Our Finn Foundation A Report of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Conference Held September 1-13, 1952, in The Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church Takoma Park, Maryland VOLUME II REVIEW and HERALD PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION WASHINGTON, D.C. COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY THE REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION Bible texts credited to Moffatt are from The Bible: A New Translation by James Moffatt. Copyrighted 1922, 1935, by Harper and Brothers, and 1950 by James Moffatt. Ilsed by permission. PRINIED IN THE U.S.A. Introduction This is Volume II of the report of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Conference published under the title Our Firm Foundation. The conference, held in Takoma Park, Washington, D.C., September 1-13, carried on a continuous and intensive pro- gram of Bible study for thirteen days. This report is divided into two parts, only to keep the size of the books down to a form convenient for handling. The studies are arranged in a sort of topical sequence, but do not have any particular inter- relation or dependence, except that one quite naturally leads to the next in the development of a system of doctrines. Although the studies were prepared independently and without collaboration on the part of the speakers, there nevertheless runs through them a thread of truth which binds them together with a remarkable degree of unity and purpose. That thread is righteousness by faith, which is "the third angel's message in verity," and this doctrine is to become the message of the loud cry, which results from the out- pouring of the latter rain. The hour has come, the Lord is ready, the message is due the world at this time. There is but one hindering factor, and that may be you or some other individual whose heart may not be right for this greatest of all Christian experiences. May the studies contained in this volume be the means of preparing the church individually and collectively for the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power necessary to finish the work of God in the earth. 1). E. REBox. 5 Contents THE MEDIATORIAL MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST 9 H. L. Rudy THE ADVENT MESSAGE BUILT UPON THE FOUNDATIONS) OF MANY GENERATIONS 77-- L. E. Froom THE IMMINENCE OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING 183 Arthur S. Maxwell THE GREAT CONTROVERSY 237 W. E. Read HEALTH AND THE GOSPEL MESSAGE 337 T. R. Flaiz, M.D., and J. Wayne McFarland, M.D. THE COMPANIONS OF THE LAMB 403 T. H. Jemison THE GOSPEL COMMISSION AND THE REMNANT CHURCH 425 W. R. Beach WORLD EVANGELISM OUR BASIC TASK 463 R. A. Anderson THE PLACE OF PROPHECY IN OUR PREACHING 533 A. V. Olson THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 573 W. H. Branson THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE LATTER RAIN 619 L. K. Dickson 8 OUR FIRM FOUiVDATION SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED 687 R. R. Figuhr and W. H. Branson TESTIMONY SERVICE ON THE LAST DAY AND CLOSING REMARKS BY W. H. BRANSON 705 THE FOUNDATION STANDS FIRM 739 J. L. McElhany (Sabbath Morning Sermon, Sep- tember 13, 1952) LOOKING BACK AT THE BIBLE CONFERENCE 753 D. A. Delafield and F. D. Nichol The Mediatorial Ministry of Jesus Christ By H. L. RUDY The Mediatorial Ministry of Jesus Christ "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to ap- pear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foun- dation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is ap- pointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:24-28. "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man de- ceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." 2 Thess. 2:1-4, 15. The message concerning the inediatorial ministry of Christ is God's answer to the apostasy of the last days. It is the heart of Christianity. It is to keep and inspire God's people in the great and final conflict. between truth and error, righteousness and sin. Our relationship to this message is not for the purpose of discussion and debate among ourselves. Altogether too 11 12 O UR FIRM FOUNDATION much is made of jots and tittles in connection with non- essential details of prophecy dealing with the conflict cen- tering on the sanctuary and its services. Our business is to discover the blessedness of Christ's ministry for a lost and deceived world. The enemy of souls is determined to pro- fane the blood of Christ and to nullify His mediatorial ministry. We are to exalt Christ as the minister of the true sanctuary in heaven and to sound the warning message against the worship of the beast and his image. It is in the interest of this urgent necessity that the mediatorial min- istry of Christ is set forth in this presentation. The subject is presented under the following headings: I. Christ's Commission as Related to His Mediatorial Ministry. II. Christ and His Sanctuary. III. Christ, Our High Priest in Heaven. IV. Christ as King. General Observations Before Christ's commission as related to His mediatorial ministry is discussed, four general observations need to be made. 1. It is to be noted that Christ's redeeming work is medi- atorial throughout. It covers the whole period of time from the entrance of sin into the universe to its final extinction and the annihilation of its instigator. It concerns the full and complete redemption of a lost world. It embraces a complete vindication of God's character and of His purpose for all His creation. From ancient times Christ entered into the breach caused by the tragedy of sin. He began with a declaration of war against Satan and his host, and He continues until the last battle in this warfare is finished and final victory of right- eousness is established. In this gigantic struggle Christ has been made the captain of man's salvation. There was no time in the history of sin when Christ was not in the midst of the great conflict. It was Christ who was introduced into the THE MEDIATORIAL MINISTRY OF JESUS 13 relationship between God and man when Adam fell into sin in Eden. Christ was the seed who would bring the bless- ings of salvation to the world, and ultimately crush the ser- pent's head. Throughout the Old Testament times Christ was the rock that accompanied all the promises of God. "Since the sin of our first parents, there has been no direct com- munication between God and man. The Father has given the world into the hands of Christ, that through His mediatorial work He may redeem man, and vindicate the authority and holiness of the law of God. All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ. It was the Son of God that gave to our first parents the promise of redemption. It was He who revealed Himself to the patriarchs. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses un- derstood the gospel. They looked for salvation through man's Substitute and Surety. These holy men of old held communion with the Saviour who was to corne to our world in human flesh; and some of them talked with Christ and heavenly angels face to face. "Christ was not only the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness, —the Angel in whom was the name of Jehovah, and who, vailed in the cloudy pillar, went before the host,—but it was He who gave the law to Israel. Amid the awful glory of Sinai, Christ declared in the hearing of all the people the ten precepts of His Father's law. It was He who gave to Moses the law engraved upon the tables of stone. "It was Christ that spoke to His people through the prophets. The apostle Peter, writing to the Christian church, says that the prophets 'prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, search- ing what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.' It is the voice of Christ that speaks to us through the Old Testament. 'The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' . "Jesus was the light of His people,—the light of the world,— before He came to earth in the form of humanity.