Physical Regeneration or How God
Resurrects the Bodies of the 144,000
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Col 1:18 And
he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
“The human agent plants the seed,
and God waters it and causes His sun to shine upon it,
and up springs the tiny blade. Here is the lesson God gives to us concerning the resurrection of
the body, and the renewing of the heart. We are to learn of spiritual
things from the development of the earthly.” {TM 242.2}
This
study is not for myopic minds that refuse to think outside of their
preconceived “sandbox” opinions. This topic requires much prayer and spiritual
discernment far beyond the care or desires of any surface reader. The critics of Physical Regeneration won’t
touch these problems by answering clear questions regarding them. IT BEHOOVES
EVERY READER OF THIS DOCUMENT TO CONTACT SDA LEADERS AND EVERY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST
THEY KNOW, SO AS TO APPRISE THEM OF THE COLOSSAL PROBLEMS CITED IN THIS
DOCUMENT THAT THE CORRECT REMEDY MIGHT BE APPLIED! If this is not done, many
will continue to leave the ranks of the SDA church, thinking that Ellen White
and the SDA church are imposters. NOT ALL MEMBERS WILL STICK THEIR HEADS IN
THE SAND ON THE SERIOUS ISSUES YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS!
The problems cited in this document are FAR TOO SERIOUS
AND DEEP SEATED for any neophyte ignorant opinion! The serious issues stated
herein DEMAND AN HONEST RESPONSE FROM THE HIGHEST THOUGHT LEADERS IN
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM!
Jesus is
referred to as the FIRSTBEGOTTEN FROM THE DEAD. Problem, the following persons
were resurrected from the dead BEFORE Christ was:
·
Moses
·
Lazarus
·
The damsel that
Jesus raised.
·
The Widow of Nain’s
son.
The point is this: If Jesus was
the FIRSTFRUITS, FIRSTBORN from the dead, this signifies that there will be a
second, third, fourth, etc., etc. person(s) born from the dead. Jesus WAS NOT the
first person raised from the dead. He is the
firstfruits, firstborn of them that SLEPT. More definitively, Christ was the
firstfruits, firstborn of the 144,000 in a way that He WAS NOT the firstborn of
all men. How do we decipher this distinction in the Bible?
Rev 14:4 These
are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are
they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from
among men, being the firstfruits unto God and
to the Lamb.
Distinctions Between
the 144,000 and the Guests at the Wedding
·
The 144,000 are the
bride of Christ that follow Him wherever He goes.
·
The 144,000 bride
awakens ALL TEN VIRGINS at the Loud Cry. Christ’s
Object Lessons, pp. 405, 406.
·
Only the bride,
Zion, the 144,000 are married, Isaiah 62:1-5.
·
The bride has sons
and daughters (guests at the wedding) Isaiah 62.
·
The bride Zion,
Philadelphia, is a strictly pure virgin, Isaiah 62:5, which is the meaning of
the Hebrew word virgin--bethulah, versus the 10 virgin sons and
daughters of Zion who have been concubines.
·
The 144,000 have
never been KNOWINGLY defiled with women (fallen churches) that are defiled by
ecumenical liaison with Babylon.
·
The 144,000 are
BLAMELESS as is Philadelphia.
·
Only the 144,000 go
into the Temple on Mt. Zion.
·
Philadelphians,
circa A. D. 1, are told they will be PILLARS (LEADERS) IN THE TEMPLE ON MT.
ZION IN HEAVEN.
·
How could
Philadelphians of the first century be made PILLARS in the Temple on Mt. Zion
in heaven, if as Ellen White says in Early Writings, p. 19, that only the 144,000
go into that Temple and that they are translated WITHOUT SEEING DEATH. This is
one of the greatest PROOFS for regeneration of the bride of all ages for the
Investigative Judgment, for if Regeneration is not true, Ellen White would
hereby contradict God’s Word!
·
HUGE, COLOSSAL, GARGANTUAN PROBLEM: So it’s Early
Writings, p. 19, on the 144,000 only going into the Temple, BEING
TRANSLATED WITHOUT SEEING DEATH versus Philadelphians of the first century
going into that Temple to be made PILLARS (LEADERS--lesser Priests while Christ
is the High Priest)-- OR: Physical Regeneration of the 144,000, THE BRIDE,
PHILADELPHIANS of all ages is TRUE, OR-- Ellen White in Early Writings, p. 19, contradicts God’s Word in Revelation
3:10-12, and she would thereby be A FALSE PROPHET. Take your choice! Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. AND I DON’T BELIEVE FOR ONE
INSTANT THAT ELLEN WHITE WAS/IS A FALSE PROPHET!
·
The only solvency of
this problem is that the 144,000 are translated without seeing death AFTER
being Physically Regenerated and Spiritually Regenerated for the Investigative
Judgment.
·
Any SDA that refuses
to deal with this clear DILEMMA that involves a direct contradiction between
God’s Word and Ellen White--UNLESS REGENERATION IS TRUE, is a deceptive
coward who is sticking his/her head in the sand and ignoring A
HUGE “APPARENT CONTRADICTION.”
·
Yet another
GARGANTUAN PROBLEM is the fact that in the Sanctuary Service, NO SINS GO INTO
THE TEMPLE ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. So since 1844, which SDA’s regard as the
Antitypical Day of Atonement, NO CONFESSED SINS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO INTO THE
SANCTUARY IN HEAVEN TO BE FORGIVEN. All sins had to be confessed BEFOREHAND,
BEFORE THE DAY OF ATONEMENT, and go into the Sanctuary BEFOREHAND. This problem
DEMANDS Regeneration as THE ONLY SOLUTION, or Ellen White and the SDA church is
AN IMPOSTER, for God says that HIS WAY is in the Sanctuary. Will critics of
Physical Regeneration tackle this problem? Nay! They are cowards and merely
stick their heads in the sand regarding this ALL TOO OBVIOUS PROBLEM with Ellen
White and professing Seventh-day Adventism. But there are intelligent people
who won’t stick their head in the sand!!!!!!! They will choose THE ONE AND ONLY
SOLUTION--PHYSICAL REGENERATION FOR THE INVSTIGATIVE JUDGMENT, or leave the
church and brand Ellen White as a false prophet.
·
1Ti 5:24 Some men's sins are
open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow
after.
·
Notice the word JUDGMENT (above) in 1Ti 5:24. This refers
to AND IS TREMENDOUS PROOF OF THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT!
·
The sins of all who
are saved must go into the Sanctuary BEFORE the Day of Atonement in order to be
dealt with in the Most Holy Place.
·
The wicked are
judged as well during the Investigative Judgment, for every case is so judged.
Their sins never enter the Sanctuary because only the sins of the saved were
confessed and repented of BEFORE 1844, in order to enter the Sanctuary JUST
PRIOR TO THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.
·
The sins of the
wicked will FOLLOW AFTER to be judged by the 144,000 during the Millennium, who
will judge the wicked for a second time to prove to all the worlds and the
unfallen angels that Christ’s judgment was fair and just. What a God of JUSTICE
WE HAVE!
Christ is the firstborn of all
saved men who are risen from the dead, BUT NOT IN THE SAME WAY HE IS THE
FIRSTFRUITS OF THE BRIDE, THE 144,000 who are His body, of which He is the
HEAD. Frankly speaking, if you can’t see a clear distinction between the BRIDE
and the TEN VIRGINS in Christ’s Object
Lessons, pp. 405-406, and The Great
Controversy, pp. 426, 427, you simply don’t have the least modicum of
spiritual discernment. The same goes for Isaiah 62:10-12, where in verses 11,
12, the bride is instructed to say something to her daughter (the TEN VIRGINS),
and this is a paraphrase of the Midnight Loud Cry.
1Co 15:20 But now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits
of them that slept.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the
church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all
things he might have the pre-eminence.
Though pre-eminence (the greatest) is a
meaning of firstfruits, firstborn, that is not the
only meaning. How can you know that for a living fact? You can know this by the
fact that Christ was indeed the greatest, BUT WAS
NOT THE FIRST (IN ORDER) who was resurrected from the dead.
Because Jesus WAS NOT NEUMERICALLY the first
person resurrected from the dead, this signifies that there is more to this
“apparent” contradiction than first meets the eye and we are instructed to
interpret so that nothing contradicts.
The Answer to the Riddle of the Full Meaning of
Firstfruits, Firstborn From the Dead
There is a most curious statement by Ellen G.
White that adds much insight into this “apparent” contradiction regarding the
resurrection of the body, to wit:
“The human agent plants the
seed, and God waters it and causes His sun to shine upon it, and up springs the
tiny blade. Here is the lesson God gives to us concerning the resurrection of the body, and the renewing of the heart. We are to learn of spiritual things from the
development of the earthly.” Testimonies to Ministers, p. 243.
·
There are TWO LESSONS involved in the above statement: 1) The PHYSICAL
resurrection of the body, and 2) The SPIRITUAL new birth, the renewing of the
heart.
·
The resurrection of the body is PHYSICAL REGENERATION.
·
The renewing of the heart is SPIRITUAL REGENERATION.
·
What does the human
agent’s planting of the seed have to do with the resurrection of the body? That is a profound and deep
question involved in the riddle of Christ being the FIRSTBORN, FIRSTFRUITS from
the dead, or them that slept, when He WAS NOT the first person raised from
the dead.
·
In the Incarnation, the Holy Ghost planted the seed in Mary’s womb, and a
human body was produced. That was the first “resurrection” of the Son of God in
the form of another body (Number 2) distinct from His first body in the form of
being DIVINE ONLY.
·
Christ’s second body was to test His character as a human person in His
Investigative Judgment. Man’s second body is to test His character in a real,
live Investigative Judgment. It is in this sense that Christ was the
firstfruits, firstborn of all who are raised from the dead from 1844 and on in
man’s Investigative Judgment. As Christ bore out the character He possessed in
His first life, so will the 144,000 bear out the character they formed
(possessed) in their first life, and they thus become second, third, fourth
etc., etc., fruits of those born from the dead. THIS IS THE LESSON OF THE
RESURRECTION SO THAT NOTHING CONTRADICTS--SO THAT CHRIST WAS INDEED THE FIRSTFRUITS,
FIRSTBORN of all who are thus tested, tried and proven, as was Christ. The following subjects DID
NOT go through that process of the Investigative Judgment, so they don’t
qualify as second, third, fourth…fruits of those born from the dead, because
they died and were resurrected BEFORE Christ did, and BEFORE the Investigative
Judgment.
·
Moses
·
The two Widow’s
sons.
·
Lazarus
·
The damsel that
Jesus raised.
·
The Widow of Nain’s
son.
·
The obvious and only meaning in regard to the human planting of the seed,
AS FAR AS THE LESSON GOD GIVES US CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY is
concerned, is that the human agent sires his seed in a womb and that womb
yields a body, a person, and that is the lesson GOD GIVES, not ME OR MR.
JOHNSON; that is the
lesson GOD GIVES TO US concerning the resurrection of the body INSOFAR AS
THE RESURRECTION OF THE 144,000 FIRSTFRUITS, FIRSTBORN ARE CONCERNED.
All others are raised from a dead grave. But the “grave” for the 144,000 is an
awakening as to who they really are when Christ delivers them at His coming.
·
The obvious intent relative to the resurrection of the body is that God
resurrects the bodies of all humans who have ever lived for the Investigative
Judgment by the normal human birthing process. Those who ARE NOT part of the
144,000 are judged first. Then they die and return to the grave. The 144,000
are judged last and remain on the earth to be translated without seeing death
AFTER they have died ONCE, and then the JUDGEMENT--THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT.
This is what it means to be
second, third, fourth, etc., of those who are born from the dead as Christ was
born in His Incarnation from Divine to human form. In other words, all who died
and were resurrected BEFORE the Investigative Judgement beginning in 1844,
COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE THE SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, etc., of the firstfruits,
firstborn from the dead, because they never went through the LIVE JUDGMENT
PROCESS of the Investigative Judgment.
The Purpose of the Investigative Judgment
The purpose of the
Investigative Judgment, is for Christ to come to the wedding, beginning in
1844, pp. Great Controversy, pp. 426-429,
to examine the bride and the guests at the wedding. Notice:
“Besides
the coming of the Lord to His temple, Malachi also foretells His second advent,
His coming for the execution of the judgment, in these words: "And I will
come near
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426
to
you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and
against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that
oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn
aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, saith the Lord of
hosts." Malachi 3:5. Jude refers to the same scene when he says,
"Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute
judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds." Jude 14, 15. This coming, and the coming of the Lord to His
temple, are distinct and separate events.
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; the coming of the Son of man
to the Ancient of Days, as presented in Daniel 7:13; and the coming of the Lord
to His temple, foretold by Malachi, are descriptions of the same event; 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.
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
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427
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.
The proclamation, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh," in
the summer of 1844, led thousands to expect the immediate advent of the Lord. At the
appointed time the Bridegroom came, not to the earth, as the people expected, but to the Ancient of Days in heaven, to
the marriage, the reception of His kingdom. "They that were ready went in with Him
to the marriage: and the door was shut." They were not to be present in person at the marriage; for it takes
place in heaven, while they are upon the earth. The followers of Christ are
to "wait for their Lord, when He
will return from the wedding." Luke 12:36. But they are to
understand His work, and to follow
Him by faith as He goes in before God. It is in this sense that they are said to
go in to the marriage.
In
the parable it was those
that had oil in their vessels with their lamps that went in to the marriage. Those who,
with a knowledge of the truth from the Scriptures, had also the Spirit and
grace of God, and who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently
waited, searching the Bible for clearer light--these saw the truth concerning
the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour's change in ministration, and by faith they followed Him in His work in
the sanctuary above. And all who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept
the
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428
same
truths, following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the
last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom--all these are
represented as going in to the marriage.
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. Matthew 22:11; Revelation 7:14. 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 the one short sentence, "They that were ready went in with Him to
the marriage: and the door was shut," we are carried down through the
Saviour's final ministration, to the time when the great work for man's
salvation shall be completed.
In the service of the earthly sanctuary,
which, as we have seen, is a figure of the service in the heavenly, when the
high priest on the Day of Atonement entered the most holy place, the
ministration in the first apartment ceased. God commanded: "There shall be no man in
the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the
holy place, until he comes out." Leviticus 16:17. So when Christ entered
the holy of holies to perform the closing work of the atonement, He ceased His
ministration in the first apartment. But when the ministration in the first
apartment
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429
ended,
the ministration in the second apartment began. When
in the typical service the high priest left the holy on the Day of Atonement,
he went in before God to present the blood of the sin offering in behalf of
all Israel who truly repented of their sins. So Christ had
only completed one part of His work as our intercessor, to enter upon another
portion of the work, and He still pleaded His blood before the Father in behalf
of sinners.” GC, p. 426-429.
HUGE PROBLEM DEFINED:
Professor
J. Wilfred Johnson brought this HUGE PROBLEM to the notice of God’s people.
BEFORE the Day of Atonement, all the sins of the people from the prior year had
to be confessed. This means that if 1844 began THE ANTITYPICAL DAY OF
ATONEMENT, all the sins of God’s professed people AND ESPECIALLY HIS BRIDE, the
144,000, had to be confessed before JESUS CLOSED THE OUTER DOOR TO THE HOLY
PLACE to enter the Most Holy Place.
QUESTION: How could that occur through any other means
than the Regeneration of all humans BEFORE 1844? How could YOUR SINS AND MINE
have been confessed BEFORE THE ANTITYPICAL DAY OF ATONEMENT IN 1844?
Our Options
1.
Accept the theory of Regeneration which solves all of the above
problems so that NOTHING CONTRADICTS.
2.
Brand Ellen White as a false prophet and the Investigative
Judgment as an IMPOSTER!
3. If you choose
option number 2, you indict God Almighty with not fulfilling His promise to
give the gift of prophecy to His Church until Christ comes.
·
FOR THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT, whereby the human plants the seed, God
blesses that seed in a human womb, and a person is born or resurrected. That is
the only POSSIBLE meaning to any lesson paralleling the “human planting of a
seed” and the resurrection.
·
This interpretation fits the biblical instruction that Christ is the
firstfruits, firstborn of all who are resurrected at the end of time, AND HOW
THEY ARE RESURRECTED from a sleep, an amnesia state as to who you are. In other
words, the resurrection is an awakening at a specified time as to just who the
resurrected “seed” (Person) is.
·
Christ had two bodies--the one BEFORE His Incarnation, the one after His
Incarnation, which was the same as the body He had after His resurrection from
His death on the cross, the firstfruit, the one AFTER His firstfruit, firstborn
resurrection.
·
Any LESSON taught by the resurrection of Christ, must follow this (above)
pattern, if we interpret this entire matter so that nothing contradicts. In
other words, Christ was the
FIRSTFRUITS, FIRSTBORN from a SECOND LIFE, WHICH WAS TESTED BY AN INVESTIGATIVE
JUDGMENT LIKE TEST.
·
Heb 9:27 And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Some died more
than once BEFORE the Investigative Judgment.
·
Those who are Regenerated for the Investigative
Judgment are reborn according to the Template of the character they developed
in their first life. But Christ was the FIRSTFRUITS, FIRSTBORN of those who
will be born two times, the second time being for the Investigative Judgment.
·
Moses
·
Lazarus
·
The damsel that
Jesus raised.
·
The Widow of Nain’s
son.
· The new birth element is the born again experience the
RESURRECTED BODY, THE NEW BORN BODY, must go through in order to be saved.
Christ came to the marriage in 1844, and
all who were ready went in with Him to the marriage, The Great Controversy, pp. 426-432:
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426
to
you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and
against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that
oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn
aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, saith the Lord of
hosts." Malachi 3:5. Jude refers to the same scene when he says,
"Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute
judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds." Jude 14, 15. This coming, and the coming of the Lord to His
temple, are distinct and separate events.
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; the coming of the Son of man
to the Ancient of Days, as presented in Daniel 7:13; and the coming of the Lord
to His temple, foretold by Malachi, are descriptions of the same event; 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.
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
Page
427
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.
The proclamation, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh," in
the summer of 1844, led thousands to expect the immediate advent of the Lord. At the appointed
time the Bridegroom came, not to the earth, as the people expected, but to the Ancient of Days in heaven, to
the marriage, the reception of His kingdom. "They
that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut." They were not to be
present in person at the marriage; for it takes place in heaven, while they are
upon the earth. The followers of Christ are to "wait for their Lord, when He will return from the
wedding." Luke 12:36. But they are to understand His work, and to follow Him by faith as He goes in
before God. It is in this sense that they are said to go in to the
marriage.
In
the parable it was those
that had oil in their vessels with their lamps that went in to the marriage. Those who, with a knowledge of the truth from the Scriptures,
had also the Spirit and grace of God, and who, in the night of their bitter
trial, had patiently waited, searching the Bible for clearer light--these saw
the truth concerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour's change in
ministration, and by faith
they followed Him in His work in the sanctuary above. And all
who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept the
Page
428
same
truths, following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the
last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom--all these are
represented as going in to the marriage.
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. Matthew 22:11; Revelation 7:14. 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 the one short
sentence, "They that were ready
went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut," we are
carried down through the Saviour's final ministration, to the time when the
great work for man's salvation shall be completed.
In the service of the
earthly sanctuary, which, as we have seen, is a figure of the service in the
heavenly, when the high priest on the Day of Atonement entered the most holy
place, the ministration in the first
apartment ceased. God
commanded: "There shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation
when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he comes
out." Leviticus 16:17. So
when Christ entered the holy of holies to perform the closing work of the
atonement, He ceased His ministration in the first apartment. But when the ministration in the first
apartment
429
ended, the ministration in the second apartment
began. When in the typical service the high priest left the holy
on the Day of Atonement, he went in before God to present the blood of the sin
offering in behalf of all Israel who truly repented of their sins.
So Christ had only
completed one part of His work as our intercessor, to enter upon another
portion of the work, and He still pleaded His blood before the
Father in behalf of sinners.
Note: He still pleaded
His blood before the Father in behalf of sinners who sins had been confessed
and had gone in BEFOREHAND, before the Day of Atonement. No other sins entered
the Sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. End note.
This subject was not
understood by Adventists in 1844. After the passing of the time when the
Saviour was expected, they still believed His coming to be near; they held that
they had reached an important crisis and that the work of Christ as man's
intercessor before God had ceased. It appeared to them to be taught in the
Bible that man's probation would close a short time before the actual coming of
the Lord in the clouds of heaven. This seemed evident from those scriptures
which point to a time when men will seek, knock, and cry at the door of mercy,
and it will not be opened. And it was a question with them whether the date to
which they had looked for the coming of Christ might not rather mark the beginning
of this period which was immediately to precede His coming. Having given the
warning of the judgment near, they felt that their work for the world was done,
and they lost their burden of soul for the salvation of sinners, while the bold
and blasphemous scoffing of the ungodly seemed to them another evidence that
the Spirit of God had been withdrawn from the rejecters of His mercy. All this
confirmed them in the belief that probation had ended, or, as they then
expressed it, "the door of mercy was shut."
But clearer light came
with the investigation of the sanctuary question. They now saw that they were
correct in believing that the end of the 2300 days in 1844 marked an important
crisis. But while it was
true that that door of hope and mercy by which men had for eighteen hundred
years found access to God, was closed, another door was opened,
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and forgiveness of sins
was offered to men through the intercession of Christ in the most holy. One part of His ministration had closed,
only to give place to another. There was still an "open door" to the
heavenly sanctuary, where Christ was ministering in the sinner's behalf.
Now was seen the
application of those words of Christ in the Revelation, addressed to the church
at this very time: "These things saith He that is holy, He that is true,
He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and
shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man
can shut it." Revelation 3:7, 8.
Note: The only
mediation on the Day of Atonement is for the sins that went into the Sacntuary
BEFOREHAND. That is the open door since 1844. Jesus pleads His blood for the
sins of all whose sins went into the sanctuary before 1844, the beginning of
the antitypical Day of Atonement. This is exactly what the earthly High Priest
did on the Day of Atonement each years. He pleaded the blood that was sprinkled
as an atonement for the sins of all whose sins had been confessed and had gone
in beforehand. End note.
It is those who by
faith follow Jesus in the great work of the atonement who receive the benefits
of His mediation in their behalf, while those who reject the light which brings
to view this work of ministration are not benefited thereby. The Jews who rejected the light given at
Christ's first advent, and refused to believe on Him as the Saviour of the
world, could not receive pardon through Him. When Jesus at His ascension
entered by His own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to shed upon His disciples
the blessings of His mediation, the Jews were left in total darkness to
continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The ministration of types and
shadows had ceased. That door by which men had formerly found access to God was
no longer open. The Jews had refused to seek Him in the only way whereby He
could then be found, through the ministration in the sanctuary in heaven.
Therefore they found no communion with God. To them the door was shut. They had
no knowledge of Christ as the true sacrifice and the only mediator before God;
hence they could not receive the benefits of His mediation.
The condition of the
unbelieving Jews illustrates the condition of the careless and unbelieving
among professed Christians, who are willingly ignorant of the work of our merciful
High Priest. In the typical
service, when the high priest
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entered the most holy
place, all Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary and in the most
solemn manner humble their souls before God, that they might receive the pardon
of their sins and not be cut off from the congregation. How much more essential
in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High
Priest and know what duties are required of us.
Men cannot with
impunity reject the warning which God in mercy sends them. A message was sent
from heaven to the world in Noah's day, and their salvation depended upon the
manner in which they treated that message. Because they rejected the warning,
the Spirit of God was withdrawn from the sinful race, and they perished in the
waters of the Flood. In the time of Abraham, mercy ceased to plead with the
guilty inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot with his wife and two daughters
were consumed by the fire sent down from heaven. So in the days of Christ. The
Son of God declared to the unbelieving Jews of that generation: "Your
house is left unto you desolate." Matthew 23:38. Looking down to the last
days, the same Infinite Power declares, concerning those who "received not
the love of the truth, that they might be saved": "For this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all
might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. As they reject the teachings of
His word, God withdraws His Spirit and leaves them to the deceptions which they
love.
But Christ still
intercedes in man's behalf, and light will be given to those who seek it.
Though this was not at first understood by Adventists, it was afterward made
plain as the Scriptures which define their true position began to open before
them.
The passing of the time
in 1844 was followed by a period of great trial to those who still held the
advent faith. Their only relief, so far as ascertaining their true position was
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concerned, was the
light which directed their minds to the sanctuary above. Some renounced their
faith in their former reckoning of the prophetic periods and ascribed to human
or satanic agencies the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit which had attended
the advent movement. Another class firmly held that the Lord had led them in
their past experience; and as they waited and watched and prayed to know the
will of God they saw that their great High Priest had entered upon another work
of ministration, and, following Him by faith, they were led to see also the
closing work of the church. They had a clearer understanding of the first and
second angels' messages, and were prepared to receive and give to the world the
solemn warning of the third angel of Revelation 14.” The Great Controversy, pp. 426-432,
~rwb