THE TWO ATONEMENTS AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
By Richard J. Humpal, JD
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease being honest.
Belief can be a dangerous thing…IF the object of that belief is anything less than the full truth.
“Faith” allows one to believe and practice a lie without feeling guilty about searching and finding the full truth. When you know truth, you do not need faith.
“Truth” is singular and absolute. Lies are many and include blind “faith” opinions. A man has no right to form an opinion without fully investigating all sides of an issue. The study of philosophy is a study of lies.
Cowards and all who believe and practice a lie (of the people who are living in the last days) shall be thrown into the “Lake of Fire”. See Revelation 21: 7 and 8, and 22: 15
These statements reflect the extreme danger of speaking or writing about “opinions” regarding prophecy and the book of the Bible called Revelation. Knowing and understanding the warning found in Revelation 22: 18 and 19, this writer makes it clear that his educated “opinion” is the result of an ongoing study over that last 14 years involving a small study group called ‘The Spirit of Truth’, who have been meeting every week for 2 to 4 hours in an attempt to fully understand prophecy. It also reflects this writer’s opinion that the full truth of the restoration of this world shall shortly be made known to the 144,000 Bond Servants of God. If not, then the statement made by Jesus that the Holy Spirit shall lead His Servants into ALL truth is false…and of course we know it isn’t!
In this study, we discovered seven rules to which we followed to help us understand prophecy. These seven rules are:
1. All prophecy has a beginning and ending point in time. Elements within a prophecy are consecutive and occur in chronological order.
2. In order for a prophetic fulfillment to occur, ALL elements of the prophecy must occur as stated within the prophecy. (This precludes partial or multiple fulfillments, or types of fulfillments.)
3. The interpretation for a symbol will be given within the prophecy. If no interpretation is given, then the symbol is to be taken literally.
4. Timing within the restoration calendar (Jubilee) is given in days/years. One day equals one year. Timing after the expiration of the “restoration calendar” is literal.
5. Time Elements - A year is one rotation of the earth around the sun, calculated as beginning at the Spring Equinox. The half-year occurs on the Fall Equinox. Months are calculated from the lunar cycle and begin on the New Moon and end the day before the next new moon. Weeks begin on the first day of the week (Sunday) and end on the seventh day of the week (Sabbath), and from sundown to sundown. A Day is the rotation of the earth around its axis in 24 hours.
6. Time Specific Prophecy - Certain prophecies or elements of prophecy have a specific time for their understanding. These prophecies can be read anytime, but the understanding of the interpretation of these prophecies is sealed up until a specific time has been reached. Before these prophecies are unsealed (understood at the specific time) it is IMPOSSIBLE for them to be understood and/or accurately interpreted.
7. Only the Righteous Wise (Bond Servants of God) will understand - both the time when the prophecy is unsealed and the accurate interpretation of the prophecy when it is unsealed. (See Dan. 12: 9-10)
The principal difficulties in the understanding of apocalyptic prophesy stems from the fact that (in most cases) there are as many interpretations as there are interpreters. Each student of the scripture seems to go in a slightly different direction than his fellow students. This does not reflect on the sincerity with which the study is made; there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that most of the people who have the interest and take the time to study prophecy want to know the truth. Achieving a uniform truth, the kind of truth that reflects a consistent theology, seems almost impossible given the inconsistency of the product. The admonition that ‘we should not give Scripture any private interpretation’ flies in the face of the innumerable interpretations of Scripture and prophecy that exist in Christianity in general and the Seventh Day Adventist Church in particular.
So, how are we to arrive at a consistent and uniform Truth? Is it possible to apply a set of standards to the issue whereby everyone can arrive at the same conclusion without outside help or guidance from ‘so called’ theological experts? Are we not told that we are responsible for working out our own salvation ‘with fear and trembling’? Yet many, if not most, Christians erroneously assume that the ‘Pastor’, ‘Evangelist’ or ‘Theology Professor’ knows more than they do about Biblical interpretation. They assume that these people are better qualified to identify the proper information set that they are, and therefore, they give over their salvation to someone who may not have any better idea of the correct interpretation or scripture than they do. How unfortunate that many will probably be lost to the Kingdom of Heaven because they chose to follow faulty guidance from their most sincere but mistaken leadership.
Having said this, it is this writer’s opinion that the leaders, pastors and teachers found in the Seventh Day Adventist Church organization will someday have to make a choice of accepting the real truth of Jesus’ gospel or keep on being defensive of the many lies Paul, James (the brother of Jesus) and perhaps Luke have written in the New Testament. Notice that the above writers were not eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus Christ while He was here on this Earth.
If the ‘Church of Thyatira’ is a description of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, (just as all of the ‘seven’ churches probably are), then this group is also the one spoken about that has been led astray by the false teachings, writings and statements of Ellen White.
Just as God has given defined guidance to His Kingdom through His Holy Covenant, (the Ten Commandments), so too has God given defined instruction from Scripture as to how to independently and correctly interpret Scripture and prophecy in such a way as to have individuals arrive at the same conclusions regarding them. Isn’t this the proper definition of what ‘Truth’ would be? - Everyone then would arrive at the same place merely by using the same ‘road map’.
We are told in Daniel 12:9 by the angel that ‘the words are closed up and sealed till the time of end’. Revelation 10: 3-4 speaks of seven thunders, the meaning of which is also sealed. Are the words of prophecy and the meaning of the ‘Seven Thunders’ never to be known? It is obvious that it has been possible to see the words in both Daniel and Revelation for centuries. It is only the correct interpretation of these words that is in question. Does not God want His Servants to know what is to take place and when? Certainly! (Amos 3:7) We have been shown that the correct understanding WILL come to the ‘Wise’, but only during the last generation living on this Earth. (Dan. 12: 10, Matt. 24:45-51 and Rev. 1:1-3) Another question; could the ‘Wise’ here be the same as the five ‘Wise Virgins’ found in Matthew 25 and the ‘few’ found in Revelation 3:4?
It is this writer’s impression that the ‘Seven Thunders’ MAY be the key to unlocking the prophecies about the end time in both Daniel and Revelation. It is just possible that they are seven rules, (Seven Thunders), for interpreting the messages detailed in these books which the time for understanding has now come. They would/will certainly shake up current prophetic interpretations - just as real thunder shakes up the earth.
These seven rules for Biblical interpretation, derived from Scripture, (not from one individual source), eliminate the possibility of private interpretation. They act as a fail safe system, which when applied to any apocalyptic prophecy makes it possible for the ‘unqualified’ student of the Bible (granted no special degrees from appropriate authority) to come to a more complete picture of what God is really saying about end time events. Try them and see if they don’t bring you greater understanding in your search for prophetic truth. After all, one can’t ‘play the game’ correctly without the complete and correct set of rules.
10 VIRGINS
Speaking about the Kingdom of God/Heaven in the last days, Mat. 25:1-12 is one place where we can find a prophecy, (no, it is not just a story), of what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like just prior to the “coming like a thief”. (As you will see later, this event is clearly NOT the same as the coming in the clouds as most bible teachers and preachers would want you to believe.) Jesus provided many descriptions of what the Kingdom of Heaven was like, but only the prophecy/parable of the Ten Virgins (Servants of the Bride) is where He prefaced it with the words; “At that time” or “Then”. Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven is right now a group of people living on this earth. Problem is, they have no clue because they are still sleeping.
Question: Are the Ten Virgins the same as the “Bride”? If so, then give me your understanding on Revelation 7 and 11:1 & 2? If not, then what is the job for the Ten Virgins? Could it be to get the Bride, (the nations found in Revelation 7:9-14), ready for the event called ‘The Second Coming’, also known as the ‘Coming in the Clouds’?
This writer has found only one corporate religious group of people that exactly
match the description of the Ten Virgins. This group can only be the Seventh Day Adventists. They are the only group that profess to keep ALL of the Ten Commandments, formed by coming out of all the other churches (the Bride), who thought that Jesus was going to come in 1843-1844, which they now call the ‘Great Disappointment’.
It also interesting that the prophecy found in Daniel 8:14 (2300 days) can be interpreted to read that the host of the Kingdom of Heaven, or the ‘Rock cut out without human hands’ will be set up in 1843-1844.
If this is true, then the reason they don’t understand this is because they are spiritually asleep. Remember, Jesus said that He came to save the lost sheep of Israel. Israel can also be known as (AKA) the Kingdom of God/Heaven. Spiritual Israel is not the same thing as genetic Israel. Genetic Israel gave up their citizenship of the Kingdom of Heaven at the time they said that they have no other king then Caesar.
Interestingly, there is only ONE servant that the Master (Jesus) left in charge of His Household (Kingdom of Heaven). (See Mat. 24:45) Some bibles are incorrect in the interpretation, but the correct statement is “Who then IS THE faithful and wise servant who the Master made ruler of His Household?” You see here that there is only ONE servant that has been chosen to lead or rule over the other servants of the Household. And, this ONE servant will be feeding the fellow servants spiritual food (truth) only at the proper time (when they are hungry)---just before the Master comes (as a thief), for the HOUSEHOLD---NOT the world! Perhaps it is proper to provide a study of the two different comings at this time:
TWO ATONEMENTS AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
There is no truth more important to the Christian than the truth of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. The evident relationship between Christ and the sinner is that no one can be saved into the Kingdom of Heaven without first accepting the Blood of Jesus Christ as payment for their sins. In the books of Exodus and Leviticus and in Revelation we view exceedingly complicated and sometimes convoluted descriptions of law and action that seems to be only one step away from nuclear physics in their ability to either confuse us or put us to sleep.
Yet through the intent study of these texts, a realization has slowly and somewhat painfully dawned that all may not be well with our current understanding of how the truth of how salvation works in relation to the Kingdom of Heaven, and how atonement for the World is ultimately accomplished. Still the Truth remains; that only the blood of the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, can purchase our pardon from guilt and sin. What follows does not, and cannot change that fact in the least.
God does many things by teaching lessons. This is especially true of the Sanctuary services and Feasts as described in Exodus and Leviticus. Every action by a priest, every piece of furniture, every nuance of word or requirement of action has meaning far beyond what has currently been discovered in studying their treasures. It is obvious (on the surface) that God, throughout the Sanctuary Service, is trying to teach the Children of Israel about Himself, and about what was going to be done (in the future) on their behalf. The Feasts, and the order in which God gave them to Israel, presents a format whereby it would be possible for them to view the entire process of the salvation of the Kingdom of Heaven and the world from beginning to end. God gave Israel two choices (roads). The promises, (prophecies that many erroneously still believe will come to pass), He gave only to Israel--- that is IF they would choose to keep His Commandments (life road). But since they chose not to keep the Commandments, (death road), these promises have never, and will never, come to pass. Had literal Israel learned these lessons, the Kingdom of Heaven would have already been established on this earth and the prophecies that were sealed up in Daniel would never had to be made known.
We will admit that reading and studying about this issue is tough, but please pay attention and stay with us on this. Spiritual discourse and Biblical interpretation can be nebulous and uncertain, especially when involving prophecy of the ‘End Time’. Yet several things can be stated with certainty and we have tried to keep these in mind as we researched and wrote this article. Also, we have diligently sought to eliminate our own personal biases and prejudices, seeking only Truth without the affect of a specific point of view. Please include this viewpoint in your own study and let the Holy Spirit guide you into (all) Truth:
God knows the end from the beginning (Is. 41: 4, Rev. 22: 13), Timing is critical to God (Dan. 12: 6), Prophecy was given to be understood (Dan. 12: 10, Amos 3: 7), God uses Scripture as a teaching tool and ‘Absolute Truth’ is essential to salvation (John 12: 35-36, and Rev. 22: 15). In this presentation, within the Sanctuary, the two most important articles for the human race are the Alter of Incense within the Holy Place, and the Alter of Sacrifice in the courtyard outside the Temple. In Revelation, reference is made to both of these:
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the alter, and those who worship there. But leave out the court, which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Nations. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. Rev. 11: 1-3.
This passage clearly indicates two judgments (measurements): one for the Kingdom of Heaven, the other for the ‘Nations’. The ‘Alter’ mentioned here, is the Alter of Incense that is located in the Temple of God in Heaven. The outer court is where the Alter of Sacrifice is located and represents the earth. We can see that the judgment of the Kingdom of Heaven comes before the judgment of the Nations. The fact that there are two different Alters denotes that two different types of judgments occur for two different categories of people. The judgment of the Holy Nation (the Kingdom of Heaven) occurs first, and then the judgment of the other Nations occurs after the 42 months of the trampling of the Holy City.
But that is not the whole story by far, for before judgment is passed on anyone, either inside or outside of the Temple, the offer for atonement from sin must be made. This is a very important point; God is absolutely fair in His dealings with humanity and will NOT pass judgment on anyone who has not had the opportunity to make a choice. As God gave Israel a choice, so too He gives the opportunity to choose to those who will be alive and experience the events of the ‘End’ as depicted in Daniel and Revelation.
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord you God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. … I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that which I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. Deut. 30: 15,19.
God wants everyone to choose life, which is why He provides atonement for sin in full measure for all humanity. Atonement in the sanctuary service was demonstrated as a function of the sacrifice of innocent animals to which the sins of the congregation or individual were transferred. Several requirements were necessary for the proper transfer of sin away from the sinner, be they individual or the corporate body. ONLY the blood of the innocent (sinless) could make atonement for sin.
Corporate sin(s), the sins of the entire camp of Israel, were transferred on a daily basis by the blood during the morning and evening sacrifices. The lamb was slain on the north side of the Alter of Sacrifice (bronze alter) and the blood was then taken by a priest into the Holy Place and put onto the horns of the Alter of Sacrifice (golden alter). This lamb had to be at least a year old male and in a spotless condition (Ex. 29). The word in Greek for this type of a lamb is ‘AREN’ or ‘ARNON’ (Strongs #721).
In Leviticus 16 we can read about the law of Atonement. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, two spotless goats were set aside; one as the Goat of the Lord, and the other as the Goat of Removal (scapegoat). The High Priest would act on the behalf of God. He could do this because of the bull, which he sacrificed for himself and his family.
It is interesting to note that before the High Priest could perform anything, he had to wash himself in the laver that had been constructed out of mirrors collected from the women who worked at the temple. This washing in the laver thus represented both baptism (justification) and being born (sanctification) of the Spirit aka the ‘Woman’ found in Revelation 12. (No, the Woman of Rev. 12 can’t be the church because the church was NEVER in heaven!) The laver was in the form of a bowl, which represented the womb.
It is also interesting to note that all of the words for “spirit” found in the Old Testament are feminine in character. In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that one could not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven unless he was born of the water and of the Spirit. Therefore, just as Jesus told Nicodemus, God taught the same lesson by not allowing the High Priest to enter the Holy Place without making himself clean.
In Leviticus 16, you can read that the High Priest then killed the Goat of the Lord and it’s blood was then taken (in a bowl) into the Most Holy place and sprinkled seven times at the front of the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant; then seven times before the Ark, between the Ark and the Alter of Incense; then it was placed seven times on the Horns of the Alter of Incense.
This then created a blood trail from the Mercy Seat to the Alter of Sacrifice, thus connecting them together. Then the High Priest (still acting in the place of God) would go to the outer court and wipe the blood from his hands onto the Goat of Removal, which was then lead into the wilderness (World/Nations) and released. Please note: The High Priest acted in the place of God in sacrificing the perfect, spotless, and INNOCENT animal. For whom was this process designed to make atonement? Was it designed to take away the sins of the world (wilderness/Nations) - as we have been told?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life. John 3: 16 Please note that this verse does not say; “will not perish”!
This text seems to indicate that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross was for the whole world. Yet if we go to the beginning and end of this discourse of Christ with Nicodemus we note an apparent contradiction.
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3: 5
Here we see that in order to be saved you must be IN the Kingdom of God, not in the kingdom of the world/Nations. So how do you KNOW that you are in the Kingdom of Heaven?
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the TRUTH comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. John 3: 19-21
Christ is saying that by your deeds you show evidence of the kingdom to which you belong. Christ’s sacrifice is not for those who do not show the evidence of their Spirit Birth by their deeds, although many would argue that it is only by the grace of God that you can be saved. The challenge then is to show where any grace of God can be found in the Ten Virgin prophecy.
The only people who were required to make atonement for their sins on the Day of Atonement were the Children of Israel, AKA, the Kingdom of Heaven. Atonement for sin was not required of the nations surrounding Israel. The sins of the camp were removed by the Goat of Removal and taken into the wilderness. The wilderness represents the nations and sin was to be returned where it originated.
Because the entire Sanctuary service is only a lesson tool used by God to teach Israel the process of how sin will be removed from the Kingdom of Heaven, no one in literal Israel actually had their sins removed from them during this process. The sins of the individual Israelite and the sins of the camp were never actually removed since the actual redemption sacrifice was not to happen for many years. (The blood of animals cannot remove sin.) Their sin was imputed to the real sacrifice, the Lamb of God.
When the actual sacrifice of the Son of God was made, the Nation of Israel (then the Kingdom of Heaven) did not recognize it nor did they accept it. Israel could have accepted the marriage covenant that Christ offered them but they didn’t. This is why the trusteeship of the Covenant was removed from Israel at the end of the 70 weeks (490 years beginning in 457 BCE and ending in 33 BCE) and transferred to the budding Christian church. Only when the actual sacrifice was made, when Christ paid the penalty for sin, did the people of the Kingdom of Heaven who believed in Him and hoped in Him and who had accepted His atonement, have their sins forgiven. The problem became that the Religious leaders of Israel made the process mysterious and kept the real meaning from the people, so that after a time, the process became the result, instead of pointing to the result, the Messiah.
Atonement for forgiven sin that is placed on the Alter of Incense is ONLY for the Kingdom of Heaven. The sacrifice of Christ, the spotless Lamb of God (“Arnon”), was only for Israel, then the Kingdom of Heaven. But because they rejected Him as their atoning Sacrifice, the way was opened for all who would to enter the Kingdom of Heaven by being born again of the water and the Spirit.
The parallel today is that in the Sanctuary in Heaven, Christ is atoning only for the Kingdom of Heaven, not for the world. Who, then, is the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven today? What mechanism (if any) is there for the atonement of the sins of the world? Is there anything in Scripture that points to how the atonement for the sins of the ‘World’ is accomplished? (‘World’ is defined as anyone who is outside the Kingdom of Heaven).
Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying; this is the law of the sin offering, in the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord. It is most holy. The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting. Lev. 6: 25-26.
But no sin offering from which any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of meeting, to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the fire. Lev. 6: 30.
Here we see described the requirement for the sin offering. It was to be killed in the same place where the burnt offering was killed, on the Alter of Sacrifice in the outer court of the tabernacle. If the blood of the sacrifice was taken into the tabernacle and placed on the Alter of Incense, the offering was burned. That is because Christ was represented by this sacrifice and His sacrifice was complete for the Kingdom of Heaven. Nothing else was needed.
For the sin offering, the sinner placed his hands on the sacrifice, confessed his sins, which were symbolically then transferred to the animal. The sin offering was then killed by the “sinner” at the Alter of Sacrifice. The priest did not kill this sacrifice, the individual sinner did. Then the priest put some of the blood of the sacrifice into a bowl and put some blood on each of the horns of the Alter, then he would pour out the blood onto the ground in front of the Alter. Then the priest would eat part of the sacrifice thus showing the sinner that sins that he had confessed over the sacrifice had been transferred to the priest.
And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.” Lev. 9: 7
Then Moses made careful inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and here it was--burned up. And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy pace, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?” Lev. 10: 16-17
When an offering was made by an individual on the Alter of Sacrifice, it was the Priest that bore the guilt of that person before the Lord, as signified by the eating of the offering in a holy place. The blood of that offering was NOT carried inside the Temple but was kept outside and placed on the horns of the Alter in the outer court, and also poured at its base.
Please understand this; the Alter of Sacrifice in the outer court was used for a different purpose than the Alter of Incense that was within the Temple. The animal sacrifice for the Alter of Incense, which was inside the Temple, was killed by the priest and was for the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s blood was taken to and placed on the horns of the Alter of Incense inside the Temple, then brought out and placed on the horns of the Alter of Sacrifice. On the annual Day of Atonement, this Alter was cleansed of the forgiven sins of the Kingdom of Heaven that had been placed on it throughout the year (as described above).
The animal sacrifice for the Alter of Sacrifice was killed by an individual for their own sins or the sins of their family. After roasting part of the sacrifice on the fire of the Alter, the priest would eat part of the sacrifice to show that the individual’s sins had been transferred to the priest thereby atonement had been made for the individual and his family. The priest then took the blood and placed it on the horns of the Alter in the outer court and poured the rest at the base of the Alter. It is interesting to note that nowhere in Scripture does it talk about the Alter of Sacrifice being cleansed, either on the Day of Atonement or at any other time.
If the atonement for the Alter of Incense is only for the Kingdom of Heaven, then for whom is the atonement of the priest and the Alter of Sacrifice? Why was the Alter of Sacrifice NOT cleansed on the Day of Atonement?
Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make and end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Dan. 9: 24.
The Kingdom of Heaven had been literal Israel (Jews) up until the end of the 70 weeks, which had been given to Israel by God as a probationary period for their judgment. The reason that we know that Israel failed the test and that the trusteeship of the Covenant was removed from them, is that none of the events pursuant to the fulfillment of those prophecies has ever occurred, nor will they ever occur, as the time for their fulfillment has long past. Nowhere in Scripture does God ever separate or divide timing in a prophecy. When Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the cross, He paid the penalty for the transgression Adam made of the Law of God. Yet because there was still 3 1/2 years left in the 70 week prophecy, Israel could still have fulfilled their part in the prophecy and the End would have then occurred.
However, none of the prophetic fulfillments took place, Israel failed the test, their probation closed and the Covenant was to transfer to the Kingdom that will last forever, the “rock cut out not by human hands”. Transgression however was not yet finished. Sin was not brought to an end. Iniquity was not reconciled. Everlasting righteousness was not brought in. Vision and Prophecy about the ‘time of the end’ was not sealed up forever. The Most Holy One (Jesus) had not been anointed as King.
By the way, this is the reason why the understanding about the end times found in Daniel were sealed up. Israel still had a chance. Now that this time period is over, the understanding will be known, but only by the ‘Wise”. None of the wicked will know.
Jesus warned his disciples that Satan would sow wicked seeds among the wheat. How did this happen? Satan lied to the very beginning of the church just as he lied to Eve. Satan knew that the truth had to be tweaked just enough to cause confusion, but not enough to notice any difference. To do that, he used the day of Pentecost to even fool Peter into thinking that the Holy Spirit was the one that caused the violent wind and the cloven tongues of fire to leap about on the heads of those in the upper room. We now know that this was not the case since it is clear that the Holy Spirit would not have caused Peter to proclaim that this event was the prophecy of Joel. Jesus had already given the Holy Spirit to his disciples when He came to them and said “Peace be unto you” and then breathed upon them the Holy Spirit. (John 20:20-22)
It also appears that Satan entered into the early Christian picture by causing Saul to become blind (God NEVER forces anyone to become His servant) in order to force him to proclaim that he had received a vision from Jesus. Being duped by Satan, Saul changed his name to Paul and invented the words “christian” and “church”. Through Paul, Satan made it very easy for people to think they were “saved”. All one needed was ‘faith’ and ‘grace’. The law, including the Ten Commandments, had been declared to be done away with. And the seventh day Sabbath was allegedly changed to Sunday, an act so bad that God called worshipping the sun (Sunday worship) the worst wicked abomination in all of the abominations found in Ezekiel 8. Later, Constantine converted over to Christianity and in an attempt to provide tolerance for everyone, (Jews, Christians and Pagans), formed the counsel at Laodicea and placed into the known Scriptures, the writings of those who the majority believed to be acceptable to “Christianity”, whereby giving us the New Testament. Is it no wonder the early church flourished? (More on this later in this article)
In the centuries that followed, truth within the Christian church lost it’s fervor and became imbedded in bureaucracy. Generation succeeded generation, each believing that ‘they’ were the living in the ‘time of the end,’ and that ‘they’ had all the Truth. Yet the ‘time of the end’ did not come. But there still was that promise that in the last days God would bring forth a group of people (found in prophecy) that had ‘Truth’. Yet, now even this group still follows the writings and teachings of a woman, the one who God prophesied would lead the people astray. (See Revelation 2: 18-24)
On page 433 of the Great Controversy, this same woman wrote; “The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament. Revelation 11:19. The ark of God’s testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” this apartment was opened only upon the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary.”
Ok, so far this looks very good. But she then gets herself into trouble by stating the following: Therefore the announcement that the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement.” WHAT? Did this happen? I think not!
All one has to do is read for themselves about the three (3) ‘WOES’ to understand that the third ‘woe’ found in Revelation 11:19 is after the great tribulation and also after the first and second ‘woe’. Clearly, the author of The Great Controversy was wrong. Therefore, what she had seen in her vision(s) must NOT have been from God the Creator and should prove beyond any doubt that she was a false prophetess. But, just like Paul, most of what she wrote is awesome! And, it was probably because of her writings that the Seventh Day Adventist grew into what it is today. Keep in mind though, all of this was prophesied by God.
Yes, all of the Ten Virgins went to sleep. But knowing all of this is not a good reason to leave the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Why? Because a few of them, the 144,000 as found in the church called ‘Philadelphia’ and in Revelation 3: 4-13, will be hungry enough to eat the spiritual food, (NEW TRUTH), given to them by the good and faithful servant found in Matthew 24: 45. The rest will yet to be awakened by the cry “The Bridegroom is here, come out to meet Him.”
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Then (At that time) the Kingdom of Heaven will be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. Matt. 25: 1-5
This tells us that there will, indeed, be a Kingdom of Heaven at the end (last generation). But at what time? At the time when the Master comes to either the Faithful and Wise servant or the Wicked servant. (Matt. 24: 42) Notice that both are called servants. Both are in the Kingdom of Heaven. The description of the Faithful and Wise servant is that he is feeding his fellow servant their food at the proper time. The description of the wicked servant is that he is eating and drinking with drunkards and beating his fellow servants. It also states in Matt. 24: 48 that he says in his heart that his master is going to stay away a long time. Question: How can this servant say that unless he knows when his master is supposed to come?
The parable of the Ten Virgins describes the Kingdom of Heaven at the time of the coming like a thief. Christ gave the exact characteristics that would only apply to the Kingdom of Heaven at the time the Master appeared to the “Household”. The Ten Virgins (the Kingdom of Heaven) would have already gone out to meet the Bridegroom. When He didn’t come, they all went to sleep with their torches burning. When awakened (by the Faithful and wise servant and fellow servants which are probably the One Hundred Forty Four Thousand) they would either have oil for their lights or not have oil. This indicates a separation but not a judgment as they either have oil or don’t have oil when they are awakened.
Five recognize truth when they hear it, the other five are so set in their ways that they, believing that they have ALL THE NEED, shut their ears and eyes to any new truth. Perhaps the so-called truth these five foolish virgins have are what has been taught by the woman who is called a prophet found in Revelation 2: 18-26. Could this be Ellen G. White? Also, is there anywhere else in Scripture where judgment is indicated for the Kingdom of Heaven before anyone else?
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the alter, and those who worship there. But leave out the court, which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. Rev. 11: 1-3.
This passage seems to show a judgment for ‘the Temple, the alter, and the worshipers there’ before the ‘outer court’. This ‘outer court’ is given over to the nations and is judged after the Kingdom of Heaven, which is described in verse 1. This, coupled with what we know about the Sanctuary and the Day of Atonement, clearly tells us that judgment comes first to God’s Holy Nation-Kingdom of Heaven through the blood of the sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ. It is only for the Kingdom of Heaven that this sacrifice is made, not for the world.
But we also know that the priests “bear the guilt of the congregation and make atonement for them” which is the rest of the world. Anyone not in the Kingdom of Heaven would then be considered those of all Nations and of all Tribes, as found in Revelation 7: 9. Therefore, probation is closed for the Kingdom of Heaven before the great time of trouble. (Judgment for the Ten Virgins is over before time gets to Revelation 7: 9.)
Who are the priests and where do they come from? Lets look again at Matt. 24 and the two servants described there.
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them their food at the proper time. Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that He will make him ruler over all His possessions. But if that servant turns evil and says in his heart, “My master is going to stay away a long time”, and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for Him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him to pieces and cast him out with the hypocrites, where there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt. 24: 45-51
We first see a household. This can be none other then the Kingdom of Heaven, now called the Seventh-day Adventist Corporate Church. The faithful and wise servant and the fellow servants are in the same household. The message that the faithful and wise servant has is a message only for a proper time. Not just anytime, but the right time. This is not the “Gospel of Jesus” message because that message is good anytime. It must be some other message. The message is, in fact, the “Gospel of the Kingdom” from the great commission.
And this gospel of the Kingdom, (about the Kingdom), will be preached in [to] all the World as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matt. 24:14 (Emphasis added)
Again, understand this, it is NOT the gospel of Christ (although that is included because He is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven) that is to be preached to the nations (world). It is the message that the Kingdom of Heaven is preaching at the time of the end.
Christ calls the faithful and wise servant “blessed” for presenting the “Gospel of the Kingdom” to his fellow servants, and is greatly rewarded for doing so when his master returns.
However, Christ will punish that servant if he chooses to become wicked and not only stops telling his fellow servants about the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, but goes back on what he has been teaching them and joins with those who have rejected the message. Here we have the two choices, just like God gave Israel. So, what is this message and why is it important?
The “Gospel of the Kingdom” message is that there is just one Kingdom of Heaven on earth at the time of the end, and that in order to see God you must join and be a member of this Kingdom, not literally, but spiritually. Christ spoke of this to Nicodemus in John 3 when He said that only through the water and the Spirit could someone enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ was teaching that the only way to eternal life was through entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. This Kingdom (now spiritual Israel) is defined specifically in Scripture as having a special purpose to fulfill before the end comes. This Kingdom is God’s Kingdom because, like ancient Israel of old, they profess to have the truth and profess to abide by this truth. But just like Israel, they are only paying lip service to the truth, which God, in His mercy, has granted them. In Matt. 25 they are described as sleeping bridesmaids. In Rev. 3 they are described as having a name that is alive, but are dead, spiritually.
It is interesting that we hear preachers and teachers say that we each must have a personal relationship with God. This may or may not be true, but remember the person who was found at the Wedding Feast that did not have on the right robe? Perhaps he thought only a personal relationship was enough? Trouble is, this so-called personal relationship was only one sided! Perhaps this type of person is one who says; “all you need is grace”. After all didn’t Paul tell us that Jesus allegedly said His grace is sufficient? Could Paul have been led by the same entity as Ellen? Could Paul be a false Apostle? (Read the book “The Spirit of the Church” by Dennis Neufeld and Rick Sterling, published by Tate Publishing)
When one reads from the bible about what Jesus taught about the prodigal son and the one lost sheep, you come to an understanding that it is the family and the flock that represent those that go to heaven. The prodigal son had to come back to his family and the lost sheep had to get back to the flock. Therefore, even though there may be a personal relationship with God, one MUST be in the Kingdom of Heaven for salvation.
I know your works, that you are nether cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold not hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, having become wealthy (in spiritual matters), and have heed of nothing’-- and do not now that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--. Rev. 3: 16-17
Could the ‘rich and wealthy’ be the same as ‘grace and love’? Perhaps since the On Hundred and Forty Four Thousand and the Five Wise Virgins will be living and presenting the real truth during the last days. Faith, grace and love will not be needed because they will be, and are, the first fruits of truth. Clearly, the Kingdom of Heaven is in bad shape at this time, yet they are still required to carry the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world.
Do they have to do this on their own, without God’s intervention? Clearly the “Time of Trouble” and the “Trumpets” are God’s intervention and will wake up the Nations of the world (get the Bride ready for the Groom) for the coming in the clouds. (Not the coming like a thief.) However, in the story of the talents given to the three men, found in Mat. 25: 14-30, the Master did not intervene and the three were on their own to make their own decisions.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. 12: 17
It specifies in this text that the remnant, the Kingdom of Heaven, is a corporate body of people who profess to keep all TEN of the Commandments and have the testimony of Jesus.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron and her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Rev. 12: 1,2,5
This passage shows that the last of the offspring of the woman (who is in Heaven) are brothers and sisters of the male Child, who is Jesus Christ. They become offspring of the woman in the same way that Christ became the first born of the woman, i.e. by being born of the Spirit. Clearly this woman is NOT the Church. The Church has NEVER been in Heaven! Could there actually be a real family Trinity? That is, God the Father, the Holly Spirit the Mother, and Jesus Christ the Son! After all, all of the Hebrew words found in the Old Testament for the Holy Spirit are feminine in character.
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. John 3: 5
Christ told Nicodemus that entry into the kingdom of Heaven is only by birth. Spirit birth. (Not by adoption as some like Paul have proposed.) Since it is the woman (Rev. 12: 1) who gives birth to both Christ and the Remnant, this woman MUST be the Holy Spirit. The last of Her offspring are then the real Kingdom of Heaven.
I have gone over this before but just to make it clear, who then, is the Kingdom of Heaven today? (If we are in the “last days”.) We have a number of clues from Scripture that will help us deduce the answer.
ˇ They went out to meet the Bridegroom on a specific date at a specific time
ˇ When the Bridegroom didn’t come as expected they ALL went to sleep
ˇThey are the only group to have gone out to meet the Bridegroom based on the light of prophecy (lamps)
ˇThey are the only group to come out of the other churches, or the Bride of Christ
ˇ They profess to keep all ten Commandments and to have the Spirit of Prophecy
ˇ They believe so strongly that they have all the truth that they don’t notice that they are wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked
ˇThey are spiritually sleeping today except for the few found in church of Sardis and these few are those mentioned in the church of Philadelphia (the 144,000)
ˇThey match the characteristics of the seven churches found in Rev. 2 and 3.
ˇThey become a Nation cut out without human hands and at the end of the 2300 day/year prophecy - (1844).
These, taken together, seem to indicate that the Kingdom of Heaven today is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. If this is correct, then the Seventh-day Adventist Church will be atoned for and judged before the rest of the world. And, being in the spiritual state in which they currently find themselves, they would appear to be in big trouble.
Both the faithful and wise servant and the fellow servants come from this group. So do both the foolish and wise bridesmaids. We see a separation within the Kingdom of Heaven as the five wise bridesmaids go into the wedding feast while the five foolish are left out in the cold. This indicates a close of probation for the kingdom of Heaven before the close of probation that occurs for the world at the seventh trumpet. These two groups, the servants and wise bridesmaids, appear to be the prophets and priests that act on behalf of the nations, to bear their guilt and to make their atonement. They can make atonement for those, who are seeking the truth in the world, at the Alter of Sacrifice (the earth) ONLY because they have been made perfect and holy by the blood of Christ and His atonement for them at the Alter of Incense in Heaven.
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony, which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a White robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who would be killed as they were, was completed. Rev. 6: 9-11
The altar in this passage is the Altar of Sacrifice; the Altar in the outer court; the Altar for the nations. The souls, represented as sacrificial blood, are poured out UNDER the Altar; exactly where the blood was poured after a sin offering in the Sanctuary Service. These souls could not be a sin offering unless they were, themselves, sinless. The only blood that can wash away sin is the blood of the sinless. These are the saints and prophets, members of the Kingdom of Heaven by virtue of the blood of the Lamb (Christ), that are in turn sacrificed as the sin offering for the world.
Why would these under the Altar need to be given white robes? They must have already had white robes in order to be an acceptable sacrifice. They were given white robes again because they had given them up for the world, and accepted the guilt of the world on themselves. Then, not having guilt of their own, some of them are sacrificed to bear away the guilt of the congregation (world), and make atonement for them.
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” John 21: 15
Three times this question was asked and answered. Each time Jesus ended with “Feed My lambs.” The word in Greek for lambs is Arnion, the diminutive form of the word Arnon (or Aren), which can be literally translated ‘lambkin’, or ‘kin (brother or sister) of the male lamb.’ This is very important to confirming the role of the Kingdom of Heaven as sacrifices.
In Revelation, John uses two Greek words that have both been translated Lamb. The words are Arnon, meaning ‘male lamb at least a year old’; and Arnion, the diminutive form of Arnon, which means ‘lambkin’, or lamb less than a year old. Now why would John use two different words to mean the same thing, as is found in all Bible translations. Why didn’t he just use the word ‘Arnon’? The reason is that he meant to use these words exactly where he did to convey a specific meaning.
These (the ten kings v.12-13) will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. Rev. 17: 14
The first use of the word ‘Lamb’ is actually the word Arnion or lambkin, meaning the kin of the Lamb. The second use of Lamb is the word Arnon meaning ‘a lamb at least a year old.’ This Lamb is Christ. The first lamb indicates his brothers and sisters. This is verified by the following:
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. 12: 1
As we have seen earlier the ‘rest of her offspring’ are the brothers and sisters of Christ. So in this context the following literal translation makes sense.
These will make war with the lambkin, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him (the lambkin) are called, chosen, and faithful. Rev. 17: 14
The ten kings, under the direction of the dragon, make war on the lambkin (the kin or the Lamb of God) and the Lamb overcomes the ten kings because He is King of kings and Lord of lords. God allows the dragon, via the ten kings, to kill the sinless lambkin that act as the atoning sacrifice for the world that did not become part of the kingdom of Heaven before the Great Tribulation started.
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lambkin.” Rev. 7: 14
The word Lamb in this passage is translated from the word Arnion, or lambkin. This indicates that indeed the blood of the lambkin (Christ’s brothers and sisters) acts as the cleansing agent for the sins of those who are alive during the great tribulation.
Yet the most interesting mistranslation is yet to come. In this passage we see a bride to whom it was granted to be arrayed in ‘fine linen, clean and bright’. Notice particularly who was not involved in this act:
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Rev. 19: 8
The person who was not involved directly in providing the robe of righteousness to the bride is Jesus Christ. The passage states that it is the righteous acts of the saints that provide the robe. In verse 7 and in verse 9 we also see the word lamb. This is the word Arnion or lambkin, not Arnon or Aren. In context, then, we can see that the bride is not the bride of the Lamb, but the bride is the bride of the ‘lambkin’. The lambkin whose righteous acts of sacrifice provided the robe of righteousness for the bride, which are those who came out of (from) the great tribulation. In Greek, the nominative of the word used to indicate singular or plural and gender follows the context of the noun for which it applies. The same word is used for him, her, them and they, depending on the noun used. Therefore, the correct translation would need to be:
Let us be glad and rejoice and give them glory, for the marriage of the lambkin has come, and their wife (bride) has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the lambkin. Rev. 19: 7-9
Christ, through His blood makes atonement for the sins of the Kingdom of Heaven, who is His bride (via the marriage covenant). They are made spotless by the blood of the Lamb, Arnon. They are now sinless, and because of that they are asked by Christ to function for the world the same way He functioned for them, as a sinless sacrifice for the sins of the world. So, in the same way as the Kingdom of Heaven becomes the bride of the Lamb, now those in the world that accept the truth out of the tribulation become the bride of the lambkin, the Kingdom of Heaven, because it is by their sacrifice that they (those from the rest of the world out of the tribulation) have been made sinless. The blood sacrifice of Christ is passed on to them via the blood sacrifice of the lambkin. It is still Christ’s sacrifice that saves all mankind.
This is the thing: Two atonements, two Altars, two sacrifices. One atonement, one Altar, and one sacrifice for the kingdom of Heaven. One atonement, one Altar, and another kind of sacrifice for those accepting the truth during the tribulation and were in the kingdom of the world. The first based on the blood of the Lamb. The second based on the blood of the lambkin. This is all part of the incredible plan for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven, soon to take place.
