Downfall of Desmond Ford's theories Sanctuary & 3 angels

errorblaster · pseudo 7th-day Adventist Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 16

Fordian theology launched a major attack on the matter of the final atonement when it was stated that when Jesus ascended to heaven he went before the presence of the father and began the final atonement after 31AD.

It is obvious that this type of reasoning does not follow the agenda of the Sanctuary. In order to refute the theology of Ford we must first follow the dictum which is stated in the book of Hebrews

Young's literal translation

Hebrews 8:

ho unto an example and shadow do serve of the heavenly things, as Moses hath been divinely warned, being about to construct the tabernacle, for 'See (saith He) thou mayest make all things according to the pattern that was shewn to thee in the mount;') --

errorblaster

AFterwards we need to go to Leviticus and discuss the 5 agendas of the earthly sanctuary and demonstrate how this dictum of Hebrews 8:5 is fulfilled in the High Priestly ministry of Yeshua=Jesus Christ.

In Leviticus chapter 4, there are 4 categories of sin two are corporate and two are individual.

1) The sin of the High Priest involved the whole Congregation of Israel in corporate sin.

2) The corporate sin of the Congregation of Israel.

Both these corporate sins required the services of the High Priest in the Holy Place. The transaction of forgiveness was registered on the horns of the altar of incense in the Holy Place.

Rule #1 The Altar of Incense was for corporate issues.

3) The sin of a ruler of the people

4) The sin of a common person

Both transactions for individual forgiveness were registered on the horns of the Altar of Burnt offering in the court.

Rule #2 The Altar of Burnt offering was for the individual.

The Day of Atonement

was a day of cleansing the records of sins that were already forgiven during the course of the year. God had already forgiven the congregation of Israel corporately as well as individually by registering transactions of forgiveness on both the Altar of Incense and the Altar of Burnt offering.

What many SDAs fail to understand is that the sin was registered when the Congregation of Israel or the individual Israelite committed the sin. There was no transfer of sin into the Sanctuary, sin cannot be transferred or moved.

What was registered in blood on the horns of the Altar of Incense and the Altar of Burnt offering was forgiveness.

On the day of Atonement what is actually revealed is a threefold agenda, of the Law, and then a cleansing of the corporate and then the cleansing of the individual. Leviticus 16 states the following.

Leviticus 16:

[16] thus he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel, and because of their transgressions, all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which abides with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
[17] There shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
[18] Then he shall go out to the altar which is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar round about.

Yeshua fulfills this agenda

1) When Jesus died on the cross he forgave our sins just like the common priest did on a daily basis at the Altar of Burnt offering in the court.

2) When Jesus ascended to heaven this was not the final atonement before the father as Desmond Ford's theories teach. Jesus is found ministering corporately to the 7 churches in Revelation chapters 1,2,3. It is stated that he stands in the midst of the 7 candlesticks. Keep in mind that the symbolism of the candlesticks is taken from the Holy Place. Jesus is found ministering to the 7 churches corporately just as the High Priest did in Leviticus chapter 4:13

He calls some of them to repentance by interceding on their behalf as the HIgh Priest would do in the HOly Place in case there was corporate sin. The symbolism is not totally telling us that he is in the Holy Place, what it is basically telling us is that he is fulfilling the agenda of the Holy Place by being in the midst of his churches.

Revelation 1

13] and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast;

Revelation 1:20

20] As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

So far we have covered Jesus fulfillment of the two agendas of the earthly Sanctuary.

1) His work of individual forgiveness on the cross which was the work of the common priest on a daily basis at the altar of burnt offering in the court

2) Jesus work as a High Priest who ministers as a High Priest for the corporate sins of the 7 churches in the book of revelation. This fulfilled the work of the earthly high priest who entered into the HOly Place if there was corporate sin among the Israelites.

3) The 3rd agenda was the Day of Atonement, in the 3 angels messages of Revelation 14:6,7,8,9 we see the announcement of the Everlasting Gospel and a call to worship him that created the Heavens and the earth and the seas. It is very interesting to find that the NIV Bible has footnotes that are referring the reader to Exodus 20:11, this verse as you well know deals with the Sabbath. I find it rather odd but exciting that theologians who wrote the NIV are referring people to Exodus 20:11 by way of the 3rd angels message. This is happening at a time when many SDAs are giving up the Sabbath on account of the theological attacks taking place within the mainline.

SDAs know that 1844 marks the commencement of the Anti-typical day of Atonement but they have failed to understand that the final atonement has 3 phases. So the 3rd agenda is the Hour of his Judgement the time where God begins the cleansing of his people just before his second coming.

4) Agenda number 4 marks the cleansing of Corporate Entities. The second angels message is the announcement that Babylon has fallen. Babylon deals with fallen churches that have decieved the nations of this world. The second angels message also deals with the Holy Nation which is the SDA Church. In the second angels message we are not told that the nations of planet earth will accept the Everlasting Gospel, what we are told is that the nations have been deceived. The second angels message deals with the cleansing of corporate entities.

If nations have been deceived by Babylon this would mean that at some point in time all corporate entities shall fall and this would also include the once faithful Holy Nation SDA Church which has become a sister church to Babylon as Ellen White stated in 1903.

The message which is being revealed by the second angel is the following. The SDA Church which was once the faithful City had to repent in order to pass this corporate condemnation warning which was given by Ellen White in 1903, she stated that the SDA Church was to be weighed on the balances of the heavenly sanctuary and if not true to her trust the verdict would be found wanting by the opportunities and privileges granted at the infinite cost of the death of Jesus on the cross. SDA history has revealed that the mainline church has never repented.

This is the most serious warning in all of the spirit of prophecy and it is the fulfillment of the spewing out of Laodicea which is mentioned in Revelation
3:

And to the angel of the church in La-odice'a write: `The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

[15]

"`I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!

[16] So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.
[17] For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

The fulfillment of the Probationary times of the nations as revealed in the prophecy of Luke 21:24 marks the time period when the SDA mainline became a sister church to Babylon. The time frame was 1980 with the fulfillment of Jesus prophecy of Luke 21:24. Please refer to my recent post on the New Prophetic Sign for SDAs.

The message of the second angel is a message of escape from fallen corporate entities which especially applies to the once faithful mainline SDA corporate structure.

5) The 5th Agenda deals with the individual escaping the mark of the Beast. The 3rd angels message is a call to the individual not to take the mark in the forehead or on the right hand.

Conclusion

We can clearly see that the 3 Angels messages present the very same agenda of the Cleansing of the Earthly Santuary on the day of Atonement.

The central message of the 3 angels is the ministry of our Great High Priest Jesus and how we must corporately and individually escape from what is unclean. The corporate SDA Church could have repented but refused to do so. This would then require a personal decision on behalf of every mainline SDA to abandon the corporate structure and form home fellowships freeing themselves from the apostasy of the once faithful men. Once again I say, please refer to my recent post "The New Prophetic Sign for SDAs".

We see the Law in the first angels message and then in the second we see the corporate issue and in the third angels message we see the individual.

This is the very same agenda that we find taking place on the day of Atonement when the High Priest goes into the HOly of HOlies and then he cleanses the corporate altar of incense and then later goes out to cleanse the individual altar of burnt offering in the court.

Leviticus 16:

16] thus he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel, and because of their transgressions, all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which abides with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
[17] There shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
[18] Then he shall go out to the altar which is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar round about.

[20]

"And when he has made an end of atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat;

To conclude our study I will refer you to Revelation 15 which clearly reveals the temple of heaven being cleansed.

[6] and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, and their breasts girded with golden girdles.
[7] And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives for ever and ever;
[8] and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

errorblaster

Compare revelation 15 with Ezekiel 9 and you will see that in Ezekiel 9, the wrath of God commences after the work on behalf of the individual at the altar of burnt offering in the court is finished.