From:
____ [mailto:_____@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 2:31 AM
To:
webmaster@adventistlaymen.com
Subject: An old conversation with Brother Grotheer
I have some interesting information which I talked over with Brother
Grotheer a while ago regarding the corporate agenda of the Holy Place.
When Jesus ascended to heaven he was symbolically depicted in the
midst of the 7 candlesticks =7 churches. It is Holy Place symbolism. Brother Grotheer
helped me to decipher this detail.
He told me that this was not alluding to a physical Holy Place. So I
answered by telling him that it was still Holy Place Symbolism because of the
Candle sticks and he agreed.
So here we have Jesus doing a High Priestly work of corporate
repentance by making calls for corporate repentance. We know that two churches
didn't need to repent. Smyrna and Philadelphia. We also see
that the Bible is not necessarily telling us that Jesus is to be located in a
physical Holy place or conducting the
Holy Place agenda in a physical room such as the Holy Place but the
agenda is still being revealed.
This revelation nullifies Desmond Ford's day of Atonement theology
which according to Mr. Ford commenced shortly after Jesus ascension.
I also realized that Laodicea's corporate repentance presented a
problem on the day of atonement because the day of atonement wasn't for
corporate confession and repentance it was for the cleansing of both
the corporate and the individual a totally different agenda which took
place once a year.
Brother Grotheer stated that there was a provision for corporate
repentance extended to Laodicea
. So it was in his booklet that I found that during the annual cycle of feasts
which were 7, the High Priest had to go into the Holy Place with a sin offering of a goat
and the last of the feasts was the Day of Atonement. So on the Day of Atonement
there was also a work of corporate confession and repentance a Holy Place agenda.
This new thinking challenges the preconceived notion of the mainline church's
thinking regarding the agenda of the
Holy Place as a place of individual intercession. The
final revelation of the High Priestly work of Christ within the Holy Place was to be
accomplished on behalf of Laodicea
which has rejected Jesus High Priestly ministry in the Holy Place during the antitypical Day of
Atonement.
Check these versus with the Bible and apply them to corporate Laodicea and you get a new
picture of the Holy Place
and the role of Jesus work among the 7 churches=corporate entities. The problem
with the challenged posed by Desmond Ford's theology is that the SDA mainline
theology never addressed the issue of the corporate agenda of the Holy Place. Once it
is understood by the identification in Leviticus 4 then we can understand Jesus
work on behalf of the 7 churches throughout history, Laodicea being the last church that rejects
that Holy Place
ministry.
As sister white stated, we have many things to learn and unlearn.
Corporate sin offerings in the Holy Place in each festival references :
1. The Feast of the New Moon - Numbers 28:11-1 5
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread - Numbers 28:16-2 2
3. Day of the First Fruits (Pentecost) - Numbers 28:26-30
See also Leviticus
23:19 .
4. Blowing of the Trumpets - Numbers 29:1- 5
5. Feast of Tabernacles - Numbers 29:12-1 6
6. Octave of the Feast of Tabernacles - Numbers 29 :35-38
7. Day of Atonement - Numbers 29:7-11
From: webmaster@adventistlaymen.com
Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2008 5:44 PM
To: '____'
Subject:
RE: An old conversation with Brother Grotheer
Dear Bro. _____:
Thank you for raising a vital subject which inextricably involves
the Sanctuary Doctrine. Your approach to the issue of corporate repentance
is interesting. I am not sure that it provides the clearest view of the
ministry of Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary, and the final pronouncement of
judgment on the Laodicean
Church. The judging
and close of probation for Laodicea (the SDA
Church) is best understood in the context of the
Sanctuary service as depicted in Lev. 4 & 16.
First, let me deal with the Holy Place symbolism of Rev. 1:12-13.
It is also found in Rev. 4:5. Elder Grotheer pointed out to you that these
texts of Scripture do not describe a place in physical terms. However, the
Scriptures clearly establish that there is a Heavenly Sanctuary, or Tabernacle
“which the Lord pitched, and not man.” I am sure that we are agreed on
this. In Dan. 7:9-10 the scene of the judgment depicted clearly
establishes that the Heavenly Sanctuary must be of proportions beyond human
comprehension, which is one reason why the emphasis that many SDA teachers place
on the physical structure and appointments of the earthly Sanctuary is
misguided. The Apostle Paul emphasized the ministry
of the Sanctuary:
Now of the things
which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is
set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of
the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to
offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man
have somewhat also to offer. For if
he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that
offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses
was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith
he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in
the mount (Heb. 8:1-5.)
Unquestionably, Jesus Christ began His ministry in the Holy Place (Heb.
4:14-16.) It is also the fact that this was a work for the corporate
bodies of the world, including churches (John 3:16; Rev. 2:21.)
In the work of intercession for corporate bodies, there was of necessity
included intercession for individuals. The close of probation for a
corporate body does not of necessity preclude the acceptance of individuals from
that corporate body who believe.
This brings us to the devilish work of Desmond Ford. His has
been a work of demolishing the foundation principles of interpreting Bible
prophecy which long preceded the establishment of the SDA Church.
The result has been the rejection of all of the great prophecies which enlighten
us on the march of history towards its ultimate conclusion. The
interpretations of Dan. 8:14, and also of the Scriptures which identify the
papacy as the antichrist among others, are destroyed for those who have been
seduced by Ford’s sophistry. Given the reprobate nature of his work, it is
not surprising that his understanding of the Book of Hebrews is sadly wanting.
One text that he and his allies have misapplied is Heb. 9:12. Elder
Grotheer has demonstrated that the KJV provides a misleading translation of this
text (Cf. God's
Objective for the Sanctuary -1- ;) and a mix of translations of the
Greek “Ta Hagia”) (Cf. TA
HAGIA.) He has corresponded with Ford on these issues to no avail.
The Sanctuary service described in the Book of Leviticus clearly
establishes not only that Jesus Christ began His ministry in the Holy Place, but
also that the antitypical Day of Atonement proceeds in phases. You have
correctly observed that the ministry of Christ in the Holy Place provided forgiveness for sin;
but in the antitypical Day of Atonement the objective is forgiveness and
cleansing. To hold the position that the atonement was completed on
the Cross is to deny the final phase of the antitypical Day of Atonement in
which Jesus Christ will cleanse His people from their sins and enable them in
the last remnant of time in this world to live above sin, while not yet
delivered from the sinful flesh with which they were born. This highlights
the critical importance of the fact that He lived a sinless life in sinful
flesh!
Leviticus 16 reveals that contrary to the traditional SDA concept
the judgment has moved from the Holy of Holies to the Holy Place, and will end in the outer
Court, which is this world and the place of the Cross. This has been a
movement from the judgment of God Himself (Rev. 14:7) in the Most Holy, to the
judgment of corporate bodies (Rev. 14:8) in the Holy Place, to the judgment of individuals
(Rev. 14:9-11) in this world, now in progress. Ezekiel 9 & 10 also reveals
movement (Cf. Eze. 9:3; 10:4, 18.) Not only do these texts reveal
movement, but we see that God the Father passes right through the
Holy Place
on His way to the threshold. It has been a grave mistake to think that
there has been one continuous session of the judgment from 1844 to the present
day, and even more so to believe that He has been judging the righteous.
As Elder Grotheer has pointed out, the judgment which commenced with the opening
of the books does not end until the execution of judgment at the end of the
millennium. Here it is appropriate to point out that Desmond Ford’s
theology is not totally devoid of truth. For example, it is correct that
the righteous do not come into judgment before the throne of the Father (Cf.
John 5:22, 24.) Ford is offering deadly poison because he has strayed so
far out of the track of Truth in the process of pointing out those elements of
Truth that can be found in his theology.
Ellen G. White appropriately connects Eze. 9 with the sealing time
(5T., p. 207,) and the Laodicean Church (3T., 267, end of Para.
1.) Laodicea
means “judging of the people;” and can also be interpreted as “a just people” or
“a justified people.” In my view all of the interpretations are appropriate in
the context of Rev. 3:14-22. The time of the antitypical Day of Atonement
is clearly indicated here, and there is first a judgment of the corporate body
of Seventh-day Adventists. Jesus Christ has unequivocally stated, “I will
spue thee out of my mouth.” This is a critical part of the conclusion of
the cleansing of the Holy Place.
He then turns to the individual and extends the invitation and promises of
verses 20 & 21. Those specified in verse 21 are the “just people” or the
“justified people.” These are cleansed in the final atonement. Prior
to this time probation has closed for the corporate body. Precisely when
this occurs is not revealed in the above-mentioned chapters of Daniel and the
Revelation. However Jesus Himself foretold the time in Luke 21:24 (Cf.
Jerusalem in Bible Prophecy.) (For further study or re-study cf.
The Sanctuary
Doctrine.)
Again, thank you for your interest.
Very sincerely,
Eric Jones (Webmaster@adventistlaymen.com)
