In this issue:
Did Jesus enter the Most Holy Place in 31 A.D.?
Did Jesus Enter the Most Holy Place in 31 A.D.?
David Clayton
Seventh-day Adventists are the only people on earth who
would answer the above question with a “no.” This is not surprising.
Adventists claim to belong to a movement which was divinely raised up in
order to give a unique message to the world. A message which was
unknown to the rest of christendom. The very nature of our mission
demands that we disagree strongly with the rest of the Christian world
on several key points. The question of where Jesus went when He ascended
to heaven is one of those points. While the rest of the Christian world
insist that Jesus ascended directly to the MOST HOLY Place of the
heavenly sanctuary, Seventh-day Adventists have always taught that in
fact, Jesus ascended to the HOLY place of the heavenly sanctuary.
On the surface it would seem that the rest of the Christian world
have a great deal of support for their beliefs. Several texts in the
Bible say that when Jesus returned to heaven he went directly into the
presence of the Father and sat down at His right hand (Mark 16:19;
Heb.1:3,13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet.3:22; Acts 7:55-56; Rom 8:34; Eph
1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3). However, it is always a safe rule when studying
the Scriptures, to free our minds of all preconceived ideas, and then
to study ALL the materials relevant to the subject before coming to a
final conclusion.
This rule has often been ignored by many would-be Bible students and
has resulted in the widespread acceptance of such deadly errors as
Sunday observance, Trinity worship and belief in the natural immortality
of the soul. This careless approach to the study of God’s word has also
resulted in the popular error that Jesus ascended to the Most Holy
place of the heavenly Sanctuary after His resurrection.
The pre-conceived reasoning goes something like this:
“The sanctuary in the Old Testament had two apartments. God dwelt in the
Most Holy place, therefore in the heavenly sanctuary, God also dwells
in the Most Holy place. Since Jesus went directly to the Father’s right
hand, then He must have gone directly into the Most Holy place.”
This reasoning is superficial and overlooks an important factor which has a bearing upon the issue.
Is the Father always–was the Father always in the Most Holy place of
the sanctuary? Is that the the lesson which He intended to convey by
the type?
This question was considered by the early Adventists. They made it
the subject of careful and thorough study. The evidence of history is
that these pioneers of the Advent faith were deep thinkers who made
prayer and Bible study a major part of their daily lives. Anyone who
reads their writings can readily tell that they were of a different
breed than today’s crop of “theologians.”
It was this careful and prayerful attitude to study which led them
to discover the truth that God is not always in the Most Holy place of
the heavenly sanctuary. That the Bible does not teach this. They saw
clearly that the Scriptures teach that heaven is a literal, real place,
where there is a real sanctuary with real apartments where Jesus
literally ministers on our behalf.
As they carefully studied the Scriptures they saw that Jesus did
indeed ascend to the presence of the Father in AD 31, but they also saw
very clearly what the rest of the Christian world missed; That in AD 31,
both the Father and the Son had not yet entered the second apartment of
the heavenly sanctuary. The work which Jesus entered upon immediately
upon His return to heaven was the work in the first apartment as
typified by the Old Testament ritual, and it was there that He continued
His work in the Father’s presence, until 1844.
Daniel 7:9 illustrates this truth very clearly. It says,
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days
did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like
the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as
burning fire. (Dan 7:9)
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand
thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood
before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. (Dan 7:10)
Here we see two things happening.
1. Thrones are set in place which were not there before.
2. God takes a seat. It should be very clear to the most careless
reader that if God sits, then before He sat, He must have been standing,
or sitting somewhere else. This is clear Scriptural evidence that God
is not always sitting, immobile in the Most Holy place as some teach.
However, there is far more compelling evidence in the writings of
the apostle Paul, and particularly in the book of Hebrews. Let us now
turn our attention there. More than any other book in the New Testament,
Hebrews focuses on the ministry of Christ as our High Priest.
Naturally, then, we would expect to find here, some light that would
help us to more clearly understand the subject under discussion.
The passage which, above all others is used to “prove” that Jesus
entered the Most Holy Place in AD 31, is actually the passage which
contains the strongest evidence that He ascended, not to the Most Holy
Place, but to the Holy Place otherwise called the First Apartment of the
heavenly sanctuary.
The translators of almost all the versions of the Bible have had a
problem with the book of Hebrews, and especially with chapter 9. Very
few of them have translated certain words as they should literally have
been translated. Instead they have inserted meanings which they felt
would better suit their interpretation of the verses in question. You
will see what I mean in just a moment. They problem they had, was that
the words which they were reading in the Greek language, as they read
Hebrews chapter 9, did not fit in with their understanding of the
message that Paul was giving. So what did they do? They changed the
meaning of the word when they translated it into English and so, as a
consequence, there is one particular word which gives an entirely
different picture of Christ’s position in heaven, from the one taught by
the Advent Message. This single word has affected the entire message of
Hebrews 9, and has distorted the meaning of two texts in particular.
The texts in question are Hebrews 9:8 and Hebrews 10:19,20. They read as
follows:
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all
was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing: (Heb 9:8)
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated
for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; (Heb 10:19,20)
You will see very clearly that both these verses, as they read, seem
to be pointing us to the Most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, and
to be saying that since the time that Christ ascended to heaven, all
Christians have been given access to the Most Holy place and have been
able to benefit from a work being done there by Jesus since AD 31.
This false idea has been inserted into the Scriptures, because, as I
stated earlier, one word has been mistranslated by the translators of
most of the Bible versions.
Am I stating facts here? Can we be absolutely sure that there has
been a mistranslation? Would so many eminent scholars have made such a
fundamental mistake as to mistranslate a key word repeatedly? The answer
is a resounding “yes.” As we proceed to examine the evidence you will
see why I speak so positively.
The key to understanding certain words used in Hebrews 9, is found
in the first 3 verses of the chapter. Please remember a vital fact as we
examine these verses. The author of this book wrote in the Greek
language with which he was very familiar. His audience would read it in
the Greek language which was their native tongue. They would have no
concept of the English meanings and ideas which our translators have
imposed on the text.
Hebrews 9:1 reads as follows:
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. (Heb 9:1)
Now we can clearly see that when Paul speaks of the “sanctuary” in
this verse, he means the entire sanctuary, containing both the holy and
the most holy apartments. The word which he uses here for sanctuary, is
the Greek word, hagion. If you had lived during the days of Paul, and
you spoke the Greek language, then whenever you spoke of the entire
sanctuary, you would have used the word, hagion.
The next verse, Hebrews 9:2, says:
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the
candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the
sanctuary. (Heb 9:2)
Here, now, we encounter the first confusing mistranslation. It is
clear that this verse is speaking of the first apartment, or the Holy
place. It says that the candlestick, the table and the showbread were in
this apartment, but then goes on to say, “which is called the
sanctuary.” In actual fact, it should have been translated, “which is
called the holy place.” This is what it actually says in the Greek
language. The translators made the first of several mistakes here. The
word translated as sanctuary in this verse, is the Greek word, hagia.
This word does not refer to the complete sanctuary, but only to the
first apartment. As we saw earlier on, the word which means the entire
sanctuary, is, hagion.
Again, I say, if you were a Greek speaking person in the days of the
apostles and you heard the word, hagia you would immediately know that
the person who used it was speaking of the first apartment of the
sanctuary. There would be no confusion in your mind. Let me use an
illustration to make this point a little clearer.
We all speak the English language. This is our natural tongue. Now
in our homes we normally have bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a
living room. How likely is it that I might confuse the names of the
rooms and say to you by mistake, “let us go to the bathroom to have our
lunch.” Really, how likely is it that such a thing might happen. If I
was not trying to be funny, then it would mean that I was getting
senile. Do you see what I mean? Paul was not being funny, and he was not
getting senile. His language was Greek and he was writing to people
whose natural language was Greek. He used the exact words which he
wanted to use. So he said in effect, “when I speak of the entire
sanctuary, I use the word, hagion and when I speak of the first
apartment, I say, hagia. Let us keep that in mind as we move on now to
the next verse, Hebrews 9:3:
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; (Heb 9:3)
There can be no doubt that here, we are speaking of the most holy
place, the innermost apartment of the sanctuary. There are two things to
note here. In passing, let us notice that Paul speaks of “the second
veil.” There were two veils. A first, as well as a second. When we come
upon the phrase, “within the veil,” in the book of Hebrews, let us not
automatically assume that this means inside the most holy place. There
were two veils. “Within the veil” may mean within the first apartment as
well as within the second apartment.
The second thing of note, and more to the point, is the fact that
Paul uses a term here for the Most Holy place which is found nowhere
else in the entire New Testament. This is not surprising, for this is
the only place in the New Testament where the Most Holy place is
discussed. The term Paul uses is hagia hagion. In other words, when a
Greek-speaking person spoke of the most holy place, he would refer to it
as hagia hagion.
So then, what we see, is that right here at the beginning of chapter
9 of Hebrews, the apostle Paul defines his terms and makes it very
clear what he means when he uses certain words. In effect, what he is
saying is this:
“When I say hagion I mean the entire sanctuary.”
“When I say hagia I mean the first apartment or the Holy place.”
“When I say hagia hagion I mean the second apartment or the Most Holy place.”
These are plain facts. They are absolutes and cannot be
controverted. The problem is that the term hagia hagion which means the
most holy place, or the holiest place, or the innermost apartment, is
used nowhere else in the entire book of Hebrews, apart from in verse 3
of chapter 9 where Paul tells you what it means. Yet, in verse 8 of
chapter 9, and in chapter 10:19, we see the words, holiest of all, and
the holiest. How did these verses come to be translated in this way?
The translators of the King James Version came upon the word hagia
in these verses, which clearly means, the holy place or the first
apartment. However, because that was not their understanding of the
passage, they took the extreme liberty of translating the word as
holiest!! In this way they did great harm to the meaning of the apostle
Paul. Please examine the insert on the right and you will see in how
many cases they have confused the message of the book of Hebrews by
mistranslating the word hagia. Sometimes they translated it as
sanctuary, another time as holy places again, as holy place, and a
couple of times as holiest. They made it appear that Paul did not know
what he was doing and got mixed up in the use of his words!!
The truth is that Paul knew exactly what he was talking about. If
there is confusion, it is not because of what Paul wrote. He chose his
words carefully. He was a master of the Greek language and knew exactly
what each word meant. This is why in the first three verses of chapter 9
he takes great care to explain the meaning of the words which he would
be using as he discussed the work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.
“Hagia” is the Greek word that is incorrectly translated as “holiest of all” in Hebrews 9:8, and as “the holiest” in 10:19.
The word “hagia” occurs eight times in the book of Hebrews, and is
translated in the King James Version in the following way:
Sanctuary — Hebrews 8:2 ; 9:2 ; 13:11
Holy Place — Hebrews 9:12,25
Holy Places — Hebrews 9:24
Holiest — Hebrews 10:19
Holiest of All — Hebrews 9:8
Hebrews 9:1-3 is the key to understanding the meaning of this word
as it is used by the apostle Paul in the book of Hebrews.
9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine
service, and a worldly sanctuary (Hagion:- used only in Hebrews 9:1)
9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the
candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread, which is called the
sanctuary (Hagia:- used in Hebrews 8:2; 9:2,8,12,24,25; 10:19; 13:11)
9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all (Hagia Hagion:- used only in Hebrews 9:3)
What do we find then, when we correctly insert the words, first
apartment into these texts which were so badly mistranslated by the
translators?
Hebrews 9:8 now reads:
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holy place
(first apartment) was not yet made manifest, while as the first
tabernacle was yet standing: (Heb 9:8)
Hebrews 10:19 now reads:
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place
(first apartment) by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which
he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
(Heb 10:19,20)
So now we see the truth crystal clear, and not surprisingly, we see
that the teaching of Hebrews 9 is in perfect harmony with the message
which God gave to the Adventist pioneers and totally out of harmony with
the teaching of Babylon.
This is truly a wonderful thing when we consider it carefully,
because the evidence is so conclusive. The writer of the book of Hebrews
had three words from which to choose: hagion; hagia; and hagia hagion.
As was already said, his natural tongue was Greek and he knew perfectly
well the meaning of each of these words. Why did he choose to use the
word hagia? If he wanted to refer to the Most holy place why didn’t he
use the term hagia hagion after telling us in verse three that that is
the term which was used in referring to the Most holy place? Did he make
a mistake several times? Did he become confused as to the meaning of
the words? You decide for yourself what the answer is to these questions
and remember to be honest with yourself before God.
As far as I am concerned it is a most striking thing that one of the
strong points which the enemies of Adventism use to attack our faith,
when carefully examined, turns out to be one of the strongest reasons in
favour of it. This is not coincidence. The Advent movement as
originally founded was divinely guided and those who attack the truths
given to those early pioneers are in a place where I would fear to be.
The prophet Ellen White says,
We had the truth; we were directed by the angels of God. It was
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit that the presentation of the
sanctuary question was given. It is eloquence for every one to keep
silent in regard to the features of our faith in which they acted no
part. God never contradicts Himself. Scripture proofs are misapplied if
forced to testify to that which is not true. Another and still another
will arise and bring in supposedly great light, and make their
assertions. But we stand by the old landmarks. (Selected Messages Book
1, p.161)
The truth is that Paul knew the meaning of the sanctuary services
and realized that in keeping with the type, Jesus was then, in the first
century AD in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, carrying
on His ministry. This is why he never used the words hagia hagion with
reference to the ministry of Christ.
There are some who may say that the “context” shows that he meant
the most holy place, even though he wrote the word, hagia. We must
disagree with that. Our own biases can colour the way we interpret a
passage and if space would permit I could give several examples of that.
One striking example is where the majority of the “scholars” and the
“learned men” in the world today (including the Pope) insist that
Revelation 1:10 is referring to Sunday, when it mentions The Lord’s Day.
If we accept that Paul knew what he was doing and understood the words
which he was using, then we must approach the entire passage with that
understanding. Let us allow the words to speak to us, rather than to try
to impose our own biases upon the word. We will find, if we do this,
that the meaning of the passage will become clear, and once again, we
will discover that God was the one who led the pioneers of the Advent
movement.
What is the Church?
by David Clayton
Some time ago I was given four copies of the “Adventist
Review.” This is not the regular North American publication, but the
condensed version, the Inter-American edition. In looking through them, I
was interested to find that every one of those issues had something to
say on the issue of “offshoots,” and loyalty to “the Church.” I read the
articles carefully, and was struck by two things:
(a) The leadership of the S.D.A. church seem to be really worried
that the dissident movement is making a significant impact on church
members.
(b) The appeals being made for “loyalty to the church,” are
simplistic, Biblically unsound, revealing either intent to deceive, or a
sad ignorance of the teaching of the Bible. I have reproduced some of
these statements below:
“It (the S.D.A. church) is God’s created, appointed, and only means for the salvation of sinners.”
“It is the ‘gate of heaven for the sin-sick soul.”
“No one pretends that God’s church is blameless or that it has no fault
… but it is GOD’S CHURCH, and all should stand back and let God deal
with His possession.” (The Adventist Review, Inter-American edition –
Feb.1995, page 2.)
“Many … have been tempted to doubt our remnant status or special
calling. They are making a mistake that may last for eternity.
Inspiration tells us that God will “carry the noble ship which bears the
people of God safely into port” and that to “enter any new
organization… would mean apostasy” (2SM 390).
“Scripture is clear: God has established a remnant church for these last
days. Corporately, no other church body fits the description but ours,
which alone has been given His present truth message.” (ibid – Sept.
1994, page 7)
Even many of those who seek for reformation and revival show a great
lack of understanding, and a blind spot when it comes to this issue of
the church. In a book written by Elder Ron Spear of “Hope
International”, entitled, ” What Is The Church?” the following
statements appear (After quoting Testimonies to Ministers, p.300):
“This statement tells us why it is important to our salvation to remain
in church membership, unless disfellowshiped, until the time God takes
the reins.” (p.45)
“We must stay in the church, never becoming a separationist.” (p.62)
Well then, where is the Bible support for all of this? Where in the
Bible can we find any denomination identified as God’s church?
The issue of contention is this: Is God’s church the S.D.A.
denomination? Is it the S.D.A. organization? Is it the S.D.A. movement?
Is it any, or all of these? We hardly need to even go any further than
the key doctrine of Seventh-day adventism to settles the question. It is
the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment.
Consider the following question carefully: Which group of people has
the Investigative Judgment been dealing with, from 1844 until now? Is
it not the “House of God” which is being judged (1 Peter 4:17)? Is it
not the “Judgment of the Church” which is presently taking place? Well
then, consider also, the following statements from the pen of Sister
White:
“So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the
only cases considered are those of the professed people of God.” (Christ
in His Sanctuary -p.16)
“At the time appointed for the judgment – the close of the 2300 days in
1844 – began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins. All who
have ever taken upon themselves the name of Christ must pass its
searching scrutiny.” (The Great Controversy – p.486)
Is it only Seventh-day Adventists who are being examined in this
judgment? Does it not include ALL denominations? “All who have ever
taken upon themselves the name of Christ,” these are the ones who are
examined in the “judgment of the Church (GC -486)!”
So then, what we clearly see from this, is that the visible church,
consisting of wheat and tares, is made up of all those in the world who
have taken the name of Christ, regardless of denominational affiliation.
Among them may be found the true Christians; the wheat among the tares.
Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life!
If the Advent movement is not exclusively the church of God, what
then is its significance? What is its special place in God’s plan?
God did indeed raise up the Advent movement for a great purpose; it
is indeed a prophetic movement, raised up at a critical moment in time.
But this purpose was not that it should become, exclusively, the church
of God in the world, “the only means of salvation for sinners.” There is
no salvation outside of the church of Christ. However, there certainly
are many persons who will be saved outside of the S.D.A. church, and
even outside of the movement. This alone tells us that it cannot be
exclusively the church of God in the world.
The Advent movement is really the Elijah movement which was
prophesied for the last days (Malachi 4:5). It is the movement which is
to restore all the truths which were trampled down by the great apostasy
of the dark ages (Daniel 8:14).
Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by William Miller,
and servants of God were raised up in the spirit and power of Elijah to
proclaim the message. Like John, the forerunner of Jesus, those who
preached this solemn message felt compelled to lay the ax at the root of
the tree, and call upon men to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.
Their testimony was calculated to arouse and powerfully affect the
churches and manifest their real character. And as the solemn warning to
flee from the wrath to come was sounded, many who were united with the
churches received the healing message; they saw their backslidings, and
with bitter tears of repentance and deep agony of soul, humbled
themselves before God. And as the Spirit of God rested upon them, they
helped to sound the cry, “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour
of His judgment is come.” (Early Writings of Ellen G. White – PG- 233)
The work of John the Baptist represents the work for these times.
His work, and the work of those who go forth in the spirit and power of
Elijah to arouse the people from their apathy, are the same in many
respects. Christ is to come the second time to judge the world in
righteousness. The messengers of God who bear the last message of
warning to be given to the world are to prepare the way for Christ’s
second advent as John prepared the way for his first advent. (The
Youth’s Instructor – 05-17-00 -The Violent Take it by Force)
John came in the spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the first
advent of Jesus. I was pointed down to the last days and saw that John
represented those who should go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah
to herald the day of wrath and the second advent of Jesus. (Early
Writings of Ellen G. White – PG- 155)
However, let us consider well that Elijah was sent with a message of
rebuke TO ISRAEL. Not to begin a new Israel. Not to become all of a
sudden the only object of God’s regard in the whole world. In fact, he
did feel at one point that God had no one else left. However, God
rebuked him with the news that there were still 7000 left who had not
bowed the knee to Baal.
The Seventh-day Adventist organization has mistaken God’s call to
service, as a call to exclusive favour. What a mistake! God called us to
do a work. This does not mean that we alone belong to him. Simply that
we have been chosen for a particular task. The task is important, yes.
The responsibility is awesome: “Elijah truly shall first come and
restore all things (Matt. 17:11).” Yet the call does not mean that we
have suddenly become the whole church of God in the world! No more than
Elijah’s faithfulness made him the only Israelite alive!
If we say that the Seventh-day Adventist church is, “A church”, or
“A movement,” this is perfectly o.k. But when we claim that it is THE
church, the fullness of Christ’s body in the world, we are making a
claim which borders on presumptuousness.
Jesus Himself, clearly defined the foundation of His church in a
conversation with His disciples, one day at Caesarea, Philippi. “Upon
this Rock,” He said, “I will build My church; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it (Matt.16:18).”
“The rock is Peter.” So says the Roman Catholic Church. But without even
examining the passage carefully, the thoughtful person may brush such a
proposition aside. The foundation is the root, the basis, the pattern
from which the building grows. No mere man could ever fill such a
position. Therefore the Holy Spirit says in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ.” It is Jesus Christ Himself, who is the Rock, the foundation of
His church.
“Whom say ye that I am?” was His question to the disciples.
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” was Peter’s answer,
and we do well to study this answer, for Jesus instantly declared that
it was an answer from God Himself, and was the truth upon which His
church would be built.
What was implied in Peter’s answer, “Thou art the Christ”? To grasp
the full impact of what he was saying, we need to try to think as the
Jews of that time did. The word “Christ” (or “Messiah” in the Hebrew),
brought images to the Jewish mind that spanned four thousand years.
Visions of deliverance, visions of glory, of the establishment of a
kingdom where all would be righteousness and peace; of a ruler whose
coming would not only subdue all of Israel’s enemies, but would settle
all doctrinal disputes as well.
From that first prophecy made to Adam and Eve in the garden, of One
who would bruise the Serpent’s head, a string of promises were scattered
throughout the scriptures from Genesis to Malachi, of a mysterious
coming Ruler who would change the way of life of God’s people
dramatically and permanently.
Jacob, upon his deathbed declared: “The scepter shall not depart
from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and
unto Him shall the gathering of the people be (Genesis 49:10).”
“There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of
Israel,” Balaam cried, in spite of himself. “…out of Jacob shall come
He that shall have dominion (Num.24:17,19).”
Most powerful of all was Isaiah’s prophecy: “For unto us a child is
born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His
shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty
God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).”
These prophecies and many others had painted an indelible image of
the Christ in the minds of the Jews. Some of their ideas about Him were
vague and undefined, it is true, but one thing they were certain of was
the fact that He would be absolute, authoritative ruler. That He would
take complete control, and that henceforth, all facets of life would
centre in Him. Their expectations of the Messiah were echoed in the
words of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus met at Jacob’s well:
“I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: When He is come, He
will tell us all things (John 4:25).” No questions, no arguments, no
doubts. When Messiah came, that would be the end of ALL controversy.
Now this was the person whom Peter declared Jesus to be. The One who
was absolute, supreme, infallible and complete, and Jesus declared,
“upon this rock (this truth) I will build MY church.” Please note the
emphasis on the word “My”.
The word “church” means, “those who are called out.” There have been
many groups of people who have been “called out”. Many even which have
been called out in the name of God. The Jews regarded themselves as one
such called out group, built upon the foundation of Abraham’s bloodline
and the writings of Moses. But Jesus said, “My church, My called out
ones will be different from all others. How so? They will recognize Me
as their absolute authority. As God’s final word.
This is why Jesus is “the Door” of the sheep fold (John 10:9). We
enter the fold of His church by submitting ourselves to Him in absolute
surrender. There is no other way, and no other qualification for
entering the fold (John 10:9). Whenever anybody presents any other
criterion as a requirement for becoming a member of any “church”, then
it is clear that such a church is not God’s church, but must be a false
church! The word of God is very plain on this point.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).”
“None other name,” saith the scripture. Is this sufficient for you? What
about the name, “Seventh-day Adventist”? Is this the name whereby we
must be saved?
The word of God makes it clear that there may be, and are various
arms of the Christian church. Like some misguided Christians of today,
the disciples of Jesus were at times self-centered and exclusive. They
knew that they had a treasure in Christ and were anxious to keep Him as
their exclusive property.
“John answered Him saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy
name and he followeth not us: and we forbad him because he followeth not
us.” (Mark 9:38)
How clearly do we see here the spirit manifested by so many
denominations today! The spirit which says, “we are God’s own people
exclusively. We are Christ’s and Christ is ours (alone). You do not
worship with us; you are not a member of our denomination, therefore you
are outcast, you cannot be saved!” How completely contrary to the
teachings of Jesus. “Forbid him not…”, was Christ’s command, “for he
that is not against us is on our part (Mark 9:39-40).”
Certainly, God has only one church, for His word tells us that
“there is one body….one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph.4:4,5).”
There is only one fold. But let us be assured that this fold is not a
mere denomination.
“Other sheep I have which are not of this fold,” said Jesus, “them also I
must bring …(John 10:16).” But the fold to which He referred, was the
Christian church. Standing around Him as He spoke these words was His
“little flock”, His disciples. Those who then belonged to His fold.
Those who then followed Him. But scattered among the Jews, among the
gentiles were many other sincere and true worshippers of God who yet
knew nothing of Jesus Christ; who did not follow Him, or belong to His
fold. “Them also I must bring,” Said Jesus, “and there shall be one fold
and one Shepherd.” What was it that at present placed them outside the
fold? Simply the fact that they were not yet followers of Jesus!
To believe in Jesus, to surrender to Him and follow Him is the key.
This, and this alone is the criterion for becoming a part of Jesus’
church and it is an abuse of God’s word when any denomination takes it
upon itself to declare itself to be the fold; to be exclusively, God’s
church. Of necessity, such a denomination must establish membership
criteria which require more of their members than simply loyalty to
Jesus Christ. (Please see Acts 19:3-5 ; Acts 16:31 ; Acts 8:36-38)
The fact that there is only one body, one church, must not cause us
to lose sight of the fact that “there are diversities of gifts ….there
are differences of administrations …. there are diversities of
operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all ( 1
Corinthians 12:4-6).”
No single administration, denomination, or ministry, represents the
whole of God’s work in this world. How utterly contrary to the scripture
to even suggest such a thing! Through many different groups and
ministries, Jesus is carrying on His own work and though some, like
John, may seek to forbid the others who “walk not with us,” God’s work
yet remains under the control of Jesus Christ, and no human apostasy may
take away His place and authority as Head and controller of His own
church.
Portraits of Jesus
by Keith Coombs
This article seeks to consider if it’s acceptable to have
pictures portraying Jesus. As Christians we worship both God the father
and his son Jesus Christ. The second commandment, Exodus 20: 4,5
instructs us not to make any likeness of the God we serve (“thou shalt
not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is
in heaven…” Moses in explaining in Deuteronomy 4:15, 16 said ” take ye
therefore good heed unto yourselves, for ye saw no manner of similitude
on the day that Lord spake unto you Horeb in the midst of the fire:
lest ye corrupt yourselves and make a graven image, the similitude of
any figure, the likeness of male or female.” Thus it appears that those
who worship Jesus should not make any pictures to portray what he looks
like. Bearing in mind that no one can actually testify to what Jesus
truly looked like, then with these pictures that we normally see
portraying him, one is “making unto himself the likeness” of a man and
then calling this likeness a picture of Jesus.
If one argues that somehow these pictures enhance our worship, or
has spiritual benefits, then obviously he would be breaking the second
commandment ” thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve
them….” Exodus 20: 5. For example, a person who uses a lucky charm
around his neck will soon find that if he somehow lost his lucky charm
he would become like “a fish out of water.” That is, he has become a
servant to his lucky charm. Similarly, churches using this picture of
Jesus to enhance their worship become so attached to this fabrication
that they cannot do without them. If one suggests that there are no
benefits to be obtained by the use of these pictures then surely we do
not need them and it would be wiser to discard their use.
Furthermore, consider that the Orthodox churches encourages the use
of these pictures of Jesus and Mary introducing the veneration of these
images of Jesus and the “Saints.”
Finally these pictures are known to be a stumbling block to some
people of African origin and following the example laid down in Romans
14:21 “it is neither good to each flesh nor drink wine, nor anything
whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.”
As we commit ourselves to God each day may we see it fit to discard this stumbling block also.
Truth from RC Church Disturbs SDA Leader
By now most of us have probably heard of the so-called
Special Document From the Vatican with its 10 points to “Evangelize
Seventh-day Adventists.” The president of the Inter-American Division of
the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Israel Leito,
confessed that he did not at first pay much attention to the document
when it was handed to him. He thought that “it might be a hoax.”
However, in his own words:
“that same night as I checked my e-mail, I received a message from our
web master here at the Division, copying a message that he received from
a certain Stephen P. Haws….This made me think that what was handed to
me in Central America is not a hoax but may have some degree of truth,
presenting the plan to regain lost ground to the Seventh-day Adventist
Church.
What alarmed me more is that when I went into the web page as
advertised here by Mr. Haws, I discovered that they have linked the
Inter-American Division web page to their web page, making it appear as
if Inter-America is cooperating with the Catholic Church. I am deeply
disturbed by this…We have insisted that they remove us from their web
site, and after initially challenging us on the legality of it, they
have reluctantly done so. However, substantial negative information has
been included about our church…”
Stephen Haws’ Letter
Hi,
My name is steve and I’m building a Catholic site called “Examining
Protestantism!” I am currently working on a page called “Common Ground”
where I am trying to list those Christian groups who share various
Catholic beliefs.
(http:/www.shasta.com/sphaws/commonground.html.)
I know it would be strange to think that the SDA and Catholic
Churches share any beliefs (other than the Trinity), but I am curious
about your “Beliefs” page, no. 15 -The Lord’s Supper. What do you mean
by “Christ is present?” You might actually make my page if you believe
the Eucharist is more than a mere “symbol.”
You are already on my page under “Trinity.”
Am looking forward to your reply on the “presence” of Christ in communion.
Thank you.
Stephen P. Haws
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
This letter is very interesting and it is highly significant that
the president of the Inter-American Division did not comment on the
startling discoveries of Mr. Haws.
Firstly, according to Mr. Haws, Seventh-day Adventists and Catholics
agree on the Trinity, while they disagree on almost everything else.
Secondly, he has discovered a statement in the SDA beliefs which
makes him believe that SDAs and Catholics may also share similar beliefs
on the subject of the literal presence of Christ in the Communion
bread.
One can only imagine how delighted Mr. Haws would have been if he
had managed to get hold of the latest SDA Church Hymnal and then turned
to the second verse of hymn #402. That would have made his day! It
reads:
His broken body in our stead, is here in this memorial bread…
No doubt Mr. Haws would have been even more thrilled to discover
that the earlier SDA Christ In Song hymn book had rendered this verse:
His broken body in our stead is seen in this memorial bread…
No doubt he would have felt that we were making progress in the “right” direction.
Stephen Haws’ Website
I found the website setup by Mr. Haws to be in no way alarming (at
least not from the angle from which the IAD president viewed it). It is
not much different from hundreds of other sites set up by people who
wish to defend their religious beliefs, or their denominations. Mr. Haws
has in fact set up links to several websites of other denominations,
none of which have reacted in such a paranoid way as the IAD has done.
What Mr. Haws has attempted to do is to show that although other
denominations are critical of the beliefs of the Catholic Church, many
of them in reality have the same, or similar beliefs as the Church which
they are criticizing. He simply used the SDA link as a reference to
which people could go in order to prove that what he was saying about
SDA beliefs is true. There is nothing wrong with that.
I suspect that there was something about the information on this
Catholic web site which touched Mr. Leito on a sore spot. Let us examine
what Mr. Haws has to say about the SDA church, which according to the
IAD president is “substantial negative information about our church.”
After showing that the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran,
Presbyterian, Reformed and Baptist Churches all believe in the Trinity
(with links to the web sites of some of these organizations), Mr. Haws
then comes to the SDA Church, and comments as follows:
Even the Seventh-Day Adventists! See this Catholic article on SDA
Beliefs which confirms that the SDA’s believe in the Holy Trinity.
(Interesting, in that Satan allows “Antichrist” and His “Whore” Church
to teach the truth about God! Why (do) they focus on Sunday services?)
Can anybody point out to me the “substantial negative information”
about the SDA Church to which Mr. Leito referred? It seems to me,
rather, that Stephen Haws has touched the SDA Church on the same sore
spot that we have been hitting for a couple of years. How can the Roman
Catholic Church be antichrist if they teach the truth about the most
important doctrine of Christian faith?or, to put it another way, how can
the SDA church and the antichrist organization agree wholeheartedly on
the doctrine which is the basis of all the beliefs of the Catholic
Church?
Mr. Haws continues with a final note:
(NOTE: On April 13, 1999 I received an e-mail from the Seventh-Day
Adventist Church, Inter-American Division, requesting that I remove
their link from my site. I therefore replaced the SDA “proof link” with
the above Catholic link. The SDA-ID did not deny they believed in the
Trinity. I therefore assume my comment re Satan allowing his “whore”
church to teach the truth about God hit an Achilles heel. I wish to
thank the SDA-ID for giving me the idea for a new article, “How to
Handle Seventh-Day Adventists”. Look for it in the near future.)
Comment: If a man shows you dirt on your face, wash your face. Don’t attack the man.
Campmeeting Notice
It’s Camp meeting time again. It’s
almost time for us to once again make our way to “Copper” in the hills
of St. James for four days of fellowship and spiritual refreshing.
Please indicate very early whether you will be attending this
campmeeting as we need to make proper arrangements for accommodating the
additional numbers who may be attending .
Campmeeting begins on Wednesday the 4th of August and will conclude on Sunday, the 8th of August.
Please contact brother David Clayton before July 15 if you are planning to attend. Call (876) 904-7392.
Each person is required to make a contribution of (JA)$400.00
towards the cost of food etc. (only lunch will be served each day.
Please make your own provisions for breakfast & supper.
Speakers will include Pastor Allen Stump from Smyrna Gospel Ministries as well as other local speakers.
Please remember to take with you:
•Your own bedding, air mattress or foam for sleeping.
•Eating Utensils
•Bucket for fetching water.
•Basin for bathing (you could use your bucket for this)
•Tent (if possible).
Directions:
If coming by your own transportation, traveling towards Montego Bay,
from Savlamar direction, turn right, on the Cambridge road at
Montpelier (if coming from Montego Bay, turn left of course!). Travel
about a mile and a half along this road until you come to Bickersteth
square and turn left (a two-storied white shop is on the left just where
you turn). Travel approximately 2-3 miles along a narrow winding road
which climbs continually (Richmond Hill) until you come to a left turn
at the top. Take this left turn (if in doubt, ask for the ‘Copper’
property) and travel down this road for about a mile. You will come to
another left turn, (look carefully, or you may miss it) and you will
notice that this road is barred by a bamboo gateway. Take this road, go
through the bamboo gateway. Follow this road for 200 yards. It will take
you straight to the camp.
If you are coming by public transportation, call (876) 904-7392 to make arrangements to be picked up at Montpelier.
Satan’s Deadliest Lie
God’s enemy and our enemy, the devil, has been trying to
rob us of one of the greatest blessings which we can experience in this
life. Our God and heavenly Father has given us blessings which are so
wonderful that we can hardly find the words to explain them.
The first great blessing is that our Father loves us so much that He
gave His Son to die for our sins. It was His own Son that he gave. His
only begotten Son. One who was born from the very substance of the
Father Himself. The Father and His Son were together for millions of
years. They were very close to one another, and the Father loved the Son
with a very great love (See Proverbs 8:22-31). Yet, God loved us so
much that when He knew that we were doomed to everlasting death, He
decided to give His only begotten Son. The Son of His bosom, the one
whom He loved from the days of eternity, to die for us (Rom. 8:32). This
truly did happen. It was for us that the God of heaven gave His true
Son to die.
The second great blessing which the Father has given us, is that He
Himself, and His Son, Jesus, have come to live with us. Please think
about what I just said. God HIMSELF, the almighty One lives in everyone
who is a genuine Christian!! I do not mean that His angels are with us
(although they are). I do not mean that His power is with us (although
it is). What I mean is that He Himself, the great God, and His Son, live
with us, and in us, if we are His. Do you ask HOW this is possible? I
do not know how. I know that God does not live in us in His bodily form,
but nevertheless, His presence is here. His power, His life, He Himself
is here, even though I cannot see Him. This is what He promises in His
word:
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make
our abode with him. (John 14:23)
(See also 1 Cor. 6:17,19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Acts 17:27,28).
Can you see how great are these two blessings are which God has given to us?
1. He has given His own, only begotten son to die for us so that we
can be saved from the penalty of everlasting death. How wonderful it is
that such a person could love us so much. Surely we ought to love and
serve Him in return!
2. He Himself and His blessed Son will live with us if we choose to
give our lives to Him. He will be our best Friend. Our close, constant
Companion. We can be the friends of the Almighty God. He, Himself,
personally will be with us always and forever.
There is no greater blessing in all of Christian experience. I
myself have found out that fellowship with God and His Son is the
highest joy that I can have in this life. Can you imagine? God, the
Almighty One is my personal Friend!! When I talk with Him, I know He is
in charge of my life. I forget my problems because I know that He takes
care of them all.
This is what eternal life means. To know and to have personal
fellowship with God (who is the Father) and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
This is what Jesus Himself said:
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)
The Teaching of Antichrist
Therefore, any false teaching which takes away these blessings from
me, must be one of Satan’s most dangerous false doctrines. Yet there is a
very popular teaching among Christian Churches which destroys these two
great blessings. This false teaching says that:
(a) Jesus was not really the true, begotten Son of God.
(b) The true Son of God did not really die.
(c) Jesus and His Father, our God, are not personally present with us, but have sent another person instead.
You can see that this is a very deadly false doctrine. Yet most
Christians have accepted this teaching. Maybe even you have accepted
this teaching. This doctrine says that Jesus never had a beginning and
that He and God are the same age, that they are equal in power and
authority. I ask you, how then could Jesus be the Son of God? Can a son
be the same age as his father? This doctrine denies that Jesus is, and
always was the Son of God. The Bible says of this doctrine:
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22)
By now you may have realized that I am talking about the doctrine of
the TRINITY. This is the false doctrine which denies that Jesus is the
true, begotten Son of God. According to this teaching, Jesus was not
really the Son of God, but was actually one of three Beings who are all
God. This doctrine teaches that He was only the Son of God by name, but
not in the sense that He was born from God.
If this was true, then Jesus could not really have died on the
cross, because God cannot die, and according to this teaching, Jesus was
God Himself!! They say that only the body died, but the spirit was
still alive and safe with the Father. If this is true, then what did God
suffer when Jesus died? If this is true, then only a human body died on
Calvary. Could a human body pay for the sins of the world?
As long as you believe this doctrine, you will never be able to
realize what God did for you when He gave His only begotten Son to die
for your sins. You will never understand how much He loves you. How can
we love and serve Him properly if we don’t appreciate how much He loves
us?
The second deadly danger of the trinity doctrine is that it pushes
God and Jesus far away from us. Jesus has made the following promises:
· … I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb 13:5)
· … lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. (Mat 28:20)
· … If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love
him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John
14:23)
· I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:18)
· Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you …. (John 14:28)
· … truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)
He promises that He and His Father PERSONALLY will be with us. But
according to the doctrine of the trinity, it is not Jesus Himself and
the Father Himself who are with us, but it is another person called The
Holy Spirit This is the second false teaching of the trinity doctrine.
Who Is The Holy Spirit?
The truth is that there are only two persons in the godhead. Not
three. The two persons are God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, His Son.
(Please see 1 cor. 8:6; 1 John 1:3; Rev. 5:13; Rev. 7:10 and many other
texts.). It is true that there is a Holy Spirit, but the question is, ”
Who, or what is the Holy Spirit?” The Holy Spirit is not a third person,
separate from God and Jesus. The Holy Spirit is actually the spiritual
presence of the Father and the Son, but not in their bodily form.
The Bible teaches that there is only ONE Lord (Eph. 4:5).
The Bible teaches that there is only ONE Spirit (Eph. 4:4).
Who is the one Lord and the one Spirit. Here is the answer in 2 Corinthians 3:17.
Now the (one) Lord is that (one) Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
(2 Cor. 3:17)
Look at how the same truth is brought out in the following texts:
· Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me:
because I live, ye shall live also At that day ye shall know that I am
in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:19,20)
· I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one…. (John 17:23)
Do you see? It is the Father in Jesus, and Jesus in us. They are
with us in spirit form, not in bodily form. This is why the presence of
them with us is called The Holy Spirit.
Satan wants to take two precious things from you. One is the
knowledge of the love of God and His Son. That love which was so
wonderfully demonstrated when God gave His Son to die for men (1 John
4:9). The other is the knowledge of the indwelling presence of God and
His Son. Without these, what are we left with? Nothing. We are orphans,
lost people seeking to find a way to be saved. Trying to face life, but
helpless and lost.
Thank God for the gospel of His Son! Thank God for a full and
perfect salvation. What a joy to know that I have been redeemed, not
with gold or silver, but by the precious life-blood of the only begotten
Son of the great God of the universe. I am somebody. I am worth
something. How wonderful to know that my friends and constant companions
are this same God and His Son! This gives me courage and confidence.
This makes me know that I am safe, even when I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death. This makes me know that there is nothing too
hard for me to face. God lives with me, and in me. I have an abiding
Friend who will never let me down.
My dear friend, I invite you now, to abandon this false doctrine of
the trinity. Accept the truth about God and His Son. Give your life to
them forever and determine that from now on you will serve them and walk
with them until the day when we shall meet them face to face.
If you would like to learn more about this subject, then please ask
for the two cassette tapes entitled, The Things Which Are Revealed, and
God On Trial.
Extras
Run Slow
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
Or listened to rain as it taps on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s lilting flight,
Or gazed at the sun until it was night?
You’d better slow down, don’t run so fast.
Time is so short – The music won’t last.
Do you run through each day, always on the fly?
When you ask “How are you?”, do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?
You’d better slow down, don’t run so fast.
Time is so short – The music won’t last.
Ever told your child, “We’ll do it tomorrow.”
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die,
Cause you never had time to call and say “Hi”?
You’d better slow down, don’t run so fast.
Time is so short – The music won’t last.
When you run too fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there!
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It’s like an unopened gift . . .thrown away. . .
Life’s not a race. Do take it slower.
Hear the music – Before the song’s over.
A Letter from Keith Coombs
I was pleasantly surprised when I received a copy of the July 1998
issue of the magazine “With Open Face.” Straight way I realized that it
was meat in due season for it addressed two issues that need to be dealt
with.
1. The trinitarian view of God.
2. The coming of Elijah (Malachi 4: 5, 6).
As I got over the surprise I realized that the significant
difference between the “middle of the road Trinitarian” and that of
Historical Adventists is on the following question: “Is the holy spirit
an extension of the Father, or is the holy spirit a Being, independent
of the Father as Jesus is independent of the Father?”
Consider the Desire of Ages, p. 671. “The holy spirit was the
highest of all gifts that He [Christ] could solicit from his Father for
the exaltation of his people. The spirit was to be given as a
regenerating agent, and without this, the sacrifice of Christ would have
been of no avail. The power of evil had been strengthening for
centuries and the submission of men to this Satanic captivity was
amazing. Sin could be resisted And overcome only through the mighty
agency of the third person of the Godhead who would come with no
modified energy but in the fullness of divine power.”
Now based on this quotation I am led to believe that maybe they holy
spirit is an independent person. I will note that all the other
concepts mentioned in your article does not negate the holy spirit being
a separate being from The Father or Jesus.
Now as I consider the article entitled “Why Elijah Must Come” I was
taken aback by this statement “Elijah is me, Elijah is you.” Why? If
Elijah in Christ’s lifetime was John the Baptist, why should I believe
that we all are to be prophets in the spirit and power of Elijah? Well,
we all believe that Moses’ prayer for all God’s people to be prophets
will be answered by the one hundred and forty-four thousand and possibly
Malachi 4: 6 gives the initial work of this group of people.
We all know that it is the “straight testimony” which will cause a
“shaking.” Hence it appears that just before the latter rain a group of
people who “sigh and cry for the abominations” in God’s Church will
begin to agitate for righteousness in the church. Elijah’s mainline duty
was to work with backslidden Israel to show them their God was
different from Baal. Therefore those who choose to stay in the church
and minister are those who will be doing the works of the Father in this
time and hence God will provide the holy spirit so that they can be
effective witnesses for him. Could this group be called the Elijah?
I am looking forward to your comments on both subjects.
(We appreciate this letter from Brother Coombs and hope that the
article below will answer, at least in part, one of his questions. The
other question, we believe, is also dealt with in the article on page
10, entitled, “Satan’s Deadliest Lie.”)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Important Principles
“Before you are able to convince me of error you must first demonstrate you understand what I say.” — Finney
“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every
portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the
world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing
Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle
rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on
all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches
at that point.” — Martin Luther
Beam In His Eye
D.L. Moody, the evangelist was criticised by a fellow minister, for
the way he conducted his after meeting counselling sessions. The
minister said:
“I don’t like the way you conduct your meetings, Mr. Moody.”
“That’s funny,” said Moody, “neither do I. How do you do it?”
“Well, er – actually, I don’t do it!”
“Oh well, in that case, I like it better the way I do it than the way you don’t do it!” Replied Moody.
Open Face is published bi-monthly and is sent free to all who desire to receive it.
David Clayton: Editor and Publisher
P. O. Box 23 Knockpatrick
Manchester, Jamaica W.I.
Phone: (876) 904-7392
email: david@restorationministry.com
