The Open and Shut Door Dilemma

By

J. Wilfred Johnson

April 28th, 1976

 

Transcribed from C/Ds #47, #48 

October 7, 2013 thru October 16, 2013

By

Steven Pond

 

Now this evening I’m going to tackle a subject that is difficult and I’m going to have to appeal to your tolerant natures and open minds and high intellects. I hope that you will not feel that we’re moving into a topic that we should leave alone, There are many things that we have been teaching down through the years in our denomination as doctrines; we’ve been teaching them as units, segments, little compartments, each one in its own particular place. But we have been paying little attention to how these various segments of doctrine are coordinated, how they are interrelated, and how they tie together. Some of you folks have been with me now for about fifty meetings, as I figure, at least--about thirty of these two-hour sessions, which is about sixty hours, and you have been in various other meetings and Sabbath school classes and what not, and in all of these I have been bringing various parts of these segments, and from time to time I have tried to coordinate some of these together.

 

I think we’re reaching a stage now where maybe we ought to be putting the whole picture together, and I apologize to those of you who are recent joiner-uppers in our group. You may possibly find yourself flying at loose ends in spots because of the fact that you have not had the opportunity to get all of the parts that we formally discussed. I will keep relating back to things that we have said before, but I will be doing it very hastily and casually because if I go back and do it thoroughly we just never cover the integrating parts. I hope I am making myself reasonably clear.

 

We have not talked too much about the sanctuary yet and I’m going to say a little bit about that tonight. And I’m also afraid that I am going to bring up questions and problems that I will not be prepared to answer tonight, and this is where I appeal to your tolerance. I am not going to say that I can’t answer them, some of them I can answer, but there are some that I cannot, yet, and I say “Yet,’ because I think there is an answer to every problem that shows up in the books. And down through the last thirty some years there hasn’t a year gone by but what I haven’t stumbled into a number of answers that I didn’t have before, and I would expect that the Lord will continue to do that, and He will do that for all of us. He has told us that He is going to send His Spirit of truth to guide us into the whole picture, all truth. So things that we cannot answer tonight--let’s not get too upset about them. In Sister White’s day there were things that she couldn’t answer and I’m going to deal with one of those problems. Some of the brethren and herself had certain ideas, and then she received a vision which made it necessary for them to change their ideas, but at the same time it brought up a problem which to this day she has not answered. I should say until the day of her death. In all her writings I have seen no evidence that she understood it. But as a faithful prophet she wrote it the way she saw it. She was criticized, bombarded, and I’ll confess that the thing that brings this to my attention at this particular point is another bombardment that she is getting from somebody down south of the border, and the thing is a little critical of the fact that in the published books the thing has not been acknowledged with all its implications, but it has been cautiously dealt with.

 

Well, I think we have to go along with this. There are things that we don’t understand now, what do we do about it? Make a big fuss, or do we do the best we can under the circumstances and move on from there? I have more respect for Sister White after I read some of these problems that arose in her experience and her humility in submitting to opinions of people and the brethren and putting her own views down or expressing the thing that the Lord showed her even though she gets static for it, not agitating the thing, just trying to move forward as smoothly as possible until such time God would open up the total picture. And in this particular thing I am not so sure that that picture was opened up before she died. And I’m not so sure that if I give you the whole picture that some of you will even want to accept it. But we have to face the facts. At least we have to find out what’s in here. What does the Word say? Then if you feel there is enough evidence to draw a conclusion, fine. That’s what they did back there. And if that conclusion is not correct then be ready to change it when further evidence comes and she gives us that instruction and I have read you that some time back. Don’t close your mind even if it is one of our doctrines that we have taught for many years. Don’t close your mind she says.

 

There is only one exception to that and that is the pillars of our faith. She speaks about the pillars of our faith, these things will never change. Things like the Sabbath, they’re not going to change that. That is a revealed truth and it’s complete. Yes, it is going to be proclaimed more fully during the Loud Cry. And that more fully I’m sure has more that one meaning. It not only will be broadcast in a wider area more fully, but to a deeper extent it will be understood more fully. But the basic doctrine of the Sabbath will not change. The law of God will not change and the state of the dead will not change, and so on--and the sanctuary she saw in vision, but there are some things about the sanctuary. I could bring up questions that I know that you folks could not answer. And there are students of the Bible who are going to bring those questions to you when things get a little hotter than they are now. And she warns us to be prepared to give an answer straight from the books and that’s one reason I feel I should call this to your attention. We mustn’t get too smug in thinking that we have all the truth and we understand it all, and nobody can challenge us. Do you understand? We’ve got to be prepared to be challenged and to be put into a corner and admit that we don’t understand something. I’ll do the best I can to provide you with the information, and I may even go a little ways towards suggesting the solutions to some of these things, but at the present moment I don’t feel that I can go too far in that because I don’t feel we are really ready to take some of these thoughts. We are going to have to discipline ourselves to be very open-minded before we get through with God’s program. Some of the statements she has made were not made for no cause at all they were made for a very definite reason.

 

Well, let me read now from Great Controversy page 426. And I might as well tell you that we are going to center this around “The Shut Door Theory,” if you have ever heard of it, and maybe you’ve never heard of it. It is another reason why you should read that little book, Early Writings.

 

1.    “The coming of Christ as our high priest to the most holy place, for the cleansing of the sanctuary, brought to view in Daniel 8:14;” That’s one, here’s the second:

2.    “The coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days, as presented in Daniel 7:13.”  That’s two.

3.    “And the coming of the Lord to His temple, foretold by Malachi.” Do you remember that one? Coming suddenly to His temple? That’s three--“Are descriptions of the same event;

4.    and this is also represented by the coming of the bridegroom to the marriage, described by Christ in the parable of the ten virgins, of Matthew 25.”  That’s four. Four things she says are all a description of the same event. Shall we look at Matthew 25 first?

 

This is the parable of the ten virgins and you remember how that five of them had no oil for the lamps and the other five did. They were all waiting for the bridegroom and while the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, behold, the bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him. Now this parable had an application to the experience of God’s people prior to 1844, and it is termed the Midnight Cry which went out to warn people that the bridegroom was coming. And they interpreted that to mean that Christ was coming from heaven to this earth. Do you understand? And they had their time set for 1843 at first and then later to 1844. And then there was the great disappointment. Now this was called the Midnight Cry. And in Sister White’s first vision where she sees the people of God moving on up the path, there was a bright light behind them lighting the path and that light was the Midnight Cry.

 

Now when the Midnight Cry went out all these virgins woke up and some of them had oil and some of them did not. So, it goes on to say, and while these foolish ones went to buy their oil the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage. And the door was shut. Now, what does that mean?

 

(John) The door that was shut was the door to the holy place.

 

(Wilfred) Where did He go? Where did He go to the ..?

 

(John) To the most holy.

 

(Wilfred) Wait a minute now, let’s read it here. Read it, somebody.

 

(A woman in the audience) To the marriage.

 

(Wilfred) To the marriage. Do you have any idea what that means? (A long silence) Seventh-day Adventist that have studied hard.

 

(John) The marriage we are told in Christ’s Object Lessons is the union of humanity with divinity.

 

(Wilfred) Keep going let’s get all the thoughts we can get here. Christ the bridegroom went into the marriage and the door was shut. What would you do if someone challenged on it? Hummm, I’m challenging you right now. Are you ready to tackle it?

 

(Man in the audience) Probation would be closed, the shutting of the door. Christ’s marriage would be to His church. Taking His church the same time.

 

(Wilfred) You’re getting really close to this thing. What did they interpret it to mean?

 

(Same woman) Christ was coming literally.

 

(Wilfred) That Christ was coming literally, and in some mystical form the marriage would take place. You remember what Paul says in Ephesians there about the marriage of Christ to His church, this great mystery. He is talking about the marriage of Christ to His church. They twain shall one flesh. We have discussed this haven’t we? The restoration of the body of Christ in His people, His inheritance and His saints. But what did the pioneers interpret this to mean?

 

(John) The second coming of Christ? There was a time when they felt that under the Millerite movement that there was a teaching that went forth that probation was closed at that time.

 

(Wilfred) Right.

 

(Same woman) Those that didn’t accept the message were lost and the door was shut forever.

 

(Wilfred) Right.

 

(John) And I think there was a teaching that they taught that there was no more sense to call people to repentance and they were to get ready for the Lord

 

(Wilfred) All right, we’ve got the questions now maybe we could move into the material.

 

I’ll read what she says. “For a time after the disappointment in 1844 I did hold in common with the Advent body that the door of mercy was then forever closed to the world. This position was taken before my first vision.” God had not yet enlightened her. She was just a young girl, remember? “Before my first vision was given, it was the light given me of God that corrected our error and enabled us to see the true position.”

 

Now, I’m going to read from a letter that she wrote to Joseph Bates. July 13, 1847. Just before I do let me say that it was in December after the October disappointment that she received her first vision. She said in that statement I just read that that vision corrected their error. This is what it says in the first vision, “I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, "Look again, and look a little higher." At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the Midnight Cry.” Early Writings  page 14.

 

All right now, this Midnight Cry was a bright light. And William Miller had been preaching for about twelve years the second coming of Jesus in 1843, and then in 1844, and they all believed that He was coming to this earth. It was a message from God, and it didn’t pan out. Now, are you prepared for an experience like that? So what did they do? They came to some conclusions. Obviously it wasn’t right. They made a mistake someplace; something was wrong. Why did God permit them to think erroneously for all those years? Well God had a purpose for this. He had a reason for this. God does nothing without a good reason. And I am convinced right now that some of us have some ideas that aren’t correct and someday we are going to have to change them. Are you prepared to do it? Or will you be stubborn when the evidence comes in front of you and you say; I don’t believe it, like some of them did back there? They were stubborn! They wouldn’t believe it. Because it didn’t happen, it is all wrong, it wasn’t right. And they turned away from the faith, and Sister White concluded that these people who gave up the thing, the door of mercy had closed for them. But they went one step further--that the door of mercy had closed for the whole world, because they were convinced that Christ was coming at that time, but they just misinterpreted something or other. But it must be the end of something, you see. They were confused.

 

Now this vision was supposed to clear it up according to her statement.

 

I’ll read the rest of it; “This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His arm came a light which waved over the Advent band, and they shouted, "Alleluia!" Others rashly denied the light behind them and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below. Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus' coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses' did when he came down from Mount Sinai.

     The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus' new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us.”

 

Note by Ron: The original FULL VISION reads as follows:

 

 "While praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell on me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them--when a voice said to me, 'Look again, and look a little higher.' At this I raised my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the City, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the first end of the path, which an angel told me was the Midnight Cry. This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet so they might not stumble. And if they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the City, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and they said the City was a great way of, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising his glorious right arm, and from his arm came a glorious light which waved over the Advent band, and they shouted Hallelujah! Others rashly denied the light behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and got their eyes off the mark and lost sight of Jesus, and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below. It was just as impossible for them to get on the path again and go to the City, as all the wicked world which God had rejected. They fell all the way along the path one after another, until we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus' coming....

By this time the 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious Star containing Jesus' new name." E.G. White, Word to the Little Flock, p. 14.

 

The quoted version Wilfred gives is from Early Writings. The vision should never have been abridged to leave out anything! End note by Ron.

 

And she goes on to talk about the final movements.

 

Now what was cleared up here? What did that vision clear up? Can you see anything in there? Well, that’s what somebody is saying right now, what did it clear up?

 

She had another vision a little latter, one in February. I think at this point I’ll read part of this letter she wrote to Joseph Bates in 1847. She had another vision in February 1845, and she had another one in March 1849, that deals with this topic. I hope that we can follow this pattern here and get the things I am trying to bring out. You might be interested in the letter just to see what this girl wrote like when she was writing casually to somebody else.

 

All right, this is written from Gorham Maine.

 

Dear Brother Bates,                                                                            July 13, 1847                           

 

“As James is at work and sisters are from home, thought I would employ myself in writing a line to you. My health is quite good for me. My faith is still strong that that very same Jesus that ascended up into heaven will so come in like manner as He went up, and that very, very soon. I have had many trials of late. Discouragement at times has laid so fast hold upon me it seemed impossible to shake it off. But thank God, Satan has not got the victory over me yet, and by the grace of God he never shall. I know and feel my weakness, but I have laid hold upon the strong arm of Jehovah, and I can say today I know that my Redeemer liveth, and if He lives I shall live also. Oh how good it would be to meet with a few of like precious faith to exhort and comfort one another with words of holy cheer from the word of God. The sheep are now scattered, but thank God, they are about to be gathered to a good pasture.

Oh how sweet it will be to meet all the blood-washed throng in the city of our God. 'Tis then we'll sing the song of Moses and the Lamb as we march through the gates into the city, bearing the palms of victory and wearing the crowns of glory.

Brother Bates, you write in a letter to James something about the Bridegroom's coming, as stated in the first published visions. By the letter you would like to know whether I had light on the Bridegroom's coming before I saw it in vision. I can readily answer, No. The Lord showed me the travail of the Advent band and Midnight Cry in December, but He did not show me the Bridegroom's coming until February following.” 

 

Note by Ron: It is an interesting side note that only the 144,000 know the son of Moses and the Lamb. End note.

 

You got that? She did not see the truth about the Bridegrooms coming until February.”

 

“Perhaps you would like to have me give a statement in relation to both visions. At the time I had the vision of the Midnight Cry I had given it up in the past and thought it future.” 

 

Now that’s between October 18, 1844 and December 1844. She had given up the Midnight Cry in the past, and thought it was in the future. What does that mean? That it was still to come. The door was still open; that probation was still open, see? Is that what it means? If the Midnight Cry had been finished in the past then the door was shut and there was no more salvation for sinners. Now she says, at the time I had the vision of the Midnight Cry she had given up that idea and has reverted to the idea that the door was open yet and that the Midnight Cry was still something future. Do you see? You didn’t get it? Immediately after 1844, she said the door was shut and most of the folk believed the same thing--that there was no more salvation for sinners. But by the time she got down to December she had changed her mind and thought that the Midnight Cry was still in the future.

 

(Another man in the audience) She also said the light was still shining on the path.

 

(Wilfred) Good, I’m glad you spotted that. That’s the only thing I can see in that first vision that clears this at all. The fact that that Midnight Cry light was still shining on the path. Do you understand? Which means that it was still an effective thing. And just while I think of it let’s not close our minds to the fact that the Midnight Cry may still be repeated. She says, study Revelation because history will be repeated. And with what we’ve discussed before, can you not see what that would mean? The marriage of the Lamb is going to be consummated before the close of probation. He is to come to His new temple of saints and there is to be a marriage union, a restoration of the body of Christ. Do you understand? Any declaration calling attention to the fact the bridegroom is going to come to His temple, to His saints, to His bride, if you please, is a repetition of the Midnight Cry. Now, is this going to happen in the future or is it not? Christ is not going to come physically to this earth to receive His saints until He has come by His Spirit in the marriage union under the terms of the New Covenant to retrace His character in His people. Do you understand? And that takes place before probation closes. So there is going to be another Midnight Cry with a shut door at the close of probation. And I’m going to read it to you in a moment. Back there the door that was shut was the door to the holy apartment. She got that cleared out in the vision of 1849, and the door that was open up was the door to the most holy. So there was still an open door, but it was not the same open door. And that’s the point I don’t think any of those pioneers understood, even her. She never deals in this in that sense at all. It’s just the fact that the door of mercy is still open to those who have not heard the message and rejected it. That’s all she says that I can find. She does not delineate the fact that it was the first door that was shut and the second door that was open and that there is a distinction there. She gives way to the idea that the door is still open; the door of mercy is still open. Then she says: “But I still saw that the door to the holy apartment was shut and the door to the most holy was open and no man could shut that and no man could open the other.” And she leaves it at that.

 

Now, I wonder if you can’t see that the first Midnight Cry went out when the door to the holy apartment was shut, but to the most holy was opened. Can you see that? And you know already I hope, what goes on in the most holy, but we’re going to talk about it if we have time enough. But there is coming an end to the probationary period during which the most holy door is open, and prior to that the second Midnight Cry announcing the coming of the Holy Ghost to His temple in the outpouring of the latter rain, will take place, and the marriage will be consummated. And there will be people today who will go with Him to the marriage. Oh yes I know, there is a contradiction here and I’ll deal with that too. I’ve got it slated for tonight.

 

You’ve got a question?

 

(John) No, You stated that you didn’t think Sister White understood what she was writing about. And she wrote in Great Controversy even the prophets who were favored with His special illumination of the Spirit did not fully comprehend and the import of the revelations committed to them.

 

(Wilfred) Yes, it does happen. But she faithfully wrote what she saw, and I thank her for that. She didn’t move an inch. She backed up to be harmonious with brethren, but she never let go of the truth she saw. I saw it, and there it is, and I’ll write it, and she did. And I’m glad she did because if she hadn’t written it, we today would not have gotten the true picture. That’s what would have happened.

 

Now, she says,  “At the time I had the vision of the Midnight Cry, I had given it up in the past and thought it future, as also most of the band had.”  She called the little group the band.  “I know not what time J. Turner got out his paper.”  Now this Turner, I’ll tell you, had the same thought that Sister White was shown in vision. But she didn’t want to tell her vision because she thought Turner believed like the rest of the band, so she was afraid to tell it. And when she did tell it, she found out that Turner had already written a paper on it, and had presented it at the meeting that the Lord has asked her to tell it to, and she didn’t do it. And Turner had a paper already written, and the Lord used him as a substitute to give it to that same meeting. And when Sister White found out about that she was humiliated, and she went back to God and asked His forgiveness, and at the next meeting she gave her vision because there was only a few people at the first meeting the next time she gave it, just as it was, and they accepted it.

 

Well, let me read on.  “I knew he had one out and one was in the house, but I knew not what was in it, for I did not read a word in it. I had been, and still was very sick, I took no interest in reading, for it injured my head and made me nervous. After I had the vision and God gave me light, He bade me deliver it to the band, but I shrank from it. I was young, and I thought they would not receive it from me. I disobeyed the Lord, and instead of remaining at home, where the meeting was to be that night, I got in a sleigh in the morning and rode three or four miles and there I found J. T. (Joseph Turner). He merely inquired how I was and if I was in the way of my duty. I said nothing, for I knew I was not. I passed up to the chamber and did not see him again for two hours, when he came up, asked if I was to be at meeting that night. I told him no. He said he wanted to hear my vision and thought it duty for me to go home. I told him I should not. He said no more, but went away. I thought, and told those around me, if I went I should have to come out against his views,”  She told her vision and though it would be against his views and their views, see? “Thinking he believed with the rest. I had not told any of them what God had shown me, and I did not tell them in what I should cut across his track.”  She didn’t tell him what thing would be opposite of what he thought. Why was she shrinking from doing her duty?

 

(John) She didn’t want to be in variance with her brethren.

 

(Wilfred) Right she thought that she would be cutting across what they believed and they would not accept it.

 

Note by Ron: John Wells, a bosom friend of Wilfred Johnson, says at one point that Ellen White did not give her vision because she did not want to be at variance with the brethren. But then says she was afraid. She implied she was afraid that the people would not believe her. Fear of duty is one thing! Deferring to the brethren is quite another. We cannot defer to the brethren when it comes to truth. Ellen White makes that clear in statements I will include later in this document. End note by Ron.

 

“All that day I suffered much in body and mind. It seemed that God had forsaken me entirely. I prayed the Lord if he would give me strength to ride home that night. The first opportunity, I would deliver the message He had given me. He did give me strength and I rode home that night. Meeting had been done [over] some time, and not a word was said by any of the family about the meeting.”  Nobody said a word. Everybody was quiet.

“Very early next morning J. T. (Joseph Turner) called, said he was in haste going out of the city in a short time, and wanted I should tell him all that God had shown me in vision. It was with fear and trembling I told him all. After I had got through he said he had told out the same last evening.  In other words, ‘I gave that same view last evening to the meeting.’ That’s what he said.

“I was rejoiced, for I expected he was coming out against me, for all the while I had not heard anyone say what he believed.” 

 

You see, Sister White thought that this Turner would be contrary to her view when all the time he was agreeing with her.  “He said the Lord had sent him to hear me talk the evening before, but as I would not, He meant his children should have the light in some way, so He took him.”  Do you see that? She ran away from home over to his place and he asked her, are you in the way of the Lord’s duty? Are you not going to the meeting tonight? See, he knew that he was to go to the meeting to hear what the Lord had to say through her. But he never told her that. He didn’t give any orders to the Lord’s prophet. If she wasn’t going, he let it go at that. But he already had a paper of his own written, He didn’t know that her vision verified what he had at that time. But he went to the meeting and Sister White wasn’t there, so he couldn’t hear what he was supposed to hear from her, but he gave his own paper, and that was the very thing that the Lord had given Sister White to give to the meeting which she didn’t do. Do you see how the Lord taught her a lesson?

 

Note by Ron: Wilfred admits here that Ellen White made a mistake and the Lord taught her a lesson! So she should not be made to appear as one who would JUSTLY hold back in order to not be at variance with the brethren when they were wrong, as John Wells implied she did.. End note.

 

(A man in the audience) It also helped to strengthen the message

 

(Wilfred) Yes, So she said: “There were but few out when he talked, so the next meeting I told my vision, and the band, believing my visions from God, received what God bade me to deliver to them.”

 

“The view about the Bridegroom's coming I had about the middle of February, 1845.”

 

“While in Exeter, Maine in meeting with Israel Dammon, James, and many others, many of them did not believe in a shut door. I suffered much at the commencement of the meeting. Unbelief seemed to be on every hand.”  Now do you see the transition? Previously she had been shown that the midnight Light was still shinning on the path. Now she says that when she met with these other folks in February she suffered much at the commencement of the meeting. Many of these people at the meeting did not believe in a shut door. What’s she talking about? Well, The bridegroom coming here says that the door was shut, see? And she still had the conviction that there was a shut door because the Bible said so. In spite of her vision that the light was still shinning there was a shut door. Now she said,  “Unbelief seemed to be on every hand. There was one sister there that was called very spiritual. She had traveled and been a powerful preacher the most of the time for twenty years. She had been truly a mother in Israel. But a division had risen in the band on the shut door. She had great sympathy, this woman, and could not believe the door was shut.”  I mean the Lord’s too merciful, He wouldn’t close the door. That’s the way this lady thought. And Sister White felt badly because there was a division in the band over this thing.  She said: “I had known nothing of their differences.”  Now I didn’t state that right. I misinterpreted this, I didn’t read it correctly, She had a bad time, but here she states that it wasn’t because she knew of the difference at that time, it was because of her own feelings.  “Sister Durben got up to talk. I felt very, very sad.”  And then she found out about the difference.  “At length my soul seemed to be in an agony, and while she was talking I fell from my chair to the floor. It was then that I had a view of Jesus rising from His mediatorial throne and going to the holiest as Bridegroom to receive His kingdom.”  Now what did she see? Jesus moved from the holy apartment into the most holy apartment as the bridegroom to receive His Kingdom. Do you remember in Revelation that it says I will show you the bride of the Lamb, the Lamb’s wife and what was she shown? The New Jerusalem, the Kingdom. Now we’ve talked about that a little. But the Bible says that His Kingdom is where?

 

(John) In His saints.

 

(Wilfred) In His saints. So when He goes into the most holy to receive His Kingdom, what is He receiving? Let me put it very briefly; I’ve gone over it before. He is receiving again the total allegiance of His people voluntarily. He lost his Kingdom when Lucifer decided not to respect Him. He would never use force so the only way He could hold his Kingdom and maintain His ruler-ship over His people was if they respected Him voluntarily, can you see that? Now as long as his people are disobeying His commandments and not serving Him, He has no way to recover His Kingdom, without using force which He won’t do, except to win the restoration of allegiance in the hearts of his people. Can you see that? Now it is during the latter rain experience while Christ is in the most holy of the heavenly sanctuary, that the cleansing of the temple is to take place. He’s cleansing the sanctuary is He not? And she tells us in Great Controversy that, I think it is John, while He is doing that in heaven there is to be a parallel work of cleansing the soul temple here on earth. Can you get it? Now He is going to come suddenly to His temple as in Malachi chapter three. She says it’s the very same experience that is talked about in connection with this parable. I read that from Great Controversy a few minutes ago. The messenger of the covenant, Malachi three, is going to come suddenly to His temple of saints. What for? To purify and cleanse them, and how are they identified? As the sons of Levi. And who are the sons of Levi? Those who chose to stand with Moses when he destroyed that golden calf. He said, who is on the Lord’s side? Come and stand with me. And who came? The sons of Levi. The cry goes out today Brother and Sister, who is on the Lord’s side? Who is ready to stand with God today and get rid of the idols? They are the sons of Levi and what’s He going to do with them? He is going to come suddenly to that temple to the most holy of that temple to purify and cleanse it. Got the picture?

 

He is going to receive His Kingdom. Now Sister White saw this in vision. All she saw was that Jesus rose up from the holy and moved into the most holy. That’s what she saw and that’s what she wrote--to receive His Kingdom. The rest of it comes as you continue to study and pick up all the pieces and put them together. It’s all there.

 

“They were all deeply interested in the view. They all said it was entirely new to them. The Lord worked in mighty power setting the truth home to their hearts. Sister Durben knew what the power of the Lord was, for she had felt it many times; and a short time after I fell she was struck down, and fell to the floor, crying to God to have mercy on her. When I came out of vision, my ears were saluted with Sister Durben's singing and shouting with a loud voice.”  You may question these manifestations. In the early days God talked in symbolisms to a great extent and He gave manifestations. He did many miracles and this type of thing. But today allegiance to God is not going to be based on manifestations, and miracles, and spectacular and fantastic things, as such. It is going to be based on sound solid conviction of truth. God is going to have a rational, sensible people operating His Kingdom. These are experiences that came to these people because in those days they meant something. God was working here against great odds and He gave these manifestations, for instance when Ellen White would go into vision she would faint out and cry glory, glory, glory, and there were certain rituals that seem to follow each time.

 

(John) And her movements couldn’t be stopped

 

(Wilfred) And her breathing stopped and these various things, and she became sometimes ridged and then her eyes would open and she didn’t blink. She lost her strength and then it was renewed and so on.

 

Now let me clue you in; God can give a vision to a person without any of that stuff and He does. Not all visions are accompanied by all of those manifestations.

 

(John) They were needed at that time to confirm the faith of the little scattered flock.

 

(Wilfred) That’s correct. They looked for that type of thing to be a manifestation of the miraculous and the genuine, you understand? But she tells us and warns us that today and increasingly we cannot put our trust in such manifestations and miracles because the devil is counterfeiting everything God does. So, don’t look for that type of thing. And when that type of thing happens, don’t think that it is the Lord. Don’t base your conviction of truth on those things, because you can’t. You have got to base your conviction of truth on what it says in the books.

 

(John) Just to verify that, later on in her experience and in Selected Messages there is a whole chapter written which says, Miracles Not A Test of God’s Favor, there is a whole chapter on that.

 

(Wilfred) Right, you can read it at your leisure.

 

“Most of them received the vision, and were settled upon the shut door.” Got that? This was the vision in February. She got the vision, she told the vision, and they were settled upon the shut door. What shut door?

 

(John) To the holy place.

 

(Wilfred) To the holy place. Now, she doesn’t say anything about the other door, yet.  “Previous to this I had no light on the coming of the Bridegroom, but had expected him to this earth to deliver his people on the tenth day of the seventh month. I did not hear a lecture or a word in any way relating to the Bridegroom's going to the holiest.”

“I had but very few privileges in 1842, 3 & 4. My sisters both went to the camp meetings in New Hampshire and Maine, while my health prevented me from going to but one, in Maine. I know the light I received came from God. It was not taught me by man. I knew not how to write so that others could read it till God gave me my visions. I went to school but very little on account of my health. I do not think I went to school a day after I was twelve years old, and did not go then but a few days at a time, when sickness would cause me to take my bed for weeks and sometimes for months. The first I wrote anything that could be called writing was after I had been sick, the prayer of faith was put up for me, and healing (here the sheet ends, and the reminder of the letter is gone.)”  So I can’t read it to you.

 

But I’m concerned about this shut door.

 

Now let me read from Early Writings, this is the vision she got on Sabbath March 24, 1849. That’s four and a half years after the 1844 disappointment.

 

     “Sabbath, March 24, 1849, we had a sweet and very interesting meeting with the brethren at Topsham, Maine. The Holy Ghost was poured out upon us, and I was taken off in the Spirit to the city of the living God. Then I was shown that the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ relating to the shut door could not be separated,” Now how does that tie in? Can I read on? “and that the time for the commandments of God to shine out with all their importance, and for God's people to be tried on the Sabbath truth, was when the door was opened in the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary, where the ark is, in which are contained the ten commandments.”  Does that make sense? There is the ark in there in the most holy. Now the door is opened up in the most holy. There is the commandments, there is the Sabbath to shine out now as a test for God’s people. I want you to notice that she talks about the time after 1844 as the testing time. Testing for what?

 

(A man in the audience) Allegiance?

 

Wilfred) Yes.

 

What is Christ doing in the most holy apartment? Well, we said cleansing the sanctuary, He is doing two things and they’re tied together. Cleansing the sanctuary and what’s the other thing? The investigative judgment. Their cases of all from the time of Adam on down are to be examined.

 

(John) And sometimes during that time it moves from the cases of the dead to the cases of the living she said.

 

(Wilfred) And when it does what happens to the living? They are to be

 

(John) Sealed or rejected.

 

(Wilfred) They are to be first?

 

(John) Settled in the truth.

 

(Wilfred) Tested. What is the test? The commandments of God, your allegiance and what is the Flag?

 

(Several voices) The Sabbath.

 

(Wilfred) Now, I’m going to throw out the question, but I’m not going to answer it. The testing time started right after 1844,  and it began with the ancients. Well, we’ll leave that for the time being.

 

Now the next sentence; “This door was not opened until the mediation of Jesus was finished in the holy place of the sanctuary in 1844. Then Jesus rose up and shut the door of the holy place, and opened the door into the most holy, and passed within the second veil, where He now stands by the ark, and where the faith of Israel now reaches.”

 

    “ I saw that Jesus had shut the door of the holy place, and no man can open it; and that He had opened the door into the most holy, and no man can shut it (Rev. 3:7,8);”  That’s pretty positive isn’t it?  “And that since Jesus has opened the door into the most holy place, which contains the ark, the commandments have been shining out to God's people,”  Who have they been shinning out to?         

 

(John) God’s people.

 

(Wilfred) God’s people,  “And they are being tested on the Sabbath question.”

 

     “I saw that the present test on the Sabbath could not come until the mediation of Jesus in the holy place was finished”  I want you to note that statement.  “The present test on the Sabbath could not come”  She saw this and she wrote it faithfully, she didn’t explain it, she just wrote it. I saw that the present test on the Sabbath could not come until the mediation of Jesus in the holy place was finished  “And He had passed within the second veil; therefore Christians who fell asleep before the door was opened into the most holy, when the Midnight Cry was finished, at the seventh month, 1844, and who had not kept the true Sabbath, now rest in hope; for they had not the light and the test on the Sabbath which we now have since that door was opened.”  Is that clear? Now who else has not had the Sabbath light since 1844?

 

(John) The people in the nominal protestant churches.

 

(Wilfred) The nominal churches and the rest of the world that hasn’t had the light. Then, is the door shut for them?

 

(A man in the audience) No!

 

(Wilfred) No! Which door is it that is open however?

 

(Same man) The most holy.

 

(Wilfred) That’s right. Not the Holy. Now, I want to throw out another question, and I’m not guaranteeing to answer it tonight. On the Day of Atonement, which she verifies this is, 1844 starts the Day of Atonement--the anti-typical Day of Atonement. On the Day of Atonement the procedure was that the Priest went into the outer apartment, shut the door and then opened the door to the most holy and went into the most holy to stand before the Ark. Now the door to the holy apartment was shut all during the time he was in there. During the time he was in there no sins were transferred into the sanctuary but the sins that were already recorded in the sanctuary were being cleansed out of the sanctuary by the same sprinkling of blood that brought them in. It was during the other 359 days of the year (They had a different year than ours) every day there was a morning and evening sacrifice for the sins of the people. Right? In addition to that anyone who sinned and he became conscience of his sin had to bring an animal or doves or what all, and he had to slay that in the outer court, not in the sanctuary itself, in the court and the priest would take the blood into the sanctuary and sprinkle it on the horns of the altar and ... I am not up on all the details of the sanctuary service. That’s what I’m concerned about right now. But by this procedure the sins were transferred to the sanctuary. And you must remember that this is all symbolism, it’s all symbolic. You can parallel this with the experience of a human being if you want to do it. When you sin that sin is recorded here. That’s one temple. There are four temples, tabernacles. That’s one. When you become a member of the family of God you become one with Christ. Christ is the true tabernacle she says. He accepts your sin it is registered in his temple and you go free. That is another view of it and the symbolic one we just read. And we’ll leave it at that point.

 

But the sanctuary in heaven is going to be cleansed by the same sprinkling of blood, but it goes right into the most holy, right? Similarly. Your temple is going to be cleansed, but the sprinkling of blood, and we know what that is don’t we? It is the application of the life of Christ which is the Holy Spirit. It is going to go not just only into the holy apartment where the record of sin is kept, it’s going to go right in to the most holy where your free choice, your allegiance, your independent decision can be made to serve God, and your temple is going to be cleansed, and the cleansing starts with that decision. That’s when He receives His Kingdom. When you make that decision you are now a subject in His Kingdom and He has dominion over you. Do you see that? And when He gets a hundred and forty four thousand of those, He has his Kingdom. I could read you that in this little book too. It’s in here. Should I take time to do it? I get so far off, we go into these side avenues and maybe I’ll lose you.

 

Here she says it, listen, “Every case had been decided for life or death.”  She has just quoted he that is unjust be unjust still, he that is filthy let him be filthy still, and he that is righteous let him be righteous still. That declaration has just gone forth and then she says, by the way, this page 280. Sorry I keep forgetting. “Every case had been decided for life or for death. While Jesus had been ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead, and then for the righteous living.”  Listen!  “Christ had received His kingdom,”  And you might want to put down Ephesians 1:18 to refer to at that point.  “Having made the atonement for his people and blotted out their sins.

 

(The end of C/D #47 and the beginning of C/D #48)

 

The subjects of the Kingdom were made up. The marriage of the Lamb was consummated. And the kingdom, and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven, was given to Jesus and the heirs of salvation, and Jesus was to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Did you get the whole picture there? The marriage was in there, the reception of His Kingdom is in there. The number of the subjects is made up and they share the Kingdom with Him.

 

(John) And this is before He leaves the most holy place.

 

(Wilfred) This is before He leaves, yes,

 

     “As Jesus moved out of the most holy place, I heard the tinkling of the bells upon His garment; and as He left, a cloud of darkness covered the inhabitants of the earth.”  This is the close of probation.  “There was then no mediator between guilty man and an offended God. While Jesus had been standing between God and guilty man, a restraint was upon the people; but when He stepped out from between man and the Father, the restraint was removed and Satan had entire control of the finally impenitent.”  God gives final complete control into the hand of Satan over the wicked after probation closes. And you are going to stand in that situation without a mediator and still not flunk out. Do you see the job God has to do for you yet and in you? 

 

“It was impossible for the plagues to be poured out while Jesus officiated in the sanctuary; but as His work there is finished, and His intercession closes, there is nothing to stay the wrath of God,”   I want you to notice that the wrath of God comes through whom?

 

(John) Satan.

 

(Wilfred) Satan.  “And it breaks with fury upon the shelter-less head of the guilty sinner, who has slighted salvation and hated reproof. In that fearful time, after the close of Jesus' mediation, the saints were living in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor.”  Could that be any plainer? And if you have any sin my Brother and Sister there is just no two ways about it, you could not stand. But I want to give a word of caution here: while Christ lays down His priestly robes at this point He does not do it until His people are perfectly sealed and accepted for eternity. Did you get the significance of that statement? If you fail after probation closes you are not the loser. Who is?

 

(John) Jesus Christ.

 

(Wilfred) What will be your motive to hang in there tight?

 

(John) Love for Christ.

 

(Wilfred) Love for Christ. Do you see how God is going to set up a situation where He can prove before all the universe that you are keeping the Law of Heaven which is self-renouncing love? Can you see that? If He hadn’t done it that way you would be hanging in there for your own sake and Brother you wouldn’t make it. Because there is no power that is strong enough to keep a man from sinning in the face of all the devil’s temptations with no mediator. There is no power strong enough to do that but the power of self-denying love which is the love of God. No other power, your self-interested love would never make it. Try that refrigerator, you keep going to that refrigerator when you decided that you’re not going to do it don’t you. You could never make it on your love. No way!

 

(A man in the audience) That’s still a temptation, right?

 

(Wilfred) Come on now quit your teasing here. Well, should I tell you the truth? It was secretary’s week I guess last week sometime recently, and my wife went back to work today, and what do you suppose she got--a big box of the most luxurious chocolates you ever saw. And do you suppose she did with them? She put them right out in front of me. I think I stopped after the third one and it was after I had my supper. Well I’ll tell you one thing: moderation and temperance is much harder than abstinence. And God says be ye temperate. So we have got to go the hard route.

 

“Every case was decided, every jewel numbered.”  Every jewel numbered, and He gives the number. And I hope you people don’t get thrown off your feet by the suggestion that that isn’t the number. I can’t see God making a mistake. Can you. At the same time it is symbolic I think in another sense. But the living saints, she says positively are 144,000 in number and here she says they were all numbered.  “Jesus tarried a moment in the outer apartment of the heavenly sanctuary,”  Where did He tarry?

 

(John) In the holy place.

 

(Wilfred) Where was He heading?

 

(John) Out of the holy place.

 

(Wilfred) He tarried a moment there  “And the sins which had been confessed while He was in the most holy place were placed upon Satan, the originator of sin, who must suffer their punishment.”  Tell me why must Satan suffer the punishment of your sins that you confessed since 1844, why?

 

(John) Because he caused them.

 

(Wilfred) Good for you.

 

(Wilfred) Now there is a whole area that I would just love to go into but I cannot do it tonight. For one reason, I am not free to do it, there are minds here that are not prepared for it. I am aware of that, and until we are prepared for it, I can’t do it. But there is an answer to the problem that is presented here. How come it was the sins that were confessed since 1844 that He paused to put on the head of the scapegoat in the holy apartment? The scapegoat wasn’t even in the Holy apartment. Let me clue you in. The scapegoat never got in there. He was out in the court.

 

(John) How did the sins get in there?

 

(Wilfred) And how did they get in there? It doesn’t say they were in there; I would like you to notice. It just says that at that point Jesus stopped to place the sins on the head of the scapegoat. But the scapegoat was outside. So He must have had a method of putting the sins that you have confessed since 1844 on the scapegoat outside. It doesn’t say they were in the holy apartment and that He took them with Him out and put them on the head of the scapegoat. It says that He paused a moment in the outer apartment of the heavenly sanctuary and the sins which had been confessed while He was in the most holy place were placed upon Satan, the originator of sin who must suffer their punishment. Now you may interpret her statement “outer apartment” to mean the court, but she does not use it that way as far as I have been able to find. Anytime she talks about the “outer apartment” she is talking about the first apartment or the holy apartment. But you can draw your own conclusions if you want. There is a solution to this problem.

 

(Larry) Now you’re going to talk about another facet there is also two kinds of probation closings isn’t there? There’s a closing of probation that she gives in another section maybe that’s not in the topic tonight. Those that have had the third angel’s message and have not lived up to all the light, their probation closes. This is the time of the Sunday law or the national Sunday law. I didn’t know whether we should...

 

(Wilfred) That’s perfectly ok that you put that on in. As a matter of fact probation closes not at a specific point of time. When we talk about the close of probation we’re talking about the time when it closes for the last person involved in that category. Because she said right here after 1844 that the people who had heard the message at that time and had rejected it, the door was shut for them. She says that, I haven’t come across that yet but it’s here.

 

(Larry) This other part has to do with closing the door for those like all of us know the third angel’s message. If we are not fulfilling our obligation to the message, then for us the Sunday law will then be the probational closing--after the Sunday law has been passed. Those that have not yet been faced with the problem of accepting it or rejecting it will also then at that time have a probationary period which they make up their minds. Once this has been closed then everything is shut off then we come into the time of trouble and everything, and we all go through that together.

 

(Wilfred) You see, the probation for those people who are going to be perfected and who are going to be used of God to give the Loud Cry has already closed before they give the Loud Cry. They are already eternally accepted and sealed.

 

(Another man in the audience) Then the Holy Spirit will drive them to give the message.

 

(Wilfred) Yes, constrain them. Constrain them to give the message.

 

(Same man) Also there is a text Brother Johnson in Matthew 24:15 it says, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place.” For me ...unintelligible

 

(Wilfred) It is, although I think there is more to it. I am not prepared to comment on that right now. But there is something to it.

 

I still didn’t get the answer to this question, why were these placed upon Satan? And why does He suffer for them

 

(A woman in the audience) Did you say that they were the sins before 1844?

 

(Wilfred) No. Sins that were confessed since the door to the holy apartment were shut and that includes all of mine. My sins could not go into the sanctuary the same way that the people who lived before 1844 couldn’t, and neither could yours, because the door is closed. The priest is already in there. We are living in the Day of Atonement the sins are to be cleansed out of the sanctuary not put back in.

 

(John) Way back in anti-type they couldn’t confess sins on the Day of Atonement. It was too late then. Although they were searching their hearts but they.

 

(Wilfred) I should have checked on that. There is a point in connection with that, and I forgot to check it.

 

Yes?

 

(Same man) You spoke about that particular time in the original ceremony though .. and I didn’t quit get it all.

 

(Wilfred) The sin was transferred by the sprinkling of the blood in the holy apartment

 

(Same man) You were mentioning during the Day of Atonement.

 

(Wilfred) The Day of Atonement, the priest went into the holy and shut the door and then he opened the door to the most holy and went in with the blood to the inner sanctuary to cleanse the sanctuary and he sprinkled it in there in some places.

 

(Same man) There is nothing said about his . during that time, but when he came back out he did something in order to cover the sins at that ...

 

(Wilfred) Nothing is said any place that I can find anywhere.

 

(Same man) So there is nothing known about the sins of that day, the Day of Atonement?

 

(Wilfred) I told you at the beginning of the meeting that I don’t believe that Sister White understood it. She just passes over it. She wrote what she saw, and that’s it. And she saw this. Now, I think you should be able to figure out why the devil is going to suffer for these sins, I think you should be able to see that.

 

Yes, Sister?

 

(A woman in the audience) Are those sins of the people who have given their allegiance to Christ ...?

 

(Wilfred) Well look, suppose I had eaten twelve chocolates tonight instead of three. Why would I have done it? Do you really think I want to eat twelve chocolates?

 

(Same woman) Why, sure.

 

Much laughter

 

(John) The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

 

(Larry) At what point does it become weak? On the twelfth one?

 

Much laughter.

 

(Wilfred) Well, I’am going to throw out my suggestion here and you can accept it or leave it as you will.

 

It would be unfair for the devil to suffer for my intentional sins if I were the guilty party. It is also unfair for Christ to have to suffer because He’s not the guilty party. But he’s suffering for it now, and I can read you that. He suffers for every sin that you confess. In what sense?

 

(Larry) That you wound him again every time you sin.

 

(Wilfred) Yes. How do you do that? What does it do to Him? Other than just hurting him because you aren’t coming around.

 

(Same woman) Satan accuses Him.

 

(Wilfred) Satan accuses Him before the universe and belittles Him, makes fun of Him, demotes Him. His word isn’t true, He said He would save me and He hasn’t done it. All these years He hasn’t saved me from sin. And yet He said He was going to do it. Well, you see He can’t do it without my decision because He has given me that decision to make. And He is not going to take it away, devil or no devil. Suffering or no suffering. He went to the depths of the crucifixion and what happened before the crucifixion was almost worse than the crucifixion itself in some respects. He did that to preserve my freedom of choice.

 

Now He says, Johnson, you know what I’ve done for you. Would you let me out of this pickle I’m in because of your sins? Would you make it possible for me to lay down my priestly robes so that I don’t have to stand here anymore and take all this gaff and dirt from the devil? I’ve got to make a decision. The power is available for me to live without sin. I can read that, it’s in the books. It’s the decision that counts. Now if I make the right decision I’m out of it. But why don’t I make to right decision? Because the devil comes in through my weaknesses with his big blasts and God permits him to do it. Because God wants to prove to the universe that there is no way Wilf Johnson can live without sin until he gets the power from God to do it with. If he is exposed to the devil he is going to flunk. So the devil is the one that causes it, really. If the devil was taken out of the way right now Wilf Johnson would not sin and neither would you. And that’s the thing that God is going to prove before He leaves the heavenly sanctuary. And when He proves it He has automatically placed the sins that you have confessed since 1844 on the head of the scapegoat. He has proved the scapegoat guilty; He has shown Himself to be innocent and you to be innocent.

 

(Man in the audience) How’s that again?

 

(Wilfred) Yes, I know that’s a hard one.

 

(Larry) How do you prove that the scapegoat is innocent?

 

(Wilfred) Oh, I didn’t say that.

 

(Larry) Oh, I thought that’s what you said.

 

(A woman in the audience) I can’t understand why it would only be from 1844 onward?

 

(Wilfred) I’m glad that you suggested that. I don’t think anybody else can either.

 

(Larry) That is the point of the starting of the judgment when He does close that door.

 

Wilfred) Right. That’s when his people, you see, are being judged and they are either accepted for eternity or rejected for eternity. Your name is either retained in the book or left out. And if it’s retained in the book you are forever covered.

 

(Same man) So back to the beginning of the testing...

 

(Wilfred) Right. Now I have been tested on allegiance to God. God knows what my choice is in spite of the twelve chocolates because the moment I get through with the twelve chocolates and I suddenly realize what I’ve done I feel just like what Peter must have felt after he got through swearing that he didn’t know his Lord. Did God reject him? Did God tell Peter who was responsible?

 

(Same man) Unintelligible

 

(Wilfred) He sure did. Now I hesitate to say that Peter did not have some responsibility and I also hesitate to say that I don’t have some responsibility, but I am reading from the book and it says that the responsibility is placed on the head of the scapegoat. So if I am responsible he is going to get a double dose.

 

(Same man) I have another thought on why after 1844 as far as reckoning past, you know? We have a lot more knowledge after this period, a lot more communication, a lot more means by which to spread the truth, a lot more minds know it than ever before because of radio, TV, whatever. I think these things could be related to as this being a time when more people are more responsible than ever before. Do you get what I am trying to say? I didn’t say it very well.

 

(Wilfred) Yes, I understand what you’re saying. That is we have a greater obligation to accomplish more than people in former times because we have far great facilities and far better knowledge and understanding than they had.

 

(Same man) Yes, they didn’t even have near the means to hear and to know and have faith be hearing and all this and they didn’t have the facilities to hear and we have all the responsibilities than any other people, probably forever.

 

(John) Sister White says it this way; we have the accumulated light of the ages shinning on our pathway.

 

(Same man) Yes, that’s what I meant to say.

 

(Another man) We also have Daniel’s open book

 

(Another man) Could this be one of the reasons why Satan in the last days is coming with increased power to deceive if possible the very elect because he knows that the more he can deceive the less punishment that he would go through.

 

(Wilfred) Now there is a thought. I hadn’t thought about that.

 

(John) I have often thought about that. The more people he can get into his kingdom the less he is going to have to suffer.

 

(Wilfred) Because the wicked are going to suffer for their own

 

(Same man) And God has put the pressure on him that way; he’s bringing things to a climax.

 

(Wilfred) The devil is going to suffer for the confessed sins of God’s people in all ages. And yet here she says, since 1844. Now she says it both ways. And I say again like I’ve said many times before, God never makes a mistake. There is a significance in this statement. If there was not a significance it would not have been said. She would have said, He pauses to put on the head of the scapegoat all the sins that have been confessed from all ages. But that is not what she said.

 

Somebody had a question back there somewhere?

 

(A woman in the audience) On the Day of Atonement the high priest just went over the sins of God’s people.

 

(Wilfred) Yes. The sins that have been confessed and transferred OH! On the Day of Atonement? Yes, Ok.

 

(Same woman continuing) Because those that didn’t go in they weren’t his people and haven’t been confessed they weren’t in there.

 

(Wilfred) Well, do yours go in if the door is shut?

 

(Same woman) This is what I mean, we weren’t even born in 1844.

 

(John) We’ve been since that time you mean?

 

(Same woman) Yes, that’s what I mean.

 

(Another woman) It may have something to do with the book of life where all God’s children are written since that time?

 

(Wilfred) Yes it does. They’re going through the names in the book of life and when your name goes in the book of life; when you accept the Lord, when you accept the message. And He goes through them to verify that you remain in. And the only thing that would erase your name is if you have rejected it, gone out, then your door is closed. Not to say that, and I read that someplace this afternoon, that He doesn’t reject you immediately if you decide to go out, He gives you a period of time to reconsider. But when you finally reject, that’s it, you’re through. Well, if that’s what you’ve done when your name comes up in the judgment, then He crosses that name out. And He no longer bears the penalty for your sins, Satan and yourself are going to bear it, yes she says that Satan is going to bear his share of your sins.

 

(John) Is there a significance in what you are studying to the statement and the Bible about some men’s sins go beforehand to judgment?

 

(Wilfred) Yes there is.

 

(John) Does that tie in?

 

(Wilfred) Yes.

 

(John) Then there is another statement that has always puzzled me. Maybe I shouldn’t bring it up. It’s in the Bible though.

 

Much laughter.

 

(Wilfred) You can bring it up.

 

(John) It says it is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment.

 

(Wilfred) Well, I’ll have to admit I’m building up to something here, I’m laying a foundation because sooner or later you’re going to have to move into an explanation of all these things if you are going to survive, or else the devil through his theologians is going to cut you down. You’ve got to have an answer.

 

(Same woman) If we don’t have an answer does that mean our faith would fail?

 

(Another man) You’ll question yourself.

 

(Wilfred) Yes you’ll start to question.

 

(John) Isn’t there going to be a difference between the depth of understanding that the hundred and forty four thousand have who go through to translation and the great multitude who will be laid away prior to the close of probation?

 

(Wilfred) Very decidedly.

 

(John) If some people don’t understand some of these key points it doesn’t mean that they are going to be lost. It just means that they may not be a part of that other group.

 

(Wilfred) When I made that statement I was referring to the hundred and forty-four thousand. And I’ll add this: that the differential in understanding of truth is going to cause a shaking among God’s people and it’s going to cause a test of fellowship, brotherly love. You get that?

 

God is going to bring truth into his Church, and I can read it to you, to test His people on the point of brotherly love, and His last prayer was that prayer that they all might be one as He is one with his Father. That they might love one another as the Father has loved Him and He loved the Father. Do you remember that? Can you love somebody who has an opinion that is diametrically opposed to yours? Can you love somebody that takes one of these statements, and I’m going to read them, I’m going to read one. And can you meet up with somebody who takes the other statement and builds his castle on it, and you have yours built on the first one, and still be brothers and love one another? That’s a test; I’m telling you that’s a test.

 

But here is what she says in Great Controversy 426;

 

“The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom.”  Remember He is going into the most holy apartment. And she says that the coming of the bridegroom takes place before to marriage. Well, He goes into the most holy place before He receives His kingdom. Now that’s the way she is interpreting the marriage at this point.  “The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called "the bride, the Lamb's wife." Said the angel to John: "Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." "He carried me away in the spirit," says the prophet, "and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Clearly, then,”  Now here’s the point  “The bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church. In the Revelation the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper. Revelation 19:9. If guests, they cannot be represented also as the bride.”  Got that? All right, now you say, the church is the guest at the wedding not the bride. Got that?

 

Now let me read the other side of the picture. And this is why some of these critics come up every once in a while with mimeographed material saying “We’d better get straighten around here, we’re kind of a little shady here on some of these things. Maybe our prophet isn’t what she professes to be. She ought to be honest and tell the truth. That‘s what this fellow says, I got a letter here and copies of parts of the letter and I don’t agree with him. See? I take his arguments and the passages that he has and all the rest of it that’s solid and genuine, but he is coming to the wrong conclusions. Don’t let contradictions in the Spirit of Prophecy shake your faith in it. These are the keys that unlock the orions that go on into the spaces of larger truth. Hang on. You can’t understand it, put it on a shelve. Listen, I’m reading from volume 7A Bible Commentary 985:

 

“God is the Husband of His Church.”  Listen!  “The church is the bride, the Lamb's wife. Every true believer is a part of the body of Christ. Christ regards unfaithfulness shown to Him by His people as the unfaithfulness of a wife to her husband. We are to remember that we are members of Christ's body.”

 

And here is another one. “The church is the bride, the Lamb's wife. She should keep herself pure, sanctified, holy. Never should she indulge in any foolishness; for she is the bride of a King. Yet she does not realize her exalted position. If she understood this, she would be all-glorious within.”  Isn’t that a statement?

 

And here is a third one; “The church is the bride of Christ, and her members are to yoke up with their Leader. God warns us not to defile our garments.”

 

(John) These statements saying the church is the bride and the other one says they cannot be the bride, they are guests, appear to be contradictory.

 

(Wilfred) Appear to be contradictory, that’s right. They appear to be absolutely contradictory. Now let me tell you. There is a solution. There is a solution. You say Johnson give it to us.

 

(Another man) How about the hundred and forty four thousand being the Bride the rest of us the guests.

 

(Wilfred) You hit it right on the head. In a sense the entire church is the bride of Christ, in a sense the entire church are guests.

 

(Same man) Because they’re saints, and the hundred and forty-four thousand would be saints and they would outclass the others.

 

(Wilfred) But she says that if they are guests they can’t be the bride. And then in another place three times they are the bride and that’s what gets some people down.

 

Note by Ron Beaulieu: I was personally present at this meeting by Mr. Johnson. I am the (Another man) person who answered: “How about the hundred and forty four thousand being the Bride the rest of us the guests.” (Same man) “Because they’re saints, and the hundred and forty-four thousand would be saints and they would outclass the others.”

 

I will elaborate on this “apparent” contradiction whereby Ellen White seems to say in one statement that the bride is a different entity from the guests, and that “the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church.”

 

First, I will recite the entire quote that appears in The Great Controversy, p. 426-7, and then a statement from Christ’s Object Lessons, 405-406.

“In the summer and autumn of 1844 the proclamation, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh," was given. The two classes represented by the wise and foolish virgins were then developed--one class who looked with joy to the Lord's appearing, and who had been diligently preparing to meet Him; another class that, influenced by fear and acting from impulse, had been satisfied with a theory of the truth, but were destitute of the grace of God. In the parable, when the bridegroom came, "they that were ready went in with him to the marriage." The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called "the bride, the Lamb's wife." Said the angel to John: "Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." "He carried me away in the spirit," says the prophet, "and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." Revelation 21:9, 10. Clearly, then, the bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church. In the Revelation the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper. Revelation 19:9. If guests, they cannot be represented also as the bride. Christ, as stated by the prophet Daniel, will receive from the Ancient of Days in heaven, "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom;" He will receive the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Daniel 7:14; Revelation 21:2. Having received the kingdom, He will come in His glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords, for the redemption of His people, who are to "sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob," at His table in His kingdom (Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:30), to partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Important qualifying parts of the above statement:

·      The proclamation of 1844, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,” was given to awaken the ten virgins of all churches. Matthew 25 says all those virgins slumbered and slept. The procession that awakens the 10 virgins with the Midnight Cry must be different from those who awaken them.

·      Two classes were then developed—the ten virgin church of five wise and five foolish virgin types (wheat and tares respectively).

·      In Scripture, the 10 virgin church militant (wheat and tare church) are represented as “guests” at the wedding

·      The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His Kingdom, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, which is called "the bride, the Lamb's wife

·      The capital and representative of the Kingdom, the great city, the New Jerusalem, IS THE BRIDE, THE LAMB’S WIFE.

·      The church of Hebrews

·      In the Kingdom of Christ’s church, as depicted in the Sanctuary Service, there are leaders (priests), and the people, the laity, the guests. The people are the symbol of the church body. The representative leaders of the kingdom are the bride.

·      The Kingdom consists of leaders and guests. Both constitute the church.

·      The bride is a symbol of the leadership. The guests are a symbol of the church.

·      Only the bride gets the title The New Jerusalem, Rev. 3, Philadelphia.

·      Only the bride goes into the Temple on Mt. Zion as PILLARS, LEADERS. Early Writings, p. 19, and Revelation 3:10-12.

·      The people (guests) are a symbol of the church laity. The bride is a symbol of the representatives of the city—its leaders.

·      The church would not be complete without the leaders and the people.

"To Meet the Bridegroom" COL, pp. 405-406

[This chapter is based on Matt. 25:1-13.]

“Christ with His disciples is seated upon the Mount of Olives. The sun has set behind the mountains, and the heavens are curtained with the shades of evening. In full view is a dwelling house lighted up brilliantly as if for some festive scene. The light streams from the openings, and an expectant company wait around, indicating that a marriage procession is soon to appear. In many parts of the East, wedding festivities are held in the evening. The bridegroom goes forth to meet his bride and bring her to his home. By torchlight the bridal party proceed from her father's house to his own, where a feast is provided for the invited guests. In the scene upon which Christ looks, a company are awaiting the appearance of the bridal party, intending to join the procession.

Lingering near the bride's house are ten young women robed in white. Each carries a lighted lamp and a small flagon for oil. All are anxiously watching for the appearance

Page 406

of the bridegroom. But there is a delay. Hour after hour passes; the watchers become weary and fall asleep. At midnight the cry is heard, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." The sleepers, suddenly awaking, spring to their feet. They see the procession moving on, bright with torches and glad with music. They hear the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. The ten maidens seize their lamps and begin to trim them, in haste to go forth. But five have neglected to fill their flasks with oil. They did not anticipate so long a delay, and they have not prepared for the emergency. In distress they appeal to their wiser companions saying, "Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out." (Margin.) But the waiting five, with their freshly trimmed lamps, have emptied their flagons. They have no oil to spare, and they answer, "Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves."

While they went to buy, the procession moved on, and left them behind. The five with lighted lamps joined the throng and entered the house with the bridal train, and the door was shut. When the foolish virgins reached the banqueting hall, they received an unexpected denial. The master of the feast declared, "I know you not." They were left standing without, in the empty street, in the blackness of the night.

As Christ sat looking upon the party that waited for the bridegroom, He told His disciples the story of the ten virgins, by their experience illustrating the experience of the church that shall live just before His second coming.

The two classes of watchers represent the two classes who profess to be waiting for their Lord. They are called virgins because they profess a pure faith. By the lamps is represented the word of God. The psalmist says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto may path." Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 405, 406.

Now another statement from Testimonies, Vol. 4:

"The headquarters of our church, affect the whole body of believers. If the physical heart is healthy, the blood that is sent from it through the system is also healthy; but if this fountain is impure, the whole organism becomes diseased by the poison of the vital fluid. So it is with us. If the heart of the work becomes corrupt, the whole church, in its various branches and interests, scattered abroad over the face of the earth, suffers in consequence." Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 210. 

 

The above statement well defines the different parts of the church:

 

·         The head—the leaders—the bride.

·         The leaders are the heart of the church.

·         If the leadership is not healthy and pure, the whole organism of the church becomes diseased, corrupt and poisoned. The entire church suffers as a consequence.

·         The CORPORATE CHURCH, the WHOLE CHURCH, in its various branches and interests, scattered abroad over the face of the earth, suffers in consequence. This demonstrates the CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY inherent in the church.

·         If Christ is the head/head, which is supposed to be the case in any true church, and the membership is the body, one can readily discern the CORPORATENESS, the CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY FACTOR THAT IS INHERENT in the body of Christ—His church.

 

Conclusion regarding Ellen White’s statements that “appear” to contradict in calling the church the bride, while other statements say that the ten virgins are guests and not the bride, must be qualified by the following facts:

 

1.    Not all 10 virgins are part of the body of Christ, because the unwise virgins are not saved as part of that body.

2.    The church militant is different from the church triumphant, to wit: “The members of the church triumphant--the church in heaven--will be permitted to draw near to the members of the church militant, to aid them in their necessity." E. G. White, The Southern Watchman, Sep. 8, 1903.

3.    The church triumphant, Heb. 12:22, 23, is the church in heaven—a church of men made perfect. This refers to the 144,000 bride of Christ church.

4.    The church militant is the imperfect church on earth, consisting of wheat and tares—wise and foolish virgins respectively.

5.    The guests are a symbol of the 10 virgin church militant on earth.

6.    The bride is a symbol of the church triumphant in heaven.

7.    The church in heaven consists of the true reformers who are personally called by God, and who enter the church (Sanctuary) in heaven by faith. Early Writings, 251, 255.

8.    In Isaiah 62:1-5, Zion is the strictly pure bethulah bride. Study the meaning of the word virgin in these verses—it means bethulah—strictly pure. She, as the leaders of the church, aspires to a greater degree of purity—she becomes blamesless. Rev. 14:1-4. She differs from the 10 virgin guests in that they are called and awakened directly by God and then awaken the 10 virgins. Verses 11, 12, which the bride gives to her sons and daughters, is a paraphrase of the Midnight Cry of Matthew 25.

9.    The leadership of the church cannot be the laity and the laity cannot be the leadership. Thus the bride cannot be the guests and the guests cannot be the bride—but both constitute the church and in that sense the church in general is the bride of Jesus Christ. But there is a distinction between the church in heaven consisting of men made perfect, the bride, the 144,000, and the great multitude of the people (guests) redeemed from the earth who are not as perfect as the bride, the true reformers.

10.     "Characteristics of True Reformers.—“Here [Isa. 8:11-14] are given the characteristics of those who shall be reformers, who will bear the banner of the third angel’s message, these who avow themselves God's commandment-keeping people, and who honor God, and are earnestly engaged, in the sight of all the universe, in building up the old waste places.  Who is it that calls them, The repairer of the breach, The restorers of paths to dwell in? It is God. Their names are registered [written--Heb. 12:22, 23] in heaven as reformers, restorers, as raising the foundations of many generations." E. G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 1151, & Review and Herald, Oct. 13, 1891.

11.     The true reformers are called directly by God. Then they awaken the ten virgin church militant procession that is waiting for the bridal procession.

12.     Strictly speaking, the church in heaven, the church triumphant, is the bride of Jesus Christ: 22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Heb. 12:22, 23. [The bride is the earthly representative of that heavenly church].

 

"The church is God's fortress, his city of refuge, which he holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of her sacred trust is treachery to him who has bought her with the precious blood of his only begotten Son. In the past, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth, and God has taken them into covenant relation with himself, uniting the church on earth with the church in heaven. He has sent forth his holy angels to minister to his church, and the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against it." E. G. White, Review and Herald, 12-04-1900.

 

It is faithful souls that constitute HIS CHURCH, which is the apple of His eye, and which the gates of hell will not prevail against. Faithful souls, united with the church triumphant in heaven, is the noble ship that goes into port heaven.

 

Church militants consists of wheat and tares, wise and foolish virgins. How could any church militant be the apple of God’s eye or the church which the gates of hell will not prevail against! The gates of hell do prevail against tares—foolish virgins of all church militants.

 

“But ye are come unto mount Sion [Zion], and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men MADE PERFECT." Hebrews 12:22, 23.

 

The woman is a symbol of the church. The remnant are the 144,000, translated without seeing death. They are the bride woman, while the wise virgins are the guest women.

 

 "The woman is a symbol of the church, and the remnant of the church represents the Christians of the last generation of men, living just prior to the second advent. The dragon makes war on these for keeping the commandments of God, Sabbath and all, and having the testimony of Jesus Christ, which, according to the inspired definition of chap. xix, 10, 'is the spirit of prophecy.' Here, then, are the causes of the dragon's warfare upon the remnant. They teach the observance of the ten commandments, and the revival of the gifts, and acknowledge the gift of prophecy among them. When the Devil got one foot upon the fourth commandment, and the other upon the gifts planted in the Christian church by Jesus Christ, then his satanic majesty was filled with revengeful delight. But when the remnant, whom God designs to fit for translation to Heaven without seeing death, 'ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein,' then the dragon is wroth, and makes war on them.

 

"The true spirit of the dragonic host, which is already being somewhat developed, is vividly described in Isa. xxx, 8-13, as being manifested just prior to the sudden destruction of those who hate the pure testimony, and love smooth and deceitful things." E. G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Vol. III, 26, 27.

 

End of note by Ron Beaulieu

 


(Wilfred)  Prophet, prophet of God, true prophet, what would you answer?

 

(John) Back in the Old Testament it says, that the people of the Lord shall be called “The city of the truth”.

 

(Wilfred) And they are going to have New Jerusalem written in their foreheads. And in Ezekiel 9 she talks about the sealing, going through the midst of Jerusalem and she says that’s the church. So, the church is the bride, the Lambs wife. That follows logically. It has to be. But how come she says though, if we are guests we cannot be the bride? It must be two different groups of people. Who are the ones that are married to Christ before the close of probation? The hundred and forty-four thousand. Where are the rest of them? Who goes into the marriage and is married?

 

(John) The hundred and forty-four thousand.

 

(Wilfred) The hundred and forty-four thousand. He says, open the door. Open the door to the Laodiceans, and I will come in to sup with you. In John 14 He says, The Comforter will come, see? I will not leave you comfortless. We will come to you. We will dwell in you. Don’t you see? They twain shall be one flesh. The marriage union comes to those who are called, chosen, and faithful during the Laodicean period, and are over-comers with Christ. They are the ones who go in to the marriage. The others are not there. They are in the graves, and when they come up, they come up to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and here on earth too, before they are guests, so to speak. They receive the wedding garment and so on. There is an application to them which is somewhat different to the application to the others. And the Bible is full of that type of thing. An application here another application there in a more expanded way.

 

Note by Ron Beaulieu: The above statement is not consistent with Mr. Johnson’s teaching of regeneration, whereby the bride of all ages is regenerated to be among the 144,000 at the end of time. That bride of all ages is the Philadelphians of all ages, for only they are made PILLARS, or leaders in the Temple on Mt. Zion in heaven, Rev. 3:10-12, and Early Writings, p. 13. In Desire of Ages, 179, the 12 disciples of Christ are defined as the bride of Christ. They were leaders. Ellen White defines three groups around the heavenly throne, to wit:

 

"Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in the cause of Satan, but who, plucked as brands from the burning, have followed their Saviour with deep, intense devotion. Next are those who perfected Christian characters in the midst of falsehood and infidelity, those who honored the law of God when the Christian world declared it void, and the millions, of all ages, who were martyred for their faith. And beyond is the "great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, . . . before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Revelation 7:9. Their warfare is ended, their victory won. They have run the race and reached the prize. The palm branch in their hands is a symbol of their triumph, the white robe an emblem of the spotless righteousness of Christ which now is theirs." E.G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 665.

 

Naturally, the bride would be nearest the throne, and the guest would be all others. The martyrs would be special guests. They have a red border on their robes.

 

 

Martyrs have a red border on their garments red border on their robes:

 

"As we were traveling along, we met a company who also were gazing at the glories of the place. I noticed red as a border on their garments; their crowns were brilliant; their robes were pure white. As we greeted them, I asked Jesus who they were. He said they were martyrs that had been slain for Him. With them was an innumerable company of little ones; they also had a hem of red on their garments. Mount Zion was just before us, and on the mount was a glorious temple, and about it were seven other mountains, on which grew roses and lilies. And I saw the little ones climb, or, if they chose, use their little wings and fly, to the top of the mountains and pluck the never-fading flowers. There were all kinds of trees around the temple to beautify the place: the box, the pine, the fir, the oil, the myrtle, the pomegranate, and the fig tree bowed down with the weight of its timely figs--these made the place all over glorious. And as we were about to enter the holy temple, Jesus raised His lovely voice and said, "Only the 144,000 enter this place," and we shouted, "Alleluia." {EW 19.2}

 

     “This temple was supported by seven pillars, all of transparent gold, set with pearls most glorious. The wonderful things I there saw I cannot describe. Oh, that I could talk in the language of Canaan, then could I tell a little of the glory of the better world. I saw there tables of stone in which the names of the 144,000 were engraved in letters of gold. After we beheld the glory of the temple, we went out, and Jesus left us and went to the city. Soon we heard His lovely voice again, saying, "Come, My people, you have come out of great tribulation, and done My will; suffered for Me; come in to supper, for I will gird Myself, and serve you." We shouted, "Alleluia! glory!" and entered into the city. And I saw a table of pure silver; it was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. I saw the fruit of the tree of life, the manna, almonds, figs, pomegranates, grapes, and many other kinds of fruit. I asked Jesus to let me eat of the fruit. He said, "Not now. Those who eat of the fruit of this..." EW, p. 18, 19.

 

 End note by Ron.

 

(John) I just want to say, the one who receives the garment of imputed righteousness. The hundred and forty four thousand will receive the full imparted righteousness.

 

(Wilfred) That’s true. That’s true.

 

(John) Sister White clearly made a distinction between them; that there would be two groups in heaven of the redeemed. He was seen going up to the city and He raised his glorious right arm and said only the hundred and forty four thousand enter this place. Early Writings, p. 19.

 

(Wilfred) I would like to read a little more here and make a few more comments. Then we will be through. Page 43 Early Writings.

 

Those  …”who had not kept the true Sabbath, now rest in hope; for they had not the light and the test on the Sabbath which we now have since that door was opened. I saw that Satan was tempting some of God's people on this point. Because so many good Christians have fallen asleep in the triumphs of faith and have not kept the true Sabbath,”  And my father was one of them.  “They were doubting about its being a test for us now.

 

     “The enemies of the present truth have been trying to open the door of the holy place,” Now if anybody tries to open the door of the holy place who is it? An enemy of the truth.  “That Jesus has shut,”  Well, I am not so sure that I can just make a blanket answer to that question. I think there is a little more in here John. If you’re going to try to open that door to the holy place that Jesus has shut you are doing it under the inspiration of somebody other than Christ. So don’t do it. Don’t try to fit in the sanctuary service with an open door in the holy apartment because you’ll be wrong if you do, that door is shut.   “And to close the door of the most holy place, which He opened in 1844,”  Now don’t try to close that one. You now have the privilege of going into the most holy. I’ll be more specific, you are now living in the time of the latter rain and the latter rain was to come at the end the harvest, near the end of the growing season. Just before the harvest, Testimony to Ministers, to ripen the grain and to prepare it for the sickle. And she says in another place to bring about perfection. So when you go into the most holy place if the door is open to the most holy place, what does it really mean? It means that the door is open now for you not to just come in now and receive imputed righteous and be saved, it means that you can now come in and receive imparted righteousness and be purified and made perfect, holy, that’s what it means. And there have been people in our denomination including theologians clear down to Washington and Andrews who have said that door is shut. Not in so many words, but they have said that you cannot become perfect until Jesus comes the second time. They made one slip; they should have said, you cannot become perfect until Jesus comes suddenly to his temple in the marriage union to purify and clean the sons of Levi.  If they had said that then they would have been correct. But they didn’t. Now who inspired that doctrine?

 

(John) Enemies of the truth.

 

(Wilfred) I had somebody shaking his head at me when I said that not too many days ago. Anybody here that wants to shake your head? The floor is open if you can prove that I am wrong. I’ll be the first one to recant. But do you realize that there are men all over our denomination who are coming out and saying exactly as I am saying. But not quite as loudly on that spot because we don’t want to hurt one another. I have made my mistakes, see? But I want you folks to understand the truth that the devil is trying to bring heresies into our church right through some of our leaders. And God help them to see it, and He is also trying to do it through you and me. So we’re no better off. Can we be tolerant? Can we be loving? Can we be kind? Let’s speak the truth and love the brethren anyway. So then.  “Where the ark is, containing the two tables of stone on which are written the ten commandments by the finger of Jehovah.”

 

Note by Ron:

 

"To secure peace and unity they were ready to make any concession consistent with fidelity to God but they felt that even peace would be too dearly purchased at the sacrifice of principle. If unity could be secured only by the compromise of truth and righteousness, then let there be difference, and even war." (Great Controversy, p. 45).
 
"Christ calls for unity.  But He does not call for us to unify on wrong practices.  The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and false, misleading doctrines." 1SM 175.

 

"While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God's honor and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is dishonored, the truth made of none effect" (Testimonies, Vol. 5, pp. 210, 211).

 

“The Redeemer of the world never spurned true repentance, however great the guilt, but He hurled burning denunciations against Pharisees and hypocrites.  There is more hope for the open sinner than for this class . . . . As a people professing to be reformers, treasuring the most solemn, purifying truths of God’s word we must elevate the standard far higher than it is at the present time.  Sin and sinners in the church must be promptly dealt with, that others may not be contaminated.  (Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 185)

 

FALSE PROPHETS (Ellen White’s definition of)

 

“There are many false prophets in these days, to whom sin does not appear specially repulsive.  They complain that the peace of the people is unnecessarily disturbed by the reproofs and warning of God’s messengers.  As for them, they lull the souls of sinners into a fatal ease by their smooth and deceitful teachings . . . . Those who seek to cloak sin and make it appear less aggravating to the mind of the offender are doing the work of the false prophets and may expect the retributive wrath of God to follow such a course . . . . God has no sympathy with the evildoer. He gives no one liberty to gloss over the sins of His people, nor to cry, “Peace, peace,” when He has declared that there shall be no peace for the wicked.  Those who stir up rebellion against the servants whom God sends to deliver His messages are rebelling against the word of the Lord.” (Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 185)

 

“Indignation often kindles in the heart of the sinner against the agent whom God chooses to deliver His reproofs . . . . God’s chosen servants should meet with courage and patience whatever trials and suffering befall them through reproach, neglect, or misrepresentations because they faithfully discharge the duty that God has given them to do. They should remember that the prophets of old and the Savior of the world also endured abuse and persecution for the word’s sake . . . . Those who by unwise sympathy encourage men in rebellion when their self-love is smarting beneath merited reproof are not the friends of God, the great Reprover.  God will send reproof and warning to His people as long as they continue upon earth.” (Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 180)

 

“Deal faithfully with wrong-doing.  Warn every soul that it is in Danger.  Leave none to deceive themselves.  Call sin by its right name.  Declare what God has said in regard to lying, Sabbath-breaking, stealing, idolatry, and every other evil.  “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  If they persist in sin, the judgment you have declared from God’s word is pronounced upon them in heaven.” (Gospel Workers, p. 502) 

 

“The Lord reproves and corrects the people who profess to keep His law.  He points out their sins and lays open their iniquity because He wishes to separate all sin and wickedness from them, that they may perfect holiness in His fear.” (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 662)

 

“Reproofs always hurt human nature.  Many are the souls that have been destroyed by the unwise sympathy of their brethren; for, because the brethren sympathized with them, they thought they must indeed have been abused, and that the reprover was all wrong and had a bad spirit.  The only hope for sinners in Zion is to fully see and confess their wrongs and put them away.  Those who step in to destroy the edge of sharp reproof that God sends, saying that the reprover was partly wrong and can devise to make the reproofs of none effect will accomplish his design.  Some will lay blame upon the one whom God has sent with a message of warning, saying, He is too severe, and in so doing they become responsible for the soul of the sinner whom God desired to save. . . “ Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 329)

 

“God’s ministers must lift up the voice like a trumpet, and show the people their transgressions.  The smooth sermons so often preached make no lasting impression.  Men are not cut to the heart, because the plain, sharp truths of the word of God are not spoken to them. . . When will be heard once more in the church the voice of faithful rebuke, “Thou art the man”?  If these words were not so rare, we should see more of the power of God.  The Lord’s messengers should not complain of their efforts being fruitless until they repent of their love of approbation, their desire to please men, which leads them to suppress the truth, and to cry, Peace, when God has not spoken peace.” (Gospel Workers, pp. 149,150) 

“He (God) shows us that when His people are found in sin they should at once take decided measures to put that sin from them, that His frown may not rest upon them all.  But if the sins of the people are passed over by those in responsible positions, His frown will be upon them, and the people of God, as a body, will be held responsible for those sins . . . If wrongs are apparent among His people and if the servants of God pass on indifferent to them, they virtually sustain and justify the sinners, and are alike guilty and will just as surely receive the displeasure of God; for they will be made responsible for the sins of the guilty.” (Testimonies, Vol. 3, pp. 265, 266)

“I have been shown that God here illustrates how He regards sin among those who profess to be His commandment-keeping people. Those whom He has specially honored with witnessing the remarkable exhibitions of His power, as did ancient Israel, and who will even then venture to disregard His express directions, will be subjects of His wrath. He would teach His people that disobedience and sin are exceedingly offensive to Him and are not to be lightly regarded. He shows us that when His people are found in sin they should at once take decided measures to put that sin from them, that His frown may not rest upon them all. But if the sins of the people are passed over by those in responsible positions, His frown will be upon them, and the people of God, as a body, will be held responsible for those sins. In His dealings with His people in the past the Lord shows the necessity of purifying the church from wrongs. One sinner may diffuse darkness that will exclude the light of God from the entire congregation. When the people realize that darkness is settling upon them, and they do not know the cause, they should seek God earnestly, in great humility and self-abasement, until the wrongs which grieve His Spirit are searched out and put away. {3T 265.1}

 

  “The prejudice which has arisen against us because we have reproved the wrongs that God has shown me existed, and the cry that has been raised of harshness and severity, are unjust. God bids us speak, and we will not be silent. If wrongs are apparent among His people, and if the servants of God pass on indifferent to them, they virtually sustain and justify the sinner, and are alike guilty and will just as surely receive the displeasure of God; for they will be made responsible for the sins of the guilty. In vision I have been pointed to many instances where the displeasure of God has been incurred by a neglect on the part of His servants to deal with the wrongs and sins existing among them. Those who have excused these wrongs have been thought by the people to be very amiable and lovely indisposition, simply because they shunned to discharge a plain Scriptural duty. The task was not agreeable to their feelings; therefore they avoided it.” {3T 265.2}

 

  “The spirit of hatred which has existed with some because the wrongs among God's people have been reproved has brought blindness and a fearful deception upon their own souls, making it impossible for them to discriminate between right and wrong. They have put out their own spiritual eyesight. They may witness wrongs, but they do not feel as did Joshua and humble themselves because the danger of souls is felt by them.” {3T 266.1}

 

  “The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character. They will always be on the side of faithful and plain dealing with sins which easily beset the people of God. Especially in the closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply the wrongs of God's professed people. This is forcibly set forth by the prophet's illustration of the last work under the figure of the men each having a slaughter weapon in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. "And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."   

 {3T 266.2}

 

  “Who are standing in the counsel of God at this time? Is it those who virtually excuse wrongs among the professed people of God and who murmur in their hearts, if not openly, against those who would reprove sin? Is it those who take their stand against them and sympathize with those who commit wrong? No, indeed! Unless they repent, and leave the work of Satan in oppressing those who have the burden of the work and in holding up the hands of sinners in Zion, they will never receive the mark of God's sealing approval. They will fall in the general destruction of the wicked, represented by the work of the five men bearing slaughter weapons. Mark this point with care: Those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by a mark by the man in linen, are those "that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done" in the church. Their love for purity and the honor and glory of God is such, and they have so clear a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that they are represented as being in agony, even sighing and crying. Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel.” {3T 267.1}

 

  “But the general slaughter of all those who do not thus see the wide contrast between sin and righteousness, and do not feel as those do who stand in the counsel of God and receive the mark, is described in the order to the five men with slaughter weapons: "Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary." {3T 267.2}

 

  “In the case of Achan's sin God said to Joshua: "Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you." How does this instance compare with the course pursued by those who will not raise their voice against sin and wrong, but whose sympathies are ever found with those who trouble the camp of Israel with their sins? Said God to Joshua: "Thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you." He pronounced the punishment which would follow the transgression of His covenant.” {3T 267.3}

  “Joshua then began a diligent search to find out the guilty one. He took Israel by their tribes, then by their families, and next individually; and Achan was designated as the guilty one. But that the matter might be plain to all Israel, that there should be no occasion given them to murmur and to say that the guiltless was made to suffer, Joshua used policy. He knew Achan was the transgressor and that he had concealed his sin and provoked God against His people. Joshua discreetly induced Achan to make confession of his sin, that God's honor and justice might be vindicated before Israel. "And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.” {3T 268.1}

 

  "And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones." {3T 268.2}

 

  “The Lord told Joshua that Achan had not only taken the things which He had positively charged them not to take, lest they be accursed, but he had stolen and had also dissembled. The Lord said that Jericho and all its spoils should be consumed, except the gold and silver, which were to be reserved for the treasury of the Lord. The victory of taking Jericho was not obtained through warfare or the exposure of the people. The Captain of the Lord's host had led the armies of heaven. The battle was the Lord's; it was He who fought the battle. The children of Israel did not strike a blow. The victory and glory were the Lord's, and the spoils were His. He directed all to be consumed except the gold and silver, which He reserved for His treasury. Achan understood well the reserve made and that the treasures of gold and silver which he coveted were the Lord's. He stole from God's treasury for his own benefit.” {3T 268.3}

 

 

  “In perfect harmony the laborers in every line of God's service are to do their appointed work, uniting in helping one another, each one performing faithfully his allotted task as if under the personal oversight of a heaven-sent Director.” {18MR 183.1}

 

  “When all, as men and women in Christ Jesus, unite in works of beneficence, the Lord will prosper them, enabling them to render the highest service. A wise division of labor will effectually advance the Lord's work. Let everyone be assigned his duties, according to his ability; and let him be honored as one of God's workmen. This will bind heart to heart.” {18MR 183.2}

 

  “Let no one regard it as his right to scold or condemn others, for this causes them to feel discouraged, and does not make them any more faithful or trustworthy. He who is an overseer should be in word and deed an example of humility, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and unselfishness.” {18MR 183.3}

 

  “My brethren in positions of responsibility, remember that you are not to keep in suspense the men and women who signify their desire to work for the Master. Express your pleasure that they are willing to enter the work; give them something to do. God is stirring the minds of men and women to do much more than they have done. In all our institutions--our sanitariums, publishing houses, and schools--we need fathers and mothers in Israel, men and women quick to discern the needs of those who for a time require help and encouragement, in order that they may develop into useful workers.” {18MR 183.4}

 

  “In the ninth chapter of Ezekiel is portrayed the fate of the men of responsibility who have not glorified God by faithfulness and integrity. Read this chapter. Notice especially verses four to six: [quoted]. At the appointed time, the Lord God of Israel will do His work most thoroughly.

 The thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel is an outline of the work that God approves. Those in positions of sacred trust, those honored of God by being appointed to stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion, are in every respect to be all that is embraced in the meaning of the word watchmen. They are to be ever on guard against the dangers threatening the spiritual life and health and prosperity of God's heritage.” {18MR 184.1}

 

  “Upon us as ministers God has placed a burden of solemn responsibility. Realizing that we are His chosen watchmen, we should have constant concern and forethought in regard to the state of the church. We should give much time to earnest prayer for divine wisdom and guidance in order that we may know how best to promote God's honor and glory. He has commissioned us to honor Him, the Omnipotent One, in every word and act. From Him comes our maintenance. We are wholly dependent upon His sufficiency, His bounty, for our support.” {18MR 184.2}

 

  “God has declared to us, "Ye are the salt of the earth." The preserving influence that we may exert in the world is bestowed upon us by the Lord. The bounties that we constantly receive from Him are to flow through hand and heart to those around us who have not yet become connected with the Fountainhead.”  {18MR 184.3}

 

  “When we see God dishonored, we ought not to remain quiet, but should do and say all that we can to lead others to see that the God of heaven is not to be thought of as a common man, but as the Infinite One, the One worthy of man's highest reverence. Let us present God's Word in its purity, and lift up the voice in warning against everything that would dishonor our heavenly Father.”--Ms 165, 1902.

 

Ellen G. White Estate Washington, D. C. Dec. 17, 1987. {18MR 184.4}

 

“Many who profess to believe the truth for this time are unconverted in heart. I have been shown that many whose names are on the church books are unprepared for the coming of Christ. There are whole families who are deceived in regard to their spiritual fitness to stand the test of the judgment.:  {18MR 232.1}

 

  “Many who love self-indulgence and who murmur at the straight testimony of the Laodicean message, are ignorant of how sinful their actions really are; but in the judgment they will be ashamed of their course of ingratitude and rebellion against the One who has borne so long with them, and who has not cut them off in their sins. No confession, no weeping, will then avail for those who have spoiled their record. Many who now claim to be the disciples of Christ will be numbered among those who would not repent, but who have deceived their souls unto their eternal ruin. The evasion of truth will not give courage to any soul in the day of judgment to open his lips in self-defense. Then the books will be opened that bear the record of the works of every individual.”  {18MR 232.2}

 

  “I am instructed to say that the Lord regards false professors as rebels against Him, for their actions bring reproach to His name. Oh, that their murmurings might be turned to self-reproach, and their complainings to repentance!.” {18MR 232.3}

 

  “God has sent messages from His Word to the souls who are living careless lives, and who are unashamed of their wrong course of action. I heard the words spoken: "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding" [Isa. 40:27, 28]. If the careless, self- indulgent souls would seek the Lord and confess their sins, they would see how their unconverted lives lead others astray, and they would repent and be converted.”

{18MR 233.1}

 

  “I am bidden to lift up my voice like a trumpet, and to speak plainly concerning the perils that surround our children and youth. Satan is actively at work, laying stumbling blocks in the way of their Christian advancement. He has many schemes by which to deceive souls and to destroy the spiritual discernment, that evil may be interpreted as righteousness. One of his most successful schemes is to place within their reach the foolish storybook to read, when they need the convicting power of the Word of the living God to impress mind and heart how to develop a Christlike character. {18MR 233.3}

  God is constantly appealing to the human heart, bidding it recognize His love and mercy, and accept His righteousness in the place of the principles of evil. Thus He has pleaded with mankind in all ages. In Noah's day Christ spoke

 

 

  -234-

 

to men through a human agency and preached to those who were in bondage to sin. He came to Israel enshrouded in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. He it was who educated that vast multitude in their wilderness wandering.” {18MR 233.4}

 

  “Israel needed just the experience that God gave to them, and there was no other power that could deal with them as Christ did through all that long journey in the wilderness. The education of Israel was not entrusted to any human agency; they were taught by One who was infinite in wisdom. They were daily learners of what God required His church on earth to be.” {18MR 234.1}

 

  “There are many who do not weigh these things sufficiently. The instruction given to Israel should be understood today by every soul living. Man may claim great intelligence, but he needs more than human intelligence in order to grasp the revelations of the gospel, which the Lord declares has been hidden for ages. The deceiving works of Satan beguile the conscience in regard to individual weaknesses and sins, and hundreds are caught in his snares.” {18MR 234.2}

 

  “The Lord has light and wisdom for His people, which they should expect, receive, and cherish. Let there be decided changes made. Let those who have been accusers, and who have stood ready to take offense at any word or move that seemed to them to be ill-advised, humble their hearts, and pray that the spirit of division and dissension may be taken away. The Lord has a work for all to do who will submit to be worked by His Holy Spirit.” {18MR 236.1}

 

  “Study the ninth chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled; yet the time is passing, and the people are asleep. They refuse to humble their souls and to be converted. Not a great while longer will the Lord bear with the people who have such great and important truths revealed to them but who refuse to bring these truths into their individual experience. The time is short. God is calling. Will you hear? Will you receive His message? Will you be converted before it is too late? Soon, very soon, every case will be decided for eternity.”--Letter 106, 1909.

End note by Ron.

     “Satan is now using every device in this sealing time to keep the minds of God's people from the present truth and to cause them to waver.”  And that‘s certainly is true.  “I saw a covering that God was drawing over His people to protect them in the time of trouble; and every soul that was decided on the truth and was pure in heart was to be covered with the covering of the Almighty.”  Did you notice the condition? Decided on the truth and pure in heart, then you will be covered. 

     “Satan knew this, and he was at work in mighty power to keep the minds of as many people as he possibly could wavering and unsettled on the truth. I saw that the mysterious knocking in New York and other places was the power of Satan, and that such things would be more and more common, clothed in a religious garb so as to lull the deceived to greater security and to draw the minds of God's people, if possible, to those things and cause them to doubt the teachings and power of the Holy Ghost.”  She is talking here about satanic delusions and manifestations of the last days, and she goes on to describe more of them. The false Holy Ghost,

     “I saw that Satan was working through agents in a number of ways. He was at work through ministers who have rejected the truth and are given over to
strong delusions to believe a lie that they might be damned. While they were preaching or praying, some would fall prostrate and helpless, not by the power of the Holy Ghost, but by the power of Satan breathed upon these agents, and through them to the people. While preaching, praying, or conversing, some professed Adventists who had rejected present truth used mesmerism (Hypnotism) to gain adherents, and the people would rejoice in this influence, for they thought it was the Holy Ghost. Some even that used it were so far in the darkness and deception of the devil that they thought it was the power of God, given them to exercise. They had made God altogether such a one as themselves and had valued His power as a thing of naught.”

“Some of these agents of Satan were affecting the bodies of some of the saints--those whom they could not deceive and draw away from the truth by a satanic influence. Oh, that all could get a view of it as God revealed it to me, that they might know more of the wiles of Satan and be on their guard!”  See, if he can’t get you intellectually he will get you physically, that’s what she is saying.  “I saw that Satan was at work in these ways to distract, deceive, and draw away God's people, just now in this sealing time. I saw some who were not standing stiffly for present truth. Their knees were trembling, and their feet sliding, because they were not firmly planted on the truth, and the covering of Almighty God could not be drawn over them while they were thus trembling.”

     “Satan was trying his every art to hold them where they were, until the sealing was past, until the covering was drawn over God's people, and they left without a shelter from the burning wrath of God in the seven last plagues. God has begun to draw this covering over His people and it will soon be drawn over all who are to have a shelter in the day of slaughter. God will work in power for His people; and Satan will be permitted to work also.”  

     “I saw that the mysterious signs and wonders and false reformations would increase and spread. The reformations that were shown me were not reformations from error to truth. My accompanying angel bade me look for the travail of soul for sinners as used to be. I looked, but could not see it; for the time for their salvation is past.”  Well that was in 1849 that she saw that. 

(Larry) Could I ask one question, Brother?

(Wilfred) Yes. Go ahead.

(Larry) The marriage of the Lamb occurred while He was in the most holy place. A hundred and forty four thousand are on this earth. I am not sure that I fully understand this marriage part while He is in the most holy place.

(Wilfred) Ok, you probably missed the meetings that we had when we discussed that.

Very briefly, it is the coming of the Holy Ghost in Malachi chapter 3 suddenly to His temple as the messenger of the covenant to bring about the fulfillment of the Everlasting Covenant in the lives of the saints today, and purify the sons of Levi and make them holy. That coming is a union; she says it here in Great Controversy page 426 that I read at the beginning.

“The coming of Christ as our high priest to the most holy place, for the cleansing of the sanctuary, the coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days, in Daniel; and the coming of the Lord to His temple, foretold by Malachi, and the coming of the bridegroom to the marriage are all the same events. And I pointed out that He not only came to the most holy of the temple of heaven but He comes through his Spirit to his temple here on earth to cleanse and purify it and that is the marriage union. The head of the new body of Christ is married to the members in particular of that body. Ephesians I think chapter 4 he talks about that.

 

(Another man in the audience) Brother Johnson, You mentioned this covering.

 Do you have any idea of what this covering is?

 

(Wilfred) Yes, it’s the robe, the wedding garment, the righteousness of Christ. You are covered by His righteousness so that all of your sins are taken care of, forgiven, and you are perfect before God as though you had never sinned, and God treats you like He treats His own Son. That’s the covering. But it goes beyond that, and I could read you that from Christ’s Object Lessons, but I didn’t bring it tonight, and I don’t remember the page. It goes on to say that it is the perfect obedience to the law of God. The imputed righteousness of Christ is only a part of it. It also includes the imparted righteousness and she says, this is what it means to be covered with the robes of Christ righteousness and she’s talking about perfect obedience in that statement. Maybe John can find it; he’s looking there.

 

(Same man) There is another point on that because I’ve been studying on this. She points out that the health message is very, very, important at this time. I was wondering if perhaps that’s part of it? Especially when we see all down through the ages how health has been a large point and she points out that it is the right hand of the third angel’s message.

 

(Wilfred) I can answer that in just one sentence. If you put the wrong chemicals into your body you are disrupting the process of the brain. The brain is an electrochemical factory. It depends for its proper functioning on the correct ingredients. If you put the wrong ingredients into the machinery it’s not going to function right. You cannot understand spiritual things, especially the deeper mysteries of God, if your mind isn’t clear. And your mind cannot be clear if you put a lot of junk food into your stomach, it’s just that simple; even if you put too much good food in your stomach. Lots of people think that when they are really hungry and they need all that food and they eat and eat and eat and they get all sorts of symptoms afterwards and wonder why they don’t feel good. It’s very simple. Cut it in half and you won’t have those symptoms.

 

(Same man) I was brought up to eat only enough to still have a little hunger left.

 

(Wilfred) Do you know what Sister White says? She says thousands are dying from over eating. And that’s not just fat people, that’s skinny ones too.

 

Well listen, “In the parable of Matthew 22 the same figure of the marriage is introduced, and the investigative judgment is clearly represented as taking place before the marriage. Previous to the wedding the king comes in to see the guests, to see if all are attired in the wedding garment, the spotless robe of character washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.”  Do you get the picture?

 

(Larry) Where are you reading?

 

(Wilfred) Great Controversy page 428.

 

“He who is found wanting is cast out, but all who upon examination are seen to have the wedding garment on are accepted of God and accounted worthy of a share in His kingdom and a seat upon His throne. This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is that of the investigative judgment, the closing of work in the sanctuary above.”

 

“When the work of investigation shall be ended, when the cases of those who in all ages have professed to be followers of Christ have been examined and decided, then, and not till then, probation will close, and the door of mercy will be shut. Thus in one short sentence, they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut,"  Now she seems to have interpreted that to mean the close of probation at that point, but you have to make allowance for the time period during which they are going in, they don’t all go in at once.  “”We are carried down through the Saviour's final ministration, to the time when the great work for man's salvation shall be completed.”

 

Well there’s much more here. Let me go back just very briefly.

 

There are two apartments in the sanctuary during the yearly service the door to the holy apartment is opened but the one to the most holy is shut. The priest carries the sins of the people into the holy apartment and they are recorded in the sanctuary through the sprinkling of blood. The Holy Spirit incidentally is the communicating agent between heaven and earth in addition to the angels. He is the direct link between God and his people. Whatsoever He hears that He speaks. And it is through the sprinkling of that blood that the sins are recorded in the true tabernacle which is Christ. Every sin that you commit, that you come to the sanctuary and confess and ask forgiveness you are crucifying afresh the Son of God. And your sin is being recorded in his temple, He becomes aware and He suffers the consequences of it at that point. Now, don’t ask me for any further details on that, I don’t have them. All I know is that you crucify Him afresh when you do it.

 

On the Day of Atonement the priest took the blood into the holy apartment and he closed the door and he went and opened the door to the most holy and on into the most holy where he stood before the Ark where the commandments were and the Sabbath flag was. And these things are made clear to the people and they stand outside afflicting their souls and anybody who did not stand outside afflicting their souls, do you know the penalty was? They were put to death on the Day of Atonement back there.

 

Now we are to be doing the same thing today. That’s back there in 5 Testimonies for the Churches. Are you doing it? How do you feel about your sins? Do they bother you at all? How do you feel about afflicting Christ and crucifying Him afresh? Does it have any meaning to you? Do you have the vision of love that God has toward you? Have you experienced a share of His sufferings so you find out exactly what you are doing to Him and know what a tolerant and patient and long suffering God He must be to still hang out there and give you several more days and several more years? The reason He hasn’t closed down on it is the fact that He knows that you are not ready yet. So he continues to bear it. But He’s pleading and pleading and pleading and He is waiting with longing desire. You should have that statement memorized by now. And when He sees his character perfectly reproduced in his people then He’ll come to claim them. But that will not happen until He comes suddenly to his temple the real secret rapture, not the spurious one. The real one. He is going to come, secretly, suddenly, to his temple. And one will receive the outpouring of that Spirit and another will not know that he got it. Do you see? One shall be taken and the other left and that is the statement that Sister White applies that passage to. The coming of Christ to his temple. She applies that; one shall be taken the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill one taken the other left. Not going to disappear into space, No, one is going to be selected and will become united in the marriage union and figurative goes into the most holy with Christ in the sanctuary. And He receives his Kingdom through them because He now has their allegiance. Got it?

 

Now that takes place since 1844. How do the sins get into the sanctuary since 1844? You read Sister White and it appears that they do. But she explains that this is a testing period and we are being tested on what is in the holy apartment. Formally we were tested on what’s in the holy, what is it? Forgiveness of sins and acceptance in the sight of God as though you had never sinned. Some people find that hard to believe. They can’t believe righteousness imputed. It’s just too good a thing, just can’t possibly be so! They can’t take it, they can’t trust God to believe He has forgiven their sins. They keep worrying about their sins and bring them back up again and having guilt complexes about it. They don’t trust God. That’s the test, do you believe the gospel? The test since 1844 is the Law and Sabbath allegiance. It doesn’t destroy the former one. It builds on it. Without the former you can’t have the second one. I’ve explained that.

 

But here are mysteries in here. Mysteries that we have not explained. What happens to those sins? How come they are the ones placed on the head of the scapegoat at the end of the probationary period? How does He deal with these sins? Why are they dealt with differently than those confessed before the Day of Atonement and so on? I’ll have to leave it at that point. You just keep asking yourself those questions and keep looking; the solution is in the books.

 

Yes?

 

(A woman in the audience) In the statements that you made about one being taken and the other left, where did you take that from?

 

(Wilfred) I’ll have to find it for you.

 

(John) That’s in Great Controversy under the chapter; the investigative judgment where she says, some names are accepted and others are rejected. Is that what she is referring to?

 

(Wilfred) Yes, but there is a statement in the Bible which says, two women shall be grinding at the mill one will be taken. And she applies that to the coming of Christ to the most holy apartment. But I would have to find it I don’t know right off hand where it is.

 

(Another woman) Is it not true after probation closes and God’s people stand without a mediator that they still have the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit will still be present with these people?

 

(Wilfred) Very definitely! Because when the Spirit, John chapter 14, When the Spirit comes to his people He will abide with them forever.

 

(Same woman) So if we know His voice now we will know it then... unintelligible

 

(Wilfred) That’s correct. It’s unity between divinity and humanity that keeps us from sin, same as with Christ.

 

(John) You talked about the covering of Christ being his righteousness that covering that Sister White saw in vision drawing over and that’s found on pages 310 and 311 of Christ’s Object Lessons. She says, by the wedding garments in the parable represents the pure spotless character which Christ’s true followers will possess and then she says it is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour.

 

(Wilfred) Did you notice the word “Imparted”?

 

(John) Over here on the next page she says, only the covering which Christ Himself has provided can make us meet to appear in God's presence. Then she goes on to say, This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us.

 

(Wilfred) Excellent, that’s it, Thank you.

 

(John) And that is the covering that was mentioned in Early Writings. It is the robe of Christ’s righteous, not imputed, imparted.

 

(Wilfred) You will have perfect obedience to his Law.

 

(John) But I think in order to get that you must have perfect confidence first that He has accepted you in spite of your sins because you are sorry for them.

 

(Wilfred) Otherwise your motive wouldn’t be correct.

 

Well I left you with some problems and questions I know that.

 

 

 

(The conclusion of this two C/D series on

The Open and Shut Door Dilemma)

 

 

May you be richly blessed by this book is our prayer

 

 

In His prayer to the Father, Christ gave to the world a lesson which should be graven on mind and soul. "This is life eternal," He said, "that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." John 17:3. This is true education. It imparts power. The experimental knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent, transforms man into the image of God. It gives to man the mastery of himself, bringing every impulse and passion of the lower nature under the control of the higher powers of the mind. It makes its possessor a son of God and an heir of heaven. It brings him into communion with the mind of the Infinite, and opens to him the rich treasures of the universe.”