Series: The 7 Phases of the Atonement

Sermon: #4 – The Judgment

Pastor Rod Thompson

Midland SDA Church

October 20, 2018

 

 

As we continue in our series on the atonement I thought it would be wise if we do a little review of what we have learned so far.  In the first phase of the atonement we saw that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and God was immediately there.  Not to judge the man, not to chastise him, not to immediately bring death, but rather God was there to show man how he could be restored to a relationship with Him.  And to bring man hope.  Hope for a redeemer, hope for a way out of the predicament that sin has caused.  Sin has caused separation from God.  So how could man be restored to a harmonious relationship with God?

We also saw that there in the garden God instituted the sacrificial system so that man could see the awfulness of his sin and he could have faith in a coming redeemer.  It was all designed to point them forward to the one who would come and lay down His life and pay the penalty for them.

It’s interesting that the Pharisees were giving Jesus a hard time about who He was and He said to them in

John 5:39            You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me.

All of the scriptures testified of the one who would be born of the virgin, the suffering servant, God in human flesh.  The entire Jewish economy was based on the Lamb of God that would come and take away the sins of the world. 

Then in the second phase of the atonement we saw that at the appointed time, God brought forth His son, the promised redeemer.  He came to this world, born of a virgin, He lived a perfect life in harmony with the law of God, He revealed the love of God, proved that the law of God could be kept by His power, took the sins of the world upon Himself, defeated the devil and provided a way of escape from the penalty of sin.

As we saw in Hebrews 10:14        “for by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

He had laid down His life, He had paid the penalty for sin, but death couldn’t hold Him.  He rose from the dead.  He gave His disciples the great commission – Go and spread the good news – and then He ascended back up into heaven

Then in the third phase of the atonement we saw that the Levitical priesthood had two ministrations and they both pointed toward Jesus’ heavenly ministry. 

We saw that in the daily service the earthly priests would minister in the Sanctuary (in the first compartment - holy place) on behalf of the people, sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice before the veil, offering incense to God and pleading with God on behalf of Israel.  I hope that you came to realize that those earthly priests were symbolic of Jesus who would become our High priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

We read about that in Hebrews 7: 11-16 how Jesus, even though He was of the line of Judah He would become our high priest following not in the line of Aaron and the Levitical priesthood but in the line of Melchizedek

What we didn’t talk about is that His priestly ministry would begin immediately upon His entrance into heaven.  Therefore we know that it began in 31AD at His ascension. 

Notice what E. E. Andross said in his book, A more excellent ministry, p 99 “The Lamb of God was slain, and the ministry of our Great High Priest in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary began.”

In the third phase of the atonement we also, briefly, talked about the Day of Atonement when the high priest would take the blood of the Lord’s goat (innocent / pure / spotless) into the second compartment of the sanctuary (the most Holy place) and he would sprinkle that blood over the arc of the covenant which contained the 10 commandment law of God, which is the standard of the judgment. 

We talked about how that earthly high priest was symbolic of Jesus our heavenly high priest.

So now that we are reminded of how far we have come in the atonement process, let’s take a little deeper look at the 3rd phase of the atonement and then the fourth phase of the atonement.

The typical ministration in the earthly sanctuary consisted of two distinct divisions.  The daily sacrifices of atonement for sins, where the sin of the repentant sinner was transferred into the sanctuary and the yearly Day of Atonement, where the sanctuary was cleansed of that sin.  In like fashion, the High Priestly ministry of Christ is divided into two distinct phases, each occupying a specific period of time. 

E.E. Andross (A more excellent ministry) p 6

The ministration of the priest throughout the year in the first apartment of the sanctuary … represents the work of ministration upon which Christ entered at His ascension.  It was the work of the priest in the daily ministration to present before God the blood of the sin-offering, also the incense which ascended with the prayers of Israel.  So did Christ plead His blood before the Father in behalf of sinners, and present before Him also, with the precious fragrance of His own righteousness, the prayers of penitent believers.  Such was the work of ministration in the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven.  For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary.  The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record.  As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed, there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary.  This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended.

If you know your Adventist history you know that William Miller and others studied their bibles, especially the prophecies of Daniel and when they looked at that prophecy of Daniel 8 they saw that at the end of that 2300 day prophecy the sanctuary would be cleansed.

Through extensive study they determined that Daniel 2, 7 and 8 are parallel prophecies.  They also determined that Daniel 9 is an extension of Daniel 8.   I will not take the time to go into great depth of the results of these studies, but you can go to the writings of Richard Rice - The Reign of God, Clifford Goldstein – 1844 Made Simple, C. Mervyn Maxwell – Magnificent Disappointment, Ellen White – The Great Controversy, and many, many others to determine how these truths were discovered and their Biblical support. 

In Daniel 7: 21-22, 26, we see the judgment is what overthrows the antichrist.  In Daniel 8:13-14, the cleansing of the sanctuary is what overthrows the antichrist. If they truly are parallel passages, and I believe they are, then the judgment and the cleansing of the sanctuary must be the same event and according to Daniel 8:14, the sanctuary would be cleansed after 2300 days.

Again, if you know your history you remember that Miller and others followed the popular teaching of that time believing that the cleansing of the sanctuary meant the earth was to be cleansed of sin at the second coming of Christ.  So they began to teach that Christ was coming on October 22, 1844.  And when that didn’t happen there was this great disappointment and many people left the advent movement.  But the ones who stayed studied even deeper and with divine help they began to understand that the cleansing of the sanctuary / and thus the judgment, was the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and they understood for the first time Daniel 7:13

Read Daniel 7:9-10 & 13

This means that this phase of the atonement, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary / the judgment, would begin in 1844.  A study of Daniel 9, the seventy-week prophecy, and the above mentioned books should provide clarity for this truth.  That means Christ entered into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary at this time and began this fourth phase of the atonement process. 

Daniel 7:10 says that, “the court was seated and the books were opened.”   So, just like the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded.  But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation – a work of judgment.

The basic steps of the American criminal justice system can help us to understand how this atoning work of the judgment takes place.  The first thing that has to happen is there has to be a charge or accusation.  If there is no charge, then there is no need for a judgment, but Revelation 12:10 makes it pretty clear that we have an accuser.

 

The next step in this legal process, is there must be a trial, and what happens during a trial?  Evidence comes out, right?  This is the judgment scene that is spoken of in Daniel 7:10. God and the angels that remained loyal to Him (a thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand), are there in the heavenly court, in the most holy place, pouring over the books and examining the records of anyone who has ever accepted the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ and had their name written in the book of life.

 

But according to Jesus, we must maintain our connection with Him in order to be saved.  He says in Revelation 3:5 that we must overcome sin and temptation or our names will be blotted out of the book of life.  So all of the books of heaven are examined. 

 

The Great Controversy P 482

“Every man's work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness, every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.”

 

If we meet all of the requirements of the investigative judgment, then our names will remain in the book of life and our sins will be blotted out.  They will be blotted out because Jesus was our substitute, He paid our penalty for us and the slate is wiped clean.   But if we don’t meet the requirements, then our names will be blotted out of the book of life and our sins will remain. 

 

Questions on Doctrine P 334 (George Knight)

“A man may go back on his repentance, or by careless inattention, let slip the very life he has espoused … In order to be just, it would seem that God would need to take all these things into account in the judgment.”

 

  This is seen very clearly in verses like Ezekiel 18:20-24, Matthew 10:24, Romans 2:7, Hosea 6:3, Hebrews 3:6, John 15:7, 1 Corinthians 9:27 and others.

 

 This is what Adventists call the pre-advent judgment, and there is a good reason for this, because this judgment has been going on since 1844; it started with Adam and Eve and has continued down through human history and will one day come to the time when the living will be judged.  We don’t know exactly when that will be, but we do know this – that it all must take place before the advent, or second coming, of Christ. 

 

We know this because Jesus Himself tells us in Revelation 22:12, “behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his works.”

 

I ask you brothers and sisters, how can He righteously reward some with everlasting life and reward others with eternal destruction, before an on looking universe?  There is only one way possible, if the judgment has already taken place before He comes.   You see, the judgment is not so that God knows who to save and who not, God knows the end from the beginning. 

 

Questions on Doctrine P 335

“If God alone were concerned, there would certainly be no need for records.  But that all the inhabitants of the whole universe, good and evil angels, and all who have ever lived on this earth might understand His love and His justice, the life history of every individual who has ever lived on the earth has been recorded, and in the judgment these records will be disclosed – for every man will be judged according to what is revealed in the books of record …

Therefore, in infinite wisdom God has determined to resolve every doubt forever.  He does this by making bare before the entire universe, the full story of sin, its inception and its history.  It will then be apparent why He, as the God of love and of justice, must ultimately reject the impenitent who have allied themselves with the forces of rebellion.”

 

This leads us to the next step in the legal process, where the verdict is given.  The verdict of who is innocent and who is guilty can only be determined after the completion of the trial / judgment. 

 

In the typical Day of Atonement, the priests would take two goats and they would cast lots for them.  One would be the Lord’s goat and the other the scape goat.  The Lord’s goat would be prayed over and then it would be sacrificed.  Since this goat did not have any sin confessed over it, like the daily offerings were, the blood is considered innocent. 

 

The High Priest and the High Priest only, would take this innocent blood into the most holy place and sprinkle it over the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the law of God.  In like fashion Christ took His innocent blood into the most holy place in 1844 and presented it to the Father, and as the work of the judgment (which is still ongoing at this time) will finish, He will plead His blood for those who are innocent and atonement will be made for them because their sins will be laid upon Christ and the sanctuary will have been cleansed of their sins.

 

How will it be cleansed?  All of the sins of those who passed the investigative judgment, all those who surrendered their hearts to Him, and maintained that living connection with Him will have their sins rolled on to Him.   The sins of those who did not pass the test of the investigation, those whose sins remain written in the book of life will have their sins rolled back on to themselves, and just like the High Priest in the earthly sanctuary would come out of the sanctuary, Christ also will come out of the heavenly sanctuary.  He will bring all those sins out of the sanctuary with Him

 

This brings us to the next step in the criminal justice system, where the sentence of the judgment is carried out. Christ said in Revelation 22:12, “behold I come quickly and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 

And this is where we end the fourth phase of the atonement.  When the investigative judgment is over our time of probation will close and Christ will leave the heavenly sanctuary and return to this earth.

Brothers and sisters we don’t know when that will be – but we do know this – our time of choosing is now!

 

The first phase of the atonement was accomplished immediately after the sin of Adam and Eve.  God gave them the remedy for the sin problem.  He promised a Savior / Redeemer and He instituted the sacrificial system

In the second phase, at the appointed time the promised redeemer arrived on the scene and laid down His life for you

In the third phase of the atonement He ascended into heaven and began His priestly ministry in the first apartment.  He pleaded His blood, offered up incense and prayers on behalf of sinners for over 1800 years.

In the fourth phase of the atonement, beginning in 1844 He stepped into the most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and the judgment began.  Antitype had met type and we are now living in that antitypical day of atonement. 

So now is the time for us to get ourselves right with God.  As it says in Leviticus 16 you shall afflict your souls. Now is the time to examine ourselves.  Recognize our need for a Savior, ask Him into our Lives and maintain that living connection with Him.

 

Is that the desire of your heart?