The Sanctuary Restored

Chapter 2

Leviticus 16

A reading of Leviticus 16 makes it clear that the Day of Atonement was not only a day of judgment; it was a day of cleansing for the people of God. It has been thought by some that only the tabernacle itself was cleansed on the Day of Atonement, but Leviticus 16 does not support this view. Atonement was made for the entire sanctuary and the people as well.

"And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. ... For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all our sins before the Lord. ... And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation."-Lev. 16:16, 17, 30, 33.

Some think that the cleansing provided for Israel signified merely a judicial cleansing. For this reason, when considering the final purification of the heavenly sanctuary, they confine this cleansing to a work of investigative judgment and the judicial act of cleansing only books of record in heaven itself:

H. W. Lowe

"It is in a context of blotting sins from the heavenly records, and not from a human memory, that the investigative judgment is set." [1]

G. D. Keough

"There remains to complete the work only the cancellation, the blotting out of the record. ... This cancellation of the sin removes every trace of condemnation from the forgiven, sanctified sinner; but though it affects his standing and is indeed an atonement for him, it is not performed on the sinner's person, but is just what it is said to be, and no mistake, 'the cleansing of the sanctuary." [2]

R. F. Cottrell

"It is evident, therefore, that an attempt to apply Leviticus 16:30 to a moral cleansing of God's people during the great antitypical day of atonement now in progress in the heavenly sanctuary, or to read into it the idea of moral perfection in the flesh, is to wrest Scripture." [3]

L. C. Naden

"Nothing in either the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy substantiates the claim that the blotting out of sin from the books in heaven coincides with a blotting out of sin from the life of the believer." [4]

"He will blot out the record of their sins and remove them from the sanctuary. But this blotting out does not remove sin from God's people. ... The removal of sin from God's people must already have taken place." [5]

Editors-Review and Herald

"Some have mistakenly applied the statement of Leviticus 16:30-that on the Day of Atonement 'the priest shall make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord'-to moral cleansing." [6]

W. P. Bradley

"Especially unacceptable is the suggestion that in Daniel 8:14 the cleansing of the sanctuary describes the work of cleansing to be accomplished by faith in Christ in the human life.

"What is going on now? Cases are being reviewed in the judgment. The faithful are justified as regards God's broken law. Names are retained in the book of life. At the end comes the sealing of those who are saved, the blotting out of their sins from the record. Christ comes out of the Most Holy Place and, last of all, lays the blame for sin upon the head of Satan. These are the great juridical acts of God taking place in the heavenly sanctuary, not in the soul temple. [7]

But how can this concept of a cleansing that is confined to heaven itself and only judicial in nature produce the needed impact on the Laodicean mind? Neither the Bible nor the Spirit of Prophecy supports this limited view of the purpose and work of the judgment.

A Cleansing for the Saints

Seventh-day Adventists recognize that the judgment referred to in Revelation 14:7 is the antitypical Day of Atonement. It is a day of atonement for God's people. That it does something for the saints themselves is explicitly taught in Scripture :

Moses

"For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before the Lord."-Lev. 16:30, Torah Translation. [8]

"And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God."-Lev. 23:28.

Daniel

"I beheld [the antichrist powers warring against God's people] till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit ... the judgment was set, and the books were opened. ...

"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints. ...

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end."-Daniel 7:9, 10, 21, 22, 25, 26.

So much emphasis can be placed on the examination phase of the judgment that the main point of Daniel 7 is forgotten - namely, that this is a judgment for the saints. It is the judgment which brings to the saints final victory over the beast.

David

"He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. ... He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. ... He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth." Ps. 72:2, 4, 6.

Malachi

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in : behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming: and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap : and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years."-Mal. 3:1-4. [9]

Isaiah

"In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be excellent and lovely to those who have escaped of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem and for eternal life, after the Lord has washed away the moral filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged away the blood stains of Jerusalem from the midst of it by the spirit and blast of judgment and by the spirit and blast of burning and sifting. And the Lord will create over the whole site, over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a canopy-a defense [of divine love and protection]." Is. 4:2-5, Amplified Bible. [10]

Joel

"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord. ...

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them : wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God ?

"Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen. ... And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. ..."-Joel 1:14; 2:15-19, 25-28.

The solemn assembly called for in Joel is the antitype of the "holy convocation" of the ancient day of atonement. The blowing of the trumpet (ram's horn), the fast, the solemn assembly of all the people, and the intercessory position of the priests are all allusions to the tenth day of the Jewish seventh month. (Lev. 23:27-32; cf. GC 311; 6T 408, 409) The cleansing made by the High Priest for the people who afflicted their souls meets its antitype in the outpouring of the perfecting latter rain upon the saints. (TM 506) [11]

Zechariah

"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have, caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by."-Zech. 3:1-5.

That the experience of Joshua and the Angel applies to the judgment of the saints is made clear by E. G. White, for she affirms:

"Zechariah's vision of Joshua and the Angel applies with peculiar force to the experience of God's people in the closing up of the great day of atonement. ...

"As the people of God afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart, the command is given, 'Take away the filthy garments' from them, and the encouraging words are spoken, 'Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.' The spotless robe of Christ's righteousness is placed upon the tried, tempted, yet faithful children of God. The despised remnant are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of the world. Their names are retained in the Lamb's book of life, enrolled among the faithful of all ages. They have resisted the wiles of the deceiver; they have not been turned from their loyalty by the dragon's roar. Now they are eternally secure from the tempter's devices. Their sins are transferred to the originator of sin. And the remnant are not only pardoned and accepted, but honored. 'A fair mitre' is set upon their heads. They are to be as kings and priests unto God. While Satan was urging his accusations and seeking to destroy this company, holy angels, unseen, were passing to and fro, placing upon them the seal of the living God."-5T 472, 475; cf. GC 484. [12]

Jeremiah

"In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve."-Jer. 50:20; cf. GC 485.

Peter

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."-Acts 3:19.

The blotting out of sins and refreshing (latter rain) are the evidence of the unfailing merits of the mighty Intercessor in behalf of all who by faith enter into His work. Inspiration renders it thus: "... that your sins may be blotted out [in the investigative judgment], when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus." [13] Wrote the prophet Zechariah, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."-Zech. 13:1.

John

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."-Rev. 14:7.

Describing the blessing which will come to the church through the judgment, John exclaimed, "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory."-Rev. 18:1. Centuries before, Isaiah had also described this scene, "But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."-Is. 60:2. "What is this glory?-the character of God."-TM 499. This glory seen upon the church is called by the Revelator the seal of the living God:

"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed; and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousands of all the tribes of the children of Israel."-Rev. 7:2-4.

Ellen G. White clearly shows that the judgment brings the seal of the living God. (6T 130) This seal is not a mere judicial act in the books of heaven. It is placed in the foreheads of God's people, signifying that the moral image of God is fully restored in the human mind. (7BC 926; cf. 5T 474; 6BC 1118; TM 506) "For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before the Lord."-Lev. 16:30, Torah Translation.

Summarizing how the prophets have described the judgment and blotting out of sin: Leviticus 16:30 says, "you shall be clean before the Lord"; Daniel 7:26, "they shall take away his dominion"; Daniel 8:14, "then shall the sanctuary be cleansed"; Malachi 3:3, "he shall purify the sons of Levi"; Isaiah 4:4, "when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion"; Joel 2:25, "and I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten"; Zechariah 3:4, "take away the filthy garments from him"; Jeremiah 50:20, "the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none"; Acts 3:19, "that your sins may be blotted out"; Revelation 7:4, "and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand."

Clean and Yet Unclean

"But," question some, "are not God's people, through the process of justification and sanctification, completely purified before reaching the judgment?" There are those who give an affirmative reply:

"Firstly, to say that the corrupt sin principle, the source of evil, the sinful nature, remains in the subconscious life of the believer after his conversion, is to deny the real nature of the rebirth experience.

"Secondly, to say that the corrupt sin principle, the source of evil, the sinful nature, remains in the subconscious life of the believer until the final atonement puts off the work that must be clone today. One woman became horrified when I insisted that sins must be 'blotted out' of the life today. She believed that this was the work of the final atonement."-Alan Starkey. [14]

"Our Bible says: 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' (1 John 1:9) Here there is no reservation made for subconscious sins."-General Conference manuscript committee. [15]

On the contrary, Elders Wieland and Short say:

"Invariably the deeper calls to progressive sanctification concern sins which were all the time present in the heart when the 'believer' was 'saved.' He was cleansed from all known sin, but not from all subconscious sin." [16]

Which view is correct? The key to the right understanding of this problem is the truth that the regenerate saints are, as Luther expressed it, "righteous yet impure at one and the same time" -SIMUL JUSTI ET PECATORES. [17] These four words are recognized as the most famous and precise expression of the Reformer's doctrine of justification by faith. Ellen G. White abundantly supports this great Protestant premise-first by maintaining that the believing Christian is wholly righteous before God (COL 163; SC 62), and then by declaring that the righteous confess "the sin fullness of their nature."-AA 561. Acknowledging themselves "erring, helpless, condemned sinners," they continue "wrestling with inbred sin," realizing more fully their own imperfections as they draw nearer to Christ. (5T 48; RH, Nov. 29, 1887; SC 64) They maintain "a constant battle ... with the selfishness and corruption of the human heart."-5T 397. The messenger of the Lord even declares that because of the "corrupt channels of humanity," the prayers, praise, and good works of believers are "so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with God."-1SM 344.

How evident it is that SIMUL JUSTI ET PECA TORES is true of forgiven, born-again Christians! They are at the same time righteous and unrighteous, clean and unclean, pure and impure. Without this understanding, neither the Word of God nor the truth of daily Christian experience can have meaning.

The argument that regenerate saints are already cleansed and need no further cleansing because the gospel has power to cleanse completely from all sinfulness here and now, is the same contention that was advanced by the Catholic theologians in their battle with Martin Luther. That great servant of God was in the Wartburg when he seized his pen to refute the arguments of Latomus, the Catholic champion who had attacked four theses of the Reformer. The main two theses attacked by Latomus were:

  1. "The second thesis: Sin remains after baptism."
  2. "The fourth thesis: Every good work of the saints while pilgrims in this world is sin." [18]
As is well known, Luther believed in the power of the blood of Christ to forgive, regenerate, and sanctify. But his Catholic opponents were contending that since the saints were cleansed, they could perform meritorious works. The argument was not centered on the merit of works before grace, but after grace. Luther showed that there was no merit attached to the good works of saints because even they were still sinful in themselves. Speaking of conversion and baptism, he stated, "All sins are washed away but there is still something left that needs washing." [19] Citing Is. 64:6, Ps. 143:2, Eccl. 7:20, 1 Cor. 4:4, Rom. 6 to Rom. 8, and other references, the Reformer defended the Protestant faith which maintains that sin in the form of corruption of nature remains in the regenerate. Therefore he refuted Latomus by declaring:

"Every good work of the saints while pilgrims in this world is sin. ... Every good work is sin. ... I have taught that our good works are of such a kind as cannot bear the judgment of God. ... It therefore follows that our good works are not good unless His mercy is reigning over us and offering forgiveness. ... These people [the saints] are righteous yet impure at one and the same time. And thus he shows that no one ought to rely on his righteousness but only on the mercy of God. ... The principle stands firm, I repeat, that a good work in itself is unclean if the covering cloud of grace is removed, and only if God's forgiving mercy is there, may it be considered pure, worthy of praise and honour. ...

"On this account God has been wondrously mindful of us. He assures us of two facts. First, He teaches us that good works are plain to see. 'The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness' (Galatians 5:22); and 'by their fruits ye shall know them' (Matthew 7:20). Secondly, He makes us absolutely certain that these good works are not without taint of sin in case we put our trust in them, so that we are able without doubt or mistake to confess that, in every good work we do we are sinners and men who mercy found. ...

"He has not freed us from death yet, not yet from sin, but He will however free us in the end, for we have still to die and still to labour in sin. But He has freed us from the law of sin and death, that is from the reign and tyranny of sin and death. As a result sin is still present but it has lost its power to tyrannize and can do nothing. ...

"If you take mercy away from the faithful they are sinners, and really have genuine sin, but in that they believe and live under the reign of mercy, and sin has been condemned in them and is being continuously put to death in them, it is on those grounds not imputed to them. ... There is sin even after remission, but it is not imputed. ... Now we believe that the remission of all sins has been accomplished, and we have no doubt about it at all. But we go about our daily task in the expectation even yet of the abolition of all sin and freedom from it in every way.

"And so I declare, and this is my teaching, so that every man should know that in every good work he does there is as much sin as he has in him not yet cast out. ... This I teach lest he boast to God of the purity that is in him rather than glory in the grace and gift of God. ... I merely ask whether the sophists dare admit that there is any man who could say of one single work of his 'This is without sin,' even in the sense in which they speak of sin. For my part I cannot believe that even they or any other man would have the audacity to say this of his good work. ..." [20]

The great Reformer has been quoted at length on his most fundamental Protestant concept in order to make it plain that those today who deny the clear truth of Leviticus 16:30, claiming that the regenerate saints are already cleansed, are rejecting the most primitive concepts of the Protestant faith. John Wesley and all the great champions of true Protestantism said virtually the same. In a sermon called "Sin in Believers," Wesley met the very objection brought forth by many who today deny the truth of Leviticus 16:30. Said the Reformer:

"And as this position, there is no sin in a believer, no carnal mind, no bent to backsliding, is thus contrary to the word of God, so it is to the experience of his children. These continually feel a heart bent to backsliding, a natural tendency to evil, a proneness to depart from God, and cleave to the things of earth. They are daily sensible of sin remaining in the heart, pride, self-will, unbelief; and of sin cleaving to all they speak or do, even their best actions and holiest duties. Yet at the same time they 'know that they are of God'; they cannot doubt it for a moment. They feel his Spirit clearly 'witnessing with their spirit, that they are the children of God.' They 'rejoice in God through Christ Jesus, by whom they have now received the atonement.' So that they are equally assured, that sin is in them, and that 'Christ is in them the hope of glory.' " [21]

"Christ indeed cannot reign where sin reigns; neither will He dwell where sin is allowed, But He is and dwells in the heart of every believer who is fighting against all sin; although it be not yet purified, according to the purification of the sanctuary." [22]

"That believers are delivered from the guilt and power of sin we allow; that they are delivered from the being of it we deny. [23]

"Indeed, when we first know this, when we first find redemption in the blood of Jesus, when the love of God is first shed abroad in our hearts, and His kingdom set up therein, it is natural to suppose that we are no longer sinners; that all our sins are not only covered, but destroyed. As we do not then feel any evil in our hearts, we readily imagine none is there. Nay, some well-meaning men have imagined this not only at that time, but ever after, having persuaded themselves that when they were justified they were entirely sanctified; yea, they have laid it down as a general rule, in spite of Scripture, reason and experience. These sincerely believe, and earnestly maintain, that all sin is destroyed when we are justified, and that there is no sin in the heart of a believer; that it is altogether clean from that moment. But though we readily acknowledge 'he that believeth is born of God,' and 'he that is born of God doth not commit sin,' yet we cannot allow that he does not feel it within; it does not reign, but it does remain. And a conviction of the sin which remains in our heart is one great branch of the repentance we are now speaking of." [24]

"And it is most certain, they are thus far right; there does still remain even in them that are justified, a mind which is in some measure carnal (so the apostle tells even the believers at Corinth, 'Ye are carnal'); a heart bent to backsliding, self-will, anger, revenge, love of the world, yea, and all evil; a root of bitterness, which, if the restraint were taken off for a moment, would instantly spring up; yea, such a depth of corruption, as; without clear light from God, we cannot possibly conceive. And a conviction of all sin remaining in their hearts, is the repentance which belongs to them that are justified." [25]

Pertaining to the Day of Atonement, it is clear that the saints must come to the judgment "righteous yet impure at one and the same time" -SIMUL JUSTI ET PECATORES. That they must come as righteous people is plain by the following evidences:
  1. In the type the people had already confessed and forsaken every particular sin in preparation for the final atonement.

  2. Peter says that those who would have their sins blotted out when the times of refreshing come must be prepared for the blessing by repentance and conversion. (Acts 3:19)

  3. In the parable of the wedding in Matthew 22, those found without a "wedding garment" in the judgment were cast out. This wedding garment is "the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character."-COL 310.

  4. "Though all nations are to pass in judgment before God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Everyone must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing."-GC 490.
On the other hand, the saints must come to the judgment as sinners, as the following evidences indicate:
  1. In the type the people were required to present themselves to the sanctuary with great repentance, fasting, and humiliation of soul. By blood and incense alone could they stand before a pure and holy God.

  2. In the parable of Zechariah 3, the people of God are represented by Joshua who stands in "filthy garments." E. G. White explains that Zechariah 3 is a description of the judgment and that the "filthy garments" are "their [the saints'] defective characters" which are acquired in "consequence of sin." As they enter the judgment, the people of God are "fully conscious of the sinfulness of their lives." They "afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart." (5T 472-475)

  3. "Only those who, in their attitude before God, are filling the position of those who are repenting and confessing their sins in the great antitypical day of atonement, will be recognized and marked as worthy of God's protection."-TM 445.

  4. "The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God."-5T 211.
Do the saints come to the judgment with the "wedding garment" upon them or with "filthy garments" upon them? They come with both! Matthew 22 is not a contradiction of Zechariah 3. They merely prove that Luther was right when he said that the saints were SIMUL JUSTI ET PECATORES. And Wesley was right when he stated, "[Sin] does not reign, but it does remain. [26] Also E. G. White was right when she taught that the saints are accepted before God just as if they had not sinned, yet confess the sinfulness of their nature. (SC 62; AA 561)

In the face of this basic Protestant truth, how can one believe that regenerate saints are so purified in their state of being that they need no further cleansing? As Wesley said, this erroneous claim is contrary to both the Word of God and the experience of His children. [27]

Today there is grave danger that certain prejudices will so blind God's people to present truth that it is not discerned. This was the sin of the Jewish nation in Christ's time, and the sin against which the remnant church is warned. (1SM 406; cf. 1SM 387; 2SM 111.) Destroying the truth of Leviticus 16:30 is in effect destroying the entire foundation of Protestantism. Adventists are supposed to complete the Reformation begun by Luther, not destroy it and build on another foundation. (SR 353; GC 78.)

The message for this Day of Atonement calls God's people to the sanctuary with repentance and humiliation of soul, as typified in the ceremonial Day of Atonement. (GC 489, 490) The teaching that if one has confessed his sins, he is forgiven and cleansed and does not need to afflict his soul, is not the doctrine of righteousness by faith preached by the Reformers. [28] Certainly it will not suffice today when God says, "You shall afflict your souls." The position that the church today does not need the special cleansing spoken of in Leviticus 16:30 can only testify to a Laodicean condition. "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness."-Prov. 30:12. [29]

No Moral Change at the Second Advent

Others who object to the cleansing of God's people as portrayed in Leviticus 16:30, seeing that it is untenable to claim that the regenerate saints have no sin remaining in them, turn to the opposite error. They teach that complete freedom from sin is not possible until the Second Advent, while charging those who believe Leviticus 16 with the heresy of dispensationalism. [30] This doctrine is the direct contradiction to the belief that all sinfulness is cleansed from believers here and now, and yet, surprisingly, both objections are sometimes given by the same individuals.

But those who support this belief in a removal of sin at the Second Advent flee from a lion, and a bear meets them. Unable to tear up the foundations of Protestantism which are found too firmly laid, they would then destroy the most fundamental premise of Adventism-that the sanctuary will be cleansed before the Second Advent, and that the final generation will be morally perfected, sealed, and able to live without an Intercessor in the great day of God. Ellen White clearly states:

"When He [Christ] comes [the second time] He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects of our characters. ... No work will then be done for them to remove their defects and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us."-2T 355.

"The transformation of character must take place before His coming. Our natures must be pure and holy; we must have the mind of Christ, that He may behold with pleasure His image reflected upon our souls. ..." Our High Calling, p. 278; cf. GC 623; 1SM 198; RH, Aug. 7, 1888.

This pillar which is being attacked-the pillar of basic Adventism-is as solid as the pillar of Protestantism. They stand inseparable, firmly embedded in the same rock-righteousness by faith.

Moral or Ceremonial Cleansing?

The question to be decided is whether Leviticus 16:30 points to a moral or ceremonial cleansing. In the Review and Herald, July 30, 1964, p. 13, there appeared an editorial on Leviticus 16:30 by R. F. Cottrell. He stated

"The expressions 'to cleanse' and 'may be clean' in Leviticus 16:30 are from the Hebrew word taher, which always (without exception) denotes ritual or ceremonial cleansing. Taher does not mean, nor is it ever used of, moral cleansing from sin. ...

"To apply-Leviticus 16:30 to moral cleansing-that is, to forgiveness or release from moral guilt-is to read into the passage an idea never expressed by the Hebrew word and never intended by the Holy Spirit, and further, to demonstrate a misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of the Day of Atonement service as set forth in the Bible and explained in the Spirit of Prophecy. The corporate cleansing of the people on that solemn occasion had nothing whatever to do with the removal of sin from the life of the individual; that had already taken place prior to the special services conducted on that day.

"It is evident, therefore, that an attempt to apply Leviticus 16:30 to a moral cleansing of God's people during the great antitypical day of atonement now in progress in the heavenly sanctuary, or to read into it the idea of moral perfection in the flesh, is to wrest Scripture."

A few weeks later the editors of the Review and Herald inserted a footnote to an article by L. C. Naden:

"Some have mistakenly applied the statement of Leviticus 16:30 that on the Day of Atonement 'the priest shall make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord'-to moral cleansing. They take this erroneous conclusion to justify their notion of a moral cleansing of God's people in the great antitypical day of atonement. Now, the expressions 'to cleanse' and 'may be clean' are from the Hebrew word taher, which is always used only of ceremonial or ritual cleansing. Taher does not mean, nor is it ever used of, moral cleansing from sin. ...

"The services of the day affected the people ritually, but not morally, and did not release them from sin nor in any degree alter their standing before God.

"To apply Leviticus 16:30 to moral cleansing, that is, to forgiveness or the release from moral guilt, is to read into the passage an idea the Hebrew word is never used to express and that the Holy Spirit never intended. Accordingly, the conclusion some have drawn from Leviticus 16:30, as applying to a moral cleansing of God's people in the antitypical Day of Atonement is invalid." [31]

Conclusion

It is most unfortunate that these statements were ever included in denominational print, for while it is clear that the cleansing in the typical day of atonement spoken of in Leviticus 16 was a ritual, ceremonial cleansing, it is equally clear that "what was done in type in the ministration of the earthly sanctuary, is done in reality in the ministration of the heavenly sanctuary."-GC420. Realizing that the Hebrew word taher, used to denote ceremonial purification, pointed to the reality of moral cleansing from sin, David prayed, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean [Hebrew: taper]. ..."-Ps. 51:7. [32] As Dr. Desmond Ford so aptly states in the Ministry of December, 1965:

"While it is true that taher is chiefly used in ceremonial contexts, it should be kept in mind that the whole ceremonial of the sanctuary was a lesson book without moral issues. The ceremonial defilements contracted by the Israelites were symbolic of the contagion of sin that has rendered all people in need of the cleansing blood of Christ. Thus taher in some contexts specifically has to do not merely with ceremonial uncleanness but also with moral cleansing (see Job 4:17; Ps. 51:2)." [33]

Whereas the typical Day of Atonement involved the entire nation of Israel, and as such was a corporate event, yet each individual was expected to personally afflict his soul in preparation. In like manner, the present antitypical Day of Atonement for modern Israel will benefit only those who have an individual, personal experience with the Lord. Those who do not participate by meeting the conditions whereby final atonement is to be granted will be "cut off." (Lev. 23:27-32)

A summary study of the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy foretells a final blotting out of sin during the time of the judgment, not only from the records of heaven, but also from the lives of God's children. To believe that a final, complete blotting out of sin occurs at conversion denies fundamental Protestantism; and to advocate that this does not take place until the Second Advent is to reject basic Adventism.

The glorious message prefigured in the truth of Leviticus 16:30 is a message of hope and final deliverance from the bondage of sin. Only as God's people understand heaven's purpose for the church will they have the faith to stand in the great day of God. (GC 488) Notes:
  1. Harry W. Lowe, "The Purpose of the Sanctuary Service," RH, Apr. 9, 1964, p. 7.
  2. G. D. Keough, "God's Power to Pardon and Forget," Ministry, June, 1966, p. 37.
  3. Raymond F. Cottrell, "That Ye May Be Clean," RH, July 30, 1964, p. 13.
  4. L. C. Naden, "Christ's Atoning Ministry," RH, Sept. 10, 1964, p. 4.
  5. L. C. Naden, "Christian Perfection, How Do We Attain It?" RH, Sept. 17, 1964, p. 3.
  6. Editors, RH, Sept. 10, 1964, p. 4.
  7. W. P. Bradley, "Limitations on Symbolism," Ministry, Oct 1968, p. 21.
  8. The Jewish Publication Society of America.
  9. According to GC 424-426, Mal. 3:1-4 refers to the coming of Christ to judgment and describes the same event as Daniel 7:13 and Daniel 8:14.
  10. GC 485 clearly places Isaiah 4 in the setting of the judgment and blotting out of sins.
  11. It is most significant that 1T 179-183, describing the great shaking in the church, quotes Joel 2:15-17 in a special footnote.
  12. 5T 472-476 must be read to appreciate the full context of Ellen White's application of the experience of Joshua and the Angel to the judgment.
  13. GC 611 (1888 edition), brackets in original.
  14. Alan Starkey, manuscript, pp. 8 and 9, published in 1968 by the Defense Literature Committee of the General Conference. This manuscript, called Basic Brinsmead Belief, was published in an attempt to refute the teachings of Robert Brinsmead.
  15. Third General Conference "Wieland-Short Manuscript Committee Report," A Warning and its Reception, p. 390. This General Conference manuscript committee report was written in an attempt to refute the position of Wieland and Short in their manuscript, 1888 Re-examined. This manuscript was submitted to the General Conference in 1950.
  16. Ibid.
  17. Martin Luther, Luther: Early Theological Works, The Library of Christian Classics, Vol. XVI, p. 324.
  18. Ibid., pp. 317, 318.
  19. Ibid.
  20. Ibid., pp. 318-354.
  21. John Wesley, Wesley's Sermons, pp. 12, 13.
  22. Ibid., p. 13.
  23. Ibid., p. 21.
  24. Ibid., pp. 33, 34.
  25. Ibid., p. 41.
  26. Ibid., p. 34.
  27. Ibid., p. 12.
  28. Referring to the justified saint, Luther says, "Thus we confess that we are sinners, and with our weeping, penitence, grieving and tears we show that we are sinners also in our own eyes." Luther: Lectures on Romans, p. 135.
  29. It was the false philosophy of Korah (who opposed Moses for reproving the congregation) which declared, "All the congregation are holy, every one of them."-Num. 16:3.
  30. See pp. 36, 81.
  31. RH, Sept. 10, 1964, p. 4.
  32. Ezek. 36:25, 33; 37:23, use "cleanse" (taher) with reference to moral cleansing.
  33. Desmond Ford, "The Linguistic Connection between Daniel 8:14 and 11:31," Ministry, December 1965, p. 36, footnote.