P. M. WILLIAMS BIBLE PROPHECY AND THE LAST DAYS [29/11/13] THE RISE OF THE CULTS – PART 13

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS – PART 7

HERESIES

The Doctrine of the Heavenly Sanctuary

It has well been said that the only really distinctive and unique doctrine of the SDA church is the doctrine of the . This teaching is the very pillar and foundation of the SDA church. Dennis Priebe, a traditionalist Adventist put it this way:

“I am very, very grateful for the sacrificial atonement that took place 2,000 years ago. Without that, there would be no possibility of forgiveness or salvation or eternal life. But the sacrificial atonement was not the end of the atonement process. There was something yet to be done which the Old Testament calls the Day of Atonement and Ellen White calls the final atonement. If we do not understand these concepts clearly, we can have no understanding of why the Seventh-day Adventist Church exists. You see, the sacrificial atonement was in place and taught throughout the world for 1800 years before there ever was a Seventh-day Adventist. was called into existence because the final atonement was beginning, and this needed to be understood and taught throughout the world just as the sacrificial atonement had been.” - Dennis Priebe – What is the final atonement – cited from dennispreibe.com

These are profound and alarming words that serve to give insight into the importance the Adventist church places on the doctrine of the investigative judgment. It is the purpose of this teaching to investigate this doctrine in the light of the word of God.

In point 24 in the SDA Fundamental Beliefs under the heading ‘Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary’, it says the following:

“There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin…The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom…” - Point 24, Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary

The above teaching is known as the Heavenly Sanctuary doctrine out of which come’s the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment (the two are often used synonymously). The doctrine of the Heavenly Sanctuary came as a result of the failed prophecy of 1844. When Jesus failed to return as William Miller had taught, it was understood by one of his followers () that Jesus had indeed come into the sanctuary as Miller had taught except that this had taken place in heaven. He arrived at this understanding after receiving a vision the morning after October 22 1844. The early SDA pioneers used Millers calculation of 1844 based on Daniel 8:14 and began teaching the doctrine of the Heavenly Sanctuary.

14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (Dan 8:14)

The above verse is the pillar of the Adventist church as we shall see in the course of this teaching. Mrs White said Daniel 8:14:

“The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Daniel 8:14. - Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p409

The doctrine of the Heavenly Sanctuary states that in 1844, Jesus left the holy place in the sanctuary of heaven (of which the earthly tabernacle was a type) and entered into the to appear in the presence of God, to begin the work of final atonement; namely the blotting out of the sins of believers from the books of record in order to cleanse the sanctuary.

“For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended. At that time, as foretold by Daniel the prophet, our High Priest entered the most holy, to perform the last division of His solemn work—to cleanse the sanctuary.” - Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p420-421– cited from whiteestate.org

Reading Daniel 8:14 in the popular ‘Clear Word’ supports the SDA’s unique understanding of the verse. The Clear Word is a popular SDA devotional paraphrase Bible published in 1994 and authored by Jack Blanco. It reads as follows:

14He answered, ‚After two thousand, three hundred prophetic days (which represent actual years), God will restore the truth about the heavenly Sanctuary to its rightful place. Then the process of judgment will begin of which the yearly cleansing of the earthly Sanctuary was a type, and God will vindicate His people.‛ - Daniel 8:14, Clear Word

One will notice the addition of many extra words that are not there in the original text. Jack Blanco is simply echoing the standard SDA interpretation of Daniel 8:14 as they relate it to the doctrine of the Heavenly Sanctuary. However; one must stop and ask the question…what exegetical grounds does the SDA church have to interpret the passage in this way? In the plain reading of the text, Daniel 8:14 says nothing of a Heavenly Sanctuary of which the earthly Sanctuary was a type and the days mentioned are not years but are in fact literal days, (Heb. ‚evening mornings‛). Reading the first fourteen verses in context will aid us in our understanding of verse 14.

1In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. 2And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. 3Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. 4I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. 5And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 7And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. 8Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. 9And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. 10And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. 13Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (Dan 8:1-14)

The vision of Daniel 8 foretells the rise and fall of the Media-Persian Empire depicted in Daniel’s vision by the ram - vs. 3 (the national emblem of Persia) which was subsequently conquered by the Grecian Empire; (the he goat – vs. 5) under the ruler ship of Alexander the Great (the great horn – vs. 8). In the midst of his strength, the great horn was broken - Alexander the Great suddenly died at the height of his power from a fatal illness. Verse 8 foretells how four notable horns would then rise up in his place. History records that Alexander the Great had no legitimate heir to pass his kingdom down to and so his kingdom was divided between his four generals. Daniel foresaw a small horn rise out of one of the four horns that turned his fury against the pleasant land (Israel) and persecuted the Jewish people, even magnifying himself against God. History reveals that the partial fulfilment of these verses was fulfilled in the person of Antiochus ‚Epiphanes‛ (‚God Manifest‛). Antiochus Epiphanes arose out of the Greek Seleucid Empire in the mid- second century B.C. and was a type of this little horn which in full represents the Antichrist. Antiochus befriended certain of the Jews and then turned against national Israel defiling the Temple by setting up a statute of Zeus in the holy place and sacrificing a pig on the altar. This is what the prophet Daniel was referring to when he made mention of the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation (that which made desolate) (see also Daniel 11:31; 12:11). Jesus reiterates the prophecy of Daniel when around five hundred years later He too makes reference to the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (Temple) in the last days prior to His second coming (Mt. 24:15) (note: it is still future). The cleansing of the sanctuary (Temple) therefore is inextricably linked to last days events as they relate to the cleansing of a literal Temple situated in the Holy Land which shall be defiled by the man of sin, the Antichrist when he shall take his seat in the rebuilt Temple making himself out to be God (2 Thess. 2:3-4). The period of 2300 days is days and not years, and pertains to the length of time that the Temple shall be defiled for, after which period it shall be cleansed in the appearing of Jesus at His second advent (2 Thess. 2:8). The fact of the matter is; the SDA church is way off in their interpretation and application of this verse.

The false assertion that Jesus did not appear in the presence of His father until after 1844 cannot be substantiated biblically. Hebrews 1 declares:

1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Heb 1:1-3)

Note the place of Christ’s ascension…the right hand of the Majesty on high!! Stephen just before He was stoned, lifted his eyes up to heaven…what did he see?

55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. (Act 7:55)

Hebrews 9:24 categorically declares:

24…Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: (Heb 9:24) The Doctrine of the Investigative Judgment

It is out of the doctrine of the heavenly sanctuary that the doctrine of the Investigative judgment proceeds forth. In SDA theology this supposed final work of cleansing the sanctuary (the final atonement) actually precedes the Second coming of Christ.

“The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the things written in the books, it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the judgment at which their cases are to be investigated.” Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p485

The notion that there is to be a judgement of believers preceding the second advent of our Lord is nowhere to be found in scripture!! Scripture is absolutely clear; Jesus shall return and then shall commence the judgment.

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2Ti 4:1)

The SDA church would explain the above by saying that this passage has reference to unbelievers at the White Throne Judgment (Rev 20) and does not pertain to believers. However, passages can just as easily be be cited that do pertain to believers:

But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (Rom 14:10)

5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (1Co 4:5)

10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men… (2Co 5:10, 11)

Notice that our appearing at the judgment seat of Christ is in person, ‚we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ‛ (Rom. 14:10) and not by name as is taught in the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment.

Jesus does not have to wait until the Investigative Judgment to find out who are His, He knows already!!

14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (Joh 10:14)

For true believers in Christ who are looking for His appearing and keeping themselves in the love of God; they have absolutely nothing whatsoever to fear in that final judgment!!

17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1Jn 4:17-18)

24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (Joh 5:24)

For the true believer, the final judgment has to do with an accounting of our lives before Jesus and the receiving of rewards. On the other hand for the SDA, the Investigative Judgement is a different matter altogether. Mrs White writes:

“The books of record in heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions of the judgment…Every man's work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel… The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgment…Those who in the judgment are "accounted worthy" will have a part in the resurrection of the just…As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God's remembrance...All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life…” - Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p481-483

“Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of God… Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their weight in deciding our destiny for weal or woe. Though they may be forgotten by us, they will bear their testimony to justify or condemn.” - Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p486-487

The notion that the sins of believers are still being kept on record in the heavenly sanctuary and that those whose characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God alone have their sins blotted out after the investigative judgment is in direct conflict with the clear teaching of the Bible which states that atonement is not on going but was completed in its entirety in the finished work of Christ on the cross 2000 years ago!! When Jesus cried ‚It is finished‛ (John 19:30) He meant just that! The apostle Paul declares:

8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Rom 5:8-11)

The writer of Hebrews speaks on this wise…

24For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Heb 9:24-26)

Notice in both passages the writer makes usage of the past tense to indicate a past even thus showing that atonement; namely the putting away of sin and the reconciliation of man to God is complete and final in the finished work of Jesus Christ as Paul again makes clear in writing to the Corinthian believers:

18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2Co 5:18-19)

Yet, Mrs White speaks to the contrary and says the very opposite to scripture:

“The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven.” - Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p489.

“The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement…Then by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus the sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin” - Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p357-58.

Dennis Priebe a traditionalist Adventist agrees entirely with Mrs White when he writes:

“Most Christians believe that sin is cancelled at the moment of forgiveness, but the sanctuary teaches us that while the sinner is freed from guilt and condemnation immediately, the record of sin is only transferred to the sanctuary, where it remains until something called the "final atonement." - Dennis Priebe – What is the final atonement – cited from dennispreibe.com

If Mrs White is correct, then no believer prior to the Investigative Judgment could possibly have been saved, since final atonement has only been on going since 1844. Yet John said:

31‚…these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (Joh 20:31)

To the thief on the cross Jesus said ‚Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise‛ (Luke 23:43). What is the SDA response? The doctrine of soul sleep!! Phil Harris, a former Adventist said:

“You need 'Soul Sleep' if you are going to have 'Investigative Judgment' because you cannot have saints who have died knowing they are saved before they are told they are in 'The Book of Life'.” - Phil Harris, - cited from a forum on www.formeradventist.com

SDA official doctrine on this matter is clear:

“The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people.” - Point 26, Death and Resurrection

The doctrine of soul sleep has already been dealt with at length and has been debunked in part 4 of the teaching exposing the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Suffice it to say; Paul was in no doubt whatsoever as to where he was going upon death…to be with Christ!!

21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. (Php 1:21-24)

At the end of chapter 23, ‘What is the Sanctuary’ in the book Great Controversy, Ellen White ends with a quite worrying and confusing scenario.

“It was seen, also, that while the sin offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly penitent will finally be placed. When the high priest, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, removed the sins from the sanctuary, he placed them upon the scapegoat. When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration, He will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgment, must bear the final penalty. The scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, never to come again into the congregation of Israel. So will Satan be forever banished from the presence of God and His people, and he will be blotted from existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners.” - Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p422

Once again, this leaves one with a troubling situation. How can Satan have any part to play in the atonement? Such a teaching is alien to the Bible and cannot be substantiated anywhere!! In closing, there are some within modern Adventism that have sought distance themselves from the words of Ellen White. They would argue that the Investigative Judgment has no bearing whatsoever on their salvation but is simply a means by which Christ shall affirm those that are His already. They do so however without due authority. The former SDA president Jan Paulsen (2000-2010) in a 2002 keynote address before the General Conference said these insightful words:

“A further word needs to be said about our being "loyal to our heritage and to our identity." Some would have us believe that there have been significant shifts in recent times in regard to doctrines that historically have been at the heart of Seventh-day Adventism.

Take specifically our understanding of judgment and Christ's ministry in the heavenly sanctuary and the prophetic messages in which these teachings are contained…The historic sanctuary message, based on Scripture and supported by the writings of Ellen White, continues to be held to unequivocally. And the inspired authorities on which these and other doctrines are based, namely the Bible supported by the writings of Ellen White, continue to be the hermeneutical foundation on which we as a church place all matters of faith and conduct. Let no one think that there has been a change of position in regard to this.” - Jan Paulsen, The Theological Landscape – cited from www.adventistreview.org

“It may not be an exaggeration to say that the final atonement is the only contribution that Adventists have made in Christian theology. All of our other teachings we have recovered from the past, where they had become buried under church traditions and error. Will we now become embarrassed with this unique teaching...The truth is that we need to focus our attention on the final atonement now more than we have ever done before.” - Dennis Priebe – What is the final atonement – cited from dennispreibe.com

The reality of the matter is that the doctrine of the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Investigative Judgment is orthodox SDA theology and is at the very heart of the movement. For those poor SDA’s who swoon under its heavy yoke, never quite knowing when their names will come up for review, the fear and the bondage of striving to be found worthy to stand; is a burden too great to bear!!

Next week shall be our final teaching on the SDA church in which we shall look at their understanding of the nature of Christ, the doctrine of annihilation (briefly) and the role of Baptism in salvation. We shall then end with some concluding remarks.