i.e., of the Ten Commandments, is mentioned, referring to the earthly sanctuary; and in Revelation 15:5, the heavenly sanctuary is designated by this same term, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven; and we have proved conclusively that this is equivalent to the temple of the tabernacle of the Ten Commandments in heaven.

This text is therefore a plain reference to the most holy place of the heavenly temple and to the Law of God deposited therein, which gives name to the building. This apartment of the heavenly temple is opened just prior to the pouring out of the plagues. But we have a second statement of the opening of the most holy place of the temple in heaven. Thus we read of the events under the seventh trumpet:

“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Revelation 11:19

Here is disclosed to our view the second apartment of the heavenly temple, and here is shown the grand central object, which gives name to the tabernacle itself. It is the ark of God, sometimes called the ark of the covenant, or testament (see Numbers 10:33; Hebrews 9:4), and sometimes the ark of the testimony (see Exodus 25:22). It is because the heavenly temple contains the ark of God’s testimony that it is itself called the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven. And the ark itself is not empty; it contains what Revelation 11:19 calls God’s testament and what Revelation 15:5 calls “the testimony in heaven.” These two terms must signify the Ten Commandments and cannot signify anything else.

The Work of Judgment

The existence of the temple in heaven and the fact that it has two holy places, like the sanctuary of the first covenant, have been clearly proved. The judgment work in the second apartment remains to engage our attention.

When Paul says, in Romans 2:6, that God “will render to every man according to his deeds,” he adds in the next verse this important statement: “To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” Now it is manifest that this work of rendering to every man according to his deeds can only be wrought after the examination of those deeds in the judgment. It must be in consequence of the decision of the judgment that the things promised are rendered to men. It is also evident that the gift of immortality is one of the things thus rendered. As the righteous receive this gift in the very act of being resurrected from the grave, it is certain that the decision of the judgment passes upon them before the voice of the archangel and the trump of God awaken them to immortal life.

This part of the judgment work takes place where our Lord finishes His priesthood; for His last work as Priest is to secure the acquittal of His people and to obtain the decision that their sins shall be blotted out. We have learned from the Scriptures that the heavenly temple has two holy places. A further examination will evince the fact that there are two parts to the ministration of Christ and that His last work is at the tribunal of His Father in the tabernacle of the testimony, where it is determined who shall receive immortality.

The Levitical Example

The Levitical priests served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” Hebrews 8:5. The most important part of the service pertaining to the earthly sanctuary was that which was performed within the second apartment on the tenth day of the seventh month. (See Leviticus 16.) This is generally considered as typifying the events of the whole gospel dispensation. But we think the evidence conclusive that this chapter is a typical representation of that part of our Lord’s work which is embraced in the hour of God’s judgment, or in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he begins to sound.

The sixteenth chapter of Leviticus is devoted solely to the work of finishing the yearly round of service in the earthly sanctuary. This was wrought on the great day of atonement and was of the most impressive character. First, the high priest was solemnly admonished that he was such only in a typical sense and not such in reality. For on this day, which was by far the most impressive of all and when he entered the most holy place of the sanctuary, he must put on the plainest and humblest dress, laying aside that splendid dress which the law prescribed for him to wear on other occasions. (See Leviticus 16:4 compared with Exodus 28.) He was also to make a public acknowledgment of his own sinfulness by proceeding to offer a sin offering for himself. (See Leviticus 16:3, 6, 11–14.) No part of this can be typical of our Lord’s work, for it was expressly designed to impress upon the mind the infirmity and sinfulness of the high priest.

But this being accomplished, the high priest entered upon that work which directly shadowed forth the work of atonement. He took from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering. (See Leviticus 16:5.) On these two goats he was to cast lots; one lot was for the goat to be sacrificed and one for the scapegoat. Then he slew the goat upon which the lot fell for a sacrifice, and with his blood he entered into the second apartment of the sanctuary. This blood he sprinkled before the mercyseat and upon it. He did this for two purposes: (1) to make atonement for the people; (2) to cleanse the sanctuary by removing from it the sins of the people of God. Then the high priest returned into the first apartment and cleansed the altar from the sins of the people. The sanctuary being cleansed, the high priest comes out of the door of the building, and, having caused the live goat to be brought, he lays both his hands upon his head and confesses over him all the transgressions of the children of Israel in all their sins. These he puts upon the head of the goat and sends him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. The goat thus sent bears away all their iniquities into a land not inhabited. (See Leviticus 16:7–10, 15–22.)
The End

Offices of Christ – part 3

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Our Lord has three grand offices assigned Him in the Scriptures in the work of human redemption. When He was upon our earth at His first advent, He was that prophet of whom Moses spake in Deuteronomy 18:15–19. (See also Acts 3:22–26.) When He ascended up to heaven, He became a great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. (See Psalm 110; Hebrews 8:1–6.) But when He comes again, He is in possession of His kingly authority, as promised in the second psalm. It is by virtue of this office of King that He judges mankind. (See Matthew 25:34–40.) The transition from our Lord’s priesthood to His kingly office precedes His Second Advent. (See Luke 19:11, 12, 15.) It takes place when His Father sits in judgment, as described in Daniel 7:9–14.

The nature of the words addressed by the Father to the Son when He crowns Him King shows that coronation to be at the close of His priestly office. (See Psalm 2:6–9.) It is manifest that the giving of the heathen to the Son by the Father is not for their salvation but for their destruction. It could not, therefore, take place at the ascension of Christ when He entered upon His priesthood but must be when the work of that priesthood is finished. Daniel has placed the coronation of Christ at the Father’s judgment-seat, and to this fact the words of the second psalm perfectly agree. The priesthood of Christ is closed when the scepter of iron is placed in His hands; for when the wicked are given into the hands of Christ to be destroyed, it is plain that there is no further salvation for sinners. The coronation, which is described in Daniel 7:9–14, is simply the transition from the priesthood of Christ to His Kingly office.

It is plain that our Lord’s priesthood is brought to a conclusion at the time when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment. We need Him as Priest to confess our names at that tribunal and to show from the record of our past lives that w have perfected the work of overcoming so that our sins may, by the decision of the Father, be blotted out and our names retained in the book of life. But when the people of God have thus passed the decision of the investigative judgment, their probation is closed forever and their names, being found in the Book of Life when all that have failed to overcome are stricken therefrom, they are prepared for the standing up of Michael to deliver His people and to destroy all others with the scepter of His justice.

The priesthood of Christ continues till His enemies are given Him to be destroyed.

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; Thou hast the dew of Thy youth. The LORD that sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The LORD at Thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head.” Psalm 110:1–7.

Closing Christ’s Intercession

These words are addressed by God the Father to Christ when He enters upon His priestly office and are equivalent to saying that in due time He should have His enemies given Him to destroy, viz., at the close of His work of intercession. For this reason it is that Paul represents Him as sitting at the Father’s right hand, in a state of expectancy. (See Hebrews 10:13.) But the words of the second psalm, bidding Him ask for the heathen, to destroy them, cannot be uttered till He finished His work of intercession. It appears that our Lord announces the close of His intercession by saying, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which if filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11. In response to this declaration of the Intercessor, announcing to His Father the close of His work, the Father bids the Son ask of Him the heathen that He may devote them to utter destruction. And in fulfillment of the Son’s request, the Father crowns Him King as described in Daniel 7:9–14, as He sits in judgment and commits the judgment into His hands.

Christ, as our High Priest, or Intercessor, sits at the right hand of the Father’s throne, i.e., He occupies the place of honor in the presence of One greater, till He is Himself crowned King when He takes His own throne.

The position of the Saviour as High Priest cannot be one invariable, fixed posture of sitting. Indeed, although Mark says (see Mark 16:19), concerning our Lord, that “He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God,” yet it is said of Stephen that “he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55, 56. The fact that Stephen saw our Lord standing at His Father’s right hand and that after this Jesus did personally appear to Saul to constitute him a witness of His resurrection, which, in order to be an apostle, he must be, is not inconsistent with the mandate of the Father, “Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.”

The Hebrew word yahshav, rendered sit in Psalm 110:1, is used an immense number of times in the Old Testament and is, in a very large proportion of these cases, rendered dwell. Thus, “Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain.” Genesis 13:12. (See also Genesis 45:10; 1 Samuel 27:7.) But it is to be observed that Abraham, Lot, Jacob, and David, the persons spoken of in the texts, who dwelled, or, as rendered in Psalms 110:1, who sat in the places named, were not, during the time in which they acted thus, immovably fixed to those several places but were capable of going and returning during the very time in question. And the Greek word kathizo, used in the New Testament for Christ’s act of sitting at the Father’s right hand, though more generally used in the sense of sitting, is also used precisely like yahshav, in the texts above.

Christ’s Work More than that of an Intercessor

When our Lord went away, it was not simply that He should act as Intercessor for His people; He also had another work to do. He says: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2, 3. We cannot doubt that this work is wrought under our Lord’s personal inspection, and it is performed during the period that He is at the Father’s right hand.

The expression, “right hand,” is especially worthy of attention. In defining the Hebrew word yahmeen, i.e., right hand, Gesenius says: “To sit on the right hand of the king, as the highest place of honor, e.g., spoken of the queen (1 Kings 2:19; Psalm 14:9); of one beloved of the king and vicegerent of the kingdom. Psalm 110:1.”

When our Lord spoke of going away to intercede for His people, He said: “I go unto the Father, for My Father is greater than I.” John 14:28. In fulfilling His office of Intercessor, or High Priest, He has assigned to Him the highest place of honor in the presence of a greater; for He sits on the right hand of His Father’s throne. He is not, however, to sustain this relation always. It lasts while He pleads for sinful man. When it ceases, the impenitent are to be made His footstool and the dominion, and glory, and kingdom being given Him, He sits down upon His own throne. (See Revelation 3:21.) This gift of the heathen to Christ is when the Father sits in judgment, as we have seen from Daniel 7:9–14. We can well understand that at this tribunal, the question is determined as to who has overcome; and that, being settled, all the others are given to Christ to be broken with His iron scepter. The determination of the cases of the righteous in showing that they are worthy to have their sins blotted out is the final work of our Lord as High Priest. When this is accomplished, His priesthood is closed forever; and He assumes His kingly throne to judge His enemies and to deliver and reward His saints.

The Beginning of Christ’s Work as King

The Saviour, being crowned King at the close of His priestly office, begins the exercise of His Kingly power by delivering His people and by bringing to trial, pronouncing judgment upon, and executing His enemies.

The one hundred and tenth psalm, though it speaks very distinctly of the priesthood of Christ, enters even more largely into the exercise of His kingly office. It very clearly reveals the fact that our Lord acts as Judge by virtue of His kingly authority. Thus verse 1 assigns to Him, as Priest, the place of honor at His Father’s right hand, limiting His priesthood, however, by an event which changes His office from Priest to King. Verse 2 states the very act of making Christ King makes His enemies His footstool. Thus it says: “The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies.” The first clause of this verse is parallel to Psalm 2:6, “Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.” The heavenly Zion (see Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 14:1) is the place of Christ’s coronation. The last clause is the very words of the Father to the Son when He crowns Him King. This is sufficiently obvious from our common English version. But it is made still more evident from the French translation of David Martin in which the two clauses are connected by the words, “in saying.” Thus: “The Lord shall transmit out of Zion the scepter of Thy strength, in saying: Rule in the midst of Thy enemies.”

Our Lord being thus inducted into His Kingly office and proceeding to the exercise of His power against His enemies, the next verse states the sympathy of His people with this work: “Thy people shall be willing in the days of Thy power; in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning Thou hast the dew of youth.” Instead of “the day of Thy power,” Martin’s French Bible reads, “The day that Thou shalt assemble Thy army in holy pomp.” This is the time when the Son of man descends in power and great glory, and the armies of Heaven, i.e., all the holy angels, attend and surround Him. (See Matthew 24:30, 31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18; Revelation 19:11–21.) The people of God are to unite with Christ in His rule over the nations of wicked men. (See Revelation 2:26, 27; Psalm 2:6–9.) The morning of this verse must be the morning of the day which it mentions. One of the earliest events of that day is the resurrection of the just, when, like their Lord, they are born from the dead to life immortal. (See Revelation 20:4–6; Luke 20:35, 36; Colossians 1:18; Hosea 13:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:42–44, 51–54.)

The fourth verse of Psalm 110 confirms with an oath the priesthood of Christ. His prophetic office is the subject of solemn promise. (See Deuteronomy 18:15–18.)

The Limitations of Christ’s Priestly Office

His priesthood is established by an oath. (See psalm 110:4.) His kingly office is the subject of a fixed decree. (See Psalm 2:6, 7.) But the forever of His priesthood, as expressed by this verse, is limited by the fact that at a certain point of time, He is to cease to plead for sinful men and they are to be made His footstool.

It is important to observe that there are in this psalm two Lords, the Father and the Son. One in the original is called Jehovah; the other is called Adonai. The word LORD in small capitals is used for Jehovah. But the Lord at His right hand (verse 1) is Adonai, the Son. So we read of the Son in verse 5: “The Lord at Thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.” This will evidently be in the battle of the great day of God Almighty. (See Revelation 6:15–17; 19:11–21; Isaiah 24:21–23.)

Our Lord does not thus destroy His enemies by virtue of His kingly office until He has first judged them, for one of the first acts of His kingly power is to proceed to the judgment of His enemies. He represents Himself as judging by reason of His kingly office. (See Matthew 25:34, 40.) It is in the exercise of this power that He judges His enemies. So Psalm 110:6 reads thus: “He shall judge among the heathen; He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries.” This is the work in the day of His power, and to this work His people shall consent. (See verse 3.) This is indeed the great day of His wrath, and none shall be able to stand except those whose sins are blotted out. The wicked kings of the earth shall fall before Him when He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Human probation closes with the priesthood of Christ. Those who are found in their sins after our Lord has taken His kingly power must be destroyed as His enemies. His priesthood terminates when He has obtained the acquittal of His people and secured the blotting out of their sins at the tribunal of His Father. Then and there He is crowned King; and from that coronation scene, He comes as King to our earth to deliver all who at that examination of the books are accounted worthy to have part in the world to come and in the resurrection of the just. (See Daniel 7:9, 10; 12:1; Luke 20:35, 36; 21:36.)

The righteous dead are “accounted worthy” of a part in the resurrection to immortal life before they are raised from among the dead. (See Luke 20:35, 36; Philippians 3:11; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 20:4–6.) They awake with the likeness of Christ. (See Psalm 17:15.) We may be certain, therefore, that the investigation and decision of their cases is an accomplished fact prior to their resurrection; for that event is declarative of their final justification in the judgment.

But Like 21:36 uses the same expression both in Greek and in English respecting those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord that Luke 20:35, 36 uses respecting those who are asleep. As the latter, before the resurrection, are “accounted worthy” to be made like the angels, so the former are “accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” The things that shall come to pass before the deliverance of the saints are the events of the time of trouble such as never was. (See Daniel 12:1.) And those who are accounted worthy to escape these things are also worthy to stand before the Son of man at His appearing.

This act of accounting worthy does, therefore, relate to their eternal salvation and is performed before they enter that great time of trouble at which they are to be delivered; for that does not commence until the standing up of Michael, which is but another term for the coronation of Christ, or the beginning of His reign upon His own throne. But Michael, or Christ, does not take His throne till He has finished His work as Priest at the tribunal of His Father. It is at that tribunal that the righteous dead are accounted worthy of the resurrection to immortality and the righteous living are accounted worthy to escape the anguish of the time of trouble and to stand before the Son of man. Those only can be accounted worthy of this whose record in the book of God’s remembrance shows them to have been perfect overcomers.

The Saviour, while yet High Priest, confesses the names of such before His Father and the holy angels and secures the blotting out of their sins. Those who shall be raised to immortality and those who shall escape the things coming upon the earth and stand before the Son of man are severally counted worthy of this before the priesthood of Christ is closed. We cannot, therefore, doubt that with both these classes the investigation and decision of the judgment is passed before the Saviour takes the throne of His glory and begins the destruction of His enemies.

The righteous dead come first in the order of the Investigative Judgment; and while their cases are being examined and decided, probation continues to the living.

Probation Continues

It is certainly most natural that the cases of the righteous dead should be the first to come up in the Investigative Judgment, for their names stand first in the book of God’s remembrance. Reason would therefore teach us that these cases must earliest come into account before God. But we are not left simply to the reasonableness of this order of events. We have direct proof in the messages of Revelation 14:6–14 that probation to the living continues after the judgment hour has actually arrived:

The First Angel ushers in the hour of God’s judgment by a solemn announcement to all of the inhabitants of the earth that it has actually commenced. But the Second and Third Angels, who unite with this proclamation, deliver their messages in the judgment hour itself; and they address themselves to men still in probation. We have already learned that God the Father sits in judgment, as described in Daniel 7, before the advent of our Lord to this earth. And in Revelation 14, the fact that the hour of God’s judgment has come is announced to the inhabitants of the earth by a mighty proclamation. The judgment scene of Daniel 7 is closed by the coronation of Christ; and the judgment hour of Revelation 14 is followed by our Lord being seen upon the white cloud with a crown upon His head, a proof that His priesthood has then given place to His kingly office. Each of these pertains to the closing events of this dispensation. There can be, therefore, no doubt that the hour of God’s judgment announced in Revelation 14 is the time when God the Father sits in judgment, as described in Daniel 7:9–14.

Editorial – The Power of Association

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“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” I Corinthians 15:33. Today we would say evil associations corrupt good habits. The Bible is explicit in the precept and also illustrative of this unalterable principle that the people we associate with will have an effect on us for good or for evil. This is one reason that the Lord told lsrael they were to live separate from idolaters. (See Numbers 23:9.)

The Lord gave them explicit instruction on this point in regard to marriage. (See Deuteronomy 7:3.)

But this instruction applies not only to marriage but to any prolonged or serious association. “The followers of Christ are to separate themselves from sinners, choosing their society only when there is opportunity to do them good. We cannot be too decided in shunning the company of those who exert an influence to draw us away from God. While we pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation’ (Luke 11:4), we are to shun temptation, so far as possible.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 458.

All associations have an effect on us but there are specific types of associations that are potentially much more dangerous than any others where we place ourselves in a subordinate relationship. For example:

  1. The teacher-student relationship—A student’s mind is open to the ideas presented, even if they are error.
  2. The mentor relationship—Often is seen the identical thought pattern emerge from a young person that was urged by his/her mentor.
  3. The counselor relationship—Marriage counselor, financial or other kind of counselor. Marriage counselors have broken up many marriages. A decision to get non-Christian marriage counseling should never be taken lightly.
  4. The pastor or priest relationship—Often error is taught and accepted without critical thought because of the source of the information. (For New Testament Christianity, see Acts 17:11.)

A spiritual war is being fought and is becoming more bitter and fierce. Guard the avenues to your soul. “God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go … . The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him… .” Early Writings, 125.

“Again I was shown the necessity of those who believe we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily receiving or imbibing new error. I saw that neither young nor old should attend the assemblies of those who are in error and darkness. Said the angel, ‘Let the mind cease to dwell on things of no profit.’ ” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 425.

The Birth of the King

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From Wichita, Kansas to Kongsberg, Norway, and around the world, the colorful sights and delightful sounds of Christmas once again pervade the earth. Many Christians observe Christmas as a commemoration of the birth of Lord Jesus in lowly Bethlehem. Though in all probability it is not His birthday, let us use this time of Christian awareness to review the events surrounding that glorious occasion.

“When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son” for whom it was proclaimed that “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” He was to sit “upon the throne of David, and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgement and justice from that time forward, even forever.” “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.” Galatians 4:4; Isaiah 9:7,6

Thus, according to Scripture, when Jesus was “born,” He was to sit upon the “throne of David” and to establish the kingdom in justice and peace. Though the chosen nation should suffer economic chaos, theological apostasy and political corruption, its members were sure it would ultimately recover, for the Messiah would once again bring justice and peace, prosperity and dominion to God’s people.

Was not “the government” to be upon His shoulder”? And does the government not refer to the leaders and authorities of the nation? Thus the people confidently looked to their leaders to proclaim the Messiah King.

While the world of Israel thus looked expectantly toward Jerusalem for the birth announcement of their Saviour and King, a newborn babe lay sleeping on the beaten-down straw, under strips of linen, in a Bethlehem barn. He was a normal-looking infant, born of peasant stock. He was the Messiah, the Creator of the universe. The future of Israel’s prosperity and existence lay huddled beside Him.

Angels, bursting with eagerness to tell the good news, flew from house to house, synagogue to synagogue, throughout the length and breadth of Judea, searching for receptive hearts, to announce the birth of this newborn Son. They searched. Where were the 7,000 faithful of Elijah’s day? Though Elijah had not known their whereabouts, these angels had known every name and address. But now they searched in vain! Yet the people of Israel were zealous Sabbath keepers. They sent their children to the rabbinical schools and daily studied the Scriptures. And most of all, they were of the lineage of Abraham, loyal Jews, as demonstrated by their loyalty to their human leaders.

In one classroom an angel lingers as a scholar lectures his students. “It is nearly time for the Messiah to come,” he says. The angel starts forward with breathtaking joy—has he found a worthy group? He readies to lighten the room and share the good news, but the teacher continues:

“Be aware, however, that the historic beliefs, based upon simple Bible statements, must today be balanced with modern scholasticism. Rabbi Benikel, for example, in his recent dissertation of the linguistic origins of Daniel, which has received the endorsement of Rabbi Honohan, points out several exegetical problems with the theory of the Babylonian origin of Daniel. He asserts that portions of Daniel were written during the early Maccabean period and that the Messiah prophecy was an attempt to strengthen the support of Judas Maccabeus in his resistance to the Antiochan occupation of Judea. The Sanhedrin Council has yet to decide on this theory, but Rabbi Benikel, understandably, has not wanted to submit it to their jurisprudence until he has more support in the council.”

The angel folds his wings and turns to leave. The professor drones on—Rabbi El-Sevens has also shown problems with the year-day theory. This theory, he says, developed as a result of Israel’s disappointment when the Messiah did not come when expected shortly after Cyrus’ decree….But the angel has gone. The rejection of the Messiah had already begun.

Thus it was the “angels came….unseen to Jerusalem, to the appointed expositors of the Sacred Oracles, and the ministers of God’s house….Yet Jerusalem was not preparing to welcome her Redeemer. With amazement the heavenly messengers beheld the indifference of the people whom God had called to communicate to the world the light of sacred truth….They rehearsed their meaningless prayers, and performed the rites of worship to be seen by men, but in their strife for riches and worldly honor they were not prepared for the revelation of the Messiah.” The Desire of Ages, 43, 44

The angel returns from his search to the hayloft headquarters of Bethlehem: “I’ve searched the classrooms of Judea,” he reports. “The teachers are expounding the Scriptures, but they are very proud and degree-oriented. ‘They love…to be called…Rabbi.’ (Matthew 23:6-7) The students’ minds are ‘crowded with material that…[is] worthless’ and they are so busy with their biblical studies that they have no time for ‘quiet hours to spend with God.’ Thus they do ‘not hear His voice speaking to the heart.’ The Desire of Ages, 69. They have elevated human philosophy above simple faith and have ‘set human teaching above God’s word.’ Christ’s Object Lessons, 304. They pray before every class, but there is no real desire for divine enlightenment. I am sad to report that I have not been able to find a single classroom of Judea within which I could give the glad tidings of Jesus’ birth. Even if I had told them, unless it was endorsed by the Sanhedrin and came through the official channels, they would not have believed it.”

“That’s the kind of reports we’re getting from all over,” was the answer from the coordinating angel. “It’s pretty bleak. If we could even find some in individual dwellings with whom we could share the good news, but the angels visiting the homes report that the people have ‘respected the priests and rabbis for their intelligence and apparent piety’ for so long, that ‘in all religious matters they [have] yielded implicit obedience to their authority.’” The Desire of Ages, 611. They have almost made their human leaders infallible.

“We have found two persons, however, named Simeon and Anna, who are ‘just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel’ and filled with the Holy Spirit. See Luke 2:29, 36. Of course, they are so old that few will listen. What’s more, Anna is a prophetess, and you know how the testimony of the Spirit has been received of late. Completely made of none effect by many, I fear.

“Another detachment of angels have found some philosophers in Persia who are sincere seekers for truth. They have the writings of Balaam. Possibly we can reach them through their belief in astrology. Balaam said, ‘A Star shall come out of Jacob’ (Numbers 24:17): Now, if we make a visible star arise over Bethlehem…”

But the commander was interrupted by the entrance of another angel who appears radiant with joy—”I’ve found some who believe!” he announces. “There are some shepherds herding their sheep right outside this very city,” he says, “who are praying and meditating on the Scripture and are expecting the Christ to come!”

“But who will listen to shepherds?” asks one of the angels standing nearby. “They have no degrees, no preaching license, no literary or oratorical skills, no friends in the synagogue, no influence at all—if they preach this gospel it will turn many away!”

“But God is no respecter of persons” responds the angel. “They are worthy and I must tell them.”

“We’re all coming,” responds the commander. “You are the only one who has had success tonight—we’re joining you!”

That night the lowly shepherds became the best and only true theologians of Israel. They did not know four of five variant possibilities of prophetic interpretations; they could not quote rabbinical sources; they did not even know the dictionary definition of exegis, but they knew the truth. True theology is the process of humbly arriving at truth, not the process of proudly elucidating human speculation.

Those who do not understand or believe in God’s holy Sabbath are not theologians. They may be sincere, but they are not theologians. The most common and illiterate person who understands and keeps the Sabbath is a greater theologian than the wisest scholar who is ignorant of such a basic, plain truth of the Bible. Those who do not understand the closing events of earth’s history as delineated in Daniel, the Revelation, and The Great Controversy, are not theologians. Those who do not understand the power of Christ to deliver from sin, of the plain and simple gospel story of who Jesus was—”the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3)—are not theologians Those who have known and rejected God’s voice through the Spirit of Prophecy may be applauded for their great speculative skills, but their wisdom is no greater than was that of the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day—they are not theologians. And if the church, or individuals, permit themselves to be educated by these broken cisterns, they will be deceived and rejected by God as were the Jews in Jesus’ day.

As in Jesus’ day, “There are men among us in responsible positions who hold that the opinions of a few conceited philosophers, so called, are more to be trusted than the truths of the Bible, or the testimonies of the Holy Spirit. Such a faith as that of Paul, Peter, or John is considered old-fashioned and insufferable at the present day….God has shown me that these men are…to prove a scourge to our people. They are wise above what is written. This unbelief of the very truths of God’s Word because human judgment cannot comprehend the mysteries of His work is found…in most of our schools and comes into the lessons of the nurseries.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 79

Few so-called scholars are true theologians, and few theologians are recognized scholars. Jesus said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” Matthew 11:25

As with ancient Israel at Christ’s first coming, so with modern Israel “in the last solemn work” before His Second Coming—”few great men will be engaged.” They “have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent…[and] did not keep pace with the light….God will work a work in our day that but few anticipate. He will raise up and exalt among us those [like the shepherds] who are taught rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the outward training of scientific institutions….God will manifest that He is not dependent on learned, self-important mortals.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80,82

In Jesus’ day the people had been led to believe that God’s work depended upon the priests and rabbis, as “we have been inclined to think that where there are no faithful ministers there can be no true Christian, but this is not the case. God has promised that where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself. God has never made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80

The Jewish people could not fathom the Lord ever forsaking them. Their leaders had emphasized the texts that spoke of their eternal heritage to the exclusion of texts that spoke of the conditions of prosperity. This led to a false sense of security in the system. They forgot that God has not made Himself dependent upon any man, nation or church. Anyone, such as John the Baptist, who said, “God can raise up children to Himself from these stones,” was thought of as a schismatic and separationist. The question they asked both John and Jesus was, “By what authority do you do these things?”—What rabbi, priest, or synagogue has endorsed you?

The rejection of Jesus and the destruction of a nation followed a very simple path: 1) The leaders became political with only an outward appearance of piety in order to retain the people’s confidence and support. 2) The educational system elevated the human above the divine. 3) The people were taught that all questions of administration or policy must be submitted to ecclesiastical authority and that only those under such authority could preach, write or teach. 4) The people were taught that the chosen nation would continue to be blessed, regardless of what it did. 5) The people were led to believe that the work of the Lord consisted totally of the political system than in control of the nation. God was not recognized as the Head of His church as stated in Ephesians 1:22-23. The Lord Himself was obliged to go through the “proper channels” of the church. No one could ever hope to be the Messiah without the Sanhedrin’s recognition.

Following the anointing of Jesus at His baptism, the Father gave proof of Jesus’ Messiahship. But the one proof he was lacking was the official approval of the church—or at least what the people thought was the church.

Of course, Jesus was the church. He was the government. For “where Christ is, even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church, for the presence for the high and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.” The Upward Look, 315

No human council or organization, either today, in Martin Luther’s day, or in Jesus’ day can either establish or annul a church body by mere human fiat. The true church in Jesus’ day was not the temple in Jerusalem, but the believers that surrounded Jesus. This has constituted the church “in every age.” This is the church that “the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against,” and “is the one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard.” Acts of the Apostles, 11-12. But to even suggest such a thing in Jesus’ day would have been considered divisive, insubordinate and apostate. Thus the leaders were able to take a whole nation with them to ruin in their rejection of the humble King of Israel. The leaders were too proud, entrenched and educated to follow Jesus or to submit to His authority, and the people cast their lot with the priests.

Witness one of the most dramatic of Jesus’ healings. The man was born blind, the result, supposedly, of a curse from the parents’ or grandparents’ sins. But Jesus made clay, packed it upon his eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam.

The man came seeing and rejoicing. Though he had never seen Jesus, he knew that He was the Messiah, and acknowledged Him so before the priests. The priests knew this man. They knew he had been blind from birth. They had tried to suggest in previous healings of Jesus, that it was by sleight of hand, but they could not deny this miracle. Neither could they accept the One who performed it, for it was done by Jesus, who was not under their authority or jurisdiction. To acknowledge Him would mean to humble themselves. It could possibly lead to the whole moral and economic collapse of their system. Tithes and offerings would probably start flowing to Jesus. Their own authority would be limited. If they should yield their authority here, what would prevent any and every other upstart from beginning his own ministry? What would preserve the “purity of the church? To their way of thinking, the whole prosperity of a nation depended upon their handling of this case in such a way as to deprive Jesus of His glory and yet retain the confidence of the people. It would require the utmost skill in administrative tact and crisis management.

“So they…called the man who was blind, and said to him ‘Give God the glory! We know that this Man [Jesus] is a sinner.’” But the healed man would not relinquish his faith in Jesus. “Then they reviled him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.’” John 9:24, 28

As one last attempt to break through the stubborn resistance of the Jews, Jesus raised a man to life who had been dead for four days. The priests knew that they could not refute this miracle. In their hearts they knew that He was divine. But to acknowledge Him now would destroy their whole social, economic and political system. And to their way of thinking, it would therefore destroy God’s church. That, as “faithful stewards,” they could not allow. Thus Caiaphas said, “It is [more] expedient for us that one man should die for the people,….[than] that the whole nation should perish.” John 11:50

Corruption and political maneuvering they could permit; but someone calling for repentance, someone speaking without their authority, they could not tolerate. When the decision came to choose between Barabbas or Christ, they unanimously, save for Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, demanded Barabbas, and the multitudes followed suit.

“At the time of the first advent of Christ to our world, the men who composed the Sanhedrin exercised their authority in controlling men according to their will,” and the people blindly accepted their dominion. Testimonies to Ministers, 301. In their acceptance of human authority they rejected God’s. And thought the true church of Israel never fell, the human machinery that the people thought was the church did.

“The sin of ancient Israel was in disregarding the express will of God and following their own way according to the leadings of unsanctified hearts. Modern Israel are fast following in their footsteps and the displeasure of the Lord is as surely resting upon them.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 94

“The religion of many among us will be the religion of apostate Israel, because they love their own way, and forsake the way of the Lord….I know that a work must be done for the people, or many will not be prepared to receive the light of the angel sent down from heaven to lighten the whole earth with His glory.” Testimonies to Ministers, 468-469

When the earth was lightened with the glory of the angels at Jesus’ first coming, few were ready to receive it—only the humblest were lightened by their glory. Just so, another angel is to lighten the earth before Jesus’ Second Coming. Again, only the humblest will receive His glory. The church purified, is going through. But not everything that purports to be the church today is going to triumph with it. Only the pure and holy are going to triumph. Nothing that in any way bespeaks corruption or political maneuvering will survive.

“The Lord Jesus will always have a chosen people to serve Him. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, the Prince of life, He took from them the kingdom of God and gave it unto the Gentiles. God will continue to work on this principle with every branch of His work. When a church proves unfaithful to the work of the Lord, whatever their position may be, however high and sacred their calling, the Lord can no longer walk with them. Others are then chosen to bear important responsibilities.” The Upward Look, 131

“Let a church become proud and boastful, not depending on God, not exalting His power, and that church will surely be left by the Lord to be brought down to the ground.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 127

Throughout the land it is Christmas time again. Though the origins of Christmas preceded the Christian Era, let us review the meaning of the Bethlehem scene. While all eyes were fastened upon Jerusalem for the official birth announcement of their Saviour and King, a newborn babe lay sleeping on beaten-down straw, under strips of linen, in a Bethlehem barn. While the church went on with its forms and ceremonies and Sabbath rituals, the lowly shepherds were bowing beside His cradle. They were the true theologians of Israel, but none would accept their inspired announcement. There in that cradle of Bethlehem lay the government of Israel. The prosperity of a nation, a church, a people, lay huddled beside Him. Though many rejected Him, God’s true church accepted Him. That church sill lives!

 

This article by the late Marshall Grosboll was first published in Our Firm Foundation Magazine, December, 1987.

Editor’s Note: The truth on “Who and what is the Church” is clearly presented in this article. We have in the past and continue to teach this same truth that Marshall taught in 1987, which we believe is true to the Word of God.