What Is the 1888 Message? Is It Biblical?

Chapter 7

The Powerful Message of the Two Covenants

Introduction

One of the most important of the 1888 message essentials was Jones' and Waggoner's view of the two covenants. It has within it an effective evangelism appeal that God intended should characterize the Revelation 18 loud cry of "the everlasting gospel." Unfortunately within 20 years of the Minneapolis Conference, the opposers' view prevailed in the denomination, with the result that to this day confusion and spiritual apathy continue. Children and youth in Sabbath School and the Pathfinders Club are especially affected by a "gospel" that embodies old covenant motifs. In 1890 Ellen White was shown in vision that Waggoner's view was correct and that the brethren were wasting their time trying to oppose it. A world church cannot understand the truth of the new covenant and also remain lukewarm.

The Bible Evidence

Exodus 19:4-8. The old covenant was initiated by the people at Mt. Sinai, established on their promise to obey God's commandments.

Hebrews 8:6, 7. The new covenant is established on "better promises," that is, God's.

Exodus 32:7, 8. The people could not keep their promise to obey. Even today, they cannot.

Galatians 4:24. The old covenant is not merely a minor mistake: it produces slavery to spiritual discouragement, and thus to failures.

Exodus 19:5. The Hebrew word translated "obey My voice" means "listen to My voice" (shamea), and the Hebrew word translated "keep My covenant" means "cherish My covenant" (shamar). While human covenants are indeed "mutual agreements" or contracts, God's covenant is always a one-sided promise on His part, for He knows we cannot keep our promises. "Cherish My covenant" therefore meant "cherish My promise to Abraham."

Galatians 3:17; Romans 4:13. God's "covenant" is His unilateral "promise."

2 Chronicles 36:14-17. The tragic failures of old covenant theology led to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, and the captivity of Judah.

Genesis 12:1-3; Hebrews 13:20, 21. The new covenant was God's seven-fold promise to Abraham and to his descendants "in Isaac."

Genesis 13:14-17; 15:4, 5. The promises were repealed and amplified. Never did God ask Abraham to promise anything in return.

Genesis 15:8-18. With a solemn bloody oath God pledged His existence and His throne on His fulfillment of those promises.

Hebrews 9:1. The Levitical sanctuary services were old covenant in nature.

Jeremiah 7:22; Amos 5:21-26. God "hated" the sacrifices offered in an old covenant spirit.

Exodus 25:8. As a consequence of the people's old covenant promise at Sinai, the Lord had to "dwell among them," rather than where He wanted to "dwell," that is, in their hearts, as with their "father" Abraham.

2 Kings 18:4. Due to old covenant encouragement to idolatry, Hezekiah had to destroy Moses' bronze serpent.

Revelation 3:16, 17. A basic problem in the remnant church is old covenant spiritual pride and idolatry, and arrogance.

Isaiah 50:4, 5; Luke 19:10. The old covenant idea of "righteousness by faith" majors in our initiating and maintaining a "relationship" with Jesus; the new covenant demonstrates that He is initiating and maintaining a relationship with us, which will succeed if we do not resist Him by hard-hearted unbelief.

2 Corinthians 5:14, 15. The faith that "justified" Abraham was his believing God's new covenant promises. Thus the faith that works in "righteousness by faith" is a heart appreciation of God's new covenant promise to the individual believer today: the promise of the new earth as an "everlasting possession" requires Him to make the believer righteous, for in "the new heavens and new earth dwelleth [only] righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).

Isaiah 41:10, 13. Salvation does not depend on us holding on to God's hand; but upon our believing that He is holding on to our hand. The former is old covenant in nature; the latter is new.

Hebrews 8:6-8. The cleansing of the sanctuary, the latter rain, the loud cry, the finishing of the gospel commission, embody the ultimate fulfillment of God's new covenant promises.

Hebrews 8:10. When "the house of David [and] the inhabitants of Jerusalem" in Laodicea understand their corporate involvement in the crucifixion of Christ, God's law will be written in their hearts and minds (see Zechariah 12:10; 13:1).

Summary

Old covenant "righteousness by faith" has us taking the initiative to promise God to be faithful and keep our promises. It is essentially the "faith-plus-works" brand of the gospel. The new covenant has God more actively involved in our salvation, initiating the entire process ("from first to last this has been the work of God," 2 Corinthian 5:18, NEB), so that the only reason one can be lost is his own personal unbelief and resistance and rejection. Old covenant Adventists fear the new covenant message lest it lower standards of Law-obedience, unmindful that only "agape is the fulfilling of the Law," and that all egocentric motivation produces either lukewarmness or eventual falling-away (Romans 13:10; only "agape never faileth," 1 Corinthians 13:8).

Conclusion

The truth of the two covenants is part of the "latter rain" message that would have prepared the church to proclaim the loud cry message to lighten the earth with glory. It is impossible for the "grain" in the "harvest" to "ripen" if this greater Good News concept is absent. The Seventh-day Adventist Church desperately needs a clear revival and proclamation of this truth as the Lord in His great mercy sent it through Jones and Waggoner. Do not fear that the "most precious" Good News will weaken the devotion of our youth; nothing else will produce a lasting commitment on their part. Only then can they sense the motivation to take up the cross to follow Christ "whithersoever He goeth" - which means more than a brief missionary trip to Mexico or Honduras, etc.