When Jesus died on the cross, the inner curtain tore from top to bottom eliminating the separation between the first room and the second room, and turning the sanctuary into one single room. There was no more a purpose for the first room, whose sacrifices were ineffective. The true atonement had been made, and there was no more need for the two rooms, for the service in the “holy” and the “most holy,” or for daily or yearly sacrifices. Christ’s complete atonement on the cross had done away with them.
I would say that you have made an assumption here that is not necessarily true. There is more than one possible result from or meaning of the tearing of the veil.
A good test of the theory might be Rev. 4, 5, 8, 11. When a door is opened in heaven, there is seen the 7 lamps of fire and the golden altar of incense. But the ark is not seen until 11:17 when the temple is said to be opened yet again. This suggests two rooms still.
Also, we have Rev. 3's letter to Philadelphia which mentions the temple and refers to something being shut and something being opened, and the thing being opened is said to be a door. To me it is an obvious allusion to the first and second veils, and thus indicates that the ehavenly temple still has two apartments and two veils.
The book of Hebrews does not describe anymore two rooms in the heavenly sanctuary.
True, but it is also true that Hebrews alludes to both. First of all, when referring to the heavenly it calls it "the Holy Places." Secondly, it makes quite clear that the earthly was a shadow or copy of the heavenly. Since the earthly had two apartments, the heavenly would too.
The notion that Jesus began to perform a priestly service in the “holy” of the heavenly sanctuary, and that after 1844 He began work in “the most holy place” in the heavenly sanctuary has no basis in the Bible.
I disagree.
Jesus’ work of atonement has been completed at the cross.
Hebrews is clear that what the priests did on earth is a shadow of the gospel. The priests did not make the atonement until after the death of the sacrifice. While I believe that there was an atonement on Calvary, to say that the entire work of atonement was completed there would go totally contrary to the type.
There he paid the wages of sin for all Adam’s children. In Christ, the believers are sinless, perfect and spotless, clad in His righteousness. If they are sinless, perfect and spotless, what would be the purpose of an “investigative judgment”?
To some extent we just have to accept what God has said in His Word, whether we can explain everything or not. If the email I copied above is true, then Ford has departed from accepting what God has said regarding Creation, and we simply cannot follow his example in that regard.
God investigated prior to hading down the sentence to Adam, Eve, Cain, the builders at Babel, and Sodom. It's just how He operates.
And so do we. Even if we know the person is guilty, we still go through the legal process.
Now above you said that Christ paid the wages of sin for all Adam's children, and that is true. But then you indicated that it is believers who receive certain blessings, not everyone, and that is true. So an investigative judgment would determine who is a believer and who isn't.
Some start off believing and then decide they don't want to believe anymore. And some fake it, or look like they are believing because they are afraid Noah might be right after all, but can't remain that way for 120 years. At any rate, the IJ sorts all that out, and that makes sense to me.
Of course, there would be no purpose. The concept of an “investigative judgment” derives from the doctrine of righteousness by works in which Ellen White believed until she died.
Has nothing to do with righteousness by works. Ellen White spent a lot of time preaching the message of Minnesapolis regarding righteousness by faith.
But the Bible teaches something else. The believers do not need to prove themselves worthy of heaven in an investigative judgment.
Adam and Eve were believers in Eden. They were perfect. They were sinless. They still were tested by the tree. They failed that test. God in His mercy allowed them and all their descendants to retake that test.
Unfortunately (humanly speaking), good teachers make the retake harder than the original, and God is no different. Or rather, the reason the retake is harder is because of our own perverse natures.
Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
The idea that our faith is tested in this life is very biblical. The tests, trials, and temptations of life merely demonstrate whether or not we truly believe.
Blondin would walk across a tight rope over Niagara Falls. Folks would gamble over whether he would make it or not. He fixed a meal out in the middle, pulling a stove up from a boat underneath. He pushed a wheelbarrow across.
One of his biggest feats was carrying a man over on his back. Nobody volunteered to be carried. But his agent believed in him. Truly did. And so since no one volunteered, he agreed to be the one.
Blondin got halfway over on the rope with his agent on his back, but he needed to rest. So he told the fellow to get off his back and hold onto his sides, and everything would be all right. So the guy did. After the rest the guy got back on, and they finished walking across.
Now that fellow had real faith. Faith today is such an easy word to say, but often it doesn't mean much. The IJ demonstrates before all, using due process which Gailon so highly values, whose faith was genuine and whose wasn't.
It sure makes sense to me, and I can't see any way that it isn't biblical.
Author
Topic: Dr. Desmond Ford and Related Views (Read 44604 times)
