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BIBLE PROPHECY and the LAST DAYS the Doctrine of the Heavenly

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BIBLE PROPHECY and the LAST DAYS the Doctrine of the Heavenly 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 Investigative Judgment. 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. Adventism 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 (Hiram Edson) 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 holy of holies 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.
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