Outline of Thesis:

Introduction: What are the reasons/barriers against believing literal blood in heaven 1.) The 1888 message corrects errors which prevent this message 2.) The Ceremonial law is fulfilled in heaven by Christ 3.) Biblical revelations that Christ’s Sacrifice Continues 4.) Spirit of prophecy revelations showing that every aspect of the typical service is fulfilled in fact in heaven Conclusion: Purpose of the revelation and it’s relation to the Great Controversy

Why it is important to understand that Jesus “Still Sheds His Sacred Blood” in the heavenly sanctuary

INTRODUCTION

In the fall of 2007, the author of this paper read a startling statement written by the Seventh Day Adventist Co-Founder and Visionary Ellen G. White

that has truly been life changing.

This is the statement that began to change my life: “How full the atonement of the Saviour for our guilt! The Redeemer, with a heart of unalterable

love, still sheds his sacred blood in the sinner’s behalf.” {RH January 9, 1883, par. 21}

The Lord had prepared me for this revelation through prayer and meditation before I read the quote for the first time; therefore being written in the Spirit

of Prophecy rather plainly, I accepted the declaration from the beginning. As I continued to study and look for other quotes to confirm and support this

startling statement, I found several additional statements which edified and further explained why this must be so, that Jesus still sheds His sacred

blood in the heavenly sanctuary.

In my amazement and awe of the revelation I shared with very many other Seventh day Adventists, both lay persons and pastors, but all I had to share

were the statements and quotes written by Ellen G. White in the Spirit of Prophecy. Some people were stunned and moved at the declaration. One

person contacted the White Estate concerning the statements relating to this startling truth. But most all treated it with indifference and unbelief

because the thought is so contrary to how Jesus’ ministry after His death and resurrection on the Cross of Calvary is viewed and taught.

Many persons challenged me that I was only using Spirit of Prophecy quotes to teach this new doctrine and was not able to teach it from the Bible.

Several persons expressed to me their disgust that I should even present what they felt was such a revolting and contemptible subject. For years it was

difficult for me to continue to hold on to what I believed the Testimony of Jesus was showing me. I was often confused and perplexed. Many times I

have tried to convince myself that I am mistaken or simply that I should just let this go or at least keep it to myself seeing that many times the mere

mention of the topic is sufficient to arouse great contempt and indignation.

But what has happened in the now 12 years since I first believed this revelation to be true, often when I was at my lowest point and cried out to God for

proof or confirmation in some important point concerning why this must be so, God would lead me to some fresh discovery that would revive and

strengthen my faith afresh and I would ask Him for forgiveness for doubting. Most importantly, I plead with God to show me these things in the Bible,

for, said I, how can I believe this is true unless I can teach it from the Bible alone?

So now in this paper, I will present to you the evidences that I have discovered as to why I believe Ellen G. White’s statement, and the revelation from

heaven, that Jesus “still sheds His sacred blood in the sinner’s behalf” – is true and literally takes places in heaven.

BARRIERS TO TAKING THE PLAIN DECLARATION LITERAL

I feel this is an important place to begin because there are indeed significant barriers that are established which cause us to not want to understand the

teaching of Jesus’ blood being ministered in heaven in a literal fashion as being true. Theological barriers which stand as bulwarks against error are

good and they are set in the Bible as safeguards against heresy being taught as truth. But there are also many scriptures in the Bible which have been

for centuries understood incorrectly and have been barriers which have made the development and presentation of new light/new truth difficult to bring

forth. That is why this message must first be presented to Seventh Day Adventists; because like the Jews of old in the time of Christ, the principles

have been established in this body of believers (though hidden to many) for new truth to be brought forth and taught (though it is always precious old

truth which was always there in the Bible).

Adventists well understand that there are scriptures which have become barriers to the development and presentation of truth because of the way they

have been interpreted by the majority in Christendom. This is not a new phenomenon either; there was a time when Protestant teaching was contrary

to the majority, orthodox ‘Christian’ teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and was viewed with suspicion and seen as a new innovation against what

had been taught for ages.

I will here give a couple brief examples of ideas drawn from the scriptures that have become barriers to the presentation and acceptance of truth.

Adventists believe that the Bible teaches that New Testament Christians should observe the Seventh Day Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment. Yet,

the majority of the Christian world believes that this teaching is false based on their understanding of several scriptures which seem to indicate that

God’s law is done away with and abolished for New Testament believers. Additionally, Seventh Day Adventists understand that the Bible teaches us

that human souls are not naturally immortal and that the fires of hell will not burn forever. Yet, the majority Christian world teaches and believes that

God will burn sinners forever in the fires of hell based on several scriptures they understand as requiring God to consign the lost to eternal torment.

So let me now identify some of the many barriers which exert their power against anyone taking the plain declaration that Jesus “still sheds His sacred

blood” as being literal:

- Bible scriptures teach that there is no more sacrifice after Christ’s one and once for all sacrifice on the Cross.

- The idea, again drawn from scripture, that Jesus does not suffer any more after His death and resurrection.

- The teaching that the Law which requires sacrifice is done away with and abolished in the New Testament.

- Many statements concerning Jesus’ blood in the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White are intended to be understood in the figurative

sense.

- The understanding of many that Jesus’ ministry in heaven is in many respects symbolic and that the sanctuary service was itself a symbolic

service.

- The strong, explicit Christian teaching that if any teach that there is law or sin or sacrifice after the Cross it is to deny that Christ’s sacrifice

on Calvary was all-sufficient.

- The charge that this teaching is at best a distraction and worst a fatal error which is neither important or worth the division and separation

that such a teaching would necessarily create.

These are to my knowledge, and my experience in sharing this message for many years, the main barriers and objections persons have which often

prevent them from even considering this message carefully. Yet I deeply believe that God has purposed that this message and teaching will fulfill an

important part in the finishing of His work in His people and is the most full and advanced revelation of Jesus Christ which was prophesied to come to

us in the last days. Because of this, I endeavor in this thesis to address the barriers afore mentioned and reveal the truth concerning Christ’s literal

blood in heaven in the following 5 sections.

The teaching that the law is done away with and abolished for New Testament believers will be addressed in section 1. I will address the issues

surrounding the proper hermeneutics (interpretation) of many Spirit of Prophecy statements and Biblical revelations concerning the Blood of Christ and

Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary in sections 2 and 4. The ideas that there is no more sacrifice after the Cross and that Jesus does not suffer

any more are drawn from interpretations of several Bible scriptures and will be addressed in section 3; also in this section I will address the charge that

the teaching that Jesus still sheds His sacred blood denies that Christ’s sacrifice is all-sufficient. When I summarize the findings of the evidence

presented in the conclusion, I will also in that section address the charges that this doctrine is not important to understand or that it creates such

division it is not worth advocating – I will address these false charges by showing that though the barriers to accepting this truth are indeed formidable,

a remnant of God’s people will look upon the Lamb whom they have pierced and they will, by and by, receive the long looked for Spirit of grace and

supplications promised to His followers in the last days (Zech. 12:10).

*(after writing this paper I realize that some of the objections I will address and defend the principles of this message while speaking in person, if invited

to speak interested persons)

SECTION 1.) THE 1888 MESSAGE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH CORRECTS ERRORS SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS HELD CONCERNING THE LAW AND THE COVENANTS

Since the time of the great apostasy of Christianity which caused the development of the Roman Catholic Church and the subsequent great revival of

Biblical Christianity in the Protestant Reformation, God has been restoring truths lost in the deep darkness of error and these truths have come to us as

new light. Every new truth which God’s messengers bring forth to a generation which has not know them is actually precious old light – old truth which

was always present in the word of God from the first revelation of the Redeemer at the East gate of Eden after man sinned. But when these old truths

are brought out and presented to a generation that has not known them – they are new to us – therefore it is called new light. When Jesus came to

preach the everlasting gospel, He spoke not one new principle, but everything He taught was but that only which was always comprehended in the Old

Testament scriptures, but was mostly undiscerned by the very people to whom it was given to be the stewards of those precious revelations from God.

So God’s messengers in every generation must endure great trail of difficulty and reproach when they follow the voice of their consciences to share the

truths which they have discovered and which have been shown them by the Holy Ghost, but are new and unknown to the people of their time. The

majority of the people of the church will generally be suspicious and defensive when new truth is presented, because accepting new truth necessarily

involves inconvenience and reproach. Nevertheless, this process shall continue until the end of time until all be fulfilled. God, for His Own name’s sake,

must cause His truth to be made known and all errors held among His people, which hinder His full glory from being revealed, will eventually be

reproved and corrected.

According to this invariable rule, God raised up the Seventh Day Adventist church to be a body of believers which would proclaim necessary end time

truth to the final generations who shall live upon the earth. The Seventh Day Adventists trace their beginnings and scriptural foundation to the Bible

teachings of the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 which speaks about the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the Day of Atonement. The light from these

revelations eventually lead Seventh Day Adventists to understand that God’s Law of Ten Commandments was still in force as they believed that this

law is within the Ark of the Covenant, which was revealed to them as truly abiding in the heavenly temple. Once the Seventh Day Adventist understood

that they had been brought to a place where they could see clear Bible truths that the majority of the Christian world rejected, they subsequently

received more and more increased light upon Bible truths God desired to be made known. Adventists saw the presentation of the special truths they

were risen up to share were uniformly presented in the warnings of the Three Angels messages of Revelation 14:6-12; and they understood this light

was to accomplish God’s purpose to make ready a people prepared for Christ’s second coming in the clouds of glory. Adventists hold that when Christ

returns the second time, He will then bring to an end the Great Controversy which Satan began in heaven when he sought to exalt himself against

Christ and was banished to this earth. Adventists believe that we are called to play an important role in God’s plan to bring to an end this Great

Controversy, which is being fought between Christ and His angels and the devil and his angels over the character of God. The gospel plan will close

when God’s glory, His character, has been fully manifested to the world and then the end shall come. The spiritual issues of the last days have

everything to do with God’s character, which Satan has been purposefully misrepresenting to humanity for 6,000 years, to the intent that they would not

trust our loving heavenly Father and join Satan and his fallen angels in rebellion. These are the fundamental pillars of the Seventh Day Adventist

message this body of believers understand they were raised up to give to the world.

Additionally, God raised up a person among them who would fulfill the prophecy of Revelation 12:17 (also see Rev. 19:10), which teaches that the

church of the last days would have the prophetic gift manifested among them. This prophetic gift was manifested to the Seventh Day Adventist church

in the ministry of Ellen G. White. While the light and teachings which the church was given from heaven, that were new to their generation, were always

studied out first in the Bible, God would send prophetic light, utterances and visions to Sister White to confirm and further develop truths that were

already revealed to the church through Holy Spirit led Bible study. The counsels and admonitions from God through the ministry of Ellen G. White

always were and continue to be invaluable to helping us to fulfill the purposes God has determined for the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

But alas, there was a time in which the truths which God had given Ellen G. White to confirm were so startling, so far reaching and so destructive to

errors which we had held as truth for so long, that it created a crisis in our church when the majority of our leaders rejected the light that Jesus was

sending into this body of His people. This time and this light has come to be remembered as the 1888 message; this is because the crisis of light

rejected reached a certain climax at the General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists in Minneapolis in the year of 1888. The message God

purposed to send our church at that time was so important that the Spirit speaking through Sister White said, “The light that is to lighten the whole earth

with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.” {1SM 234.6} Adventists had

long understood the phrase of “the light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory” as pertaining to the last message of the gospel to be given to the

world (see Rev. 18:1-4) and shall be the culmination of the all important three angels messages of Rev 14:6-12 which they held that they were raised

up to give to the world. So for Sister White to declare in the name of the Lord, that this final, sealing light was resisted by the very church who believed

they were raised up to give that light was indeed an extremely serious pronouncement from heaven!

So we must begin our study by revisiting the time of 1888 so that we can reveal and set firm the principles God was seeking to give the Seventh Day

Adventist church at that time. These principles and teachings are so far reaching that they remove the remaining errors which are still commonly

believed among Seventh Day Adventists which create the formidable barriers to the truth I am sharing in this paper.

The 1888 message was brought to the Seventh Day Adventist church by the ministers Alonzo T. Jones and Elliot J. Waggoner. Ellen G. White’s many

strong endorsements of the message God was sending through them have made it virtually impossible to hide the subject altogether. Sooner or later

most all believers who accept the doctrines of the Seventh Day Adventist church will eventually hear something about this most famous episode of

Adventist history. What they will generally hear is that the message Jones and Waggoner brought to the church, and was vigorously endorsed by Ellen

G. White, was a general message of Righteousness by Faith. The context most Seventh Day Adventists hear concerning this is that prior to this

message being brought forth in 1888, Adventists had reached a place in our experience where it could be said, in the words of Sister White herself, “As

a people, we have preached the law until we are as dry as the hills of Gilboa that had neither dew nor rain. We must preach Christ in the law, and

there will be sap and nourishment in the preaching that will be as food to the famishing flock of God.” {1888 560.4}

What most Seventh Day Adventists understand as the importance of the message of 1888 and the context for that message is simply that as a people,

since we taught that the Seventh Day Sabbath must be kept, and that our ministers and people had become so works oriented that we lost sight of the

fact that our only righteousness, and any right-doing acceptable to God, can only be gained to us through and by Jesus Christ. Therefore God sent

Jones and Waggoner to revive this central Christian teaching to the people who are given the last day message for the world… All of this is true, but

the problem is that these general features are all that most Seventh Day Adventist ministers and people know about the 1888 message.

Because this is all that is generally known and taught about the 1888 message, the question is often asked, ‘if the fact that Righteousness is only

gained through Christ is what the 1888 message is all about, why then did our leaders fight so hard against it?’

What is not as well known is that there was a distinct and special teaching of the Law and Covenants in the Bible that set the foundation for Jones and

Waggoner’s presentation of Righteousness by Faith. It was these special teachings that were so fought against by the majority of the church leaders

and not the teaching that Righteousness is by Faith. But because the 1888 message is called among us the message of Righteousness by Faith, most

Seventh Day Adventists are unaware that our church has generally still to this day rejected the special teachings that were endorsed by Sister White

and that the church generally has retained the errors that these teachings were sent to correct. Therefore the barriers to the acceptance of the subject

of this paper are present among us to frustrate efforts to introduce this new light.

Jones and Waggoner were given the true light on the Biblical teachings of the Law of God in the New Testament and the Bible doctrines of the Old and

New Covenants. The principles taught in this true 1888 light are the proper basis upon which all are to understand that the Righteousness of Christ

comes to us by faith. Without these principles being properly and firmly in place, we end up with incorrect beliefs and doctrines of Righteousness by

faith which are inconsistent with God’s purposes of old and His purposes to finish the Great Controversy before Christ returns.

I will now explain the difference between the old view of the Law and the Covenants (which Seventh Day Adventists held back then and unfortunately

still teach today generally) and the new view which God sent by the messengers Jones and Waggoner, especially in the year 1888 and for many years

thereafter.

First, I will address what Jones and Waggoner taught concerning the law in the New Testament. The question of the Law in the New Testament came

to a head in the study sessions of the 1888 General Conference when the focus became centered on what Law is Paul referring to in his letter to the

Galatians chapter 3. It was clearly seen in the study sessions that our Adventist ministers were teaching two different interpretations concerning what

they believed and taught concerning what Law is Paul referring to when he mentions the Law that was our schoolmaster in the book of Galatians

chapter 3. Jones and Waggoner, who were up and coming preachers in the church, taught this doctrine differently from nearly all the rest of our

Adventist ministers. Which way was correct?

These are the particular Bible verses which were under special consideration: “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the

faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But

after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Galatians 3:23-25

Adventist ministers were teaching (and still teach to this day) that the law to which Paul was referring, which he calls “our schoolmaster”, was the

Ceremonial law of sacrifices and Mosaic rituals. One the main reasons they believed this was because these scriptures were used by Sunday keeping

ministers to refute the Sabbath truth. Sunday keeping ministers held that the law Paul is referring to is all the law of God – Moral law of Ten

Commandments and all the law of Moses. They understood (and still teach that) Paul’s statement that after faith is come, we are no longer under a

schoolmaster as meaning that now that we are in the times of the New Covenant, meaning after Christ has come into the world and lived and died and

rose again, we are now in the New Testament dispensation and we are no longer under the schoolmaster of the law – which they understand to mean

that the law is abolished and done away with since Christ died on the Cross. Because this is the prevailing understanding of what Paul means when he

wrote “no longer under a schoolmaster” – Adventists understood the phrase the same way and taught that the law Paul is referring to must be the

Ceremonial law only, since Seventh Day Adventists believe that the Ten Commandment are still in force. So Adventists taught that when Paul says

after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster – we taught that he means believers are no longer to obey the Ceremonial law – which they

explain is the law of Moses. Seventh Day Adventist taught (and still teach) that only the Ten Commandments remains to guide us and to be obeyed;

we agreed with the Sunday ministers that when Paul says we are “no longer under a schoolmaster” – that Paul means that whatever law he was

speaking about is done away with and abolished in the New Testament.

The new view of Jones and Waggoner taught that the law Paul is referring to in Galatians is in fact both the law of Ten Commandments and the

Ceremonial law! But they did not teach this to say that after faith is come and we are no longer under a schoolmaster that the law is abolished. They

taught that this way of explaining the scripture was an error in interpretation. They taught that Paul is not speaking of any law of God being abolished

when he uses phrases like “no longer under a schoolmaster” and many other similar expressions when he speaks about the law. What Paul meant

when he said after faith is come and we are no longer under a schoolmaster – his meaning is that the Law has a work to do – to bring us to Christ that

we might be justified by faith. The purpose of the law is to lead us, to guide us – like a schoolmaster – to Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the

sin of the world… Once we are brought Jesus, once we are abiding in Him – the law has done it’s work and we continue on walking in the Spirit of

Christ which is in harmony with the law.

Here is E.J.Waggoner in his own words commenting on these verses: “it is certain that it is the law by which is the knowledge of sin, —the law which

says, “You shall not covet.” —which is the schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. And this is the more evident by the fact

that after faith is come, after we are justified by faith, we are no longer under the law; we are no longer under the dominion of sin; we are no longer shut

up; because we have attained unto the very thing, which is the object of the law, which is Christ. For “Christ is the end [the object, the aim, the purpose]

of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 10:4).” [Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 17, 1900]

In the 1888 message, Jones and Waggoner also taught that when Paul speaks of the law in a negative since, he is speaking of the general approach

of the Jews to try to obtain righteousness, not by faith in Christ, but by keeping the law themselves, in their own power. Paul often calls this, “the works

of the law”. Paul does not intend that the law itself is bad or even being obedient to the law as being wrong – but trying to keep the law as a means of

gaining righteousness or salvation, apart from living faith in Christ is indeed bad and wrong – and will cause the person doing this to be lost because it

is a rejection of Christ.

Hear Waggoner speak of this commenting on Galatians: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, . . . we have believed in Jesus

Christ, that we might be justified,” says the apostle. The meaning of the word “justified” is made righteous. In an accommodated sense we use the term

“justified” of a man who has not done wrong in a thing whereof he is accused. But, strictly speaking, such an one needs no justification, since he is

already just; his righteous deed justified him. But since all have sinned, there are none just or righteous before God; therefore they need to be justified,

or made righteous, which God does. Now the law of God is righteousness. See Rom. 7:12; 9:30, 31; Ps. 119:172. Therefore Paul did not disparage the

law, although he declared that no man could be made righteous by the law. No; so highly did he appreciate the law, that he believed in Christ for the

righteousness which the law demands but cannot give. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son

in the likeness of sinful fesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the

flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:3, 4… —“By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Gal. 2:16. Shall we say, “Then we will away with the law”? That is what every confirmed criminal

thinks. Persistent law breakers would gladly do away with the law which declares them guilty and will not say that wrong is right. But the law of God

cannot be abolished, for it is the statement of the will of God. Rom. 2:18. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Rom. 7:12.

We read the law, and find in it our duty made plain. But we have not done it; therefore we are guilty. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of

God.” “There is none that does good; no, not one.” Rom. 3:23, 12. Moreover, there is not one who has strength to do the law, its requirements are so

great. Then it is very evident that no one can be justified by the works of the law, and it is equally evident that the fault is not in the law, but in the

individual. Let the man get Christ in the heart by faith, and then the righteousness of the law will be there also, for Christ says, “I delight to do Ty will, O

My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Ps. 40:8. He who would throw away the law because it will not call evil good, would reject God, because He

“will by no means clear the guilty.” Ex. 34:7. But God will remove the guilt, will make the sinners righteous, that is, in harmony with the law, and then the

law which before condemned them will witness to their righteousness. [Studies in Galatians Signs of the Times, 12/22/1898 and 01/18/1899]

These thoughts which are presented here unlock vast stores of glory which was hidden to so many Christians because of misinterpretation of the New

Testament Scriptures. This is the gospel and this is the foundation of the proper understanding of Righteousness by Faith!

Now listen to the heights of the beautiful good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ when these principles are applied to understanding the writings of

Paul. They are very much applicable to our day and time. In the following words, A.T. Jones applies these principles taught in this 1888 message of the

law in the New Testament to show us what Paul means when he wrote about the law using phrases like, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances

that was against us which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross”, and “having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the

law of commandments contained in ordinances…” and “the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones… which was to be done away… the

children of Israel could not look to the end of that which is abolished.” (Remember these are all scriptures Sunday-keeping ministers use to teach that

God’s law is done away with and abolished. Jones preaches the gospel as to what Paul means by these scriptural declarations):

““Christ has set us free from all that in the second of Colossians, the second of Ephesians, and in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians. Christ has set us

free from formalism and ceremonialism, from going by rules and resolutions and all these things, but ever to be guided, actuated, and inspired by the

living principle of the life of Jesus Christ itself. The difference between a principle and a rule is that the principle has in it the very life of Christ itself;

while a rule is a form that a man makes in which he will express his idea of the principle; and which he would fasten not only upon himself but upon

everybody, and make them do just like himself. That is the difference between Christianity and ceremonialism. That is the difference between principle

and rule. The one is life and freedom; the other is bondage and death.”

“It was the lack of the presence of Jesus Christ in the heart by living faith, that caused them to put their trust in these other things for salvation. Not

having Christ for salvation, they did these other things, that by these they might be righteous. And thus they took the means which God had appointed

for other purposes—they took the ten commandments; they took circumcision; they took sacrifices and offerings, and burnt offerings, and offerings for

sin. They took all these, which God had given for another purpose, and used them to obtain salvation by them; used them to obtain righteousness by

the performance of them. But they could not find righteousness by the doing of these things; they could not find peace; they could not find satisfaction

of heart; because it is not there; it was all of themselves. Therefore, in order to be certain of it, they had to draw out these things which God had

appointed, and the things which he had said, into ten thousand hair_splitting and casuistic distinctions, so that they could be so certain to come directly

to the exact line that they could be sure that they had the righteousness they were after. Yet all these things did not satisfy; they did not find peace of

heart yet; and consequently they had to add a great many things of their own invention; and all these were their own invention anyhow.

It was all ceremonialism from beginning to end; and it was all done that by these they might become righteous. But nothing but faith in Jesus Christ can

make a man righteous; and nothing but that can keep him righteous. But they did not have that; they did not have him abiding in the heart by living

faith, so that his virtue itself would shine out in the life through these things that God had appointed, which Christ himself appointed for that purpose.

And therefore, when they attempted by these things—simply the expression of their own selves working out thus—to obtain righteousness, they missed

real righteousness…

Now, you can see that there is a great deal more in that system of ceremonialism than simply a little passing thing that disturbed the Jews a little while,

and then vanished. For human nature is still and ever bothered with it as certainly as the devil lives, as certainly as the enmity is in the human heart.

That mind which is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be—just as certainly as that is in the world, and as long as it is in the world, just so

long the world will be cursed with ceremonialism. And as long as there is any of that in my heart, I shall be in danger of being cursed with

ceremonialism." {A.T. Jones, 1895 General Conference Bulletin, pages 349-352}

It is well know that Ellen G. White herself was greatly blessed as she heard the teachings of Jones and Waggoner on the Law in the New Testament.

Hear her joyful expression: “I have had the question asked, “What do you think of this light that these men are presenting?” Why, I have been

presenting it to you for the last 45 years—the matchless charms of Christ. This is what I have been trying to present before your minds. When Brother

Waggoner brought out these ideas in Minneapolis, it was the first clear teaching on this subject from any human lips I had heard, excepting the

conversations between myself and my husband. I have said to myself, It is because God has presented it to me in vision that I see it so clearly, and

they cannot see it because they have never had it presented to them as I have. And when another presented it, every   fiber   of my heart   said, Amen .

Brethren in New York, we want you to go forward. Advance from light to clearer light. Here are the mines of truth. Work them; dig for the truth as for hid

treasures… I ask you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to arise and shine, for thy light has come.”{1888 349.1}

After the message was brought to the church at the 1888 General Conference and Sister White endorsed the message as being from heaven, she from

then until her death more clearly embodied these teachings in her writings:

“I am asked concerning the law in Galatians. What law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? I answer: Both the ceremonial and the

moral code of ten commandments. 

Christ was the foundation of the whole Jewish economy. The death of Abel was in consequence of Cain’s refusing to accept God’s plan in the

school of obedience to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ typified by the sacrificial offerings pointing to Christ. Cain refused the shedding of blood

which symbolized the blood of Christ to be shed for the world. This whole ceremony was prepared by God, and Christ became the foundation of the

whole system. This is the beginning of its work as the schoolmaster to bring sinful human agents to a consideration of Christ the Foundation of the

whole Jewish economy.  

All who did service in connection with the sanctuary were being educated constantly in regard to the intervention of Christ in behalf of the human

race. This service was designed to create in every heart a love for the law of God, which is the law of His kingdom. The sacrificial offering was to be an

object lesson of the love of God revealed in Christ—in the suffering, dying victim, who took upon Himself the sin of which man was guilty, the innocent

being made sin for us. 

“The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). In this scripture, the Holy Spirit through the

apostle is speaking especially of the moral law. The law reveals sin to us, and causes us to feel our need of Christ and to flee unto Him for pardon and

peace by exercising repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at

Minneapolis against the Lord’s message through Brethren [E.J.] Waggoner and [A.T.] Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting

away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from

obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The

light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the

world.”{1SM 233.1-234.6}

The 1888 teachings concerning the law in the New Testament are vastly important to understand, as they form really the basis of the New Testament

gospel – because the gospel is in harmony with the law of God. When ministers teach that the Paul speaks about abolishing the law, they diminish the

gospel which is sent to deliver us from the curse of breaking God’s law, but more importantly they take away an important agency God has given to

“bring us to Christ that might be justified by faith.”

It is thus that Ellen G. White understood the message and was so much in harmony with these teachings that she embodied them it in one of her most

important books:

“When the law was proclaimed from Sinai, God made known to men the holiness of His character, that by contrast they might see the sinfulness of

their own. The law was given to convict them of sin, and reveal their need of a Saviour. It would do this as its principles were applied to the heart by the

Holy Spirit. This work it is still to do. In the life of Christ the principles of the law are made plain; and as the Holy Spirit of God touches the heart, as

the light of Christ reveals to men their need of His cleansing blood and His justifying righteousness, the law is still an agent in bringing us to Christ,

that we may be justified by faith.” {Ellen g. White, The Desire of Ages, page 308.2}

This is the Law, which is our schoolmaster, which Ellen G. White declared (as we quoted earlier) was both the Moral Law of Ten

Commandments and the Ceremonial Law. This schoolmaster is not done away with, neither is it abolished. This Law still has a work to do in our

lives and especially in a remnant of God’s people.

Before moving on to the second and important component of the foundation of Jones and Waggoner’s message of Righteousness by faith, namely

their teaching on the Covenants, I need to bring out the a specific, special principle we may draw from this teaching on the Law, as it critical to the new

light which is the subject of this paper…

This concept was not explicitly taught in Jones and Waggoner’s messages, but we may understand from the principles brought forth is that - God’s

Law, His whole Law, is still in force. Certainly I believe that some of Jones and Waggoner’s most ablest opposers understood this and this may be one

of the reasons certain of them fought so hard against this teaching. There are many Christian ministers who desire greatly to abolish God’s Law. But

the focus I desire to make known concerning this is not so much to reveal that God’s whole Law is still in force to the intent to show more laws for us to

keep… The purpose I have is the same purpose of the Law itself - The acceptance of the truth that God’s whole Law is still in force is so that the Law,

through the Spirit, may do its appointed work in our lives and in this present paper – “to bring us to Christ”.

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:4

…

Now, I will address what Jones and Waggoner taught concerning the Biblical subject of the Covenants. By the word Covenants I mean specifically the

Covenants the Bible calls the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. What is the proper understanding of these terms that all believers are familiar

with? Again, it will be seen that at the time of the 1888 General Conference in Minneapolis, Seventh Day Adventist ministers taught these concepts in

two very different ways. Almost all of the Adventist ministers taught the Covenants according to what can be called the ‘old view’ and Jones and

Waggoner taught the Covenants according to what was seen clearly as a ‘new view’…

The ‘old view’ of the Covenants taught that God purposed to deal with men and offer salvation in accordance to two plans or Covenants which

occupied two distinct periods of time. The dispensation of time before Jesus came to our world to live and die on the Cross is called the Old Covenant

or Old Testament dispensation. This foregone dispensation, it was taught according to the old view, is said to have been the time when God offered

mankind salvation according to the Old Covenant agreement which He proposed to men. The old view teaches that God set forth an Old Covenant

agreement for man to approach to Him by the works of the Old Covenant law of sacrifices and rituals. It is said that God would accept man if he

consented to obey God’s specific rules in approaching Him and if man did this he would find salvation. This arrangement of things, the old view taught,

would continue until the death of Christ, when Christ would die as the true Lamb sacrifice and then there would be no more need of animal sacrifices.

The old view teaches that from then on, God purposed that man would approach to Him by faith in the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus.

In startling contrast to this old view of the Covenants, Jones and Waggoner presented a new and fresh view of the Covenants at the 1888 General

Conference of Seventh Day Adventists. Jones and Waggoner taught that the Old and New Covenants do not consist in epochs of time but rather they

indicate conditions of the human heart and the two ways men approach unto God! The 1888 light shows that the only covenant by which God saves

men is the New Covenant and that it was first offered to mankind after Adam sinned and God gave the Promise of the Redeemer, the Seed of the

woman Who would come to crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). God’s salvational New Covenant is really God’s promise to save us. It is not

a two way agreement as many ministers teach. The New Covenant is really God’s promise to save us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and we

respond by believing His word, being fully persuaded that what God has promised that He is fully and absolutely able to perform! This message

teaches that the only salvation by which men were ever saved is and always was by faith in Jesus Christ… God never desired men to approach Him by

the works of the law, thinking that by doing some actions or keeping His commands in their own power they are gaining favor or merit with God. The

New Covenant is the same as the Promise or Everlasting Covenant God made to Abraham. The covenant God made with Abraham is a covenant

entered into and received by faith, and this is the only covenant the children of Israel should have sought after to find favor and salvation with God.

What then did Jones and Waggoner teach was the Old Covenant? - Because we know that the scriptures tell us that another Covenant was entered

into between God and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, when God delivered them from bondage after being in Egypt as slaves for many

generations… Jones and Waggoner showed from the Bible that the Old Covenant is based, not upon God’s promises, but upon the promises of the

people, and those who approach God in this Old Covenant way, to obey and do all that the Lord has spoken. But without Christ, no one can fulfill the

demands of the law, so all such promises on the part of man to please God by works are doomed to fail. Therefore this most precious 1888 message

teaches that there is no salvation in the Old Covenant. But if seeing their error and impossibility of pleasing God outside of faith in Jesus Christ, men

forsake their attempts to gain salvation by the works of the law and come to accept God’s New Covenant in Christ Jesus – praise God, the New

Covenant includes the promise of the forgiveness or sins and mercy and the power of the Holy Spirit to cause us to live as God desires us, all while we

are covered by the intercession and Righteousness of Christ accessed to our souls by living faith in our Redeemer and Saviour!

So some men seek to approach God in an Old Covenant manner and some men receive God’s promises to save and find favor with God through a

New Covenant relation to Him. And men can change and cross over from one to the other in this time of our probation. The Bible story of Genesis

chapter 4 reveals these two classes men and the two Covenants as they were manifested in the worship of Cain and Abel. Cain came to worship God

and approached Him in disobedience to God’s expressed will and the thought of blood disgusted Cain… Cain would offer to God an offering more

pleasing to himself; Cain would bring fruit and lay that upon the altar, which God had not commanded. Cain worshipped and approached God

according to the Old Covenant – not through faith, but by the works of the law - the works of the flash – called in scripture, the law of sin and death.

Abel on the other hand worshipped God through faith in the Redeemer to come, Who was typified in the offering of the slain lamb upon the altar, which

is what God commanded. The Bible says that it was “by faith” that Abel offered unto God. In the Bible, Abel’s faith and obedience is commended to us

as a shining example of approaching God through the New Covenant (Hebrews 11:4) - which is faith in the promise of God to save mankind through

the sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ and obedience to God’s commands by grace.

Again, this teaching opens up so many important avenues to understand and behold the glory of God in the teachings of His holy word! Let us hear how Waggoner expressed these thoughts in his own words teaching the Covenants from Galatians chapter 4:

“Tell me, you who desire to be under law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son f the free woman through promise. Now this is an allegory: these two women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she was Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written,

"Rejoice, O barren one that dost not bear;break forth and shout, thou who art not in travail;for the desolate hath more childrenthan she who hath a husband." Verses 21-27.

“The two women, Hagar and Sarah, represent the two covenants. We read that Hagar is Mount Sinai, "bearing children for slavery." Just as Hagar

could bring forth only slave children, so the law, even the law that God spoke from Sinai, cannot beget free men. It can do nothing but hold them in

bondage. "The law brings wrath," "since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 4:15; 3:20. At Sinai the people promised to kept the given

law. But in their own strength they had no power to keep the law.

Mount Sinai "bore children for slavery," since their promise to make themselves righteous by their own works was not successful and can never be.

Consider the situation: The people were in the bondage of sin. They had no power to break their chains. And the speaking of the law made no change

in that condition. If a man is in prison for crime, he does not gain release by hearing the statutes read to him. Reading to him the law that put him there

only makes his captivity more painful.

Then did not God Himself lead them into bondage? Not by any means, since He did not induce them to make that covenant at Sinai. Four hundred and

thirty years before that time He had made a covenant with Abraham which was sufficient for all purposes. That covenant was confirmed in Christ, and

therefore was a covenant from above. See John 8:23. It promised righteousness as a free gift of God through faith, and it included all nations. All the

miracles that God had wrought in delivering the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage were but demonstrations of His power to deliver them (and

us) from the bondage of sin. Yes, the deliverance from Egypt was itself a demonstration not only of God's power but also of His desire to lead them

from the bondage of sin.

So, when the people came to Sinai, God simply referred them to what He had already done and then said, "Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice

indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine." Exodus 19:5, KJV. To what

covenant did He refer? Evidently to the one already in existence, His covenant with Abraham. If they would simply keep God's covenant, keep the faith,

and believe God's promise, they would be a "peculiar treasure" unto God. As the possessor of all the earth, He was able to do for them all that He had

promised.

The fact that they in their self-sufficiency rashly took the whole responsibility upon themselves does not prove that God had led them into making that

covenant.

If the children of Israel who came out of Egypt had but walked "in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham" (Romans 4:12, KJV), they would never

have boasted that they could keep the law spoken from Sinai, "for the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his

seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." (Romans 4:13, KJV). Faith justifies. Faith makes righteous. If the people had had

Abraham's faith, they would have had the righteousness that he had. At Sinai the law, which was "spoken because of transgression," would have been

in their hearts. They would not have needed to be awaked by its thunders to a sense of their condition. God never expected, and does not now expect,

that any person can get righteousness by the law proclaimed from Sinai, and everything connected with Sinai shows it. Yet the law is truth and must be

kept. God delivered the people from Egypt "that they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws." Psalm 105:45, KJV. We do not get life by keeping

the commandments, but God gives us life in order that we may keep them through faith in Him.

The apostle when speaking of Hagar and Sarah says: "These women are two covenants." These two covenants exist today. The two covenants are not

matters of time, but of condition. Let no one flatter himself that he cannot be bound under the old covenant, thinking that its time has passed. The time

for that is passed only in the sense that "the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in

lasciviousness, lust, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries." 1 Peter 4:3, KJV.

The difference is just the difference between a free woman and a slave. Hagar's children, no matter how many she might have had, would have been

slaves while those of Sarah would necessarily be free. So the covenant from Sinai holds all who adhere to it in bondage "under the law," while the

covenant from above gives freedom, not freedom from obedience to the law, but freedom from disobedience to it. The freedom is not found away from

the law but in the law. Christ redeems from the curse, which is the transgression of the law, so that the blessing may come on us. And the blessing is

obedience to the law. "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord." Psalm 119:1. This blessedness is freedom. "I shall

walk at liberty; for I have sought Thy precepts." Psalm 119:45.

The difference between the two covenants may be put briefly thus: In the covenant from Sinai we ourselves have to do with the law alone, while in the

covenant from above we have the law in Christ. In the first instance it is death to us, since the law is sharper than any two-edged sword, and we are not

able to handle it without fatal results. But in the second instance we have the law "in the hand of a Mediator." In the one case it is what we can do. In

the other case it is what the Spirit of God can do.

Bear in mind that there is not the slightest question in the whole letter to the Galatians as to whether or not the law should be kept. The only question

is:   How shall it be kept? Is it to be our own doing, so that the reward shall not be of grace but of debt? Or is it to be God working in us both to will and to

do of His good pleasure?” [EJW; The Glad Tidings p 69,70]

Here is what Ellen G. White was given from heaven to declare concerning these new light teachings on the Covenants:

“Night before last I was shown that evidences in regard to the covenants were clear and convincing. Yourself, Brother B, Brother C, and others are

spending your investigative powers for naught to produce a position on the covenants to vary from the position that Brother [E. J.] Waggoner has

presented. The covenant question is a clear question and would be received by every candid, unprejudiced mind, but I was brought where the Lord

gave me an insight into this matter. You have turned from plain light because you were afraid that the law question in Galatians would have to be

accepted.” – EGW, Letter 59, 1890

“Since I made the statement last Sabbath that the view of the covenants as it had been taught by Brother Waggoner was truth, it seems that great relief

has come to many minds.” – EGW, Letter 30, 1890

Ellen G. White had some very important things to teach, which further develops this same 1888 doctrine of the Covenants:

“Though this covenant (the New Covenant) was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It  had

existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is

called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the

divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law. 

Another compact—called in Scripture the “old” covenant—was formed between God and Israel at Sinai, and was then ratified by the blood of a

sacrifice. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the “second,” or “new,” covenant, because the blood by which it

was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant. That the new covenant was valid in the days of Abraham is evident from the fact that it was

then confirmed both by the promise and by the oath of God—the “two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie.”  Hebrews 6:18. 

But if the Abrahamic covenant contained the promise of redemption, why was another covenant formed at Sinai? In their bondage the people had to

a great extent lost the knowledge of God and of the principles of the Abrahamic covenant. In delivering them from Egypt, God sought to reveal to them

His power and His mercy, that they might be led to love and trust Him. He brought them down to the Red Sea—where, pursued by the Egyptians,

escape seemed impossible—that they might realize their utter helplessness, their need of divine aid; and then He wrought deliverance for them. Thus

they were filled with love and gratitude to God and with confidence in His power to help them. He had bound them to Himself as their deliverer from

temporal bondage. 

But there was a still greater truth to be impressed upon their minds. Living in the midst of idolatry and corruption, they had no true conception of the

holiness of God, of the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts, their utter inability, in themselves, to render obedience to God’s law, and their need of

a Saviour. All this they must be taught. 

God brought them to Sinai; He manifested His glory; He gave them His law, with the promise of great blessings on condition of obedience: “If ye will

obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ... ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Exodus 19:5, 6. The people did

not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law; and they readily entered into

covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be

obedient.” Exodus 24:7. They had witnessed the proclamation of the law in awful majesty, and had trembled with terror before the mount; and yet only

a few weeks passed before they broke their covenant with God, and bowed down to worship a graven image. They could not hope for the favor of God

through a covenant which they had broken; and now, seeing their sinfulness and their need of pardon, they were brought to feel their need of the

Saviour revealed in the Abrahamic covenant and shadowed forth in the sacrificial offerings. Now by faith and love they were bound to God as their

deliverer from the bondage of sin. Now they were prepared to appreciate the blessings of the new covenant. 

The terms of the “old covenant” were, Obey and live: “If a man do, he shall even live in them” (Ezekiel 20:11; Leviticus 18:5); but “cursed be he that

confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them.” Deuteronomy 27:26. The “new covenant” was established upon “better promises”—the promise of

forgiveness of sins and of the grace of God to renew the heart and bring it into harmony with the principles of God’s law. “This shall be the covenant

that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.... I

will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:33, 34. 

The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to

establish our own righteousness we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart

renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth “the fruits of the Spirit.” Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon

our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked. Through the prophet He declared of Himself, “I delight to do Thy will, O My

God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8.” {PP 370.4-372.2}

So we may see plainly that these principles brought forth in the 1888 message of Righteousness by Faith, open up a most beautiful and consistent

presentation of the gospel – by maintaining the honor of God’s character in giving (or revealing to us) such a righteous law of His will, which we cannot

keep in our own strength, but shows us our utter, absolute need of Christ to save us from sin and destruction.

The important principles I must make plain now in light of the 1888 teachings of the Law and the Covenants, which were testified to and confirmed by

the testimony of Jesus, are important concepts from which I will build as a foundation for the subject of this paper.

The first, as mentioned before, is that God’s whole law is still in force and the New Testament does not speak in a single instance of any of God’s law

being done away with… Said Christ, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but

whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19

The second important principle we may understand from the teaching of the Covenants in general, is that God only has one religion, one Covenant,

one way of Salvation taught in the whole Bible. There is not, one way in the Old Testament and another way in the New Testament.

Hear this plainly in the words of the messengers themselves:

“But Judaism was not the religion of God and Jesus Christ. It was human tradition. Many make a great mistake in considering "Judaism" the religion of

the Old Testament. The Old Testament no more teaches Judaism than the New Testament teaches Romanism. The religion of the Old Testament is the religion of Jesus Christ . When Paul was "in Judaism" he did not believe the Old Testament , which he read and listened to daily, because he did

not understand it; if he had, he would have readily believed on Christ. "For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew Him not,

nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning Him." Acts 13:27, KJV

“These were not the commandments of God, for "His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3); and the burdens were not of Christ, for His

"burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). These Judaizing teachers were not presenting the Bible or any part of it to the new converts, or trying to get them to

follow the Scriptures written by Moses. Far from it! They were leading them away from the Bible and substituting for its teaching the commandments, of

men. This was what aroused the spirit of Paul.” [E.J. Waggoner, The Glad Tidings, chapter 1]

“And that is the "form of godliness without the power," and that is ceremonialism; and if you will receive it, that is the ceremonial law, that was abolished by the abolishing in his flesh of the enmity, and so breaking down the middle wall of partition.” – [A.T. Jones, 1895 General Conference

Bulletin, page 353]

These concepts, these vastly important, liberating teachings were brought to Seventh Day Adventists in 1888 and for several years afterwards.

Because of this light, I can declare plainly to you that God’s whole law is still in force, and it still has a work to do to bring us unto Christ. Also, the

worship practices and the faith of the holy followers of Christ in all times are the same we are to follow. The is only one religion taught in the Bible, the

religion of Jesus Christ –and concerning His expressed way of salvation, the Bible declares:

“Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?” Psalm 77:13

These truths actually correct errors in interpretations of the Law and the Covenants and thereby destroy the barriers which have prevented belief in,

and even blinded people from seeing the revelation which is the subject of this paper.

In light of this, it is fair to ask the question, considering that this light came into our world over 100 years ago, ‘why then is the message that Jesus “still

sheds His sacred blood” just beginning to dawn’?

I answer, consider the situation of the slaves in the time of Lincoln. After Lincoln signed and decreed the Emancipation Proclamation, the slaves were

indeed set free, as the legality of their bondage had been abolished. But if the slaves were not informed of these glad tidings, they surely may well

remain bound in the places of their slavery. Likewise, God did indeed send us light years ago which actually opened the way to lawfully reach this last

and most full revelation of Jesus Christ. Many are unaware of the principles and guides (schoolmasters if you will) we were given to bring us into the

holiest of all stand at the bleeding side of Jesus Christ in heaven… It may also be true that some slaves when they heard the news that they had been

set free were fearful of the responsibility and newness of a life beyond the quarters of their bondage, which they had known for so long.

There will doubtless be many, to whom the teachings and subject of this paper will not be glad tidings, but fearful forebodings. Yet, God has promised

that “a remnant shall return” (Isaiah 10:21). It is in steadfast hope and belief that God will accomplish this, His purpose and promise, that I publish these

things. May this paper be a means God uses to fulfill His promise is my hope and prayer.

“But the   emancipation papers   of the race have been signed by the blood of the Son of God . A way has been opened for the message of hope and mercy to be carried to the ends of the earth. Now, whosoever will may take hold of God’s strength, and make peace with him. The heathen are no longer to be wrapped in the darkness of superstition. The gloom is to disappear before the bright beams of the Sun of righteousness.” {Ellen G. White, The Youth’s Instructor, June 28, 1900, par. 6}

SECTION 2.) THE CEREMONIAL LAW IS FULFILLED IN HEAVEN BY CHRIST

Christ stated emphatically:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass,

one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but

whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19

This truth should be so plain and obvious to Seventh Day Adventists that it is a wonder indeed that it must be declared as a new light teaching. The fact

that we do not explicitly teach this as being so shows the almost super-human power of the barriers of error which counteract this plain truth from being

seen and accepted.

What is the Ceremonial Law? This is a term not found in the Bible, but it is well enough that we use it because it is clear what is meant. The

Ceremonial Law are the laws of Moses that pertain to the rituals of sacrifices and the priesthood and the sanctuary where God is approached. In the

Old Testament, the worship of our Creator God JEHOVAH centered around the activities of the sanctuary, and later when they entered the promised

land, the temple of God at Jerusalem. At the temple worshipers who came to seek the forgiveness of their sins or to offer thanks offering to God,

brought with them their animals sacrifices. These animal sacrifices were commanded to be without spot or blemish, representing the true Sacrifice of

the Son of God. When seeking the forgiveness of sins, the worshipper was to confess his sins over the head of the animal, often a lamb, and then he

was to kill the animal by cutting its throat. This ritual symbolized the transference of his sins to the animal. God declares that the penalty for breaking

His law is death – but God’s mercy is shown in this service, in that while death is surely visited because His law has been violated, God accepted a

substitute in the sinner’s place, so that the substitute bears the curse of transgression of the law, which is death, and not the sinner. After the lamb is

slain the priest comes and collects the blood of the sacrifice, which is flowing from the lamb’s wound because now the blood symbolically is carrying

the sin of the worshipper so that his sin can be transferred to the sanctuary by the blood of the substitute. While the lamb sacrifice has borne the

penalty for sin, the worshipper may now leave to return to his life, freed from sin and guilt – hopefully the worshipper of JEHOVAH will go and sin no

more and because his sinning violates God’s expressed will and his forgiveness causes the death of more substitutes.

Importantly included in the Ceremonial Law is the ritual of what the priest does with the blood he has gathered from the slain substitute. In the Law God

required that the sin of the worshipper be transferred to His holy temple as a record of both the sin and the forgiveness rendered. This was

accomplished when the priest would enter the sanctuary with the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle the blood before the veil of the most holy place.

This service represented the transference of the worshippers sin to the sanctuary itself. Because of this, the sanctuary became defiled with the

accumulated sins of God’s people during the year – therefore the Ceremonial Law of God decreed a day at the end of the sacred Ceremonial calendar

where the sins accumulated in the sanctuary would be cleansed – called the Day of Atonement. On the Day of Atonement, is the only day in the yearly

sacred calendar that the High Priest entered the Most Holy chamber of the sanctuary. In the Most Holy Place compartment of the sanctuary was the

Ark of the Covenant, which was a beautiful golden chest which contained the tables of the Ten Commandments. This Ten Commandment law is

summary of all of God laws and precepts and is the very law that was violated by God’s worshippers, the transgression of which is called sin and the

penalty of transgression of this law required all of this special service we have been discussing, to save God’s people from having themselves to be

destroyed. The bible teaches that God’s presence was manifested in the Most Holy place in a certain indescribable glory which abode above the mercy

seat, which was the covering of the Ark of the Covenant. So terrible was the presence of God manifested that the High Priest must make sure he has

confessed all of his sins and bring in holy incense to waft a thick cloud so that he might not see struck down by the brightness of God’s presence. All of

this was to symbolize how believers must be cleansed and covered by Christ’s Righteousness if we are ever to appear in God’s presence…

So on the Day of Atonement the High Priest entered the Most Holy place, symbolically into the direct presence of God, with the blood of special

sacrifices, on this day to sprinkle the blood directly upon the mercy seat, directly over the law of God which was violated. This Day of Atonement

service had many rituals, but when it was completed both the worshippers of God, who participated in the services of the Day of Atonement, and God’s

sanctuary itself would be completely clean from all sin!

All of these things are described and commanded in the Old Testament Ceremonial Law… and I am now declaring that this Law, together with God’s

moral law of Ten Commandments, is still in force, has not been abolished, and that this fact should be plain and obvious to Seventh Day Adventists...

Truly, the most important pillars of Seventh Day Adventism, as well as the gospel – rightly understood, involve the perpetuity of the Ceremonial Law!

Our faith has as its foundation, that the true Day of Atonement began on October 22nd 1844. We believe that Christ, Who is our true High Priest the

literal and real temple in heaven, which we often call the heavenly sanctuary. We teach that the heavenly sanctuary has two apartments like the

Ceremonial Law teaches us that the earthly sanctuary had two apartments: the Holy and the Most Holy place. In the book of Revelation John was

shown in vision, not only the heavenly temple but all of the furniture that the Ceremonial Law commanded should be in the earthly tabernacle. In

heaven is revealed the altar of sacrifice (Rev. 6:9), the sea of glass (Rev. 4:6, which the earthly brazen sea represented (see 1Chron 18:8, 2Chron

4:2), seven golden lamps/candlesticks (Rev.1:13, 4:5), altar of incense (Rev. 8:3) and the ark of His Testament (Rev.11:19). Now these are the real

and the true furniture of the heavenly sanctuary which all of the furniture made with human hands by the people of God, commanded in the Ceremonial

law, were just types and patterns of the true.

What is more the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is our Intercessor and High Priest before God in heaven, in the heavenly sanctuary…

“A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:2

If God shows us in the Bible that all of these things which are the absolute substance of the Ceremonial Law are in heaven in their true function and we

Seventh Day Adventists believe that all of these things are literally there and being used by Jesus as He executes His High Priestly functions, as

described in the law, for the salvation of His believers – how then is it that we teach and believe that the Ceremonial Law is abolished when it is plain to

be seen that the Ceremonial Law is active and being fulfilled by Jesus in heaven?

The reason is because of the power of barriers of misinterpretation of Bible scripture. The Bible does indeed tell us that a change was made when

Jesus died on the Cross:

“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the

bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.” Matthew 27:50,51

While Bible teaches that the New Covenant was available and offered to men from the very beginning when mankind sinned, yet it was still needful that

God make great signification when His dear Son Jesus, Who came to our world to die as the Lamb of God, yielded up His life upon the Cross of

Calvary. The scripture says the veil of the temple was rent in twain. This was the veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place.

Remember the High Priest was only to go into the Most Holy Place once and year and the terrible, awesome presence of God was manifested there.

By this act, God showed that through Jesus’ sacrifice the way into the Holiest of all in heaven, reconciliation with God the Father, is made open to

believers through Jesus Christ. This Promise of man’s salvation and reconciliation with God existed and was accessed by believers from the beginning

when man was expelled from Eden, but it was needful that God and all heaven make great signification when the sacrifice of Jesus was finally offered

in its reality and fullness.

And yes, a great change was signified by God’s act of sending the mighty angel to rip the veil in two, exposing the Most Holy Place in the earthly

temple, that was once to be regarded as too holy for even the priest to look into… God showed in this act that the services of the earthly temple were

not regarded by Him as the way to worship and approach unto God. From then on the earthly priesthood would not be regarded by God as holy. And

significantly, from that moment on God declared that He would no longer require in His worship, in fulfillment of His law, the sacrifice of animal

substitutes.

Why? Is it because He abolished His law and there would be no temple worship, no more any holy priesthood and no sacrifices as substitutes when

man sinned and sought forgiveness? No this is not the case, but yet the majority of the Christian teach that this is what God meant.

The truth is that after Christ died on the Cross, and offered Himself unto God, a perfect Offering without spot or blemish – in value and virtue and

Righteousness equal to the life of God the Father Himself – God decreed that from then on, His true worshippers must worship Him, still in accordance

with His expressed will, but now in the reality and the true substance, which all the Ceremonial Law expressed in the earthly sanctuary symbolized, of

the ministry of His Son Jesus, made an High Priest forever after the order of Melchisedec (Heb 5:6). After His resurrection, Jesus would ascend into

heaven to minister His sacrifice for the sins of the whole world in the heavenly sanctuary – this is the sum of the teaching of the New Testament book

of Hebrews.

The Law of God, specifically the Ceremonial Law, is not passed away or abolished – but the earthly expression of that law is passed away and now the

law is still in force and is being fulfilled by Jesus Christ, our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

It is true the prophecy of Jesus’ work on earth in Daniel chapter 9 says that “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the

midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.”Daniel 9:27

But read this passage by Ellen G. White, which I believe to be inspired by God and Jesus Christ, treating on this very scripture from Daniel and giving

the true understanding:

“Then, said the angel, “He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years].” For seven years after the Saviour entered on His ministry, the gospel was to be preached especially to the Jews; for three and a half years by Christ Himself; and afterward by the apostles. “In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.”   Daniel 9:27 . In the spring of A. D. 31, Christ the true sacrifice was offered on Calvary. Then the veil of the temple was rent in twain, showing that the sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service had departed. The time had come for the earthly sacrifice and oblation to cease. {DA 233.2}

Every single aspect of the ritual law is revealed in the Bible to be present and being ministered by Christ yet still in the New Covenant sanctuary in

heaven – but now in the real and literal sense, no longer in a symbolic expression. It was the symbolic expression of the law that passed away and not

the Law itself. Seventh Day Adventists belief every particular aspect to arrive at this rather obvious truth, yet most ministers still repeat the same error

of the Sunday-keeping ministers that the law itself is done away with and abolished.

Of course I do understand, that there is a very significant reason why Seventh Day Adventists are hesitant to say the obvious - that the Ceremonial

Law is still in force and is fulfilled in heaven. And most all Christendom is hyper aware of this reason and is ready in an instant to declare heresy should

any venture to declare the subject of this paper…

We all understand that the main focus of the Ceremonial Law is the sacrifices and the blood. All of the other things we have been discussing are only

the instruments for ministering the blood of the sacrifice, which is the heart of the Ceremonial Service. The temple, the priesthood, the furniture – all

these things do teach lessons that God intended us to perceive by the Holy Ghost in meditation on His ordained service… but the blood of the sacrifice

is center and focus of all this ministration.

If one is to say that the Ceremonial Law is fulfilled in heaven, what does it mean if there is no blood, no sacrifice? Therefore Seventh Day Adventist

teach that all of these other things, including Jesus Himself as our High Priest, are indeed there in the heavenly sanctuary in reality – but none, it

seems, dare say the Ceremonial Law is being fulfilled by Christ in heaven.

Most all Christian Bible students are aware of Paul’s solemn declaration, and summation of the Ceremonial Law recorded in the scriptures of truth:

“And by the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22

The Ceremonial Law requires the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. This is plain to be seen in the ritual service of the New Testament. Most

Christians believe and teach that the Law of God is abolished. If the Law of God be abolished by the death of Christ, then certainly shedding of blood is

no longer required… They also teach Christ abolished and destroyed all sin.

But I am writing this paper in simple acceptance of what Christ Himself has spoken so forcefully:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth

pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but

whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19

The book of Hebrews plainly says that the Law requires the shedding of blood for sin to be forgiven. This is not an amazing thing because we see that

this was literally true in the Old Testament scriptures. Christ says that not the smallest article of the law shall pass away til all be fulfilled.

If this leads us to what may be seen by many as an uncomfortable truth then so be it. We are to trust Him even it be that He leads us directly toward a

sea of cold water (with no boats or any earthly protection or provision), with enemies hotly pursuing us behind. Actually, what many Christians have

experienced is that, when God decrees a thing for us to believe, to follow or to do, although it may seem very grievous to us upon the first revelation of

that thing to us (like when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice His son Isaac) there is always some special, signal blessing God has purposed,

which is hidden to us while we are hesitating, wondering whether we shall obey, or believe or accept.. If we place our feet on the solid Rock and sure

counsel of His Word, we shall invariably find that, “afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

Hebrews 12:11

Jesus says my trembling soul, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Matthew 14:27

SECTION 3.) BIBLICAL REVELATIONS THAT CHRIST’S SACRIFICE CONTINUES

The evidence is compelling and must be candidly considered with prayer and an honest desire to accept whatsoever cometh from the mouth of the

Lord. But before I share the Bible evidence that Christ continues to offer His sacrifice in heaven, I will first address the many scriptures in the New

Testament which seem to be laying down teachings which strictly forbid what I am sharing, which is also from the Bible.

These strictures can be categorized into three general groups: Scriptures which describe Jesus’ sacrifice as one, once and “once for all”; Scriptures

that plainly say that Christ died once to sin and that He dieth no more; And scriptures that seem to indicate that Jesus suffers no longer.

Here are the “one sacrifice”, “once” and “once for all” scriptures:

“but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:26-28

“He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once   for all .” Hebrews 10:9,10

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:12-14

According to the light that has been shared in this paper thus far and in harmony with all the truth and doctrines of the scriptures, I understand that

these verse are speaking about Christ’s Sacrifice as indeed one sacrifice… I am not teaching that the sacrifices Christ makes in heaven for the

forgiveness of sins are multiple or additional or another sacrifice – but what I am teaching is that the better sacrifices of Christ in heaven, which is the

sprinkling of His blood, are a continuation of His sacrifice when He offered Himself to God upon the Cross. The Bible teaches that when the substitute

for sin is slain, its blood is then brought into the sanctuary to be sprinkled there. It is this application of the blood which makes the atonement for sins

and transfers them to the sanctuary. Jesus carried His blood to heaven in His pierced body. The blood of sprinkling is a continuation of the one, “once

for all” sacrifice of Himself – until all is fulfilled.

The story of the smitten Rock in Horeb, from whence water flowed out, helps us understand how this is can be so and is consistent with the Bible

teaching on the subject of Christ’s sacrifice:

“The rock which, smitten by the command of God, sent forth its living waters, was a symbol of Christ, smitten and bruised that by his blood a fountain might be prepared for the salvation of perishing man. As the rock had been once smitten, so Christ was to be “once offered, to bear the sins of many.” (Heb.9:27) But when Moses rashly smote the rock at Kadesh, the beautiful symbol of Christ was marred. Our Saviour was not to be sacrificed a second time. As the great offering was made but once, it is only necessary for those who seek the blessings of his grace to ask in Jesus’ name,—to pour forth the heart’s desires in penitential prayer. Such prayer will bring before the Lord of hosts the wounds of Jesus, and then will   flow forth afresh the life-giving blood, symbolized by the flowing of the living water for thirsting Israel.”  {Ellen G. White, The Signs of the

Times, October 7, 1880, par. 2}

Lastly I wish to share concerning this is a verse in the book of Hebrews where we can clearly see that Paul’s usage of the word “once” means one and

continually:

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:12

I hope that the reader can clearly discern that when Paul says that Christ entered ‘once’ into the holy place, the meaning also includes that once our

High Priest entered upon His work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary, He continues to remain there…

So Christ Sacrifice is “once” and continual… until all be fulfilled and He return for His bride as King.

Now here is the scripture that plainly says Christ dies no more after His death on the Cross:

“Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” Romans 6:9,10

I’ll be honest here... Those scriptures are very direct in what they are saying. I’ve dealt with these things for years and yet I still have no desire to

challenge or attempt to overturn scriptures so that I may push my message. But I can also say that about the many scriptures that seem to directly

teach that hell shall burn forever. Read this one: “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two

hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 9:43,44 Then Jesus

repeats these word 3 times one after the other! Then there is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. If we were to only take these verses into

consideration, it seems almost rebellious that Seventh Day Adventist do not believe hell is going to burn forever. In the greater context... actually the

actual context of the condemnation of hell, when it is described in the book of Revelation, the Bible shows that the hell fires that destroy the wicked

take place on this earth when fire come down from God out of heaven (see Revelation 20:9,14,15) Then immediately after that John is shown that God

will remake the earth and there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1) So we conclude that hell will not burn forever. There will be a

hell and punishment, but it will not go on tormenting souls forever…

Regardless, I am sure that most would not even want to hear any explanation which seeks to show another view of this plain declaration that Christ

dies no more. But that is why this paper is primarily written to Seventh Day Adventists… You see, Seventh Day Adventist who still believe that God’s

Spirit spoke through Ellen G. White have more reason to deal with this verse and consider if maybe there is more to the story than what we can see

without dig in closer…

Let’s come back to the point here. The Bible verse in Romans says this:

“For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” Romans 6:10

Listen what Sister White was bidden to declare, directly using this Bible verse:

“Christ as high priest within the veil so immortalized Calvary that though He liveth unto God, He dies continually to sin, and thus if any man sin, he has an advocate with the Father.” {1SM 343.1}

Paul declared in the Bible that “in that He died, he died once unto sin: but…he liveth unto God”

Sister White declared speaking by the same Spirit, “though He liveth unto God, He dies continually to sin.”

There seems to be a contradiction here. But there is no need for any Seventh Day Adventist to feel tempted to give up belief in the Testimonies as

though Sister was unaware of what the scriptures taught on this subject.

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:11

Paul says that the Christian believers response to the belief and understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice is that they also should be dead unto sin, so that they

also needeth not to die anymore, because their old man, carnal nature is crucified: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with  him, that the body of

sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:6,7

Through this whole chapter the thought is developed that Christ dying through being crucified is linked to the His believers also dying and crucifying

their old ways of living before they became Christians.

In the New Testament, when Paul speaks about the status of Christians, generally it he describes them as having overcome sin, no longer living in sin:

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” Romans 6:17,18

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19

But now, times are different. When speaking of the church, the honest of us must acknowledge the fact that the positive response that Paul wrote about

that the church of His day experienced after they accepted the sacrifice of Jesus, is generally no longer manifested.

And this Sister White also acknowledges and it has direct bearing upon why she wrote that Christ “dies continually to sin”. Read what she wrote just a

couple of paragraphs after this statement:

“As you near the cross of Calvary there is seen love that is without a parallel. As you by faith grasp the meaning of the sacrifice, you see yourself a sinner, condemned by a broken law. This is repentance. As you come with humble heart, you find pardon, for Christ Jesus is represented as continually standing at the altar, momentarily offering up the sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is a minister of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.  The typical shadows of the Jewish tabernacle no longer possess any virtue. A daily and yearly typical atonement is no longer to be made, but the atoning sacrifice through a mediator is essential because of the constant commission of sin. Jesus is officiating in the presence of God, offering up His shed blood, as it had been a lamb slain. Jesus presents the oblation offered for every offense and every shortcoming of the sinner.” {1SM 343.4}

The part I want to especially highlight is that it is because of “the constant commission of sin” that by God’s people that makes Jesus’ continuing

atonement is essential.

Where in the New Testament did Paul speak about the church responding to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ by constant committing sin? This seems to

me to be an unheard of response that Christians could display. Yet this is where we are.

Here is a Protestant Bible commentary reference making the same acknowledgment in passing as though it is nothing that this is the response of the

church:

for our sins] Literally, concerning (περἱ) our sins: our sins are the matter respecting which the propitiation goes on… Notice that it is ‘our sins’, not ‘our sin’: the sins which we are daily committing, and not merely the sinfulness of our nature, are the subject of the propitiation. Cambridge Bible Commentary – 1 John 2:2

Again the author is saying, once again that Jesus’ continuing propitiatory sacrifice is because of the sins which the church is daily committing. And if

Christians, God Own people, are sinning constantly – can it be rightly understood that Christ dies no more? The Christians are resurrecting their carnal

natures continually and then asking for forgiveness. Unless God sends a fresh message of His sacrifice, many may be in danger of approaching a state

of unconcern about the sacrifice of Christ from which there can be no return, because they will lose the ability to truly repent:

“For   it is   impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6

While we should certainly take the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus more seriously by the Holy Ghost’s revealing, it is not necessary to understand

that Christ literally dies to believe He still sheds His sacred blood in the sinner’s behalf. Like the Rock in Horeb, Jesus was struck, crucified once. But

the wounds remain so that He may sprinkle His blood and offer the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) in the heavenly sanctuary.

“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.” Zechariah 13:1

Last I will address the scripture that says that if Jesus did not offer Himself once at the end of the world, then He would have had to suffer many times.

The connotation is that Christ does not now, suffer over and over again. Here is what the scripture says:

“Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;  For then must he often

have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

Hebrews 9:25,26 – From this verse many lift up the understanding that Jesus does not suffer any more because of our sins.

The true understanding of this verse is that Jesus once offered unto God the sacrifice of Himself pertaining to His incarnation and death on the Cross,

but this offering of Himself is continual until He returns as our King to claim His bride made to be “without spot or wrinkle” by the revelation of His love

and sacrifice...

Still though, even without a Christian believing that Jesus still sheds His sacred blood, it is dangerous and foolish to think that our Redeemer does not

suffer anymore due to our sins. The scriptures clearly teach otherwise. The scriptures clearly teach that sin hurts and pierces our Redeemer’s heart:

“In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them,

and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9

“My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul,

the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war…For my people   is   foolish, they have not known me ; they are sottish children, and they have none

understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” Jeremiah 4:19,22

“Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.” Amos 2:13

“Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy

sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.” Isaiah 43:24

“I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now   will I cry like a travailing woman ; I will destroy and devour at once.”

Isaiah 42:14

God and Jesus Christ are very much suffering as His children are abiding in sin. Ellen G. White expressed this beautifully and solemnly in the book of

Education:

“Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ’s agony; but that suffering did not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to the heart of God.” {Ed 263.1}

And again Ellen G. White writes about Christ’s response to the fact that His church, which He purchased with His own life-blood, is constantly

committing sin - while believing that Jesus had to die for their sin and that He has made them more than conquerors that sin should no longer have

dominion over them:

““And they also which pierced Him.” (Rev 1:7) These words apply not only to the men who pierced Christ when He hung on the cross of Calvary, but to those who by evil-speaking and wrong-doing are piercing Him today. Daily He suffers the agonies of the crucifixion. Daily men and women are piercing Him by dishonoring Him, by refusing to do His will .” {ST

January 28, 1903, par. 8}

And if you will receive it, these are some inspired responses I have provided to the interpretations of scriptures which have formed barriers to the

acceptance that Christ’s sacrifice continues.

Now I will share the Biblical evidence that Christ continues to offer Himself a sacrifice in the heavenly sanctuary.

The most important revealings that Christ’s sacrifice continues in the heavenly sanctuary come from the last book of the Bible, called in scripture the

Revelation of Jesus Christ. These seem to be the absolute end, or goal, of the 1888 light on the Law and the Covenants:

“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” Revelation 5:6 – This revelation of Jesus as a slain Lamb in heaven is consistent with the 1888 light concerning the Law in the New Testament.

Without that light, Christians can only see this revelation as entirely figuratively and nothing more.

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.” Revelation 13:8,9 – This revelation that in some ways Jesus

was as a slain Lamb from the foundation of the world is significant and is consistent with the 1888 light concerning the Covenants, specifically that the

New Covenant was available to mankind from the very entrance of human sin into our world and in full force based on the sacrifice of the Son of God.

If there be none to give any credit or acknowledgement that the revelation of Jesus as a slain Lamb in heaven should be taken more seriously and

literally than far too many Christians have taken it, nevertheless I must take my stand that I will give this revelation significant weight in my life and

Christian belief system. I even believe the revelation should be taken literally, as taking place when we sin and ask for forgiveness. This is consistent

with the teachings of the gospel plan in the sanctuary service and it is revealed as taking place in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, in the context of the

temple or tabernacle in heaven! This is the only part I left out of the things that were necessary to fulfill the Ceremonial Law, that were ordained to be in

the earthly sanctuary, which, each one of them, was revealed be in the heavenly temple in their true reality and substance. The only part that I didn’t

mention was the Sacrifice, but it is also revealed as being in the heavenly temple in the book of Revelation (truly the book of Revelation is a sanctuary

book). Just because Satan has built up formidable barriers against any who should declare what is now obvious is not a solid or good principle by

which we should teach that the sacrifice in heaven is symbolic while also teaching that every other part of the sacred service is literal.

Other places where this truth may be discerned is in the book of Hebrews, which is where we would expect to find this truth, if it be true…

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It was   therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Hebrews 9:22,23

Quite plainly Paul declares that the heavenly things themselves (meaning the heavenly sanctuary) are purified with better sacrifices. Why is it that it is

so laborious to establish that there is sacrifice in heaven? It is the same reason as when Christ labored to convince the Jews that he was indeed the

Christ. When truth does not accord with our understanding or doctrine, too often Christ’s professed followers are more ready to discard the light which

is being manifest to them than to candidly re-examine their beliefs and bring all things revealed into a harmonious understanding without causing some

words of scripture to do violence to other teachings of scripture.

But even this is not to my mind the greatest revelation of the verses. Verse 23 says plainly that the heavenly things are cleansed with sacrifices, even

the Better Sacrifices of the blood of Jesus (this is the inescapable teaching of the book of Hebrews). But because most Christians have no foundation

of doctrinal principles laid to accept this plain declaration as being true, it is generally not regarded as having any bearing beyond being further

testimony that Jesus’ death on the Cross fulfills all Old Testament law. Yet, within these two verses is the truth that I have been sharing in this paper

thus far.

Paul says in verse 23, that ‘it was therefore NECESSARY that – the heavenly things are purged with better sacrifices’!!! Why was this necessary?

Already this is contrary to current orthodox Christian teaching; they teach that Christ’s death on the Cross fulfilled all things in the law – so they make

little account of His continuing ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, which is the subject of the whole book of Hebrews.

Paul gave the reason it was necessary in the preceding verse, that is why he said “it was therefore necessary”… The reason it is necessary that the

heavenly sanctuary is purified by the blood of Christ is because, as he said in verse 22 – “almost all things are BY THE LAW purged with blood!

This is Paul writing in the New Testament and the context he is speaking about what Christ is doing in heaven for us today. In this context Paul says

that the Law requires the shedding of blood for sins to be forgiven and iniquity purged – and that is the reason “it is THEREFORE NECESSARY that –

the heavenly sanctuary be purified with better sacrifices.”

Clearly Paul is writing to Hebrew believers in Christ in a manner that assumes that all know that the law is still in force and must be fulfilled. In the Old

Testament the Ceremonial Law was expressed on earth in the ministration of the Israelite priests. Now Paul teaches that the law is fulfilled by Jesus

Christ in heaven… To quote E.J.Waggoner expressing the 1888 light (though he was writing about the book of Galatians, the same can be applied

here):

“Bear in mind that there is not the slightest question in the whole letter to the Galatians (or to the Hebrews) as to whether or not the law should be kept.

The only question is: How shall it be kept?” [EJW; The Glad Tidings p 69,70]

It is this revelation of the Ceremonial Law as not being abolished, but being in its original force and is being fulfilled by Christ in heaven, which gives the

reason why Christ must ‘still shed His sacred blood’ in the heavenly temple. This is by the Law of God, which reveals His character of mercy and justice

in providing a Substitute and arranging matters in such a way that man should take this gracious benevolence seriously.

Also in the book of Hebrews we are taught another important set of principles which must be made known at this time. The most prominent place

where these eternal principles are revealed is in this scripture:

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” Hebrews 10:16-18

Paul here reveals the ultimate goal of the plan of salvation. This is the result when “all things are fulfilled”. This goal being reached, Christ will return to

claim the precious fruit of the earth (see Mark 4:29 and Revelation 14:12,18) This is the fulfillment of the New Covenant promise – when we let God do

what He has promised to do – He will put His laws into our hearts and in our minds He will write them. The New Covenant is not about abolishing any

law of God. The ultimate fulfillment of the New Covenant involves making us righteous, obedient children who cease to violate Jehovah’s expressed

will…

When that goal is reached, and not until then – bear this in mind – there is no more offering for sin.

Here are the eternal principles which must be made known:

Law/Sin/Sacrifice are all connected according to the truest reading of the teachings of the Bible, the Law of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God has a Law, which is the expression of His character and His will. It is unchangeable and immutable – it is forever settled in heaven as a witness to

the Righteousness of God (see Psalm 119:89).

The penalty of transgressing the Law of God is death. This is unchangeable as the Law of God is unchangeable. This is God’s character of Justice.

When man sinned and violated His Law, God desired to show mankind grace through Jesus Christ. God sent His only begotten Son to die in man’s

place as our Substitute and Surety – “To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that God might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in

Jesus.” Romans 3:25

If man is to be forgiven for transgression of the law, there must be sacrifice, a substitute for man, so God can forgive the sinner while still honor the

righteousness of His law.

“In the atonement the character of God is revealed” {Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, page 500.4}

The question before us is this… Is it still necessary for Jesus to present Himself as a sacrifice in the heavenly sanctuary when we confess our sins?

Remember this Law – Sin – Sacrifice is the connection taught in the Bible and revealed as existing until the very end in the scripture in Hebrews:

“Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” Hebrews 10:18

There is only no more Sacrifice when there are no more sins being confessed.

Another important principle concerning Jesus’ heavenly ministry revealed in the book of Hebrews is found in chapter 13 and it is the last compare and

contrast teaching of the book. Paul used the compare and contrast method all through the book of Hebrews when comparing the earthly and heavenly

ministries of the earthly priests and the heavenly Priest Jesus and also contrasting them to show that Jesus’ ministry is far superior and the reasons

why. In doing this Paul gave numerous examples and this is the last such compare and contrast example he uses in the book of Hebrews, except in

this example Paul is just comparing the two ministries and showing their similarity – to show that Jesus’ ministry fulfills the Ceremonial law (which he

knows his readers will need to know takes place so that they can believe, because it was universally known that the law of God must be fulfilled – this

business of the law being done away with is a new innovation, wholly foreign to the beliefs and teaching of the Bible apostles):

“For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.” Hebrews 13:11,12

Paul here acknowledges that what happened concerning Jesus is the fulfillment of the animal sacrifice of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament,

Paul’s readers know that the bodies of the animal sacrifices are burned outside the camp of the tabernacle, according to the Law of God (Leviticus

4:11,12) So Paul states in the scripture that this is what happened to Jesus to continue to prove that Jesus is the Lamb promised to fulfill all the Old

Testament types – Jesus Himself suffered outside the gates of the holy city.

But there is another part of the ministry of the Ceremonial Law which Paul mentions in the above verse that few have been willing to acknowledge that

Jesus also fulfills this aspect just as literally as He does the other: ‘the blood of those beasts is brought into the sanctuary by the his priest for sin –

Wherefore (therefore) Jesus also fulfills this in the reality of this because of sins…’ From this we may understand that Jesus also has brought His blood

into the heavenly sanctuary for sin in accordance with the Law Paul again makes reference to.

Ellen G. White stated this plainly as well:

“Our hearts should be full of hope and joy, and we should be able to say with grateful tongues, Christ is risen, and is at the right hand of God to make intercession for us. He has carried his blood into the sanctuary, and will cleanse us from every sin. 

Since Jesus has made such an infinite sacrifice for us, how cruel it is that we should remain indifferent. {ST August 29,1892,par. 4,5}

In these next scripture which we will examine from the book of Hebrews we may plainly discern that the Blood of Jesus is present in the heavenly

temple just as verily and literally as the other things Paul mentions and describes as being in heaven:

“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling , that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.” Hebrews 12:22-25

Now C.H. Spurgeon, the great British protestant preacher who was a contemporary of the times of Adventist history I discussed earlier delivered a

wonderful sermon on these verses from Hebrews quoted above. The name of his message is called “The Blood of Sprinkling” and curiously, this

particular sermon is cataloged in the Spurgeon archives as number 1888 (if any of should take my recommendation to seek it out to read the whole

thing, it is truly Biblical and inspiring!). I am quoting what Spurgeon said about these verses to show how that even a minister who had not have the

benefit of being a part of a body of Christian believers who were given the heavenly sanctuary doctrine by the ministration of the Holy Spirit – how even

this man was constrained to declare plainly the undeniable literal interpretation the Blood of Christ (The Blood of Sprinkling) in heaven demands:

“Have you not come a long way? Are you not admitted into the very center of the whole revelation? Not yet. A step further lands you where stands your Savior, the Mediator, with the new covenant. Now is your joy complete; but you have a further object to behold. What is in that innermost shrine? What is that which is hidden away in the holy of holies? What is that which is the most precious and costly thing of all, the last, the ultimatum, God's grandest revelation? The precious

blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot-the blood of sprinkling. This comes last; it is the innermost truth of the dispensation of grace under which we live. Brethren, when we climb to heaven itself, and pass

the gate of pearl, and wend our way through the innumerable hosts of angels, and come even to the throne of God, and see the spirits of the just made perfect, and hear their holy hymn, we shall not have gone beyond the influence of the blood of sprinkling; nay, we shall see it there more truly present than in any other place beside. "What!" say you, "the blood of

Jesus in heaven?" Yes. The earthly sanctuary, we are told, was purified with the blood of bulls and of goats, "but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."(Hebrews 9:23) When Jesus entered once for all into

the holy place, he entered by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us: so saith the apostle in the ninth chapter of this epistle. Let those who talk lightly of the precious blood correct their view ere they be guilty of blasphemy; for

the revelation of God knows no lower deep, this is the heart and center of all. The manifestation of Jesus under the gospel is not only the revelation of the Mediator, but especially of his sacrifice. The appearance of God the Judge of all, the vision of hosts of angels and perfect spirits, do but lead up to that sacrifice which is the source and focus of all true fellowship between God and his creatures. This is the character which Jesus wears in the innermost shrine where he reveals himself most clearly to those who are nearest to him. He looks like a lamb that has been slain. There is no sight of him which is more full, more glorious, more complete, than the vision of him as the great sacrifice for sin. The atonement of Jesus is the concentration of the divine glory; all other revelations of God are completed and intensified

here. You have not come to the central sun of the great spiritual system of grace till you have come to the blood of sprinkling-to those sufferings of Messiah which are not for himself, but are intended to bear upon others, even as drops

when they are sprinkled exert their influence where they fall. Unless you have learned to rejoice in that blood which taketh away sin, you have not yet caught the key-note of the gospel dispensation. The blood of Christ is the life of the gospel. Apart from atonement you may know the skin, the rind, the husk of the gospel; but its inner kernel you have not

discovered.”[ A Sermon “The Blood of Sprinkling”(No. 1888) Delivered on February 28th, 1886, by C. H. SPURGEON, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington]

I will mention one last signification of this truth which Paul recorded by the Holy Ghost in the book of Hebrews. Here Paul speaks about our having

access to the Father, Who is in the Holiest of All and we are to come to Him by the blood of Jesus:

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ,   By a new and living way , which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..” Hebrews 10:19-22

Paul declares that this way into the Holiest, where we find salvation and reconciliation with God, is by a “NEW AND LIVING WAY”.

We are to enter the Holiest, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way…

Paul uses a Greek word to describe the “NEW” way which we are to enter into the Holiest which is used only one time in the Greek New Testament.

This Greek word Paul chose is used only once and he placed it here to describe this, the climax of His whole forceful letter to the Hebrews, imploring

them to accept Jesus as the way to the Father.

prosphatos: freshly slain, generally new

OriginalWord: πρόσφατος, ον

PartofSpeech: Adjective

Transliteration: prosphatos

PhoneticSpelling: (pros'-fat-os)

Definition: freshly slain,generally new

Usage: (originally: newly slaughtered, freshly killed), recent, new.

Strong's Greek 43721 Occurrence

So the scripture according to the original usage of the word Paul chose might read:

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter in the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a FRESHLY SLAIN yet living way, which He hath consecrated for

us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.”

“Freshly slain yet living way”. Does this sound like something I ought not say? I hope the reader does not feel this way.

Read this that Ellen G. White wrote by the Spirit of God and the Testimony of Jesus and see if it is very much in harmony with this reading of Hebrews

10:20:

“Christ as high priest within the veil so immortalized Calvary that though He liveth unto God, He   dies continually   to sin , and thus if any man sin, he has an advocate with the Father.” {1SM 343.1}

The subject of this section of this thesis paper are the Biblical Revelation that Christ’s Sacrifice Continues. All of the Biblical evidence I have provided

so far have come from the Revelation of Jesus Christ and the book of Hebrews… Now let us turn to the book of 1 John for a critically important

Christian teaching which we shall examine at this time.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1,2

The Holy Spirit assures us today, even right now, that in Jesus we have an Advocate with the Father; that Jesus is the Propitiation for our sins.

These facts are plainly declared to be current; not something in the past tense. The whole Christian world acknowledges Jesus as our Advocate and

High Priest for us today, but how many are ready to acknowledge that Jesus is also just as much still our Propitiation, even as He is also our

Advocate?

This word Propitiation is extremely significant in Christian doctrine and this present study. In any sense this word Propitiation and its usage clearly

denotes a ritual sacrifice. So without question the word involves and signifies atonement and sacrifice.

Here is the entry in the Strong’s Lexicon:

2434 hilasmós – properly, propitiation; an offering to appease (satisfy) an angry, offended party. 2434 (hilasmós) is only used twice (1 Jn 2:2, 4:10) – both times of Christ's

atoning blood that appeases God's wrath, on all confessed sin. By the sacrifice of Himself, Jesus Christ provided the ultimate 2434 /hilasmós ("propitiation").

The significance I wish to bring out concerning this is that John says that Jesus is our Atoning Sacrifice today. This fact is so plain in this scripture that

you can find entries in Protestant commentaries that cannot escape this reality and they acknowledge this truth despite the fact that it is flat against

their Christian doctrine taken as a whole. See this example here from the Cambridge Commentary on 1 John 2:2:

“2. And He is the propitiation] Or, And He Himself is a propitiation: there is no article in the Greek. Note the present tense throughout; ‘we have an Advocate, He is a propitiation’: this condition of things is perpetual, it is not something which took place once for all long ago. In His glorified Body the Son is ever acting thus. Contrast ‘He laid down His life for us’ (1 John 3:16). Beware of the unsatisfactory explanation that ‘propitiation’ is the abstract for the concrete, ‘propitiation’ (ἱλασμός) for ‘propitiator’ (ἱλαστήρ). Had S. John written ‘propitiator’ we should have lost half the truth; viz. that our Advocate propitiates by offering Himself. He is both High Priest and Victim, both Propitiator and Propitiation. It is quite obvious that He is the former; the office of Advocate includes it. It is not at all obvious that He is the latter: very rarely does an advocate offer himself as a propitiation.

The word for ‘propitiation’ occurs nowhere in N. T. but here and in 1 John 4:10; in both places without the article and followed by ‘for our sins’. It signifies any action which has expiation as its object, whether prayer, compensation, or sacrifice. Thus ‘the ram of the atonement’ (Numbers 5:8) is ‘the ram of the propitiation’ or ‘expiation’, where the same Greek word as is used here is used in the LXX. Comp. Ezekiel 44:27; Numbers 29:11; Leviticus 25:9. The LXX. of ‘there is forgiveness with Thee’ (Psalm 130:4) is remarkable: literally rendered it is ‘before Thee is the propitiation’ (ὁ ἱλασμός). So also the Vulgate, apud Te propitiatio est. And this is the idea that we have here: Jesus Christ, as being righteous, is ever present before the Lord as the propitiation. With this we should compare the use of the cognate verb in Hebrews 2:17 and cognate substantive Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 9:5. From these passages it is clear that in N. T. the word is closely connected with that special form of expiation which takes place by means of an   offering   or   sacrifice , although this idea is not of necessity included in the radical signification of the word itself. See notes in all three places.” Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges - 1 John 2:2

Here are the key thoughts from the reading above, (which are very similar to expressions I have used for years before I was ever aware of this

commentary)

He is a propitiation’: this condition of things is perpetual, it is not something which took place once for all long ago.

From these passages it is clear that in N. T. the word is closely connected with that special form of expiation which takes place by means of an   offering   or   sacrifice

I am not sure that I could say it better myself. Today, Jesus is in heaven before God as a special form of Sacrifice and Offering (the better sacrifices of

Hebrews 9:23) in the heavenly sanctuary. This condition of things, according to the Bible, is not something that happened ‘once for all’ long ago, but

Jesus’ sacrifice has been perpetual, continual since He has Offered Himself upon the Cross of Calvary. This ministry of Jesus shall continue until all be

fulfilled (even as He said) – and when the New Covenant promise is fulfilled in His believers and the Law of God is written in their hearts… At that time,

when the services of the Day of Atonement are completed and fulfilled then shall Paul’s words in Hebrew 10:18 be understood far better than I can

explain now:

““Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” Hebrews 10:18

Then, and not until then, will there be no more Propitiation - because that won’t be needed when Christ’s people will have stopped sinning… But for

now, He is our Propitiation (expiation, sacrifice for sins).

I have now shared with you the Biblical evidence that Christ’s Sacrifice continues in the heavenly sanctuary. All of this is in accordance with the Law of

God which is yet in its original force.

“See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh.” - “The blood of sprinkling that speaketh…”

SECTION 4.) SPIRIT OF PROPHECY REVELATIONS SHOWING THAT EVERY ASPECT OF THE TYPICAL SERVICE IS FULFILLED IN HEAVEN

Because this thesis is written primarily to Seventh Day Adventists, although I have shared my convictions of this message based on the testimony of

the Holy Sciptures, I know it is necessary to address directly what did Ellen G. White say about the things I have been presenting. I did share and

admit, at the beginning, that the first inspired writings concerning this message I found were in the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy. What I did not say

at the beginning when I shared my personal testimony in brief was that… The morning I searched for the quote in the Spirit of Prophecy, I did so

because during my morning prayer time early morning in fall of 2007 in Harrison, TN – I heard in a still small voice these words: “Jesus still sheds His

blood”. I understood and believed that a light was sent me in those words. It was subtle, but still I knew that a truth which was new to me had just

dawned upon my mind. The way the Lord worked in my life was such that that revelation was not absolutely foreign to my thinking… there were many

other truths I had been studying intensely for the past two years which lay the foundation for this truth, which still, though, was new to me. For example,

about a year and a half before this revelation I had been entranced and was deeply meditating on Habakkuk 3:4:

“He had bright beams coming forth from His side, and there is the hiding of His power” Habakkuk 3:4 (KJV margin)

What Ellen G. White had written about this verse in her book The Great Controversy had almost totally captured my mind and imagination; it is so full

and bright with the glory of Christ:

“One reminder alone remains: Our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel work that sin has wrought. Says the prophet, beholding Christ in His glory: “He had   bright beams coming out of His side : and there was the hiding of His power .” Habakkuk 3:4, margin. That pierced side whence flowed the crimson stream that reconciled man to God—there is the Saviour’s glory, there “the hiding of His power.” “Mighty to save,” through the sacrifice of redemption, He was therefore strong to execute justice upon them that despised God’s mercy. And the tokens of His humiliation are His highest honor; through the eternal ages the wounds of Calvary will show forth His praise and declare His power.” {GC 674.2}

It is hard to fully cause the reader to understand how or why this revelation impacted my life so much as it in fact did. Maybe it is the combination of the

extreme brightness of what is being described; maybe also the time in my life – I had been reading and listening to the Bible as if my life depended on

it… I was in a period in my life where I was waiting on the Lord and indeed He was changing (renewing) my strength (Isa. 40:31 – KJV margin). I was

seeking the Lord while He may be found – and He was making His Word to become, effectually the foundation of my life… It was in this period of my

life that the Lord caused me to not only hear this beautiful revelation from Habakkuk 3:4 – but surely He must have been the one to make it so bright

and awe-inspiring that the experience still affects me today. What did this vision speak to me?

You see, the revelation says that Habakkuk saw in vision, Christ “IN HIS GLORY”! Meaning that even at the second coming, Christ will have not only

the wound of His pierced side, but out of that wound will be shining BRIGH BEAMS OF LIGHT! The revelation says that Christ will bear His wounds

forever. But what was also very much my wonder concerning this, was the wound in His side, the place where he was pierced, must still be open if

bright beams light are “coming out of His side”. I knew that Christ was pierced to His heart by the cruel Roman spear – so to me – it was like Light is

shining out of body, out of His wound, from His heart! It was both solemn and terrible and beautiful all at this same time!

I had been truly meditating on this for a year and a half, and I had written several studies and thoughts about this that came to me concerning this – I

even wrote a whole book on this vision called: “There is the hiding of His Power”! And from this one vision came enough material to write a book of

over 100 pages and still there is so much more I could say and write about it!

So, when the thought, like a still small voice dawned in my mind – “Jesus still sheds His blood”, although it was completely new to me, the way and the

foundation had been prepared to receive it. (I hope I would have received it anyhow, even if it came to me completely disconnected from anything I had

studied previously, but praise God He prefers to send His messengers before Him to prepare the way of the Lord! – and I hope it shall be such a case

with you dear reader :)

But what I did when I rose up quickly from prayer after the thought came to me, was to search the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy to see if I could

verify the words and revelation I had received in prayer – it was just where I was in my life… Although I read and listened to the Bible, I was at a point

in my experience where I maybe spent more time in the Spirit of Prophecy. That is not the case in my Christian experience now and has not been for

some time, but as a first generation Seventh Day Adventist, I acknowledge that I have had to make many adjustments and changes and renewals

along my journey – but God is faithful. Correcting my balance towards majoring in God’s Holy Word was one of the most important and satisfying

blessings of my Christian life. I always loved and clung to the Bible. The Bible is what changed my life to prepare me to desire to enjoy and see the

great blessings in the Spirit of Prophecy. Nevertheless, after I heard the revelation in prayer I sought the writings of Ellen G. White first…

This is the point where I shared with you that I found the startling declaration: “The Redeemer, with a heart of unalterable love, still sheds his sacred blood in the sinner’s behalf.” {RH January 9, 1883, par. 21}

It was that morning that I had crossed over into an understanding and belief that has, almost 12 years later, brought me to write out this thesis based

on this truth. As I shared with the reader in the Introduction, I continued to search for evidences in the writings of Ellen G. White. I found several

immediately after the first and most direct one I have shared. As the years passed I found more…

Now, in this section I want to lay out what I have found that the Spirit of God, through His servant Ellen G. White has to say about this doctrine, entirely

from the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy. Before I begin, I want to remind the reader that Sister White was given to announce to the church that God

would continue to send more light… She said the light would come as “new light” and that the church must be prepared to distinguish when God sends

“new light” from the many, and much and continuous false light and false truths and false messages that the enemy of all righteousness is constantly

bringing before the believers. Here are a couple of the very many statements Sister White spoke to this intent:

“It is a fact that we have the truth, and we must hold with tenacity to the positions that cannot be shaken; but we must not look with suspicion upon any new light which God may send, and say, Really, we cannot see that we need any more light than the old truth which we have hitherto received, and in which we are settled. While we hold to this position, the testimony of the True Witness applies to our cases its rebuke, “And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Those who feel rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, are in a condition of blindness as to their true condition before God, and they know it not.”—The Review and Herald, August 7, 1894. {CW 33.1}

“The question has been asked me, “Do you think that the Lord has any more light for us as a people?” I answer that He has light that is new to us, and yet it is precious old light that is to shine forth from the Word of truth. We have only the glimmerings of the rays of the light that is yet to come to us. We are not making the most of the light which the Lord has already given us, and thus we fail to receive the increased light; we do not walk in light already shed upon us. 

We call ourselves commandment-keeping people, but we do not comprehend the exceeding breadth of the far-reaching principles of the law of God; we do not understand its sacred character. Many who claim to be teachers of the truth, have no real conception of what they are doing in teaching the law of God, because they do not have a living knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” {1SM 401.2-402.1}

So for Seventh Day Adventist, those who believe in the veracity of Spirit of Prophecy manifested in the writings of Ellen G. White, it is natural for us to

ask, ‘but what did Sister White say about this or that topic’… I have given my evidence from the Bible. Now I will give it from the writings of Ellen G.

White. But remember, Sister White said that new light would come to the church, and that it would not destroy or unsettle already established pillars in

our doctrinal teaching… But by the very fact that she said “new light” would come means that she herself was not given by God not delineate what

exactly that new light would be (at least not explicitly)… But it seems to me, because of the evidence I will share, the new light message I am sharing

was there all along (just like it was in the Bible) – but we are instructed to study the Bible “here a little, there a little”, “precept upon precept” – so what

you will see is that I will use this same method to share this truth in the writings of Ellen G. White.

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. ..

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.” Isaiah 28:9-13

There ‘precepts’, which are the precepts of gospel - of the Ceremonial Law – of the Law of the forgiveness of sins and our Atonement with God through

Jesus Christ, that must be established for this message to true. I will list these precepts in their order and then share what the writings of Ellen G.

White have to say about each one of these…

1.) First, that Jesus takes sins upon Himself TODAY when we confess (our sins do not go back 2,000 years ago – the Cross was for the corporate

human race – all the sins of mankind were laid on Him, of those who would confess and of those who would never confess them upon Him – He took

human ‘sin’ in totality and gained for us a “second probation”) – In His work for individuals who seek pardon and salvation, Jesus bears our

individually confessed sins TODAY in heaven before transferring them to the heavenly sanctuary.

2.) Second, that there is real, literal blood of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary and that it is used, literally, in the service of the sanctuary.

3.) Third, once we establish the second point about blood really being in heaven, the next thing to establish is how did the blood get there? The

message I am bearing and the point that is the HARDEST to accept and certainly to declare is that JESUS STILL SHEDS HIS BLOOD, and that’s how

His blood made it to heaven and that’s how it is used in the ministration in heaven... (meaning He didn’t carry it in a bowl from the Cross, or by angels,

but it is fresh Blood from His own living body)

4.) Lastly, the blood of Jesus is what transfers our sins from Himself (which must be the first point established, that He takes our sins today) to the

heavenly sanctuary “in fact”...

Let us begin:

What did Sister White say about...

1.) Jesus takes our sins upon Himself TODAY... IN HEAVEN :

“What is Christ doing in heaven? He is interceding for us. By His work the threshold of heaven is flushed with the glory of God which will shine upon every soul who will open the windows of the soul heavenward. As the prayers of the sincere and contrite ones ascend to heaven Christ says to the Father, "I will take their sins. Let them stand before you innocent." As He takes their sins from them, He fills their hearts with the glorious light of truth and love” (MS 28, 1901). {7BC 930.16}

“The priests were commanded to eat in the tabernacle of certain portions of the peace-offering. By partaking of the sacrifice, and bearing their sins before God, they represented the work that Christ would do for us in the heavenly sanctuary , by bearing our sins in his own body.” {ST, April 6, 1888 par. 7}

“As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary.” {GC 421.3}

We can discern this in the Bible, not only in the direct teaching of the Ceremonial law, but also here:

“so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28

The thought is exactly the same as Hebrews 10:18, Christ must offer sacrifice and bear our sins, until His people are made “all righteous” (Isa 60:21)

2.) There is real, literal blood in the heavenly sanctuary and it is used in the service in heaven :

“Jesus must be presented in simplicity to the children as a sin-pardoning Saviour offering within the veil the blood of His atonement, and while Jesus is pleading in their behalf, now, just now, while Jesus is making an offering for sin, ask Him to forgive and pardon your sins, to remove your transgressions.” {19MR 304.4}

“Still bearing humanity he ascended to heaven, triumphant and victorious. He has taken the blood of the atonement, sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat and his own garments, and blessed the people. Soon he will appear the second time to declare that there is no more sacrifice for sin.” {RH, November 13, 1913 par. 11}

“Our hearts should be full of hope and joy, and we should be able to say with grateful tongues, Christ is risen, and is at the right hand of God to make intercession for us. He has carried his blood into the sanctuary, and will cleanse us from every sin.” {ST, August 29, 1892 par. 4}

“Thus Christ, in His own spotless righteousness, after shedding His precious blood, enters into the holy place to cleanse the sanctuary. And there the crimson current is brought into the service of reconciling God to man.” {4T 122.1}

“Still bearing humanity, he ascended to heaven, triumphant and victorious. He has taken the blood of his atonement into the holiest of all, sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat and his own garments, and blessed the people. Soon he will appear the second time to declare that there is no more sacrifice for sin.” {YI, July 25, 1901 par. 4}

- Again, truly is dangerous if we develop mechanisms to make something which we don't want to accept in the inspired writings of none effect by

making them figurative, while at the same time hold other things described in equality in the same passage as being literal... Should any follow the

reasoning of some that Jesus sprinkles figurative blood upon a literal mercy seat in heaven?

3.) Jesus still sheds His sacred blood in heaven

“The rock which, smitten by the command of God, sent forth its living waters, was a symbol of Christ, smitten and bruised that by his blood a fountain might be prepared for the salvation of perishing man. As the rock had been once smitten, so Christ was to be "once offered, to bear the sins of many." But when Moses rashly smote the rock at Kadesh, the beautiful symbol of Christ was marred. Our Saviour was not to be sacrificed a second time. As the great offering was made but once, it is only necessary for those who seek the blessings of his grace to ask in Jesus' name,--to pour forth the heart's desires in penitential prayer. Such prayer will bring before the Lord of hosts the wounds of Jesus, and then will flow forth afresh the life-giving blood, symbolized by the flowing of the living water for thirsting Israel.” {ST, October 7, 1880 par. 2}

“Children of the Lord, how precious is the promise! How full the atonement of the Saviour for our guilt! The Redeemer, with a heart of unalterable love, still sheds His sacred blood in the sinner's behalf.” {RH, January 9, 1883 par. 21}

- As I have acknowledged, this is the hardest to accept, but it must be once we understand and believe the first principle and that is that Jesus still

takes sins upon Himself today, and that coupled with the fact that He still has open wounds makes us know that Gethsemane is repeated in heaven...

"These words apply not only to the men who pierced Christ when He hung on the cross of Calvary, but to those who by evil-speaking and wrong-doing are piercing Him today. Daily He suffers the agonies of the crucifixion. Daily men and women are piercing Him by dishonoring Him, by refusing to do His will." {ST, January 28, 1903 par. 8}

" Christ as high priest *within the veil so immortalized Calvary that though He liveth unto God, He dies continually to sin, and thus if any man sin, he has an advocate with the Father." {1SM 343.1}

4.) Jesus transfers our sins from Himself to the heavenly sanctuary by His blood :

“As the sins of the people were anciently transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary by the blood of the sin-offering, so our sins are, in fact, transferred to the heavenly sanctuary by the blood of Christ.” {4SP 266.1}

He has taken the blood of the atonement into the holiest of all, sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat and His own garments, and blessed the people. Soon He will appear the second time to declare that there is no more sacrifice for sin.” {ST, April 19, 1905 par. 4}

...

We know that the Lord said that He will “teach knowledge” and “make us to understand doctrine” by “precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line

upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little”...

But still, there remains that one important question we must ask ourselves...

Why did not God give it to Sister White to just tell us plainly, with greater explanation, if it was meant in her writings that have been shared that Jesus

sheds His sacred blood in heaven? Why should we have to study this out “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a

little”?

The reason she did not say it plainly, or pull all the things just reviewed together into one place is simple... The Lord didn’t give it to her to say it to us

plainly...

It is given for us to say and to declare this wonderful, terrible message…

Bible Prophecy foretells that this message of Jesus’ blood in heaven will be a shaking message that will leave among the remnant only those who

cannot be shaken (Heb 12:22-27) and it will be as Jesus’ Own Voice speaking from heaven by His blood, which the Bible says is in heaven (Heb.

12:22)

Therefore it is given to us... it is given to us who prayed and so desired to be a part of the wonderful terrible events of the last days, who shall live in the

generation when Jesus shall return and the remnant of His people shall be sealed and saved to sin no more...

To us is given this terrible wonderful LAST FULL REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST AS A LAMB SLAIN IN HEAVEN, even as John saw... even so

amen...

“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake...” Philippians 1:9

…

… Importantly I think at this time the reader should read this dream Sister White was given considering what has been shared in this thesis and

consider what it means to enter the temple of God in heaven in light of the truth that is now made manifest. This truth was always there from the very

beginning – now to brought forth at the end to bring men to an acknowledgment of our individual personal sin of crucifying the Lamb of God – unto

repentance and our everlasting salvation…

I dreamed of seeing a temple to which many people were flocking. Only those who took refuge in that temple would be saved when time should close.

All who remained outside would be forever lost. The multitudes without, who were going their various ways, were deriding and ridiculing those who

were entering the temple, and told them that this plan of safety was a cunning deception, that, in fact, there was no danger whatever to avoid. They

even laid hold of some to prevent them from hastening within the walls. {EW 78.3}

Fearing to be laughed at and ridiculed, I thought best to wait until the multitude were dispersed, or until I could enter unobserved by them. But the

numbers increased instead of diminishing, and fearful of being too late, I hastily left my home and pressed through the crowd. In my anxiety to reach

the temple I did not notice or care for the throng that surrounded me. On entering the building, I saw that the vast temple was supported by one

immense pillar, and to this was tied a Lamb all mangled and bleeding. We who were present seemed to know that this Lamb had been torn and

bruised on our account. All who entered the temple must come before it and confess their sins. {EW 78.4}

Just before the Lamb were elevated seats upon which sat a company of people looking very happy. The light of heaven seemed to shine upon

their faces, and they praised God and sang songs of glad thanksgiving that seemed to be like the music of angels. These were they who had come

before the Lamb, confessed their sins, been pardoned, and were now waiting in glad expectation of some joyful event. {EW 79.1}

Even after having entered the building a fear came over me and a sense of shame that I must humiliate myself before these people. But I seemed

compelled to move forward, and was slowly making my way around the pillar in order to face the Lamb, when a trumpet sounded, the temple shook,

shouts of triumph arose from the assembled saints, an awful brightness illuminated the building, then all was intense darkness. The happy people had

all disappeared with the brightness, and I was left alone in the silent horror of night. {EW 79.2}

I awoke in agony of mind and could hardly convince myself that I had been dreaming. It seemed to me that my doom was fixed, that the Spirit of

the Lord had left me, never to return. My despondency deepened, if that were possible. {EW 79.3}

God gave this dream to Sister White, and to us, as a warning. It seems as though we will have to endure mockery, reproach and dying to self to

admit our guilt to truly enter the temple of God and behold the Lamb.

CONCLUSION: PURPOSE OF THE REVALTION AND ITS RELATION TO THE GREAT CONTROVERSY

“If we would come to him, let us fix our eyes upon him; for he is full of grace and truth, and he will let all his goodness pass before us while he hides us in the cleft of the Rock. Then we shall endure as seeing him who is invisible, and by beholding him, we shall be changed into his image. The reason that we carelessly indulge in sin is that   we do not see Jesus . We would not lightly regard sin, did we appreciate the fact that sin wounds our Lord. Did we know Jesus by an experimental knowledge, we would not esteem duty as of small importance; but would manifest faithful integrity in the performance of every service. A right estimate of the character of God would enable us rightly to represent him to the world. Harshness, roughness in words or manner, evil-speaking, passionate words, cannot exist in the soul that is looking unto Jesus. He who abides in Christ is in an atmosphere that forbids evil, and gives not the slightest excuse for anything of this kind. Spiritual life is not nourished from within, but draws its nutrition from Christ, as the branch does from the vine. We are dependent upon Christ every moment; he is our source of supply. All our outside forms, prayers, fastings, and alms-giving cannot take the place of the inward work of the Spirit of God on the human heart.” {YI February 10, 1898, par. 3}

“I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold Me, behold Me , unto a nation that was not called by my name.

I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face…” Isaiah 651-3

…

“Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.” Isaiah 58:2

Not only has God promised to send the church new light… We also greatly need new light, a new message from the Father. We need this awakening message. God knew we would need a great, final, awakening, shaking revelation of Jesus Christ before the end come…

And God hath kept this last... and how great that He has kept in store a message hidden in plain sight, yet obvious once revealed and it is a fresh and full Revelation of Jesus Christ – same as in the beginning, shadowed in the first lamb sacrificed at Eden’s east gate for Adam’s sin – same as the picture of Him in Revelation chapter 5 – our Lamb slain, Who is also our King Who died and Who yet lives and yet dies for us (in some way only heaven knows) until His children should see and open their eyes that we should cease from sin… not for our own sakes, or for the sake of salvation or even eternal life in paradise… but for the sake of the dear Lamb of God! God’s Own Son…

Behold His Love… Behold His great and eternal sacrifice… Behold His careful thought and exquisite planning to provide for us everything that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him!

We needed this revelation of Christ. And the view of Him, as yet sacrificing and shedding and sprinkling His blood in heaven when we sin and confess, provides us the purest motive to strive to be in the 144,000 as could possibly be given or thought of.

What shall ye do with this message? I am convinced that only the most spiritual and faithful will receive it because it must be revealed to them by God Himself… therefore simply receive the truth and I am sure God will finish the work and this powerful seed of truth will play an effectual role, just as it has done in my life and shall do until the end.

Now farewell. The end is come. I leave you with Christ and His words to your soul. Thank you for reading this. Thank you for loving our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ… the Lamb of God and our soon coming King. Farewell.

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” Revelation 18:1

…

“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty

elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

The Marriage of the Lamb

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:1-10