Living in the Day of Atonement

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3.

The message of Isaiah resonates with our times. We need to arise and shine. For darkness as surely covered the earth. Darkness is even within our ranks. Amid great light from the scriptures and spirit of prophecy, yet darkness covers the earth.

During this period of camp meeting season, we look forward for a revival and reformation of our spiritual lives. It is my hope that the Lord is blessing you every day with his light of truth.

We are truly living in the last days. The mission of the Seventh day Adventist church was and still remains the proclamation of the three angel’s message to a dying world. The original logo of our church contained three angels holding trumpets. This logo pointed us to the three angels messages of Rev 14:6-12. Of the first angel it is written:

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Rev 14:6,7.

This message signalled the commencement of the Day of Atonement when the sanctuary was to be cleansed. The same message was announced in Daniel 7.

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Dan 7:9,10.

This solemn moment in heaven when God the Father sits on his judgment throne signalled the beginning of the investigative judgment when the records of all human kind will be reviewed. Jesus Christ at this time moved from the Holy Place to the Most Holy place to begin the work of Atonement as was done in the typical Day of Atonement of the Israelite Sanctuary service.

“ And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Lev 16:29,30.

The prophet Daniel records his vision of Jesus Christ moving into the Most Holy Place: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” Dan 7:13.

Similarly John the Revelator also indicates this solemn moment: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Rev 11:19.

The ark of the Testament was in the Most Holy Place. Jesus Christ begun to serve as our high priest in the most holy place in 1844. We are living in the anti-typical Day of Atonement. Our records are soon coming before the Father.

What shall they be? The Israelites were required to afflict their souls on the Day of Atonement. Solemn were the warnings to those who did not afflict their souls: “For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.” Lev 23:29.

Are our people being warned of this important period in the history of mankind? The investigative judgment which is the work of Christ in the Most Holy Place of making atonement by his own blood of all human beings that have believed and accepted his sacrifice, is a very critical component of the plan of salvation. “ Whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Those who believe in Jesus Christ must follow him by faith to the most Holy place, and make use of the provision of his grace to prepare their lives and receive the stamp of the perfect character of the saviour. They must daily deny themselves and seek the power of the Holy Spirit to live a sinless life.

Are we warning our people of this crisis? Soon the Saviour will complete his work of atonement. Then it will be too late. He will declare “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 1And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev 22:11,12.

The three angels message was supposed to go out throughout the earth. This is the message that should be at the pulpits of every SDA church. How often do we hear it? At such a time of investigative judgment, is this the time to give smooth messages? Is this the time to preach peace, peace when people’s eternal life hangs in the balance? Is this the time to delude people of a better life here on earth when the end of the world is near? Is this time to work with the state when we know that the state will be the instrument to be used to enforce the mark of the beast?

“That which Satan has led men to do in the past, he will if possible lead them to do again. The enemy of God and man deceived the early church, and apostasy was brought into the ranks of those who professed to love God; and today, unless the people of God awake out of sleep, they will be taken unawares by the devices of Satan. Among those who claim to believe in the near coming of the Saviour, how many are back-slidden, how many have lost their first love, and come under the description written of the Laodicean church, denominating them as neither cold nor hot. Satan will do his utmost to keep them in a state of indifference and stupor. May the Lord reveal to the people the perils that are before them, that they may arouse from their spiritual slumber, and trim their lamps, and be found watching for the Bridegroom when he shall return from the wedding.”

Let the churches who claim to believe the truth, who are advocating the law of God, keep that law and depart from all iniquity. Let the individual members of the church resist the temptations to practice evils and indulge in sin. Let the church commence the work of purification before God by repentance, humiliation, deep heart searching, for we are in the antitypical day of atonement—solemn hour fraught with eternal results.

And this judgment will begin in the house of God, in those who have ever professed the name of Jesus Christ. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4 :17.

“Just as long as God has a church, he will have those who will cry aloud and spare not, who will be his instruments to reprove selfishness and sins, and will not shun to declare the whole counsel of God, whether men will hear or forbear. I saw that individuals would rise up against the plain testimonies. It does not suit their natural feelings. They would choose to have smooth things spoken unto them, and have peace cried in their ears. I view the church in a more dangerous condition than they ever have been. Experimental religion is known but by a few. The shaking must soon take place to purify the church.

Preachers should have no scruples to preach the truth as it is found in God's word. Let the truth cut. I have been shown that why ministers have not more success is, they are afraid of hurting feelings, fearful of not being courteous, and they lower the standard of truth, and conceal if possible the peculiarity of our faith. I saw that God could not make such successful. The truth must be made pointed, and the necessity of a decision urged. And as false shepherds are crying, Peace, and are preaching smooth things, the servants of God must cry aloud, and spare not, and leave the result with God.” {2SG 284.1,2}

Spiritless Testimony

We are in the great Day of Atonement, when our sins are, by confession and repentance, to go beforehand to judgment. God does not now accept a tame, spiritless testimony from His ministers. Such a testimony would not be present truth. The message for this time must be meat in due season to feed the church of God. But Satan has been seeking gradually to rob this message of its power, that the people may not be prepared to stand in the day of the Lord. 

In 1844 our great High Priest entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, to begin the work of the investigative judgment. The cases of the righteous dead have been passing in review before God. When that work shall be completed, judgment is to be pronounced upon the living. How precious, how important are these solemn moments! Each of us has a case pending in the court of heaven. We are individually to be judged according to the deeds done in the body. In the typical service, when the work of atonement was performed by the high priest in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary, the people were required to afflict their souls before God, and confess their sins, that they might be atoned for and blotted out. Will any less be required of us in this antitypical day of atonement, when Christ in the sanctuary above is pleading in behalf of His people, and the final, irrevocable decision is to be pronounced upon every case? 

What is our condition in this fearful and solemn time? Alas, what pride is prevailing in the church, what hypocrisy, what deception, what love of dress, frivolity, and amusement, what desire for the supremacy! All these sins have clouded the mind, so that eternal things have not been discerned. Shall we not search the Scriptures, that we may know where we are in this world’s history? Shall we not become intelligent in regard to the work that is being accomplished for us at this time, and the position that we as sinners should occupy while this work of atonement is going forward? If we have any regard for our souls’ salvation, we must make a decided change. We must seek the Lord with true penitence; we must with deep contrition of soul confess our sins, that they may be blotted out. 

We must no longer remain upon the enchanted ground. We are fast approaching the close of our probation. Let every soul inquire, How do I stand before God? We know not how soon our names may be taken into the lips of Christ, and our cases be finally decided. What, oh, what will these decisions be! Shall we be counted with the righteous, or shall we be numbered with the wicked? 

The Church to Arise and Repent

Let the church arise, and repent of her backslidings before God. Let the watchmen awake, and give the trumpet a certain sound. It is a definite warning that we have to proclaim. God commands His servants, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). The attention of the people must be gained; unless this can be done, all effort is useless; though an angel from heaven should come down and speak to them, his words would do no more good than if he were speaking into the cold ear of death. 

The church must arouse to action. The Spirit of God can never come in until she prepares the way. There should be earnest searching of heart. There should be united, persevering prayer, and through faith a claiming of the promises of God. There should be, not a clothing of the body with sackcloth, as in ancient times, but a deep humiliation of soul. We have not the first reason for self-congratulation and self-exaltation. We should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. He will appear to comfort and bless the true seekers. 

The work is before us; will we engage in it? We must work fast, we must go steadily forward. We must be preparing for the great day of the Lord. We have no time to lose, no time to be engaged in selfish purposes. The world is to be warned. What are we doing as individuals to bring the light before others? God has left to every man his work; every one has a part to act, and we cannot neglect this work except at the peril of our souls. 

O my brethren, will you grieve the Holy Spirit, and cause it to depart? Will you shut out the blessed Saviour, because you are unprepared for His presence? Will you leave souls to perish without the knowledge of the truth, because you love your ease too well to bear the burden that Jesus bore for you? Let us awake out of sleep. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 1SM 123-126.

Have a blessed week.

Sammy B