adventist thought trends

8/7/2019 Adventist Thought Trends

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Adventist

Thought

Trends

Mark Shipowick


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Adventist Thought Trends

There are a number of areas where new

interpretations of prophecy and scripture

are being advanced in Adventism. Forexample, some thought leaders of the

church have recently advanced a future

day for day application of the 1260 daysof Daniel and Revelation; other

Adventists are concerned about the

adoption of the trinity doctrine; with

others the human nature of Christ is being discussed. Another trend within

the church is the many speakers and

lecture series available for young people

on how to study the Bible and EllenWhite. This paper is to provide a review

of some of the trends in prophetic anddoctrinal understanding in the church

and at the same time to look at the

question of how to search the inspiredwritings.

The topic list is hyperlinked.

Studying Scripture and Ellen

White. Reapplications made by Ellen

White: Some statements

reapplying parts of Daniel 11, 12

and Revelation 4 to 11 to thefuture.

Statements by Ellen White

Against Time Setting.

The Golden Altar, the Plagues

and the Battle of Armageddon.

The Abomination of Desolation

and the Daily. The Little Horn

Day/Day Applications of theProphecies

Ezekiels temple.

Islam, the Fall of Communismand 9/11 in Prophecy.

The Human and Divine Natures

of Christ.

The Trinity.

Studying Scripture and Ellen White

Ellen White makes several clear

statements warning us against time

setting. She also makes a number ofstatements that reapply prophecies to the

future which appear to open the door to

future time prophecies. She makesothers indicating that the close of

probation occurs before the plagues

begin to fall. But still others that apply

the latter rain to the Battle of

Armageddon which occurs during the plagues. Regarding the daily of

Daniel, she claimed she had no light onthe meaning of it on the one hand but

appears to say that the pioneers (and by

implication herself) did understand thedaily correctly.

A common approach among Adventists

with Ellen Whites writings is to accept

the clearer statements and put the less

clear statements to the side. In the past,the author has done that himself with her

writings and scripture. But isnt this amistake? Our mandate as students is to

accept all inspired statements, and where

there are apparent contradictions, not to

prefer one statement over another. It isaccepting the things in Inspiration that

we dont understand, that appear to

contradict each other, that requires faith.

Ellen White makes a number ofstatements saying that when Daniel and

Revelation are properly understood and

practically applied the end-time, globalrevival will come. Here are two of them:

"The book of Revelation openswith an injunction to us to


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understand the instruction that itcontains. Blessed is he that

readeth and they that hear the

words of this prophecy," God

declares, and keep those things

which are written therein: for thetime is at hand. When we as a

people understand what thisbook means to us there will be

seen among us a great revival.

Testimonies to Ministers, Page113.

To those who truly love God the

Holy Spirit will reveal truths that

have faded from the mind, and

will also reveal truths that areentirely new. Those who eat the

flesh and drink the blood of theSon of God will bring from the

books of Daniel and Revelation

truth that is inspired by the Holy

Spirit. They will start into action

forces that cannot be repressed.

The lips of children will be

opened to proclaim the mysteriesthat have been hidden from the

minds of men. The Lord haschosen the foolish things of thisworld to confound the wise, and

the weak things of the world to

confound the mighty.

.-- Review and Herald, August17, 1897.

One of the results of a careful study ofRevelation will be a clearer view of

future aspects of the great controversy

that are revealed there. God revealsHimself in history, past and future. Its

when we allow all of the inspired

statements of scripture and prophecy to

speak that we will see God revealed inscripture more fully.

Reapplications made by Ellen White

Below is a fascinating quote from Ellen

White. The quote below is remarkablefor several reasons. It was written

December 22, 1890, from Washington,D. C., to Ellen Whites "Dear Children,

Edson, Emma, and Willie." The firstpart of the letter gives her children the

news of what shes been doing and there

is nothing remarkable there. But, thesecond half launches into a description

of final events. Among many other

interesting comments on the end of timeshe says:

The power of the Holy Ghostmust be upon us, and the Captain

of the Lord's host will stand atthe head of the angels of heaven

to direct the battle. Solemn

events before us are yet to

transpire. Trumpet after

trumpet is to be sounded, vial

after vial poured out one after

another upon the inhabitants of

the earth. {14MR 287.1}

This statement is one of a group of

similar statements where Ellen White

makes a future application to thetrumpets and seals of Revelation. The

problem some Adventists have with

applying this reference to the trumpets(Revelation 8 to 11) to the future is that

there are time prophecies in it. They

reason that if no future time propheciesare allowed, we have two options: 1)

strike the time elements from the

prophecy and then reapply them or 2)deny any future application. Is either

option sound? And, is that what Ellen

White intended in her statements against

time setting?


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Revelation warns to not add or take from

the Book. This is one area where we

need to ensure we do not set one inspiredstatement against another, but let both

speak until were able to reconcile them.

Below is another quote on the same

topic. This one places both the seals andtrumpet in the future:

My imagination anticipated what

it must be in that period when the

Lord's mighty voice shall givecommission to His angels, "Go

your ways, and pour out the

vials of the wrath of God upon

the earth" (Rev. 16:1). Thyright hand, O God, shall dash in

pieces Thine enemies.

Revelation 6 and 7 are full of

meaning. Terrible are the

judgments of God revealed. Theseven angels stood before God to

receive their commission. To

them were given seven trumpets.

The Lord was going forth to punish the inhabitants of the

earth for their iniquity, and theearth was to disclose her bloodand no more cover her slain.

Give the description in chapter 6.

When the plagues of God

shall come upon the earth hail,will fall upon the wicked about

the weight of a talent. The hail

had struck Brother Belden. Onestone struck him on the back of

the head, raising a large lump.

{15MR 219.2 220.1}

See also T9 267 where Ellen Whiteplaces the seals in the future by linking

the seals to the plagues.

Turning from the trumpets to the

thunders, in the quote below, Ellen

White places the seven thunders ofRevelation 10 in the future and links

them to the time when the three angels

messages are repeated under the latterrain.

After these seven thunders

uttered their voices, the

injunction comes to John as toDaniel in regard to the little

book: "Seal up those things

which the seven thundersuttered." These relate to future

events which will be disclosed

in their order. Daniel shall standin his lot at the end of the days.John sees the little book

unsealed. Then Daniel's

prophecies have their proper place in the first, second, and

third angels' messages to be

given to the world. The unsealingof the little book was the

message in relation to time.

{7BC 971.4}

Some Adventists put this in the past

pointing to parts of the passage where

she makes a past application. But the part quoted above has a future

application based on common English

usage. What should we do with it?

Regarding Revelation 11 Ellen White

reapplies it to the time just before theclose of probation when God rains fire

and brimstone as well as other less

supernatural disasters on the great cities

of the world.

Out of the cities, is my message

at this time. Be assured that thecall is for our people to locate

miles away from the large cities.


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One look at San Francisco as it is

today would speak to your

intelligent minds, showing youthe necessity of getting out of the

cities. . . . {LDE 95.2}

The Lord calls for His people to

locate away from the cities, forin such an hour as ye think not,

fire and brimstone will be rained

from heaven upon these cities.

Proportionate to their sins will be

their visitation. When one city isdestroyed, let not our people

regard this matter as a light

affair, and think that they may, if

favorable opportunity offers, build themselves homes in that

same destroyed city. . . . {LDE95.3}

Let all who would understand

the meaning of these things

read the eleventh chapter of

Revelation. Read every verse,

and learn the things that are yet

to take place in the cities. Read

also the scenes portrayed in theeighteenth chapter of the same

book.--MR 1518 (May 10, 1906).

{LDE 95.4}

Readers may want to pause here and

review Rev 11 then review again how

she has applied this. Rather than lookingfor a future fulfillment that closely

parallels our past interpretation, (see the

Great Controversy, chapter 15) note howwidely different her future application is.

The sins of atheistic France -

licentiousness and idolatry - will be thehallmarks of the cities that in the future

bear the judgments of God, but beyond

that, we have to let the prophecy speak

for itself. Ellen White is clearly

speaking as a prophet here in applying

this prophecy to the future destruction of

our cities.

Personally, I would never have applied

this passage as shes done. In my view,only inspiration could make such an

application. Ifshe does this is it safe to

take the time elements out of thechapter?

Wouldnt it be safer to go back and look

at her statements on time prophecies and

see if our assumptions about hermeaning are correct? And if we still

cant reconcile them, would it not be

better to not prefer one set of statements

over another.

Heres another fascinating application toa different prophecy, Daniel 10:

Study the tenth chapter of Daniel,

and mark particularly thefourteenth verse. "Now I am

come to make thee understand

what shall befall thy people inthe latter days: for yet the vision

is for many days" (Daniel 10:14).

When our brethren and ministersshall feel the burden that should

rest upon them, they will not be

content with a few surface truths.They will sink the shaft deep, and

will have the spirit that Daniel

possessed.

In the above passage two things capture

my attention: One is the implication that

the vision applies to the very end of timeprimarily and the second is that we will

need the spirit of Daniel to stand at that

time.

The vision that chapter 10 introduces

which is in chapters 11 and 12, contains

the most detailed information on the


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abomination of desolation, the passages

in Daniel that Christ has told us to read

and understand. When ye thereforeshall see the abomination of desolation,

spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in

the holy place, (whoso readeth, let himunderstand:) Then let them which be

in Judaea flee into the mountains.

Matthew 24:15.

The same warning regarding the

abomination of desolation contained in

Daniel 11 is contained in and expandedupon in chapter 12. Regarding that

warning Ellen White says:

Let us read and study the twelfth

chapter of Daniel. It is a warningthat we shall all need to

understand before the time of the

end.--15 MR 228 (1903). {LDE

15.4}

Ellen White expands on the dual

application of the abomination ofdesolation in the quote below:

By the decree enforcing theinstitution of the papacy in

violation of the law of God, our

nation [the United States] willdisconnect herself fully from

righteousness.... {Mar 199.3}

As the approach of the Roman

armies was a sign to the disciplesof the impending destruction of

Jerusalem, so may this apostasy

be a sign to us that the limit ofGod's forbearance is reached,

that the measure of our nation's

iniquity is full, and that the angelof mercy is about to take her

flight, never to return. The people

of God will then be plunged into

those scenes of affliction and

distress which prophets have

described as the time of Jacob's

trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to

heaven. And as the blood of Abel

cried from the ground, there arevoices also crying to God from

martyrs' graves, from the

sepulchers of the sea, frommountain caverns, from

convents vaults: "How long, O

Lord, holy and true, dost thou not

judge and avenge our blood onthem that dwell on the earth?

{Mar 199.4}

When the fifth seal was

opened, John the Revelator invision saw beneath the altar the

company that were slain for theWord of God and the testimony

of Jesus Christ. After this came

the scenes described in the

eighteenth of Revelation, whenthose who are faithful and true

are called out from Babylon.

{Mar 199.5}Christ will restore the life

taken; for He is the Life-giver:

He will beautify the righteouswith immortal life. {Mar 199.6}

Below is another passage where EllenWhite draws our attention to the

abomination of desolation:

Soon the scenes of trouble

spoken of in the prophecies willtake place. The prophecy in the

eleventh of Daniel has nearly

reached its complete fulfillment.Much of the history that has

taken place in fulfillment of this

prophecy will be repeated. In the

thirtieth verse a power is spokenof that "shall be grieved, and

return, and have indignation


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against the holy covenant: so

shall he do; he shall even return,

and have intelligence with themthat forsake the holy covenant."

[Verses 31-36, quoted.] {13MR

394.1}

According the Sister White then, it isimportant that we understand the

warning in Daniel 12. Do we understand

the warning? Or are we assuming weunderstand more than we do?

Moving on now, what about theintroductory scenes to the seals and

trumpets, Revelation 4 and 5 and

Revelation 8:1-5 respectively? Here's aquote on Revelation 5:

The fifth chapter of Revelation

needs to be closely studied. It isof great importance to those who

shall act a part in the work of

God for these last days. There aresome who are deceived. They do

not realize what is coming on the

earth. {9T 267.}

That Ellen White above is applying Rev.

5 to the future is clear. The question is,

where in the future is she applying it to?The context of her application is to the

'little time of trouble' just before

probation closes and to the plagues.Some have noted that in other places,

she places Revelation 5 and the opening

of the little book at the executive judgment during the millennium. Here

is one of her statements where she does

this:

Thus the Jewish leaders made

their choice [to reject and crucifyChrist]. Their decision wasregistered in the book which John

saw in the hand of Him that sat

upon the throne, the book which

no man could open. In all its

vindictiveness this decision will

appear before them in the day

when this book is unsealed by

the Lion of the tribe of Judah.{COL 294.1}

This is a second application that shemakes. But do we use this statement to

overrule the first one quoted or the

following one where she applies

Revelation 5 to today:

It was the Lion of the tribe of

Judah who unsealed the book and

gave to John the revelation ofwhat should be in these last days.

{TM 115.2}

This is another example of where we

have to let all of her statements speak.

Note how she ends this same statement:

A wonderful connection is seen

between the universe of heavenand this world. The things

revealed to Daniel were

afterward complemented by therevelation made to John on the

Isle of Patmos. These two books

should be carefully studied.Twice Daniel inquired, How long

shall it be to the end of time?

Daniel 12:8-13 quoted.

It was the Lion of the tribe

of Judah who unsealed the

book and gave to John the

revelation of what should be in

these last days. . .The book of

Daniel is unsealed in the

revelation to John, and carries usforward to the last scenes of this

earth's history.

Will our brethren bear in mind

that we are living amid the perils


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of the last days? Read Revelation

in connection with Daniel. Teach

these things. TM 115.

Ellen Whites Statements AgainstTime Setting

In the passages quoted above, is EllenWhite saying study the principles of

these prophecies; the time elements have

no future application? Or, is she sayingstudy the prophecies themselves in detail

and from that you will understand the

principles? Do her statements against

time setting mean that there cannot be

any future time elements in end-timeprophecies?

Lets look at some of her strongest

statements against time setting:

Beware of anyone who would set

a time for the Lord to fulfill His

word in regard to His coming, orin regard to any other promise He

has made of special significance.

"It is not for you to know thetimes or the seasons, which theFather hath put in His own

power. . . .

We would see the truth

developing and expanding in

lines of which we have littledreamed, but it will never

develop in any line that will lead

us to imagine that we may know

the times and the seasons whichthe Father hath put in His own

power. Again and again have I

been warned in regard to timesetting. There will never again be

a message for the people of God

that will be based on time. Weare not to know the definite time

either for the outpouring of the

Holy Spirit or for the coming of

Christ. {1SM 188.1}

I suggest that the above quote is saying

anyone who uses the prophecies ofscripture to predict the second coming,

the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or the

close of probation accurately to the veryday or close to the very day is in error.

But is it also saying that there are no

future time prophecies whatsoever?

Some interpret the following quotes assaying that:

I plainly stated at the Jackson

camp meeting to these fanaticalparties that they were doing the

work of the adversary of souls;they were in darkness. They

claimed to have great light that

probation would close in

October, 1884. I there stated in public that the Lord had been

pleased to show me that there

would be no definite time in themessage given of God since

1844.--2SM 73 (1885). {LDE

35.2}

Our position has been one of

waiting and watching, with notime-proclamation to intervene

between the close of the

prophetic periods in 1844 and the

time of our Lord's coming.--10MR 270 (1888). {LDE 36.1}

The people will not have anothermessage upon definite time.

After this period of time [Rev.

10:4-6], reaching from 1842 to1844, there can be no definite

tracing of the prophetic time. The

longest reckoning reaches to the


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autumn of 1844.--7BC 971

(1900).

It seems to me that the main idea in the

above passages is that there will not be

any message for Gods people based ontime prophecies such as the message

given by the Millerites that the Lord

would return by a certain date.Apparently, we are not to teach the time

of the close of probation, the latter rain

or return of Christ. But do these

statements, especially the last one, alsoteach there are no time prophecies after

1844?

The kinds of date setting that EllenWhite counsels against are specific.

That she specifies which future dates arenot allowed suggests to me that other

time prophecies are. Her position

regarding time prophecies after 1844

clearly teaches the longest reckoningends there. But her warning against time

setting in that context was against

reapplying the major day/year prophecies beyond 1844. Did she also

mean there are no further prophecies

after that date whatsoever?

Since Ellen White reapplies the

trumpets, seals, and several otherprophecies that contain time elements to

the future we, as a church need to be

careful before we decide to effectively

rewrite them, stripping them of theirtime elements, based on what we think

some of her other statements say.

Before we rule out all literal timeapplications of end-time prophecy -

where these very prophecies primarily

apply - we need to look at all theevidence carefully. In the spiritual world

as in the scientific world the simplest,

most direct explanation is the preferred

one. A literal reading of scripture is the

preferred method unless there is a clear

reason within the text to interpret it

differently.

This short overview is meant as a

primer. I appeal to my brothers andsisters: To all those who are interested

in understanding our prophetic message

more clearly, we need meet together andstudy these things out prayerfully and

carefully.

The Ministry of the Golden Altar, the

Plagues and the Battle of

Armageddon

Most Adventists believe and teach that

the plagues of Revelation 16 can onlyfall after the close of probation. Ellen

White seems to make plain statements in

that regard. (See below.) While its truethere are some statements that appear to

support that position, there are others

that need to be given their weight.Again, the challenge were faced with is

to let both kinds of statements speak,

even though one may appear tocontradict the other. As students of theWord, we have to come to the level of

maturity in our study where we no

longer demand that we reconcile allinspired statements and failing that to

choose one over another. This area, the

ministry at the golden altar at the closeof the Day of Atonement, is one that in

my view cries out to us for greater study.

Regarding the introduction to thetrumpets, Revelation 8:2-5, we have seen

above that the trumpets are primarily in

the future. If the trumpets are in thefuture, this introductory scene in the first

part of Revelation 8 would be future as

well.


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And I saw the seven angels

which stood before God; and to

them were given seven trumpets.And another angel came and

stood at the altar, having a golden

censer; and there was given untohim much incense, that he should

offer [it] with the prayers of all

saints upon the golden altarwhich was before the throne.

And the smoke of the incense,

[which came] with the prayers of

the saints, ascended up beforeGod out of the angel's hand. And

the angel took the censer, and

filled it with fire of the altar, and

cast [it] into the earth: and therewere voices, and thunderings,

and lightnings, and anearthquake. Revelation 8:2-5

Some think, based on statements from

Ellen White, that the throwing down of

fire just before the trumpets sound is the

same as the throwing down of the censor

at the close of probation. But lets lookbriefly at these and others of her inspired

statements and scripture and see if there

isnt room for further study.

This scene parallels the ones in Isaiah 6

and Ezekiel 1 to 3 and 9 and 10, and Isuggest it describes the latter rain, the

baptism of the church with fire foretold

by John the Baptist. Ellen White seems

to agree:

Let God's workmen study the

sixth chapter of Isaiah, and thefirst and second chapters of

Ezekiel. {TM 213.2}

To the prophet the wheelwithin a wheel, the appearances

of living creatures connected

with them, all seemed intricate

and unexplainable. But the hand

of Infinite Wisdom is seen

among the wheels, and perfect

order is the result of its work.Every wheel works in perfect

harmony with every other. {TM

213.3}

Placing this scene at the beginning of the

latter rain harmonizes with Ellen Whitesother statements where she indicates that

the wise virgins will be spotless at the

time the latter rain is poured out and that,

while probation is closed for the unwisewho lack the sanctifying grace of the

Holy Spirit, it remains open for those

who havent yet heard the third angels

message. In these and other quotes thatwell look at below we have a picture of

a progressive closing of probation thatoccurs during the judgments of the

trumpets, seals and plagues.

Commenting on the trumpets and plagues, about 100 years ago, an

Adventist minister, George Fifield

wrote:

Almost the whole typology of the

Bible depends upon the fact thatthe leading of the children of

Israel out of Egypt, across the

Red Sea, and into the land ofCanaan, is a type of the leading

of the true Israel out of the

darkness of this world into the

true Canaan of rest. The force ofthis type is recognized in the

book of Revelation, where the

redeemed on the sea of glass arerepresented as singing the song

of Moses and the Lamb. The two

songs are one; one is the type ofthe other. The children of Israel

were delivered by a series of

plagues through which God

revealed himself to the


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Egyptians, and also revealed his

hatred of the sin of idolatry.

Those plagues were not sent todestroy the Egyptians

meaninglessly, through a motive

of wrath, but to reveal God tothem, giving them one more, one

last, chance to go with his

people; and all this through themotive of love. God is to set his

hand a second time to the

deliverance of Israel. He will

make a final revelation to theworld of himself and of his

hatred of sin.

John says, I looked, and, behold,the temple of the tabernacle of

the testimony in heaven wasopened: and the seven angels

came out of the temple, having

the seven plagues, . . . and the

temple was filled with smokefrom the glory of God, and from

his power; and no man was able

to enter into the temple, TILLTHE SEVEN PLAGUES OF

THE SEVEN ANGELS WERE

FULFILLED. In these words,the Lord definitely informs us

just how the plagues stand

related, in point of time, to theclosing work in the heavenly

sanctuary, and therefore to the

closing of probation. This is the

antitype; to understand it wemust go back to the type.

When was the time, and the onlytime in the yearly round of the

earthly ministration, when the

temple was filled with smoke,and no man permitted to enter?

Was it after the ministration was

completed, and probation as

typified by that years

ministration at an end? Or was it

during the closing moments of

that ministration, while the high priest was in the most holy

place? We answer, the last is the

truth. The tenth day of theseventh month was the day of

atonement. The high priest,

however, did not really enter themost holy place to make the final

atonement until the closing

minutes of that day, just before

sunset. During the day theassistant priest were in the

temple, but when the climax was

reached, the high priest went into

the holy of holies alone; all-other priests retired even from the

outer apartment of the temple,the temple was filled with smoke,

and none permitted to enter till

the ministration was completed.

(See Lev 16:13, 17; andelsewhere.) This is the type; and

Rev. 15:8 is the antitype.

Since the termination of the

prophetic periods, in 1844, we

have been the day of atonement,but the assistant priests have been

in the temple above, and the

ministration as has been going onin the outer apartment as well.

When the hour of the atonement

arrives, all will retire, Jesus will

enter the holy of holies alone,and at that time, not after he

comes out and the door is shut,

will the plagues be poured out.

With this statement, every text in

the Scriptures that relates at all tothe closing of probation is in

perfect agreement, while they are

all in direct antagonism to the

idea that probation closes before


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the plagues being to fall. It must

be remembered, however, that

when we speak of the closing of probation, we mean, not the

closing of probation for some

individuals, but the completeclosing of probation for the

world. This distinction is all-

important, for we have seen thatthe marking and sealing work, or

the closing of probation, is

progressive, and covers a period

of time. The plagues fall uponthose who have the mark of the

beast, that is, upon those person

whose probation is closed,

because they have fullycommitted themselves to the

powers of evil.

But while they fall upon

individuals whose probation is

closed, they fall before the probation of all the world is

closed, that is, before all have

taken the final step that commitsthem wholly to evil. They fall for

the purpose of so revealing gods

truth and his wrath against sin, asto help those who are deciding, to

decide aright.

Satan, the Bible says, will be

working with all power and

signs, and lying wonders, and

with all deceivableness ofunrighteousness, so that, if it

were possible, he would deceive

the very elect. Under thesecircumstances, if God wrought

only with the silent power of the

truth, some honest souls, whoseintellects have not been trained to

quickly recognize and appreciate

the truth, might be deceived. God

will not permit this, He will set

his hand a second time to deliver

his people. He will manifest

himself openly and mightily, asof old.

The Son of God, the divineWord, will be in the temple

during the plagues, for after in

the temple during the plagues, forafter the pouring out of the

seventh vial his voice is heard

out of the temple from the throne,

that is, from the inner apartmentof the heavenly sanctuary, saying

It is done.

After the sixth plague is pouredout, this solemn warning is

given, Behold, I come as a thief.Blessed is he that watcheth, and

keepeth his garments, lest he

walk naked, and they see his

shame. All will admit that this isspeaking of the garments of

divine righteousness, with which

the redeemed will be clothed.Then there is danger that this

garment may be lost at that time,

else why this solemn warning?But if the garment of

righteousness can be lost after six

plagues have been poured out,then it can also be gained; for at

the same time that the Lord says,

He that is righteous, let him be

righteous still, he says also, Hethat is filthy, let him be filthy

still. Therefore probation is not

closed after the sixth plague is poured out.

And he gathereth them into a place called in the Hebrew

tongue Armageddon. It is under

this plague that the wicked are

gathered for the great battle. Joel


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describes this same gathering

thus: Assemble yourselves, and

come, all ye heather, and gatheryourselves together round about:

thither cause thy mighty ones to

come down, O Lord. Let theheathen be wakened, and come

up to the valley of Jehoshaphat:

for there will I sit to judge all theheather round about. Put ye in the

sickle, for the harvest is ripe:

come, get you down; for the

press is full, the fats overflow;for their wickedness is great.

Multitudes, multitudes in the

valley of decision: for the day of

the Lord is near in the valley ofdecision. Here it is seen that

when they are gathered here,under the sixth plague, instead of

their cases all having been

decided long before, they are

right now in the valley ofdecision, where they must make

their choice at once. How

appropriate, then, the warning towatch, lest the heavenly garment

be lost.

The prophet Zephaniah, speaking

of this gathering of the wicked

who are without shame, of, asone translator puts it, without

desire of repentance, says:

Gather yourselves together, yea,

gather together, O nation notdesired; before the decree bring

forth, before the day pass as the

chaff, before the fierce anger ofthe Lord comes upon you, before

the day of the Lords anger

comes upon you. Then hespeaks of the righteous with an

admonition much like that in

Revelation about the garments of

righteousness: Seek ye the Lord,

all ye meek of the earth, which

have wrought his judgment; seek

righteousness, seek meekness: itmay be ye shall be hid in the day

of the Lords anger. Here this

gathering, which is under thesixth plague, is plainly declared

to be before the decree bring

forth, before the day pass as thechaff, as it is before the fierce

anger of the Lord against sin,

which under the seventh plague

destroys the unrepentant sinnerfrom the earth. (George Fifield,

God is Love, Ch. 23)

Some Adventists are going to beuncomfortable with the above because

Fifield appears to directly contradict thewritings of Ellen White that probation

closes first and then the plagues are

poured out. (See, for example, her

statement below.) But, lets keepreading. She has more to say on the

plagues, the Battle of Armageddon, and

the close of probation. Again, the authorhas not been able to reconcile all of

these. But friends, we need to study

them out without prejudging the issue oreach other. Here is her first statement

that some believe leaves no possible

room for salvation after the plaguesbegin to fall:

It was impossible for the plagues

to be poured out while Jesusofficiated in the sanctuary; but as

His work there is finished, and

His intercession closes, there isnothing to stay the wrath of God,

and it breaks with fury upon the

shelterless head of the guiltysinner, who has slighted salvation

and hated reproof. EW 280.


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Notice in the above sentence and

following, Ellen White says it was not

possible for the plagues to fall whileChrist was in the sanctuary. But she

says, as . . . His intercession closes,

which may suggest that while Hisintercession is closing and while He is

still in the sanctuary, the plagues begin

to fall. So we have a statement thatsome see as proof that probation for all

is closed at the beginning of the plagues,

on closer reading may say differently.

That the plagues begin to fall as theintercession of Christ closes is also

implied in the next few sentences in the

same statement. She again leaves room

for the plagues to fall while He finisheshis ministry not only in the Most Holy

place but also before the golden altar inthe Holy Place.

In that fearful time, after the

close of Jesus' mediation, thesaints were living in the sight of a

holy God without an intercessor.

Every case was decided, everyjewel numbered. Jesus tarried amoment in the outer apartment

of the heavenly sanctuary, and

the sins which had been

confessed while He was in the

most holy place were placed

upon Satan, the originator of

sin, who must suffer their

punishment. Then I saw Jesus

lay off His priestly attire and

clothe Himself with His most

kingly robes. {EW 280}

This latter statement is worth close

investigation. She was shown that every

persons case was decided in the Holiest,that everyone was sealed by that

ministry, but that His intercession

continued for a brief time there and in

the outer apartment when the sins that

had been confessed while He was in the

Holiest were placed on Satan. The

plagues apparently begin to fall as Hiswork . . . closes.

Ellen White makes a number of otherstatements that also appear to disagree

with our position that probation is

completely closed when the first plaguefalls. Many of these deal with the Battle

of Armageddon that occurs in the

seventh plague which she links in a

group of statements to the parable of theten virgins and the Loud Cry. Here are

some of them:

I saw that none could share the"refreshing," unless they obtain

the victory over every besetment,over pride, selfishness, love of

the world, and over every wrong

word and action. We should,

therefore, be drawing nearer andnearer to the Lord, and be

earnestly seeking that preparation

necessary to enable us to stand inthe battle in the day of theLord. Let all remember that God

is holy, and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His

presence. {CET 113.1}

The angel, the mighty angel

from heaven, is to lighten the

earth with his glory, while he

cries mightily with a loud voice,

"Babylon the great is fallen, is

fallen" (Rev. 18:2). Oh, how I

wish the church to arise andshine because the glory of the

Lord has risen upon her. What

can we not do in God if everyhuman agency is doing its very

utmost! "Without Me ye can do

nothing" (John 15:5). We would

lose faith and courage in the


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conflict if we were not sustained

by the power of God. Every form

of evil is to spring into intenseactivity. Evil angels unite their

powers with evil men, and as

they have been in constantconflict and attained an

experience in the best modes of

deception and battle, and havebeen strengthening for centuries,

they will not yield the last great

final contest without a desperate

struggle. All the world will be

on one side or the other of the

question. The battle of

Armageddon will be fought,

and that day must find none ofus sleeping. Wide-awake we

must be, as wise virgins having

oil in our vessels with our

lamps. What is this? Grace,

Grace. {14MR 286.3}

The power of the Holy Ghost

must be upon us, and the

Captain of the Lord's host willstand at the head of the angels of

heaven to direct the battle.

Solemn events before us are yetto transpire. Trumpet after

trumpet is to be sounded, vial

after vial poured out one after

another upon the inhabitants of

the earth. {14MR 287.1}

We are [to] think how heavenregards these events, and to be in

harmony with the transactions

going on in heaven in preparing apeople to stand in this, the day of

the Lord, and having done all to

stand [Eph. 6:13]. Let the lightand power of the sunbeams of

righteousness enter into the soul.

[Rev. 19:1-6, quoted.] {14MR

288.2}

We need to study the pouring

out of the seventh vial. The

powers of evil will not yield up

the conflict without a struggle.

But Providence has a part toact in the battle of

Armageddon. When the earth

is lighted with the glory of the

angel of Revelation eighteen,

the religious elements, good

and evil, will awake from

slumber, and the armies of the

living God will take the field.

{Mar 257.1}

The last quote above is probably the

plainest, directly linking the Battle ofArmageddon to the latter rain. Given the

above, we as Adventists need to ask

ourselves, what is the true order of

events at the close of probation and whatis the connection between Armageddon

and the latter rain? Notice in the 16th

and 18th chapter of Revelation thatBabylon isn't judged and destroyed until

the seventh plague. Notice the parallel to

Armageddon in the sixth plague of Rev16 and the description of the sixth

trumpet in Rev 10 and 11. These appear

to be aspects of the same event, the latterrain. This conclusion of mine is

tentative like much of the above but the

evidence continues to accumulate. Im

hoping others will join in studying thesethings. The church now more than ever

needs students of prophecy who are

willing to allow the inspired writings, allof them, to speak.

I presented the above quotes onArmageddon to an internet prophecy

forum and here is one response:

Mark, I reread the quotes you

posted and I did not see where


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she said some would receive the

seal of God after the plagues

begin to fall. How could they?Jesus ceases His intercession in

heaven and then the plagues are

poured out. No one can be savedwithout Jesus' intercession.

The above is an example of an individualusing one inspired statement to overrule

another. The gentleman is right that no-

one can be saved without theintercession of Christ. But the question

were addressing is when does the

intercession of Christ cease at thefalling of the first plague or sometime

shortly afterward? This author doesnt

have a complete answer, but Id suggestthe reader consider that probation may

close progressively, as taught by the

parable of the ten virgins: It may close

first for the unwise virgins and then forthe world. Here are two inspired

statements along those lines:

I saw that many were neglecting

the preparation so needful andwere looking to the time of

"refreshing" and the "latter rain"to fit them to stand in the day of

the Lord and to live in His sight.Oh, how many I saw in the time

of trouble without a shelter! They

had neglected the needfulpreparation; therefore they could

not receive the refreshing that all

must have to fit them to live inthe sight of a holy God. Those

who refuse to be hewed by the

prophets and fail to purify theirsouls in obeying the whole truth,and who are willing to believe

that their condition is far better

than it really is, will come up tothe time of the falling of the

plagues, and then see that they

needed to be hewed and squared

for the building. But there will be

no time then to do it and no

Mediator to plead their causebefore the Father. EW 71.

The above statement by Ellen White andsome of her others appear to say

probation is closed for everyone at the

falling of the first plague. But noticewhat she says in the following statement:

The time of God's destructive

judgments is the time of mercy

for those who have no

opportunity to learn what is

truth. Tenderly will the Lord

look upon them. His heart ofmercy is touched; His hand is

still stretched out to save, while

the door is closed to those who

would not enter. Large numbers

will be admitted who in these last

days hear the truth for the firsttime.--Letter 103, June 3, 190.

This picture of a progressive closing of probation, on the surface, appears to

contradict other statements in Early

Writings but we can be confident thatthere is an underlying harmony whether

we see it or not. We may never be able

to reconcile all inspired statements fully.But lets not let any fall to the ground.

And before leaving the topic, notice also

that a progressive closing of probationapplies to those who reject truth, but a

progressive closing of probation applies

in a different way to the saints. Whereasprobation closes earlier for those who

have rejected truth than for those who

have never heard the truth before, for thefinal generation, the saints must be

grounded in the truth and washed in the

blood of the Lamb in order to receive the

latter rain. This is the times of


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refreshing, the final sealing time, when

the sins of the repentant of all

generations are blotted out and the livingsaints are prepared for the final test of

loyalty to God. At the end of the latter

rain period Gods people are required tochoose between the laws of men and the

Sabbath and the law of God. It is when

the church shows her loyalty to God andfidelity to the truth in this final test that

the church is finally and fully sealed.

Silence in Heaven and Glory Filling

the Temple

Some point to the glory of God filling

the temple in heaven so that no man canenter while the plagues are poured out as

evidence that there is no intercessionduring the plagues. On the surface that

seems to be a reasonable conclusion.

But what do the inspired writings say?

Speaking of the offering of incense Ellen

White comments:

In the offering of incense the

priest was brought more directlyinto the presence of God than inany other act of the daily

ministration. As the inner veil of

the sanctuary did not extend tothe top of the building, the glory

of God, which was manifested

above the mercy seat, was partially visible from the first

apartment. When the priestoffered incense before the

Lord, he looked toward theark; and as the cloud of incense

arose, the divine glory

descended upon the mercy seat

and filled the most holy place,

and often so filled both

apartments that the priest was

obliged to retire to the door of

the tabernacle. As in that typical

service the priest looked by faith

to the mercy seat which he couldnot see, so the people of God are

now to direct their prayers to

Christ, their great high priest,who, unseen by human vision, is

pleading in their behalf in the

sanctuary above.In the three descriptions of the earthly

sanctuaries in Scripture the tabernacle,

Solomons temple and Ezekiels temple -

the glory of God fills them so that no-one can enter when they are first set up

and the priesthood is sanctified and

ordained for service.

Besides the Day of Atonement, these are

the occasions where no-one isministering in the holy place of the

temple. So we should be asking, what

type applies to the scene just before the

plagues begin to fall when smoke fillsthe temple and no one can enter until

they end the dedication and ordination

scenes of the ancient service or thetypical Day of Atonement, or both? I

suggest both apply and heres why:

In the dedications and ordination

services we have a picture of the end

time church putting its house in order.Through contrition and repentance,

meekness and humility, the church seeks

God with an undivided heart and

becomes qualified in character torepresent Him in the final loud cry

message. His glory fills the temple of

their souls. Theres no longer room forearthly elements to deface His image in

them. They are clothed with the

righteousness of Christ and the post-Laodocean, Spirit-filled church is

readied to make her final conquest. It is

when Gods people come in to line that


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Christ will finally take the seven sealed

book:

And when he had taken the book,the four beasts and four [and]

twenty elders fell down before

the Lamb, having every one ofthem harps, and golden vials full

of odours, which are the prayers

of saints. And they sung a newsong, saying, Thou art worthy to

take the book, and to open the

seals thereof: for thou wast slain,

and hast redeemed us to God bythy blood out of every kindred,

and tongue, and people, and

nation; And hast made us unto

our God kings and priests: andwe shall reign on the earth. Rev

5

When Christ takes the seven sealed

book, the end time scenario is set in

motion and its at this time that the endtime message, the hour of his judgment

is come is given. When the plagues are

poured out that message will have aneffect that it otherwise could never have

had. Recall Ellen Whites statements

lumping the seals, trumpets and plaguestogether. All of them appear to run

parallel. All are introduced by scenes of

intense intercession. All are typified bythe Day of Atonement where the cloud

of incense ascends from the hand of the

High Priest as He goes into the Holiest,

shut in by the glory of God while noman is permitted in the temple.

Ezekiel 10 runs parallel to Ezekiel 1-3and Isaiah 6. We saw above that Ellen

White places these chapters before the

close of probation. In Isaiah 6 as inRevelation 15 the glory of God fills the

temple. In both of their visions Isaiah

and Ezekiel see fire taken from off the

altar. In both cases we have a picture of

the final judgment hour message being

proclaimed with power. Isaiahs lips are

anointed with that fire to cleanse himand his speech and in his cleansing his

message of repentance and judgment is

empower. He, like us, is commissionedto give his message until the cities be

wasted without inhabitant, and the

houses without man, and the land beutterly desolate. Isaiah 6:11.

What we have then in Revelation 15 is

the anti-type of the ordination of the

priesthood and the inauguration of thetabernacle for service as that service

typifies the judgment of the living. The

time when no one is in the temple is a

most solemn time, but it isnt a timewhen intercession ceases. It is when the

glory of God fills the temple that the priesthood is ordained and

commissioned. Sinful man is not in the

temple at this time, but Christ is there as

the Captain of the host commissioningHis men and women of valor, as he

commissioned Isaiah, for the final

conflict. How long is that commissionto last? Until the cities be wasted

without inhabitant, and the houses

without man, and the land be utterlydesolate. Isaiah 6:11.

Regarding the Day of Atonement, wehave the same message that Fifield has

summarized well: The judgment hour

message is given while Christ is in the

Holiest but no man is allowed within thesanctuary until the investigative

judgment of the living is over. Like the

ancient Hebrews, spiritual Israel is toafflict their souls in the inner court, not

in the Holiest. True, their faith reaches

into the Holiest, but they remain in theinner court and no one enters the temple

while the final atoning work is moving

forward.


19/30

This sealing work during the latter rain

has its parallel in the ancient ordination

service of Israels priesthood.According to the prophecy of Ezekiel it

is those who sigh and cry for the

abominations done in the church who aresealed during the atonement and who are

qualified and empowered by the third

angel.

The plagues mark the beginning of the

judgment of the living for the world.

But, for Adventists and for all the saintswho know Christ is in the Holiest, the

judgment of the living is now. For the

world the judgment of the living cant

begin until clear evidence is presentedthat the court of God has convened. But

for the church, the judgment is now:

The grand judgment is taking

place, and has been going on for

some time. Now the Lord says,Measure the temple and the

worshipers thereof. Remember

when you are walking the streetsabout your business, God is

measuring you; when you are

attending your household duties,when you engage in

conversation, God is measuring

you. Remember that your wordsand actions are being

daguerreotyped [photographed]

in the books of heaven, as the

face is reproduced by the artiston the polished plate. . . . {7BC

972.1}

Here is the work going on,measuring the temple and its

worshipers to see who will stand

in the last day. Those who standfast shall have an abundant

entrance into the kingdom of our

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

When we are doing our work

remember there is One that is

watching the spirit in which we

are doing it. Shall we not bringthe Saviour into our everyday

lives, into our secular work and

domestic duties? Then in thename of God we want to leave

behind everything that is not

necessary, all gossiping orunprofitable visiting, and present

ourselves as servants of the living

God (MS 4, 1888). {7BC 972.2}

The timing of the above statement is

significant. It was made in 1888 when

the loud cry of the third angel had

already begun. For Adventists, the judgment of the living is now and has

been underway since 1844. Some mayclaim that since the church did not

receive the 1888 message as it should,

this statement does not apply. To those

who take that position Id urge them toconsider I Peter 4:17.

I sound above like Im teaching ratherthan making a call to study but I mean to

present these thoughts to my brothers

and sisters in the hope of stimulatingthoughtful, intense study.

The Abomination of Desolation and

the Daily

Regarding the passages in Daniel that

refer to the abomination of desolationand the daily, Christ, when he was here

on earth underscored the importance of

studying these particular prophecies.Out of all the many prophecies in the

Old Testament, these are the only ones

that Christ singled out as being essential


20/30

for those living at the end of time to read

and understand.

And this gospel of the kingdom

shall be preached in all the world

for a witness unto all nations; andthen shall the end come. When

ye therefore shall see the

abomination of desolation,

spoken of by Daniel the

prophet, stand in the holy

place, (whoso readeth, let him

understand:) Then let them

which be in Judaea flee into the

mountains: Matthew 24:15-20.

Ellen White, also urges us to study andunderstand the warning regarding the

daily and the abomination of desolationin Daniel. For several years I thought

that Ellen White endorsed the

interpretation of the daily that was held

at the time of the Great Disappointment by the Millerite Adventists. She makes

a statement that appears to endorse their

views. But she also makes clearstatements saying she had no light on the

subject and that we should study it out.

A century later, the two main views inthe church are still the Millerite view

that the daily is Paganism the old

view and those who hold that thedaily is the ministry of Christ the

new view. Heidi Heikes makes a good

case that the old view was not endorsed

by Ellen White as some claim; that herstatements have been taken out of

context.

However, the new view is also an

interpretation she appears to reject

because she held that the wordsacrifice was incorrect.

The main problem with the new view is

not theological. Im in agreement with

those who say that the ministry of Christ

was subverted in the main body of

Christendom during the dark ages. Thatview is well supported by other

prophecies in Daniel and throughout

scripture. My concern is that we mayoverlook what the daily refers to if the

subversion or trampling of Christs

ministry is separately addressed withinthe prophecies. Applying the daily to

something thats separately addressed

could remove a crucial key that God has

given us to know where we stand whenthe events being described occur in the

future.

Briefly I believe that the key is this: Ithink that the simplest way to understand

the daily or continual, is to contrast itwith the abomination of desolation.

Inspiration says the daily or continual

is removed and then replaced by the

abomination of desolation. What is theabomination of desolation but the

enforcement of Sunday worship? What

does the abomination replace? Sabbathworship. The continual sign of true

worship of the Creator, Sabbath worship,

is replaced by the abomination ofworshipping the created, especially the

Sun.

Inspiration supports the Sabbath as the

continual or perpetual sign of true

worship. The patriarchs honored it.

Israel was commanded to remember it asa perpetual sign of their covenant

relationship with God. And the prophet

Isaiah closes his book with the assurancethat in the new earth the Sabbath will be

perpetually loved and honored. The

Sabbath is the perpetual seal ofsalvation. This would be another good

topic for discussion.


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22/30

For example, the fall Day of Atonement,

a single day service in the Mosaic

model, is replaced in Ezekiel's templewith a spring cleansing ritual that spans

one week. Ezekiel 45:18-20. To

Adventists there are large implications tosuch a change. The ancient Mosaic Day

of Atonement service, especially its

timing, is central to our understanding ofGods leading in our denominational

history, events surrounding 1844, and

the present high priestly ministry of

Christ.

The reasons for the change will be

commented on briefly below. But, this

begs the question; Why has Adventismneglected the study of this? Slothfulnessappears to be a factor. Ossification

another. But fear and worldly

mindedness may be the main culprits.

Regarding the former, fear, on the

surface Ezekiels temple appears to

overthrow both the importance of 1844

and the inspiration of Ellen White.Rather than giving this a thorough

investigation, we have turned a blind eyeas weve done in many other areas.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible

Commentary, Vol. 4 at pages 715 - 717

summarizes the three main opinions on

Ezekiels temple held by other Protestantchurches which suggest a non-literal

interpretation. Our commentary rejects

all of the major Protestant views.Instead, the commentary authors opine

that this vision should be taken literally

because God intended it to be built byIsrael if they had remained faithful.

But the commentators themselves also

note two or three significant problems

with a literal interpretation. First, thevision of Ezekiels temple was given

several years after Solomons temple had

been destroyed but before the temple

was rebuilt. Yet, when the temple waseventually rebuilt under the direction and

approval of the prophets Haggai and

Zechariah, Solomons pattern wasfollowed, not Ezekiel's. This is known

from scripture and other ancient Jewish

writings that show that the layout andservice ritual of the second temple

followed the Mosaic laws as modified by

King David, and not the pattern of

Ezekiels temple.

The second objection to a literal

application is that the fresh water spring

described in Ezekiels temple that flowsmiraculously from inside the sanctuarypoints us to a non-literal interpretation.

The fact that the water in this river is

able to make salt water fresh confirmsthat this is no ordinary water, but instead

is a symbol of the miraculous

regenerative power of the Holy Spirit.The commentators acknowledge this.

To these objections to the literal

interpretation we could add that underthis vision the twelve tribes return fromcaptivity and the land of Israel is

redistributed among them, an impossible

event once the ten northern tribes had been absorbed and assimilated into the

heathen nations that had taken them

captive.

And finally, the new name given toJerusalem The Lord is There in

chapter 48, points to a prophetic

application. The Lord is There is anepitaph that has its counterpart in the

name The Lord Our Righteousness,

both of which point us to the gathering

of spiritual rather than literal Israel.


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And I will gather the remnant of

my flock out of all countries

whither I have driven them, andwill bring them again to their

folds; and they shall be fruitful

and increase. And I will set upshepherds over them which shall

feed them: and they shall fear no

more, nor be dismayed, neithershall they be lacking, saith the

LORD. Behold, the days come,saith the LORD, that I will raise

unto David a righteous Branch,

and a King shall reign and

prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the

earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name

whereby he shall be called, THE

LORD OUR

RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore,

behold, the days come, saith theLORD, that they shall no more

say, The LORD liveth, which

brought up the children of Israelout of the land of Egypt; But,

The LORD liveth, which brought

up and which led the seed of thehouse of Israel out of the north

country, and from all countries

whither I had driven them; andthey shall dwell in their own

land. Jeremiah 23:4-8.

But literal or symbolic, there is nothing

in scripture thats superfluous. That isespecially true of this particularly

detailed description in Ezekiel of the

temple and its service. After all, isnt

the temple the throne and residence ofGod and the temple a template of the

plan of salvation and the Divine

revelation of the priesthood of Christ?This temple, whether literal or symbolic,

calls for careful study.

But assuming for now that Ezekiels

temple is symbolic/prophetic and was

not a blue print for an earthly physicaltemple, I suggest it applies best to the

period of the latter rain and the judgment

of the living. Evidence for this includesthe fact that although the laws for this

temple regulating the sin, burnt and

peace offerings have been modified, (afascinating study) these offerings are still

required; probation is still open.

But if that is so, does the vision which,

as we have seen above, has a springrather than a fall cleansing ritual, refute

our belief in the work of Christ in the

heavenly sanctuary since 1844? Onexamining Ezekiels temple vision moreclosely we will find that the opposite is

true - Ezekiels temple emphatically

points us to the message of the thirdangel, righteousness by faith, the

Sabbath, and the New Covenant ministry

of Christ in the Investigative Judgment.

Divine providence has juxtaposedEzekiels description of the temple with

Ezekiel's apocalyptic prophecies whichare outlined in the immediately preceding chapters, an indication his

temple is connected to and supplements

the Apocalypse. Notice also that theverses that immediately precede

Ezekiels temple vision contain a

promise of the gathering of spiritual

Israel and the outpouring of the HolySpirit, an indication that the temple

vision is also connected to the latter rain

era. Ezekiel 39:28 and 29. Finally,Ezekiels temple vision is interspersed

with three admonitions to pay careful

attention to each detail and to relate itfaithfully to the people. Ezekiel 40:4,

43:10-12, and 44:5-8. Here are the

passages:


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Ez 40:4 And the man said unto

me, Son of man, behold with

thine eyes, and hear with thine

ears, and set thine heart upon

all that I shall show thee; for to

the intent that I might show[them] unto thee [art] thou

brought hither: declare all thatthou seest to the house of

Israel.

Ez 43:10-12 Thou son of man,

show the house to the house of

Israel, that they may be

ashamed of their iniquities:

andlet them measure the

pattern.

11 And if they be ashamed of allthat they have done, show them

the form of the house, and the

fashion thereof, and the goings

out thereof, and the comings in

thereof, and all the forms

thereof, and all the ordinances

thereof, and all the forms

thereof, and all the laws

thereof: and write [it] in theirsight, that they may keep thewhole form thereof, and all the

ordinances thereof, and do them.

12 This [is] the law of the house;

Upon the top of the mountain thewhole limit thereof round about

[shall be] most holy. Behold,

this [is] the law of the house.

Ez 44:5 And the Lord said untome, Son of man, mark well, andbehold with thine eyes, and

hear with thine ears all that I

say unto thee concerning all the

ordinances of the house of the

Lord, and all the laws thereof;and mark well the entering in of

the house, with every going forth

of the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is the gospel in type, andif it is a powerful revelation of the

gospel, then it will be accompanied bythe testimony of the Spirit and ultimately

by the latter rain. Those who are familiarwith the writings of Ellen White may

remember that she saw that the mighty

angel of Revelation 18 pointed directlyto the heavenly sanctuary as he lightened

the earth with his glory. EW pages 254-

256. Clearly, God's people will becomemore intelligent at the end of time in

regard to the sanctuary. One of the main

keys that will unlock for us some of thetreasures of knowledge regarding themediatorial work of Christ and the co-

operation of all heaven in that work is a

comparative study of the three templesand their services. It is significant that

Ezekiel's temple, like Revelation,

contains a three fold injunction to studyand understand its message.

Here is another quote from Ellen White

on the importance of a clearer apocalyptic/sanctuary view: When the books of Daniel and Revelation are

better understood, believers will have an

entirely different religious experience.They will be given such glimpses of the

heavenly gates that heart and mind will

be impressed with the character that all

must develop in order to realize theblessedness which is to be the reward of

the pure in heart. Testimonies to

Ministers Page 114.

Notice the similarity of this quote to the

angels instruction to Ezekiel above.

Ellen White, like Ezekiel, states that the

divine descriptions of the heavenlygates or sanctuary will impress us with

a true sense of our own sins and


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deficiencies of character. This is the

same message as given by the angel to

Ezekiel: Thou son of man, show thehouse to the house of Israel, that they

may be ashamed of their iniquities: and

let them measure the pattern. Ezekiel43:10-12 But isnt that what we want?

Lets thank God for the opportunities He

gives us to seek His grace by a freshstudy of the sanctuary.

Ezekiels temple is like the repeat and

expand prophecies of Daniel. Its

purpose is to focus our attentionespecially on the mediatorial work of

Christ during the judgment of the living

and is full of the assurance of theprotecting covering of God during thetroubled times ahead that come with

blinding force on the world. The people

of God are pictured in this vision asbeing sheltered in His temple, like the

Hebrews on the night of their

deliverance by the blood on posts andlintel. I would highly recommend a

closer study of it.

Islam in prophecy, The Fall of

Communism and 9/11 in

Prophecy.

General comments.

Brother Jeff Pippenger has spent a good

part of his life expounding the

prophecies of Daniel and Revelation,

especially Daniel 11:40 to 45 and morerecently the sixth trumpet of Revelation

9-11 which he applies to 9/11. No doubtthese were important events in world

history, but do they fulfill prophecy?

Some Adventist bible students have

reviewed his material and concluded he

may be right regarding Daniel 11:40-45

and the fall of communism but question

his application of the sixth trumpet to thedestruction of the twin towers on 9/11/01

by Islamic terrorists. Personally, I

respect Pippengers grasp of prophetictopics and his ability to foster interest in

them, but I have to disagree with him on

both points. This is my opinion but Ithink it would be helpful to sit down and

discuss his views and where he is

coming from.

Pippengers lens for viewing all

prophetic interpretation is the long-held

Adventist belief that there can be no

literal reapplications of the trumpets orseals or any time elements of the

prophecies. I empathize with him agreat deal. On one hand he can see that

the world is on the verge of its final

conflict and the return of Christ. He

senses the urgency of the situation andthe great need of Gods people for

prophetic guidance. But he has

accepted and bound himself by the viewthat none of the prophecies, especially

their time elements, can be reapplied.

Whereas some conservative Adventists

allow for the possibility the prophecies

could be repeated so long as all timeelements are removed, Pippenger is

more thorough going. He believes that if

a prophecy cant be repeated in full, it

cant be repeated. In my view that position is better and more consistent

than the view that a prophecy can be

reapplied with the time elementsremoved. It seems to me that either a

prophecy can be reapplied, all of it, or it

cant.

Below well look briefly at some of his

views.


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The Fall of Communism

Students of prophecy are aware that forthe last 120 years most Adventists have

accepted Uriah Smiths interpretation

applying the king of the south in the last part of Daniel 11 to atheistic,

revolutionary France. Pippenger builds

on that view and modifies it by applyingthe same symbol to atheistic,

revolutionary Communism. I

respectfully disagree and suggest here

that Daniel 11:40 is still future where theconflict between the Kings of the South

and North refers to a literal battle(s),

possibly the physical side of the Battle of

Armageddon, which now appears to beshaping into an East-West conflict.

Pippenger in this context interprets the

King of North as John Paul II allied with

Ronald Regan. In my view, the

references in verses 40 to 45 to the Kingof the North are better applied to the

future workings of the image-beast of

the second half of Revelation 13 ratherthan to Regan and the Pope.

Adventists agree that the image-beast isthe last beast of prophecy. It is through

the influence of Protestant America that

the image-beast will be erected andworshipped. The ten kings of Revelation

17 are said to give their power to this

beast for a short time. Ellen White

identifies these ten kings as theProtestant churches of America.

What is it that gives its kingdomto this power? Protestantism, a

power which, while professing to

have the temper and spirit of alamb and to be allied to Heaven,

speaks with the voice of a

dragon. It is moved by a power

from beneath. {Mar 187.2}

(Letter 232, 1899). {7BC 983.5}

9/11

If Ellen Whites statements on the future

application of the seals and trumpets istaken literally, then whether brother Jeff

is right or wrong on his application of

the sixth trumpet of Rev. 9-11 to 9/11,the main application is still future when

all seven trumpets sound and all seven

seals are unsealed. Some of his material

may be helpful in understanding howthat trumpet, the sixth, will unfold.

Unfortunately though, in his application

of this prophecy to 9/11, Brother

Pippenger has begun drawing parallelsfrom sacred history that arent always

sustained by Scripture. Why does he dothat?

In my view, its not that Pippenger is a

poor Bible student. He is a good one.The reason for his parallelisms is

because, while his approach doesnt

allow direct, literal reapplications it doesallow parallels. Pippenger has avoided

being branded as a futurist by some, but

forged his own unique futureapplications by parallelisms. Before

joining his ranks, I suggest that a person

would want to investigate carefullywhether Brother Pippengers underlying

assumption no future literal application

of time prophecies is well founded.

This is another facet of the issue of howto study prophecy that should be

discussed.

The Human and Divine Natures of

Christ.

As a primer, here are a few thoughts on

this topic:


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Christs taking our sinful nature cannot

mean that evil thoughts and actions

originated in His own mind.

But the same thing is also true of born

again believers who are abiding in Jesus.In other words, while we are walking in

the Spirit and mind of the new man

unholy thoughts and feelings do not,cannot, originate in our mind, that is, our

new man mind. In the cases of men and

women who are connected to Christ the

unholy thoughts and feelings that entertheir mind originate with the sinful flesh

nature.

It is our fallen flesh nature that generatesand communicates to our new man mind

unholy thoughts and feelings. The samething was true of Jesus. His human

nature was identical with our own.

His human nature was created;it did not even possess the

angelic powers. It was human,

identical with our own. (3SM129)

Jesus always resisted the unholythoughts and feelings that entered His

mind via His fallen flesh nature. So may

born again believers who are activelyabiding in Jesus.

The lower passions have their

seat in the body and workthrough it. The words flesh or

fleshly or carnal lusts

embrace the lower, corruptnature; the flesh of itself cannot

act contrary to the will of God.

We are commanded to crucifythe flesh, with the affections and

lusts. How shall we do it? Shall

we inflict pain on the body? No;

but put to death the temptation to

sin. The corrupt thought is to be

expelled. Every thought is to be

brought into captivity to JesusChrist. All animal propensities

are to be subjected to the higher

powers of the soul. The love ofGod must reign supreme; Christ

must occupy an undivided

throne. Our bodies are to beregarded as His purchased

possession. The members of the

body are to become the

instruments of righteousness.{AH 127.2}

The Trinity.

One unfortunate doctrinal development

in the church that seems to be alienatingmany otherwise faithful members is our

official adoption of the trinity doctrine.

While it may be that some of those whodisagree with the current position have

their own errors on the topic, it would be

so good if we could come together andmake a careful review of whether the

church was ill-advised in adopting the

term trinity to describe our unique viewof the Godhead.

It isnt necessary for our entire

understanding of the Godhead to bereviewed. We know, for example, that

Christ is the Son of God and is eternal

with the Father. Christ calls Himself theI am, the self-existent, eternal one and

in Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the

Godhead bodily, including the Fathers

eternal, limitless nature. John 8:58. Col2:9.

We also know that the Holy Spirit is aperson and one of the divine Three. This

is why Christ commanded us to baptize

in the name of the Spirit.


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But is it wise to use an unscriptural term

which connotes more than the above and

which muddies the roles of each personof the Godhead as revealed in scripture?

And perhaps we can learn somethingfrom our staunchly non-Trinitarian

brothers and sisters. For example, last

week one of their number pointed out tome that there is no scripture specifically

directing us to worship the Holy Spirit.

If the Holy Spirit is the third person of

the Godhead, then I would think that, asa Divine being, He is worthy of worship.

But the brothers point is well taken

there is no direct command in scripture

to worship the Spirit. That is somethingto keep in mind.

To close, regarding the term trinity, I

have this final question: Wouldnt it be

better to abandon that bewildering, man-

made term and simply let scripture speakfor itself?

There you have my summary of

current thought trends. The

main, overriding issue though, in

my view, is what we do with

conflicting or difficult

inspired statements. If we couldcome to closer unity on that one

issue alone we would be more in

harmony with one another, and

not only that, there would also

be greater freedom among us.

We want more of both not

simply because freedom and

harmony are the essence of the

atmosphere of Heaven but more

than this so that the prayer of

Christ for unity within His bodyis fully realized and His most

ardent prayer to the Father

answered. Will we not do our

part to fulfill the prayer of our

Elder Brother?

Mark Shipowick

[email protected].

Phone 304 660-8530.

To the period just prior to the

appearing of the Son of man, the

prophecies of Scripture point, and here

their warnings and threatenings pre-

eminently apply. The prophetic periods

of Daniel, extending to the very eve of

the great consummation, throw a flood

of light upon events then to transpire.The book of Revelation is also replete

with warning and instruction for the

last generation. The beloved John,

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

portrays the fearful and thrilling scenes

connected with the close of earth's

history, and presents the duties and
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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dangers of God's people. None need

remain in ignorance, none need be

unprepared for the coming of the day

of God. The Review and Herald,

September 25, 1883.


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Notes on the trumpets:

Revelation 8

Does this describe an end of corporate

atonement.

adventist thought trends

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