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XXXIII - 7(00) “Watchman, what of the night?” "The hour has come, the
hour is striking and striking at you, THE FINAL ATONEMENT -III- Page 2
Let's Talk It Over Page 6
Editor's Preface
With this issue we close the series of
three studies on "The Final Atonement. " The
Final Atonement encompasses all that is understood under the terminology of
"the Investigative Judgment," and the more recent designation of
"Pre-Advent Judgment." The main thrust in these studies has been to
seek an interpretation of the "investigative judgment" in harmony
with the fact that Jesus declared that the Father had committed all judgment
into His hands inasmuch as He had become a Son of man. It must be remembered
that only those whose names are found in the Lamb's Book of Life receive the
gift of life eternal; not those whose records are preserved in the books opened
before the Ancient of days.
We must understand the issues when
the great controversy began and the objective God had in the creation of man in
His own image. (See Supplement #1) Then realizing that the judgment must begin
where sin began, the prophetic scene in Daniel 7:9-10 becomes pregnant with new
meaning and significance. Add to this the factor of God's omniscience, as well
as the fact that God will never place a creature in double jeopardy, but will
honor the Judgment of the Son of man. Light and truth break forth to be
considered.
At the time we were preparing this
issue of WWN, the court case in
"The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the increasing
light."
R&H, Page 2
"Review,
then Review again, and
Review all that you've Reviewed"
The Final Atonement -
3 In concluding the previous essay on
the Final Atonement, we quoted the observation of
Keil & Delitzsch in regard to the two
lots cast over the goats presented for sacrifice on the typical Day of
Atonement. They stated: The words, one lot for
Jehovah, and one for Azazel, require unconditionally that Azazel should be
regarded as a personal being in opposition to Jehovah
(Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 1, p. 398). This indicates a controversy in the
universe of God between Himself and one designated as Azazel. Further, the
services as outlined for the Day of Atonement indicate that God resolves this
conflict through: (1) a
sacrifice representing Him;
(2)
by the ministration of the high priest; and
(3) the sacrifice provided by the high priest in conjunction with
the sacrifice on His behalf; in other words, Jesus the Messiah. This controversy is the theme of the
Scriptures in the unfolding of salvation history, and can well be designated as
the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. The issues involved and their
resolution are basic to understanding the judgment in all of its aspects as
revealed in the prophecies of both Daniel and Revelation.
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians
speaks of "the eternal purpose" of God which was to be accomplished
in Christ Jesus ( In making man in His image and
likeness, God created him to be only "a little while inferior" to the
angels. (Heb. 2:7, margin) The Greek here
is
bracu ti
and can be applied to either rank or time. The same words are
used regarding Jesus in verse 9, where both rank and time blend together. For
after the condescension, which was but a brief interlude against the backdrop
of eternity, Christ was highly exalted (Phil 2:8-9). In Christ is the hope of
man. Condescending to man's level, He "taste(d)
death for every man" (Heb. 2:9). Resurrected and
returning to the courts of heaven, He sits "in heavenly places" as a
Man, for man (Eph. 2:6). In Him, we perceive "the hope of His
calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints" is to be ( Inasmuch as the issue which ignited
the rebellion was God's creation of man and His objective for man, on that
point the judgment must begin. (See Supplement #1) An angel dissatisfied with
his position, and desiring to be "like the most High," challenged
God. Not being included in the "counsel of peace" his jealousy
overwhelmed him. His enmity caused him to focus on man and he succeeded in the
depravation of man. Two alternate questions face us:
1) is God going to forget His "purpose of the ages"? or 2)
Does
God intend to carry it through to realization? Other considerations are also
involved. "Affliction shall not rise up the second time" (Nahum 1:9).
Will the angelic host accept this plan under the new circumstances? The man
whom God planned to exalt has fallen far below the level that was his at
creation. Though forgiven, he is still a sinner saved by grace. Will the angels
be satisfied with such a creature being so enthroned; using the words of Jesus,
"to sit with Me in my throne, even as I ... am
sat down with my Father in His throne"? They rejoiced at the exaltation
and enthronement of Jesus as He returned to the Courts of heaven (Ps. 24:7-10).
With the full picture of time before them, they must confirm the decision of
God's intent. (This is not conjecture in the light of Page 3 the revelation the book of Daniel gives
as to how God operates His heavenly government. See Daniel 4:17.) This is the setting of the prophetic
portrayal of the judgment in Daniel 7:9-10. The angelic host is gathered, and
the books are opened, the books which they helped to write (Eccl. 5:6). Well do
they know its contents. But now comes the moment of
final angelic decision - a decision by creatures with a free will. "The
hour of the judgment of Him is come." What is God's plea? Here enters the
meaning of the services of the typical Day of Atonement - a day of At-one-ment. But this at-one-ment will
not only involve man and God, but also the angels and God, for in the final
execution of the plan, they will see annihilated forever, their comrades from
"days of old." The final execution of judgment will be traumatic for
all rational beings who have been involved. First on that typical day, after the
incense was brought into the most holy place, the blood of the bullock
followed. This the high priest provided for himself and his house. As the great
antitypical session begins, the great High Priest steps forward, and before the
angelic hosts shows anew the scars of His hands and His pierced side. (Hab. 3:4, margin) Well do they remember the scenes of
Then the Ancient of days asks -
"Have I given enough?" Again the darkness of
In the silence of that moment, and
in the answer given to the questions asked, the second great eternity is
secured. (Only one condition appears to have been attached; those exalted must
accept the terms of the Gospel. The First Angel who announces "the hour of
His judgment is come" brings with him, "the everlasting gospel"
(Rev. 14:6-7). When Christ returns after the completion of the judgment, He
takes vengeance on those "that obey not the gospel." (II Thess. 1:8)
From the books, names are transferred to the one book, and those already
entered are retained in "the book of life of the Lamb" (Rev. 13:8).
Their records in the "books" are blotted out. The decision rests with
Him unto whom all judgment is committed. The chosen ones pass from death unto
life; they do not come into judgment nor do they come under the condemnation
that awaits those whose works remain recorded "in the books" (John
The final work can now commence. It
must be kept in mind that the prophecy of Daniel 7 is based on a continuum,
events following in succession. It was not until after hearing "the voice
of the great words" (v. 11) that Daniel saw "one like unto the Son of
man" come before the Ancient of days to receive "dominion, and glory,
and a kingdom" (v. 13). It is not by accident that Christ is pictured as
"the Son of man" because He was to announce that His authority to
execute judgment would be based on the fact that "He is the Son of
man" (John The parenthesis in the prophecy of
Daniel is filled by the details of the typical service as given in Leviticus
16. The final judgment is no more a stationary scene than was the services of
the typical Day of Atonement. On that day, there was movement from the Most
Holy apartment to the Court, where the final cleansing took place, and the
scapegoat sent to a land uninhabited. Another prophecy conveys the same
picture of movement. Ezekiel 9, pictures a man "clothed in linen,"
and this designation is emphasized throughout the chapter, verses 2, 3, 11.
Keep in mind that the high priest on the typical day of atonement
can be identified as "a man clothed in linen" (Lev. 16:4). In
Ezekiel, the man clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side,
receives a commission from One who being in the
Page 4 script, the Hebrew "tau"
resembles the form of a cross. Those so marked identify with their Lord even as
He wept over a doomed city. They choose to follow the Lamb withersoever He
goeth.
The book of Revelation presents in
prophetic symbolism the same three steps taken by the High Priest on the Day of
Atonement. At the time of the hour of God's judgment, three mighty angels are
dispatched, the first carrying the everlasting gospel combined with a message
of what was taking place in the heavenly sanctuary, and calling man to true
worship. The second followed with a corporate announcement -
A further factor emerges in the book
of Revelation. Resulting from these final messages of the Three Angels is a
people of which it can be said - "Here are they that keep the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus" (
The Divine Intercessor has committed
Himself to the accomplishment of this objective. In a prophecy of Isaiah it is
foretold, in the context of the then current historical events, that in
"the day (that) the Lord cometh" He would "make a man more
precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir" ( Another prophetic representation to
be found in the visions of Zachariah places, as it were, a capsheaf on the
whole. It is a picture of a controversy between Christ and Satan. Joshua the
high priest stands before the angel of the Lord "clothed with filthy
garments" (3:3), and "Satan standing at his right hand to resist
him" (3:1). The objectives that were realized as given
in the symbolism associates this prophecy with the final work of the Day of
Atonement. There is a cleansing - "take away the filthy
garments" (3:4). There is a removal of iniquity - "I will remove the
iniquity of that land in one day" (3:9). The results are astonishing -
"for they are men wondered at" (3:8). The Hebrew also translates -
"men of wonder" (See margin).
On the typical Day of Atonement, the
command was specific - "Ye shall do no work in that same day" (Lev.
This is the same emphasis as is
found in the typical services for the Day of Atonement. The High Priest alone
accomplished the atonement with the blood of both the bullock and the Lord's
goat. The instruction is specific. It stated - "There shall be no man in
the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make atonement"
(Lev. Page 5
souls. If we would, we could
better see the "fig leaf" garb with which we have attempted to clothe
ourselves and how utterly useless it is in which to face the record the
"books" contain. Then we would truly sing - "My hope is built on
nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." We would pray most earnestly
that the record be blotted out and we would be content to have our names alone
retained in the Lamb's Book of Life. In this vision of Zechariah is to be
found a suggestion of the "how" of the final atonement. Prefacing the announcement, that the removal of the iniquity will
be done in one day, was the placing of a stone before Joshua which had
"seven eyes" (3:9). This same designation for the Spirit of
God is given in Revelation 5:6. This same fullness, completeness, was given to
the One, who is to complete as our great High Priest, the final atonement (John
However, there is another aspect
implicit in the vision given to Zechariah. Joshua could have resisted the
attempt of the attendants of the Angel of the Lord to unclothe him; but if he
had, he would have remained clothed in filthy garments. Heaven does not force
us to accept Christ's righteousness which is freely offered. It is our choice
to do the one work required of God, and that is to "believe on Him whom He
hath sent" (John This removal of iniquity is stated
to be "in one day." It will be done by "the Lord of hosts"
who declares - "I will remove the iniquity" (Zech. 3:9). In the book
of Revelation is found a determinate decree that fixes human character and
destiny, followed immediately by the assertion - "And, behold, I come
quickly." It reads:
He
that is unjust, let him be unjust still: he which is
filthy, let him be filthy still: he that is righteous, let him be righteous
still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still ( This decree fits well into the
picture of the close of all human probation, when "no man (is) able to
enter into the temple" and the plagues of God's wrath are poured out to be
followed by the coming of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 15:8;
1 Tim. 2:5; Rev. 19:11-16). In the Greek text, the verbs in
Revelation 22:11 are in the third person imperative, of which there is no
equivalent in the English, and thus the helping verb, "let" is used.
(See Machen's New
Testament Greek for Beginners, p. 180) As is easily recognized in the KJV,
the verse is made up of couplets: "unjust" and "filthy" as
well as "righteous" and "holy." In the Greek Text (Textus
Receptus) underlying the KJV, the two couplets
stand in contrasting relationship to each other. The verbs associated with
"unjust" and "filthy" are in the active voice, while the
verbs connected with “righteous" and "holy" are in the passive
voice. (See Supplement #2) Simply stated, the unjust and the filthy continue in
their course of wickedness, while the righteous and the holy are acted upon in
order to be continued righteous and holy. In other words, their righteousness
or holiness is not of themselves. Either they have died in "the hope of
righteousness by faith" (Gal. 5:5); or they have been cleansed in the
final atonement. (For those interested in further study, the same contrast can
be seen in Paul's discussion of the Second Coming in I Cor. 15:51-54)
Supplement - #1
The
Lord has shown me that, Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to
Jesus Christ, ... And I saw that when God said to His Son, Let us make man in
our image, Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be
consulted
concerning the formation of man. ... He wished to be highest in heaven, next,
to God, and receive the highest honors. Until this time all heaven was in
order, harmony and perfect, subjection to the government of God. (Spiritual Gifts Vol. I, p.17)
All
heaven took a deep and Joyful interest, in the creation of man. Human beings
were a new and Page 6
distinct order.
(R&H,
God
created man a superior being; he alone is formed in the image of God, and is
capable of partaking of the divine nature; of co-operating with his Creator and
executing His plans.
(R&H,
Man
was the crowning act of the creation of God, made in the image of God, and
designed to be a counterpart of God; ...
(R&H,
Supplement #2
Interlinear Greek-English New
Testament by George
R. Berry based on the Textus Receptus
(Rev.
22:11).
*aorist
active imperative. The "unrighteous" are
continuing in their unrighteousness by their own volition, and the filthy are
getting filthier by their own choice. They have passed the point of no return.
**aorist
passive imperative. The righteous and the sanctified
have been acted upon. It is not their righteousness, but that which has been
provided through the redemption in Christ Jesus, and their sanctification is
likewise of Him whom God has "made unto us ... sanctification and
redemption" (I Cor.
The clause - " He that is
righteous let him be righteous still" - could read, "He that is
justified, let him be justified still." The same Greek word is used as in
the parable where Jesus said of the publican, "This man went down to his
house justified" (Luke
"Sanctify"
(αγιαζω)
is used 29x in the NT, and except in the KJV in Rev. 22:11
where it is translated "holy" and in the two recordings of the Lord's
Prayer where it is rendered, "hallowed," it consistently is
translated by some form of the word, "sanctify." Thus the author of
the interlinear used above is being consistent with the rest of the NT in his
use of "sanctified" for
αγιασθητω.
(Concluded)
Let's Talk It Over
A few days ago (This is being
written May 1), a message was left on our answering service, by a friend,
stating that the Federal Judge in Miami, who heard the case which the General
Conference Corporation had brought against Raphael Perez ruled in favor of the
Corporation. Where does this leave all those who are using the name Seventh-day
Adventist, or who are professing themselves as either "reformed" or
"historic" Seventh-day Adventists? One would hope now that some
degree of sanity could be restored among those manifesting a
zeal without knowledge. While it is true that the name
"Seventh-day Adventists" received the endorsement of Ellen G. White
as it would represent the uniqueness of two key teachings of Adventism, one
must ask today, are these two doctrines still unique to Adventism? And the
answer is clearly, no. There are other Sabbatarians
than Seventh-day Adventist as well as other church groups who believe in and
teach the near return of our Lord albeit not exactly as is taught in Adventism.
Furthermore, it is not that the Church has ceased to recognize the seventh day
Sabbath, or the historic teaching of the second coming of Jesus Christ, even
though it appears to be planning and doing as if the Lord had delayed His
coming. The very issues which have brought
contention within the community of Adventism - the lowering of standards in
their lifestyle, and deviation from, and mitigation of, the sanctuary teaching
involving the atonement of the Cross and the High Priestly ministry of Christ
in the Heavenly Sanctuary are not covered by the name Seventh-day Adventists.
Add to this, the continued contention over Justifica- Page 7
tion and/or Righteousness by Faith, plus
the conviction on the part of many that the Papacy needs to be exposed for what
it is, the antichrist of Bible prophecy. On the other hand, the hierarchy of
the Church rejects not only the message of 1888 but seeks to improve its
relations with
A comparison can be made with
ancient
It is significant that while the
Jewish houses of worship were referred to as "synagogues," a word
meaning places of assembly, the New Testament notes the places of worship for
"the followers of the way" as churches (ekklhsiai),
the word meaning "called out" ones. Indeed the Christian churches
were composed of those who had been called out not only from the worship in
pagan temples but also from the fallen House of Israel. Even the early Christians meeting in
homes were referred to as a part of the
ecclesia. Paul speaks of the
"church that is in their house" in sending greetings to Priscilla and
Two incidents recorded in the book
of Acts need to be considered. When Paul began his ministry in
The next incident is found in Acts
19. Paul had come to If we would be not only Followers of
the Way, but also Bible believing Adventists, the guise of upholding
"historic" Adventism would be revealed for what it is, a deception.
WEBSITE
E-
Originally published by Adventist Laymen's Foundation of Mississippi/Arkansas
Wm. H. Grotheer, Editor
Adventist Laymen's Foundation was chartered in 1971 by Elder Wm. H. Grotheer, then 29 years in the Seventh-day Adventist
ministry, and associates, for the benefit of Seventh-day Adventists who were deeply concerned about the compromises of fundamental
doctrines by the Church leaders in conference with those who had no right to influence them. Elder Grotheer began to publish the monthly "Thought Paper," Watchman, What of the Night? (WWN) in January, 1968, and continued the publication as Editor until the end of 2006. Elder Grotheer died on May 2, 2009.
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