Articles

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, all mankind has been under the law of heredity. This means that our thought life, our spiritual life, our physical bodies, and our inheritance has also been fallen, and therefore defective in various degrees….

"We are nearing the judgment, and those who bear the message of warning to the world must have clean hands and pure hearts. They must have a living connection with God. The thoughts must be pure and holy, the soul untainted, the body, soul, and spirit be a pure, clean offering to God or He will not accept it." TM 426.

For 6000 years, the problem of sin has been uppermost in the attention of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and all the heavenly hosts. The sin and rebellion which was begun by Lucifer and eventually took a third of the angels of heaven, is like a virulent cancer which is of such a seditious nature that without the intervention of all of heaven, it could have spread even to the other worlds….

The word "holiness" embraces a concept that very few people, even Christians, attempt to understand in its fullest measure. And yet, the scriptures are full of injunctions to be holy, even as God is holy. So, in this study we will examine the meaning, the necessity, and the way, of holiness.

In my last study -- "Perfecting Holiness in the Sanctuary" -- I laid the groundwork for a deeper study and application of the sanctuary principles to our daily lives as we grow in Jesus. The whole Bible is written in sanctuary language, and if we do not see the correlation between the sanctuary and God's requirements of mankind since the fall of Adam and Eve, we will miss so much of what the Bible is teaching us about the work of salvation through Jesus…

In our Sanctuary studies up to now we have examined the importance and function of the Sanctuary in giving us victory over sin on a daily, ongoing basis. Now I want to introduce the importance of the Sanctuary in the permanent removal of sin from our lives.

The mystery of the sin problem has dogged the steps of every son and daughter of Adam since sin began in the Garden of Eden. In order to understand this more clearly, we must go back to the inception of sin which began in heaven in the heart of Lucifer.

In the previous studies I have dealt with the necessity of understanding the sanctuary as the way to eternal life and a walk with Jesus that cleanses us from sin. Now I want to address the sanctuary as the way to be delivered from the temptations of the evil one, and have freedom and protection from his presence and power in our lives….

In all our previous studies of the sanctuary, I have emphasized that God's goal for us is holiness, or perfection of character, and character is "the thoughts and feelings combined." 5 T 310. Now I want to focus upon the process by which this goal is attained. In order to do this, we must remember that "holiness is agreement with God." 5 T 743. Putting these two things together, I believe we can simplify the concept of perfection until even a child can understand.

For 6000 years, the human race has been suffering from the effects of the fall of their first parents in the Garden of Eden. At the same time, God has been working to bring us back to the perfection of character with which we were created. This has necessitated three basic phases of the work of Christ to complete the entire process….

When Adam and Eve were created, they were placed in the beautiful Garden of Eden where every need was provided for their happiness. Their spiritual and social needs were met by the companionship of angels and the daily visits with Jesus in the cool of the day. All was peace and happiness until they yielded to the sorcery of the devil through the medium of the serpent, and fell from their Edenic existence and their perfect agreement with God and each other…

When Adam and Eve were created, they were placed in a beautiful garden home which was a replica of the garden of God in heaven. They were created to have communion and fellowship not only with each other but with the whole family in heaven. Angels often visited them…

From the time sin entered the world through our first parents, fear of, and estrangement from, God has been the lot of humanity. By partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve had given Satan access to their minds, and he could now speak to the brain centers that were created to be used only for the voice of God speaking to them through the Holy Spirit. But God was not willing to leave us in our fallen condition. From the beginning He has had a plan to restore us back to an unbroken relationship and companionship with Himself, and erase forever the effects that sin has caused…

From the beginning of time there had always been complete harmony of mind and heart between God and His created beings. Peace, love, and tranquility reigned throughout the universe. Until Lucifer began his journey into darkness, disagreement with God and His principles was unknown. When the temptation first came into Lucifer's heart to question God's goodness, His wisdom, and His law, he repelled it, for no other being had ever been tempted to venture beyond the known into the unknown about the supreme Ruler of the universe. But somehow the questions in his heart arose again and again until he finally began to ponder them continually.

When God created our first parents, Adam and Eve, He placed within them all the characteristics needed to comprise the human race. Adam named his new bride, "Eve," which means "life-giver", for she would become the mother of all living beings. Gen. 3:20. This means that the inherited characteristics of Adam and Eve would be passed on to all their progeny. Had they stayed true to God, the whole human race would have inherited righteous thinking and holy characters.

From the time Lucifer and his angels rebelled against God, His law, His throne, and His government, all of heaven has been in a state of war. The whole Bible is the story of this war, and the ultimate conclusion by which God will bring about peace and harmony in the universe once more. God has always had a plan by which to meet the challenge should any of His created beings defect and cause a revolt against His kingdom.

Throughout the Bible, trumpets were used to announce something of great importance. Sometimes the sound of the trumpet was used to call the people together to hear directions from God, or to come before the Lord for a holy convocation. At other times it was to warn the people of danger and prepare them for battle against the approach of an enemy. In every case when the trumpets were used, it was of utmost importance that the people hear and understand the trumpets, and obey.

From the time Adam and Eve sinned and had to leave their beautiful garden home, man has been estranged from God's original purpose of open communion with Him. As soon as man sinned, God immediately provided a way to maintain communication between Himself and every person who would avail themselves of the rudimentary sacrificial system that was set up at the gate of the Garden of Eden. God created mankind in His image, and His desire is to be in constant communication with us. Likewise, He has placed within us a deep need to maintain loving relationships Him and with each other as we receive and respond to God's love for us and then share it with everyone around us in a never-ending flow.

When Adam and Eve were created, they were in complete harmony with God in every aspect. Their minds were formed as a temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in, and they could commune with Jesus face to face as friend with friend. Angels visited them regularly to teach and instruct them in the ways of health, happiness and holiness. They were told of the defection of Lucifer and a third of the angels, and were warned against going near the tree of knowledge of good and evil where Satan was allowed to have access to them should they venture to disobey God's command. With all these advantages, Adam and Eve felt completely confident that they would never fall to the tempter's wiles.

A number of people have recently asked me, "Is the investigative judgment experiential? If so, can you prove this from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy? Is it possible to know when your name comes up in the judgment of the living?" These are very important questions, and deserve sensible answers which are supported by inspiration.

One hundred seventy-four years ago, the spiritual forefathers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church expected Jesus to return to earth in power and great glory on October 22, 1844. They had come to this conclusion as a result of their study of the little book of Daniel, specifically centering on the prediction in Daniel 8:14 which clearly states:
"And he said unto me, 'Unto two thousand three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.'"

The great cosmic war that has been raging for unknown eons of time, is about to come to its close. This war began in Heaven itself in the very presence of the King of the Universe and His Son. Lucifer, the highest angel in Heaven, and the leading covering cherub, was given the sacred responsibility of guarding the reputation of the three members of the Godhead and making their loving character and the benevolent principles of their government known throughout the Universe.

Throughout the Bible, precious gems are used to represent and display the personality of God and reflect the multifaceted characteristics of His resplendent radiance and the brilliance of His glory. No created being can fully fathom, no aspect of God’s creation can adequately reveal the greatness of God, and who He really is…