Questions
on Righteousness by Faith,
The
Investigative Judgment
and
Regeneration
The following matters deal with the issues of righteousness by faith,
the Investigative Judgment, and Regeneration. For those who are not familiar
with the teaching of Regeneration as it relates to the Investigative Judgment,
it is the teaching that the IJ is administered by a real live regeneration of
every person who has ever lived since 1844, in order that they might prove to
the angels and all other created beings the justice of Christ’s final judgments
of every life. As God knows all, He does not do this for Himself, but for the
benefit of every intelligent creature that has ever lived on this earth and in
other worlds, and the angels.
Regeneration and the Resurrection
Principle
In
the following statement by Ellen White, what would human reproduction have to
do with the resurrection of the body if such is not relative to Regeneration?
We have long understood regeneration as pertaining to the renewing of the heart
spiritually, but we have not understood regeneration as it pertains to the
resurrection of the body.
“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}
Much
more evidence for the principle of regeneration as it relates to the
resurrection of the body will be elaborated upon below. Ellen White said that
truth is to be ever expanding. God made us to be intelligent creatures. He
wanted our minds to be learning for eternity. For example, Ellen White says
that we will be studying the mysteries of the Godhead for eternity. But most
are lazy Laodiceans who are slow, if ever, to receive
new concepts of truth. Ellen White said that every new truth has made it way
amongst great prejudice and calumny, to wit:
“Every
new truth has made its way against hatred and opposition; those who were blessed
with its light were tempted and tried. The Lord gives a special truth for the
people in an emergency. Who dare refuse to publish it? He commands His servants
to present the last invitation of mercy to the world. They cannot remain
silent, except at the peril of their souls. Christ’s ambassadors have nothing
to do with consequences. They must perform their duty and leave results with
God.” {GC 609.1}
My response to questions:
Dear Brother P
I reply to your questions below your
post as follows:
Brother Ron and Sister Shirley,
You were eye witnesses of the preachings of the late Brother Wilfred Johnson. I'd like to
ask you how many people listened his sermons and are living today?
I'd like to ask you too has the message
of sanctuary all to do about the time of judgment and regeneration of God's
people in agreement with was told by the late brother Wilfred Johnson? Why
these teachings never were brought to others places like here in my country
where there is a large population of Adventists if they are so important to the
understanding of the righteousness by faith doctrine?
Ron's response:
I have no way of knowing how many who
heard Brother Johnson's teaching are still alive today. I know that some of
those who heard him were ministerial students at the Canadian SDA college and
they moved away after graduation. I know that some of them carried Mr.
Johnson's teachings to other areas.
· Some might wonder why Mr. Johnson died before seeing
the coming of the Lord. Some might wonder why Ellen White or any other prophet
died before the coming of the Lord. Mr. Johnson felt that he had another
calling other than the144,000. I believe that Ellen White will be part of the
144,000. I believe the disciples of Christ will be among the 144,000 as the
bride of Christ, Desire of Ages, 179.
· The teaching of brother Johnson were indeed brought to
your country by my ministry. They were brought to you and your wife and all
your family via you. They have to begin somewhere. Why not you? Mr. Johnson
told his hearers to teach regeneration as though it was their own belief if
they believed it. We have a duty to tell folk whether they will hear or
forbear, and YOU WELL KNOW THAT MOST DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING NEW, AND TRUTH
IS SUPPOSED TO BE EVER EXPANDING.
· No matter how many people die who have heard of
Regeneration, the problems it answers will still be there. We cannot look to
any other person or persons. I may not be one of the 144,000. You many not be one of them, but that will not negate the
truth. God the Father chooses the bride for His Son, Christ's Object Lessons, 405, 406. All we can do is strive to
qualify by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
· Folk should be studying and asking questions like: How
are the Philadelphians made pillars (leaders) in the Temple, Revelation
3:10-12, when they were of the first generation of Christians, and Ellen White
said that only the 144,000 enter the Temple on Mt. Zion. The problem to be
answered is endemic to the Word of God as well as Ellen White.
· Some have retorted that the Philadelphians of every
generation could merely be resurrected at the special resurrection to be alive
when Christ comes. But it can be proven that Philadelphians are the 144,000
WITHOUT BLAME
· My Website is available to all Brazil and all the
world. There is no excuse for the Laodicean response
to my Website in your country or any other country of the world. The fault is
with the people who are asleep in their sins and love peace and safety.
· Mr. Johnson felt that only the 144,000 would need and
benefit most from the teaching of regeneration because of the questions it
answered which would engender faith in them during the greatest time of trouble
through which only they survive to be translated without seeing death.
· Mr. Johnson reminded us that the teachings of the Holy
Spirit go like the "still small voice," and there will be no great
colossal fanfare about them. Don't expect that in regard to the deeper things
of the Spirit.
· Mr. Johnson always taught that he was shown
regeneration in application to only the 144,000, but he told us that personally
he believed it applied to all persons.
· Mr. Johnson delivered the everlasting covenant as
Elijah was/is supposed to do when he comes. He did a beautiful job of speaking
on the love of Christ and that covenant, as well as regeneration.
· There have been faithful
Philadelphians that have constituted the church triumphant in every age. So why
should they be excluded from being the bride of Christ, just because they were
not born in the last generation to be translated without seeing death. The fact
is that they are “resurrected”/regenerated, born again so as to be one of the
144,000.
· "The names of the seven
churches are symbolic of the church in different periods of the Christian Era.
The number indicates completeness, and is symbolic of the fact that the messages [plural] extend to the end of time, while the symbols used reveal
the condition of the church [collectively and generally] at different periods
in the history of the world." E.G. White, The
Acts of the Apostles, 585. THUS PHILADELPHIANS HAVE LIVED IN EVERY SUCCEEDING
GENERATION.
· The church triumphant has existed in every age: "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. THE SDA CHURCH MILITANT IS NOT THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT!
· Ellen White’s references to the church in Acts of the Apostles, pp. 11, 12, refer
to the church triumphant if you pay careful attention to key, qualifying
phrases. The quotes I refer to are as follows:
"The church is
God's fortress. His city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of the church is treachery to Him who has
bought mankind with the blood of His only-begotten Son. From the beginning,
faithful souls have constituted the church on earth. In every age the Lord has
had His watchmen, who have borne a
faithful testimony to the generation in which they lived. These sentinels gave the message of warning; and when
they were called to lay off their armor, others took up the work. God brought these
witnesses into covenant relation with Himself, uniting the church on earth with
the church in heaven. He has sent forth
His angels to minister to His church, and the gates of hell have not been
able to prevail against His people. . . .
During ages of
spiritual darkness the church of God has been as a city set
on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations, the pure doctrines of
heaven have been unfolding within its borders. Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church is the one object
upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard. It is the theater
of His grace, in which He delights to reveal His power to transform
hearts." Ellen G. White, Acts of the
Apostles, pp. 11, 12.
Being enfeebled and
defective DOES NOT include gross apostasy that involves antichrist doctrine,
the very opposite of PURE DOCTRINES. The true church Ellen White is speaking of
does not have abominations for which we are to sigh and cry.
The True Church
"God has a church. It is not the great
cathedral, (or the super mega church), neither is it the national
establishment, neither is it the various denominations;
it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.
'Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst
of them.' Where Christ is even among the humble few, THIS IS CHRIST'S CHURCH,
for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth
eternity can alone constitute a church." Upward Look, p.
315.
The church militant (wheat and tare co-ed church)
that is brought down to hell and rejects the conditions, is not the church that
the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against. The gates of hell do
prevail against the SDA church militant so that we are to sigh and cry about
all the abominations IN THAT CHURCH:
“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}
“Of those who boast of their light, and yet fail to walk in it, Christ
says, “But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for
you. And thou, Capernaum [Seventh-day
Adventists, who have had great light], which art exalted unto heaven [in point
of privilege], shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done
in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the
day of judgment, than for thee.” At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent [in their own estimation], and hast revealed them
unto babes.” {RH August 1, 1893, par. 5} All
emphasis (brackets and their content) are the words of Ellen White.
The importance of Ellen White's statements on the Sanctuary Service in
my article on righteousness by faith are self-explanatory. I should not have to
elaborate on those statements: https://omega77.tripod.com/sanctuaryandrbf.htm
COUNTERPART: "The Lord commanded
one of his ancient servants, 'Pray not thou for this people [Jer. 7:16 and
11:9-15], neither lift up cry nor prayer for them neither make intercession to
me for I will not hear thee.' The prophet thus describes the sins which had
called forth this fearful denunciation: 'The prophets prophesy falsely, and the
priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof?' 'From the
least of them even unto the greatest of them, every one
is given to covetousness and from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the
daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.'
The apostles declare that this state of things will find its COUNTERPART in the
last days. Many have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the
power thereof. They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their
state. They say in their hearts, 'The church is flourishing. Peace and
spiritual prosperity are within her borders.' The words of the prophet may well
apply to these self-deceivers, 'They have chosen their own ways, and their soul
delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose
their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them." E. G. White, Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,
11-07-82.
The subject of Regeneration engenders faith that the 144,000 will need
to go through the greatest time of Jacob's trouble. How? Why? Because it
addresses at least the following problems:
1. Ellen White said circa 1846, that she was shown that some in a
gathering she was amongst would be food for worms and some would be alive when
Jesus comes. That was 170 years ago. We can do one of two things: We can mock
her and accuse her of being a false prophet, or we can ask God to show us how
she was right. Regeneration proves how she was right.
2. Ellen White said that only the 144,000 go into the Temple on Mt.
Zion, and that they are translated WITHOUT SEEING DEATH. God says in Revelation
3:10-12 that the Philadelphians, circa A.D. 1 would be made pillars (Leaders)
in the Temple on Mt. Zion. Philadelphia includes the bride of all generations
for Ellen White says that ALL THE MESSAGES to the 7 churches apply till Christ
comes. Regeneration provides the answer to this "apparent
contradiction."
3. Since the disciples are referred to as the bride of Christ, Desire of
Ages, 179, and since Philadelphian's go back to the first generation of
Christians, by saying that the 144,000 don't see death, she must have meant
that they don't see death after being regenerated. They go through the great
time of trouble without seeing death. If this is not true, there is a great
problem with the disciples being the bride, who must be the 144,000. How do we
prove the bride is the 144,000?
a. “And I John saw the Holy
City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.” “Her light was like unto a stone most precious, even
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had
twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which
are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” “The twelve
gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street
of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple
therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
Revelation 21:2, 11, 12, 21, 22, Acts of the Apostales,
p. 591.3
In Revelation 3:10-12, it is Philadelphia that gets the name NEW JERUSALEM, and only
Philadelphia is made PILLARS (leaders-priests) in the Temple in Heaven. So
Philadelphia, the church triumphant in all ages is the bride. Her voice awakens
the ten virgins (Christ's Object Lessons,
pp. 405-406. She is a strictly pure virgins and the 10 virgins are concubines
if you study into the meaning of virgin in Isaiah 62:1-5, as compared to the
meaning of virgin in 10 virgins. Look in any Lexicon.
Based on the above examples alone, we could scrap Ellen White as a false
prophet. But that would make God remiss in saying that He would give the gift
of prophecy to the church for edification and unity till He comes. No other
church that keeps the commandments of God, claims that gift. So if Ellen White
is not a true prophet, God is a false God. Take your choice and the options are
not comforting!
Regeneration is proof that Ellen White
was a true prophet and that God fulfilled His promise to give the gift of
prophecy to the true church.
If you have further questions I would be
more than obliged to respond to them.
Ron
Brother Ron,
I only can thank you for your efforts to bring these important issues to
us. It was a hard work that you made in transcript the record tapes in a text
form. May God protect you and bless you for this so great job. I accept this
question of regeneration as [at] the first time I read it because this are the
[is a] key to understand the time that we live, the judgment, since 1844. May
God empower me as He empowers you with the same Holy Spirit that was [is] His
Soul, His Eternal Life, in order to do the work that your ministry began in
announcing these Good News!
Blessings,
P
Dear Brother Ron and Forum Family,
I am very grateful to God for
showing you the necessity of Regeneration during the time of the Judgment
because there would be no way of our sins going beforehand unto judgment.
This statement below shows just how clearly God showed you the critical
importance of Regeneration, because all living today would have had to confess
their sins (in their past lives) before Jesus entered the Holy of
Holies in 1844.
On the Day of Atonement, all repented of sins had to go beforehand into the Sanctuary Holy of Holies in order to be
pardoned. Without the truth of regeneration, how else could all the sins of all
who had ever repented go into the Holy of Holies in Heaven in 1844? For example, if you had never lived before, how
could all your repented of sins be carried into the Most Holy Place by Christ,
in 1844? How could they thus go beforehand into judgment? This demonstrates to
the adept discerner of truth just how indispensable the truth of regeneration
is to the Sanctuary Service and the antitypical Day of Atonement since 1844. Dumb-dog watchmen (Isaiah 56:10-12) cannot discern
this question with its implications, let alone the answer to this “apparent”
dilemma. And all who might decry the fact of
regeneration are left with this dilemma and I can assure you that they have no
answer but to disclaim both the Investigative judgment and the reality of the
antitypical Day of Atonement, and there are many Adventists who do just that to
their own self-judgment and eternal damnation.
Those who reject regeneration after knowing of it would be confessing
their sins, but their sins would be going NOWHERE. They could spend an entire lifetime
confessing their full range of sins but they would still go absolutely
NOWHERE! Thus rejecting regeneration is
indeed UNPARDONABLE SIN. Their sin remaineth.
Praise God for His wonderful truths!
In Him,
Rob
Ron responds: Thank you Rob for bringing up that hugely important aspect
of Regeneration which Brother Johnson stressed over and over. Indeed, this is a problem associated with the
Investigative Judgment that nothing answers but the teaching of Regeneration!
Thank you again for reemphasizing the tremendous importance of the
Regeneration as the only valid foundation for the doctrine of Investigative
Judgment!
In Him
George