Presented By Pastor Ralph Larson, recorded at the Gazeley Bible Fellowship meeting, England.
[00:00:00] We want to look now at some tortured texts. Let me explain that there are certain verses, certain passages, sometimes whole chapters in the Bible that are not the easiest to understand.
[00:00:17] And we may have a human tendency to look at these particular chapters or even whole books and say, well, that's kind of hard to really get a hold of that. I'll just pass that by and I'll go to something else.
[00:00:30] I'll study the things that are easier to get a handle on and not worry about these more difficult chapters and more difficult books or more difficult verses.
[00:00:38] But there's little danger in that. I don't know whether you have noticed it, but it is a very strongly, very highly developed tendency among deceivers.
[00:00:47] People who want to deceive us with a false theology of one kind or another, they have a tendency to fasten on to these obscure passages in Scripture,
[00:00:55] the ones that are more difficult to understand, and try to build their case on that because you're not really prepared for it.
[00:01:01] You haven't mastered that particular chapter in the Bible or that particular verse or that particular book.
[00:01:08] And so it's easy for them to take advantage of your lack of familiarity with it and sell you something that really is not true.
[00:01:16] So what I'm saying is we're a little bit vulnerable if there are passages in the Bible that we don't think we really understand.
[00:01:21] It makes us easy targets for the deceiver.
[00:01:25] And so I would like to study the first of these tortured texts with you this afternoon, which is the book of Hebrews.
[00:01:31] I remember meeting some people who said, well, I didn't think I would ever understand Hebrews, so I just didn't think about it anymore.
[00:01:39] But I think there's danger in that.
[00:01:41] Hebrews is not that difficult once we get the idea of what it's all about.
[00:01:46] You see, the apostle Paul who wrote the book of Hebrews is setting up what we call a Christology, a study of the nature and the work of Jesus Christ.
[00:01:57] You know, we talk about sociology and zoology and biology and all the other ologies and theology, which is the study of the nature and work of God, and Christology, which is the nature and work of Jesus Christ.
[00:02:10] But it's different.
[00:02:11] It's a little bit different from the others.
[00:02:13] You could say when you look at Matthew and Mark and Luke and John, you are getting here Christologies by narration.
[00:02:24] You might say that John varies a little bit from that, like I told you before, in that he talks more about what Jesus wrote.
[00:02:31] I shouldn't say what Jesus wrote, about what Jesus said.
[00:02:34] John did the writing.
[00:02:35] So far as we know, Jesus didn't write anything other than what was written in the sand by the woman taken in adultery and all.
[00:02:41] But this is Christology by narration.
[00:02:44] They tell us the story of Christ's life.
[00:02:47] Paul sets up a different kind of a proposition before us.
[00:02:50] He lays before us a Christology by comparison.
[00:02:54] And so he sets up a whole series of comparisons, and he had a reason for doing that.
[00:03:00] You see, Paul understood better than the other disciples did some of the things that were involved in the grand plan of salvation.
[00:03:07] After all, he had the best education.
[00:03:10] He had studied, you might say, in the Harvard of Israel.
[00:03:14] Sitting at the feet of Gamaliel, there was no higher scholastic standing to achieve than to be one of Gamaliel's chosen students.
[00:03:20] You had to be very good to get into the school of Gamaliel.
[00:03:24] And he took only the top, shall we say, 3% or something like that.
[00:03:29] And so Paul was among that group.
[00:03:31] So he had a very rich background in the traditions of Israel, the scriptural interpretations.
[00:03:36] Of course, some of these things he had to unlearn later.
[00:03:39] But he knew a lot more about it than the other disciples, the other apostles did.
[00:03:43] Not only that, but he was two years taught by Jesus Christ.
[00:03:48] We think of the apostles as having a tremendous advantage in that they had three and a half years of personal instruction from the Lord.
[00:03:55] And that's true.
[00:03:56] But Paul had two years of personal instruction from the Lord.
[00:03:59] We're told about that in the book of Acts of the Apostles and sketches of the life of Paul.
[00:04:04] You'll find about it there.
[00:04:06] And so Paul understood better than the others did about the message to the Gentiles.
[00:04:10] You remember he was chosen especially to take the message to the Gentiles.
[00:04:15] And he writes about that in Romans 10 and Romans 11 and explains all about it there.
[00:04:20] How they are to be grafted in upon the tree of life, the tree of Israel.
[00:04:24] Well, he understood better than they did the difference between the moral law and the ceremonial law, the Ten Commandments and the ceremonies.
[00:04:32] As a matter of actual fact, I did a little experiment.
[00:04:35] It once took me quite a little while to do it, but I worked it out.
[00:04:38] I traced through the New Testament and I noted every use of the word law in any form, every use of the word commandment in any form.
[00:04:47] Law, laws, lawful, unlawful, anything like that, commandment, commandments.
[00:04:52] And those words, I traced them all the way through the New Testament in every book and as written by every writer of the New Testament.
[00:05:00] And I came up with a conclusion I didn't expect.
[00:05:03] It rather surprised me.
[00:05:04] If you take the writings of the Apostle Paul out of the New Testament, you would have no way of knowing that the ceremonial laws passed away.
[00:05:13] There's not another writer in the whole New Testament who pays any attention to that subject whatsoever.
[00:05:18] If we didn't have the writings of the Apostle Paul, we would have no way of knowing that we're not supposed to sacrifice lambs anymore or things like that.
[00:05:26] Paul was the only one who gave us any light on that subject and on similar subjects.
[00:05:31] So Paul understood that better than the other Apostles did.
[00:05:34] And there's one more thing he understood better than they did.
[00:05:36] And that was about the destruction of the temple.
[00:05:39] You see, in Acts of the Apostles, page 126, we read,
[00:05:51] So now you imagine Paul is a Hebrew.
[00:05:55] He's very, very sympathetic, very, very knowledgeable about the thinking of Hebrew people.
[00:06:01] He's steeped in the Hebrew traditions, the traditions of Israel.
[00:06:04] He knows how much the focus of everybody's mind is on that temple and on what happens there.
[00:06:11] The fact that there is a lamb sacrificed there every morning and a lamb sacrificed there every evening
[00:06:17] means a great amount, has a great amount of meaning to the people of Israel.
[00:06:23] That means that your sins are covered by day and they're covered by night.
[00:06:27] And so you are protected and you are not the victim of the evil one in any case because that sacrifice is being made.
[00:06:34] It's being made by the priest.
[00:06:35] It's being made in the place where it was ordained.
[00:06:37] You remember, of course, that sacrifices were made only at the temple.
[00:06:41] They were not made anywhere else.
[00:06:43] They were made only at the temple in the time of Israel.
[00:06:47] Now, what's going to happen to the faith of the Jewish Christian
[00:06:52] when that is all swept away by the devastation in A.D. 70,
[00:06:57] when the Roman armies come and they tear down the walls, they tear down the temple,
[00:07:01] and as Jesus said, they will not be left one stone here upon another.
[00:07:04] The historians speculate that because all of the gold that was in the temple was melted by the fire
[00:07:09] and it ran down in the cracks in the stones, that the Roman soldiers pried up the stones to get the gold.
[00:07:14] And so it was literally fulfilled.
[00:07:16] There would not be one stone left upon top of another the way it was.
[00:07:19] What would happen to the faith of the Jewish Christian?
[00:07:22] What happens to me now?
[00:07:24] Just put yourself in that place.
[00:07:26] There's no sacrifice in the evening to cover my sins.
[00:07:29] There's no sacrifice in the morning to cover my sins.
[00:07:32] The only people who are authorized to make sacrifices are gone.
[00:07:35] The temple itself, the only place where sacrifices can be made, is gone.
[00:07:39] What's going to happen to their faith?
[00:07:41] Paul realized that was going to be a horrible shock, and so he had to do something about it.
[00:07:46] And so he wrote the book of Hebrews to prepare the mind of the Jewish Christian
[00:07:50] for that colossal calamity that was going to come.
[00:07:53] He knew it was coming, and he knew what had to be done about it.
[00:07:56] And so he developed a Christology to answer that question, to meet that need.
[00:08:01] He compares Jesus Christ with the prophets.
[00:08:04] He compares Jesus Christ with the angels.
[00:08:07] He compares Jesus with Moses.
[00:08:09] He compares Jesus with Aaron.
[00:08:11] He compares Jesus with Abraham, and he compares Jesus with the Levites.
[00:08:16] Then he compares the two covenants.
[00:08:18] He compares the two sanctuaries.
[00:08:19] He compares the two dedications.
[00:08:21] And finally, with the greatest emphasis of all, the two sacrifices.
[00:08:25] Now, let's go through that briefly and quickly.
[00:08:28] Like any good minister would do, he mingles his doctrinal instruction with instruction on practical godliness.
[00:08:35] He doesn't just deal with the doctrines without any change, as we think it would be a good thing for any minister to do,
[00:08:41] to follow his example in this respect.
[00:08:43] He talks about the heavy doctrines for a while, then he tells you what this means to you as a person.
[00:08:47] Because you know and understand this, you should be like this, you should understand this, practical godliness.
[00:08:53] Now, we'll have to pass that by.
[00:08:55] I will point out to you where there is a passage dealing with practical godliness,
[00:08:59] but we won't take time to examine it because we just don't have that much time.
[00:09:02] But let's look at Hebrews chapter 1 now.
[00:09:07] And the first comparison we find there is he's comparing Jesus with the prophets.
[00:09:12] And you remember, we talked about last night and this morning, what a tremendous authority the prophets had in Israel,
[00:09:19] what a tremendous respect the Israelites had for them.
[00:09:23] Are you all there now with Hebrews chapter 1?
[00:09:25] We'll be in Hebrews now for the rest of this particular class, so let's all get there.
[00:09:30] The first three verses of chapter 1, he's comparing Jesus with the prophets.
[00:09:37] God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, different manners, spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
[00:09:45] hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.
[00:09:49] So he used to speak to us by the prophets, now he's speaking to us through his own Son.
[00:09:55] Whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds,
[00:10:00] who being the brightness of his glory in the express image of his person,
[00:10:03] and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins,
[00:10:09] sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.
[00:10:12] So Jesus is clearly worthy of much more honor than the prophets.
[00:10:17] He is a prophet, yes, but he's much more than a prophet.
[00:10:20] Then we have him comparing Jesus with the angels beginning with verse 4.
[00:10:27] Hebrews 1 verse 4.
[00:10:29] Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they stress the word inheritance.
[00:10:37] Now he sets up a series of quotations.
[00:10:40] There are eight quotations here from Psalms.
[00:10:43] Well, one of them is partially from Psalms combined with a little bit of a few words from Deuteronomy,
[00:10:48] but generally speaking you'd say there are eight quotations here from Psalms.
[00:10:53] Verse 4.
[00:10:55] Being so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they,
[00:11:00] for unto which of the angels seeth he at any time?
[00:11:03] Here's a quotation.
[00:11:05] Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
[00:11:07] That's from the third Psalm.
[00:11:09] And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.
[00:11:12] Two quotations in that verse.
[00:11:14] Chapter 6.
[00:11:15] And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith,
[00:11:21] and let all the angels of God worship him.
[00:11:24] There's another quotation.
[00:11:25] Verse 7.
[00:11:26] And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
[00:11:32] But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God.
[00:11:35] You see the contrast now?
[00:11:37] The angels are ministering spirits, but Jesus is called O God.
[00:11:43] And to the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.
[00:11:46] That's Psalms 110.
[00:11:48] A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.
[00:11:52] Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity.
[00:11:55] Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
[00:12:00] And then we come to another quotation in verse 10.
[00:12:03] And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth,
[00:12:07] and the heavens are the work of thine hands.
[00:12:09] They shall perish, but thou remainest.
[00:12:10] They all shall wax old as death a garment.
[00:12:13] This is from Isaiah.
[00:12:15] And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed.
[00:12:18] But thou art the same, and thy ears shall not fail.
[00:12:20] But to which of the angels said he at any time, quotation again,
[00:12:25] Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
[00:12:29] Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
[00:12:34] You follow his thinking there without any trouble, don't you?
[00:12:38] He says the angels are servants.
[00:12:40] The angels are ministering spirits.
[00:12:42] But Jesus is called God by God the Father.
[00:12:46] He's called Lord.
[00:12:47] He's called Creator.
[00:12:49] He's called the one who will be in control of everything when the experiment with sin is over.
[00:12:54] So Jesus is clearly in a different category than the angels altogether.
[00:12:58] Then we have practical godliness in chapter 2, the first four verses, which we're going to pass by and let you read at home.
[00:13:06] In verse 5 he makes a quick reference to the angels again.
[00:13:10] For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
[00:13:14] So Jesus is clearly greater than the angels.
[00:13:17] Then we have practical godliness beginning with verse 6 and going on down to the end of chapter 2, which brings us then to chapter 3.
[00:13:28] I'm not passing by things here because they're not important, but simply because it's a different part of the picture.
[00:13:34] You can read that at home.
[00:13:35] You'll find nothing there that's difficult to understand, I don't believe.
[00:13:38] Chapter 3, we have a series of verses comparing Jesus with Moses.
[00:14:11] Remember that in the Bible the word house is often used where we would use the word family.
[00:14:16] The house of this man, the house of that man means the family of that man.
[00:14:21] So he said Jesus built the family of God.
[00:14:25] Moses is a servant in the family of God.
[00:14:27] So Jesus is clearly greater than Moses.
[00:14:30] Verse 4, for every house or family is built by some man, but he that built all things is God.
[00:14:36] And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant.
[00:14:40] For the testimony of those things which were to be spoken after, but Christ as a son over his house.
[00:14:46] Moses in the house, Christ over the house, over the family.
[00:14:51] Christ as a son over his own house, whose house, whose family are we.
[00:14:55] If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
[00:15:00] Then we have practical godliness going all the way through the rest of chapter 3.
[00:15:05] On into chapter 4 where he talks about the Sabbath rest.
[00:15:08] And that's beautiful, but we have to pass it by for now.
[00:15:11] All of chapter 4 on through to the third verse of chapter 5.
[00:15:15] All practical godliness there.
[00:15:18] Chapter 5 he starts his comparison again in verse 4.
[00:15:22] Now he is comparing Christ with Aaron.
[00:15:27] And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron.
[00:15:33] Christ did not appoint himself to be the high priest.
[00:15:35] So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest.
[00:15:40] But he that said unto him, Thou art my son, today have I begotten thee.
[00:15:45] As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
[00:15:51] Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared.
[00:16:01] Though he were a son, yet he learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.
[00:16:06] And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all that obey him.
[00:16:11] Called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
[00:16:14] Melchizedek.
[00:16:15] Now he is pointing out that Aaron was a priest.
[00:16:17] Aaron was the high priest.
[00:16:18] But Melchizedek is higher than Aaron.
[00:16:22] And Christ comes in the order of Melchizedek.
[00:16:25] So Christ is higher by this measurement as well.
[00:16:27] Remember that Melchizedek was king of Salem.
[00:16:30] Melech in Hebrew means king.
[00:16:32] And Salem, Shalom means peace.
[00:16:34] King of peace.
[00:16:35] King of Salem.
[00:16:35] King of Jerusalem.
[00:16:37] Remember that when Abraham came, we'll find this brought into the picture before this is all over, that he paid tithes until Melchizedek.
[00:16:45] And so he refers to Melchizedek here twice.
[00:16:47] And in chapter 7 he brings Melchizedek back again several times, pointing out that the order of Melchizedek is a higher priesthood than the order of Aaron.
[00:16:57] So he's using Hebrew logic to appeal to the Hebrew mind.
[00:17:00] We're looking now at chapter 5, verse 11, where practical godliness begins.
[00:17:07] And this goes on most of the way through chapter 6, but I cannot pass by 6, verse 1.
[00:17:13] It's too loaded.
[00:17:14] We have to look at that.
[00:17:16] Chapter 6, verse 1.
[00:17:19] Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on into perfection.
[00:17:24] Wait a minute now.
[00:17:26] Are you getting the point there?
[00:17:28] If you have a right doctrine of Christ, that will lead you to a right doctrine of perfection.
[00:17:36] If you have a wrong doctrine of Christ, you will come to a wrong doctrine of perfection.
[00:17:41] And if you don't believe that, you just look at the Seventh-day Adventist Church today.
[00:17:46] They were given a wrong doctrine of Christ in the book Questions on Doctrine in 1956, 1957.
[00:17:53] And that led very, very quickly and very, very directly to a wrong doctrine of sanctification.
[00:18:00] A wrong doctrine about perfection of character.
[00:18:02] Don't ever tell me that the doctrine of Christ is not important.
[00:18:06] I don't want to linger long on that, but I would add just one more thought to that.
[00:18:11] When this is brought up in some discussions, people will often say, even leaders of the church will say,
[00:18:16] Who cares? It's all right. We don't care which nature Christ came in. It's not important.
[00:18:21] Don't forget that Walter Martin, who participated in those dialogues, thought it was very important.
[00:18:27] He said, we can tolerate your Sabbath-keeping.
[00:18:30] We can even tolerate your sanctuary doctrine.
[00:18:33] But we will not tolerate you saying Christ came to earth and the human nature of fallen man.
[00:18:38] That must be changed.
[00:18:41] And Walter Martin would not give in until the brethren sold us out in the river by changing it.
[00:18:46] Maybe they didn't realize what they were doing.
[00:18:48] Maybe they didn't realize how the doctrine of Christ and the doctrine of perfection were hooked together.
[00:18:53] But Martin certainly did.
[00:18:56] All right, let's pass by.
[00:18:57] Chapter 6, we're going all the way to the end of it.
[00:19:01] Then we come to chapter 7, verse 1, and we encounter Melchizedek here again.
[00:19:05] Actually, in the last verse of chapter 6, it's also there.
[00:19:09] You remember, of course, that the division of chapters is artificial.
[00:19:12] It could be improved upon.
[00:19:13] It was not inspired.
[00:19:15] Chapter 7, now he's comparing Christ with Abraham.
[00:19:19] For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God,
[00:19:24] who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
[00:19:28] to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all,
[00:19:31] first being by interpretation king of righteousness,
[00:19:34] and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace,
[00:19:38] without father, without mother, without descent.
[00:19:43] What he's saying here is I told you the other meeting, I think it was last night,
[00:19:47] that in the Jewish person's library in the olden days,
[00:19:52] the most important clay tablet there was his pedigree,
[00:19:56] the one that told his ancestry back to Abraham,
[00:19:59] and ideally back to Adam, but certainly must go back to Abraham.
[00:20:03] You see, if you ask a Jewish boy, even in the time of Christ, for his name,
[00:20:13] he would not just tell you, my name is Jacob, and stop there.
[00:20:17] He would tell you a selected group of his ancestors all the way back to Abraham.
[00:20:23] I am Jacob, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, seven in a group.
[00:20:27] He wouldn't have everyone there, but he'd have the most important,
[00:20:30] the most recognizable ones there.
[00:20:31] Then he'd take another seven.
[00:20:32] Son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of, son of,
[00:20:36] son of Abraham!
[00:20:37] That's what counts.
[00:20:38] Son of Abraham.
[00:20:39] You're not a son of Abraham.
[00:20:40] You're nobody.
[00:20:41] You're nothing.
[00:20:42] And so here we have Abraham, in all of his honor, recognizing that the Melchizedek priesthood is higher.
[00:20:50] He pays tithes to Melchizedek.
[00:20:52] And Paul builds on that as he moves on to compare the Levites.
[00:20:56] So this comparison with the Levites comes all the way down to verse 9.
[00:21:00] And in verse 9 we encounter a comparison with Levi and the Levites.
[00:21:06] He argues here that Levi, who receiveth tithes, you see the other people pay tithes to Levi,
[00:21:13] but he says, Levi paid tithes in Abraham.
[00:21:17] And he argues from this, because Levi was descended from Abraham,
[00:21:21] that therefore he could not be greater than Abraham,
[00:21:24] and he could not by any means be greater than Melchizedek.
[00:21:27] Then we come into the Levites.
[00:21:29] The Levites are discussed all the way down through chapter 7 until we come to chapter 8.
[00:21:34] And the superiority of the Melchizedek priesthood is brought clearly to view here.
[00:21:41] I want to show something to you before we go past it, though.
[00:21:45] Verse 27 of chapter 7.
[00:21:49] We're only going to look at it and remind you that we'll see it again later on.
[00:21:53] Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice,
[00:21:59] first for his own sins and then for the people's.
[00:22:02] For this he did once when he offered up himself.
[00:22:04] Now that's just put in here as a leader, you might say.
[00:22:08] And he's going to come back very firmly on that in the last part of chapter 9
[00:22:11] and all through the first part of chapter 10.
[00:22:14] Chapter 8.
[00:22:15] Now he's comparing the sanctuaries.
[00:22:18] Now he's comparing the sanctuaries.
[00:22:20] Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the psalm.
[00:22:24] We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens,
[00:22:29] a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.
[00:22:35] You see the difference now?
[00:22:37] The Levites were in charge of the sanctuary that Moses and his helpers built.
[00:22:41] That was built by human hands, but the sanctuary in heaven is obviously better
[00:22:45] because it was not built by human hands.
[00:22:48] Then he talks about the sacrifices briefly here, verses 3 and 4.
[00:22:54] Verse 5.
[00:22:55] We find this important verse,
[00:22:56] Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.
[00:22:59] As Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle.
[00:23:03] You see, Moses built the tabernacle.
[00:23:05] For see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the patterns shown to thee in the mount.
[00:23:11] Then he introduces the ministry and the covenant in verse 6 of chapter 8.
[00:23:17] I hope I'm not pushing you too fast now.
[00:23:19] Am I doing all right?
[00:23:21] Yeah.
[00:23:21] Okay.
[00:23:23] Verse 6 of chapter 8.
[00:23:24] Now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he is a mediator of a better covenant,
[00:23:32] which is established on better promises.
[00:23:34] You might call this the better book if you want to call it that.
[00:23:38] For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
[00:23:43] For finding fault with them, that is, the old covenant, with the people of the old covenant, he saith,
[00:23:48] Behold, the days come when, saith the Lord,
[00:23:50] when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
[00:23:54] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand
[00:23:59] to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
[00:24:01] because they continued not in my covenant.
[00:24:04] Now please notice this.
[00:24:06] They continued not in my covenant.
[00:24:09] Some people will pick up on some things about the covenant.
[00:24:13] Church of Christ people are especially taught how to do that.
[00:24:17] They will find a place in the Old Testament where it refers to the tables of the covenant.
[00:24:24] The tables of the covenant.
[00:24:26] So you see here they say the Ten Commandments are part of the Old Covenant.
[00:24:31] Then they find the place where it says the Old Covenant is passed away,
[00:24:34] so the Old Covenant is passed away, therefore the Ten Commandments are passed away.
[00:24:38] Well, let's back off and take a look at that.
[00:24:40] That doesn't bear up under investigation.
[00:24:42] I make a contract with you that I'm going to sell you my car for $5, shall we say.
[00:24:49] It's worth a little more than that, but probably not much more.
[00:24:53] And so we agree.
[00:24:56] You have made a contract with me.
[00:24:58] I have made a contract with you.
[00:25:01] And I give you my car, but you refuse to give me the $5.
[00:25:05] I say, you broke my covenant.
[00:25:10] But I didn't break it.
[00:25:12] God says, they continue not in my covenant.
[00:25:17] He didn't break the covenant.
[00:25:19] And in the whole Psalms he says, my covenant will I not break.
[00:25:24] But I'll leave it there.
[00:25:25] But that's another subject.
[00:25:26] We don't have time to talk about that now.
[00:25:27] Verse 10.
[00:25:29] Chapter 8, verse 10.
[00:25:31] This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord.
[00:25:36] I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts.
[00:25:40] I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people and so on.
[00:25:44] Verse 13.
[00:25:45] And that he saith, a new covenant he hath made the first old.
[00:25:48] Now that which decieth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
[00:25:51] Can you follow now what this is all about?
[00:25:54] Here I am.
[00:25:55] I'm a Jewish Christian.
[00:25:57] I'm a Hebrew Christian and I'm just absolutely appalled by the fact that the temple has been destroyed.
[00:26:02] There's no priest to minister to my needs anymore.
[00:26:05] There's no priest to make a sacrifice for the sins of my soul.
[00:26:09] There is no morning sacrifice.
[00:26:11] There is no evening sacrifice.
[00:26:12] Where am I?
[00:26:13] Who am I?
[00:26:14] What am I doing?
[00:26:15] I'm an outcast.
[00:26:17] I don't have anything that I can do at all.
[00:26:20] Paul patiently takes them.
[00:26:21] He says, listen, Jesus is greater than the prophets who told you about all this.
[00:26:25] Greater than Moses.
[00:26:26] Greater than Abraham.
[00:26:27] Greater than the Levites.
[00:26:29] Greater than the angels.
[00:26:30] And the new covenant is greater than the old covenant.
[00:26:33] And the new sanctuary is greater than the old sanctuary.
[00:26:35] What are you worrying about?
[00:26:37] You've got Jesus.
[00:26:38] That's all you need.
[00:26:39] He takes care of everything.
[00:26:41] And then he comes down more firmly on the sacrifices as we move into chapter 9, the last part.
[00:26:46] Well, let's not skip the first part.
[00:26:48] Chapter 9, the first part.
[00:26:50] Talking about the sanctuary services.
[00:26:53] Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary.
[00:27:00] And this talks about the sanctuary all the way down through the first half of this chapter.
[00:27:04] But I want us to pause now and give you a little detail within the other details.
[00:27:09] This is in parentheses perhaps, but it's important.
[00:27:12] Look at chapter 8, verse 2.
[00:27:16] In the first line of chapter 8, verse 2, you see the word sanctuary.
[00:27:20] Now what I want to show you is that from here on through chapter 10, there are eight uses of the word sanctuary.
[00:27:28] And they are translated in the good King James Version.
[00:27:31] And this is probably one of the worst weaknesses in the King James Version.
[00:27:34] They are translated four different ways.
[00:27:37] The same identical word is given four different translations in these chapter 8, chapter 9, and first part of chapter 10 of Hebrews.
[00:27:46] Which just shows us that like I told you last night, the reformers, as great and as wonderful as they were, had no comprehension of the sanctuary at all.
[00:27:57] They didn't understand it at all.
[00:27:58] Wesley had no understanding of the sanctuary.
[00:28:00] Nobody did.
[00:28:02] And so they did the best they could when they were dealing with the sanctuary.
[00:28:06] But I just want to show you now.
[00:28:07] As we go through here and pick up on these words.
[00:28:11] This one here, I write an okay by it.
[00:28:13] Because you see the Hebrew word, ta, which means the.
[00:28:17] T-A means the in Hebrew.
[00:28:20] Hagia.
[00:28:21] That means holies, plural.
[00:28:24] Not holy, but holies.
[00:28:26] H-O-L-I-E-S.
[00:28:27] It's a plural word.
[00:28:28] Ta Hagia means the holies.
[00:28:32] Well, we think of two apartments in the sanctuary.
[00:28:34] That's perfectly right to call them the holies, right?
[00:28:37] We wouldn't object to that at all.
[00:28:39] So here when they take the word, the holies, and they translate it sanctuary, we say no problem.
[00:28:44] That's okay.
[00:28:46] Then we go on down to chapter 9.
[00:28:51] In this first verse of chapter 9.
[00:28:54] Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary.
[00:29:00] This again is translated from the same plural word, the holies.
[00:29:05] We don't quarrel with that.
[00:29:06] That's okay.
[00:29:07] Then we come to chapter 2.
[00:29:09] Pardon me.
[00:29:10] Verse 2 of chapter 9.
[00:29:12] For there was a tabernacle made.
[00:29:14] The first wherein was the candlestick and the table and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary.
[00:29:20] And after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all.
[00:29:25] Holiest of all is done with Hebrew emphasis.
[00:29:28] Now, I don't know how you emphasize things necessarily in England.
[00:29:33] In America, we emphasize by using adjectives.
[00:29:36] Very strong, very strong, very, very strong, things like that.
[00:29:41] All languages don't use the same way of emphasis.
[00:29:44] In Hawaii, emphasis is done by the tone of the voice.
[00:29:49] Supposing you're on one side of an island in the Hawaiian Islands and you call up a man who's living on the other side, maybe on the windward rainy side.
[00:29:58] And you say, is it raining over there today?
[00:30:00] We're thinking about coming over to your side of the island for a trip to the beach.
[00:30:03] Is it raining over there?
[00:30:05] If it's raining a little bit, he'll say, yeah, rain.
[00:30:08] If it's raining pretty hard, he'll say, yeah, rain.
[00:30:11] Rain.
[00:30:11] He was really coming in and saying, yeah, rain.
[00:30:15] That's the way they emphasize.
[00:30:17] Now, in Malaysia, among the Malaysian people, they emphasize a little bit like the Hebrews by repetition.
[00:30:23] He would say rain or rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain.
[00:30:28] Up to five times.
[00:30:29] Five times is the ultimate.
[00:30:31] That's the way they emphasize things in Malaysia.
[00:30:34] In Hebrew, it's repetition a little bit like Malaysia.
[00:30:38] You find this curious, blessing I will bless.
[00:30:43] Cursing I will curse.
[00:30:45] That's where you have two words with the same meaning, one right after another, as verb forms in Hebrew.
[00:30:49] That's the way they emphasize.
[00:30:51] I will really bless you.
[00:30:52] That's blessing I will bless you.
[00:30:53] I will really curse you.
[00:30:55] That's cursing I will curse you.
[00:30:57] And so here you have two words for sanctuary.
[00:30:59] Hagia, hagion, placed one right after another.
[00:31:03] It means this is the special place.
[00:31:05] This is the ultimate in the sanctuary.
[00:31:06] So we don't have any problem with that except as we move on, they find that they're not consistent.
[00:31:13] Here we have no problem when they say Hagia, hagion means holiest of all.
[00:31:18] Verse 8.
[00:31:20] Here we have a problem.
[00:31:22] The Holy Ghost is signifying that the way into the holiest of all.
[00:31:27] It did not say holiest of all.
[00:31:29] It said tahagia, the holies, just like it said in all the other places.
[00:31:34] It did not say holiest of all at all.
[00:31:36] That's a mistranslation.
[00:31:38] And then we go on to chapter, pardon me, to verse 12.
[00:31:44] Neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood entered he once into the holy place.
[00:31:52] That is also tahagia, its holies.
[00:31:55] It should be he entered into the sanctuary because it's just the same plural form.
[00:32:00] Now some of the newer translations translate this most holy place.
[00:32:04] And you'll find that Desmond Ford makes quite a point out of that.
[00:32:07] We have to recognize that in this translation of the Bible, Hebrews 9, 12 says he went into the most holy place.
[00:32:13] Well, maybe it does say that in that translation, but the Greek did not say that.
[00:32:17] The Greek did not say that.
[00:32:18] The tahagia does not say that at all.
[00:32:21] By the way, I've been talking about Hebrew.
[00:32:23] I should be saying Greek in some of these places.
[00:32:24] Never mind, that's not important.
[00:32:27] Now we have a comparison of the two dedications.
[00:32:29] And I'm tempted to stop and talk about that, but maybe I'd better not.
[00:32:35] When we get to the end, if I have a couple of minutes, I'll come back to this.
[00:32:39] The two dedications.
[00:32:40] There was a dedication of the earthly sanctuary.
[00:32:43] There was a dedication of the heavenly sanctuary.
[00:32:46] And that carries us down to verse 23.
[00:32:49] And then we move into the discussion of the sacrifices where he puts the greatest weight of his argument.
[00:32:57] Verse 23, the last part.
[00:32:59] The heavenly beings themselves with better sacrifices than these.
[00:33:03] He's talking about dedication.
[00:33:04] Verse 24.
[00:33:06] For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands.
[00:33:10] That is correct.
[00:33:12] Tahagia is plural.
[00:33:13] Which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself.
[00:33:17] Now to appear in the presence of God for us.
[00:33:20] Know yet that he should offer himself often.
[00:33:22] Now here's where Paul begins to put his strong, strong argument.
[00:33:27] What we will see as we go from 925 down to 1013 and 1014.
[00:33:32] Is that Paul comes over and over and over and over again back to this point.
[00:33:37] Lambs had to be sacrificed every morning.
[00:33:39] Lambs had to be sacrificed every day.
[00:33:42] Lambs had to be sacrificed every evening.
[00:33:44] Every time there was a new sin, a lamb had to be sacrificed again.
[00:33:47] And Jesus only has to be sacrificed once.
[00:33:50] Because it's so much greater.
[00:33:52] So much more effective.
[00:33:53] So much more powerful.
[00:33:55] So much more wonderful.
[00:33:56] That once is enough for everything.
[00:33:59] You don't have to worry because there's no lamb being sacrificed at the temple this morning.
[00:34:03] You don't have to worry because there's no lamb being sacrificed at the temple this evening.
[00:34:08] Because when you have sinned a great sin, there's no place where you can take a lamb to have it sacrificed.
[00:34:12] This is all superseded by what Christ did.
[00:34:16] Now let's just watch that and see if you do not find that to be true.
[00:34:20] In one side of a piece of paper, if you want to do it someday,
[00:34:23] you take a piece of paper and write down every word from here on that refers to the earthly sacrifice.
[00:34:29] And every word that refers to Jesus' sacrifice.
[00:34:32] And notice that Jesus' sacrifice is over and over again once, once, once, once, once.
[00:34:37] And the other is often, often, often, often, often.
[00:34:40] Okay?
[00:34:41] Verse 25.
[00:34:42] Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest.
[00:34:48] Entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others.
[00:34:51] You see?
[00:34:51] Not often.
[00:34:53] For then must he often.
[00:34:55] But it's not often.
[00:34:56] Then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world.
[00:35:00] But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
[00:35:07] And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
[00:35:12] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.
[00:35:15] And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
[00:35:20] Now we go to chapter 10.
[00:35:23] For the law, having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things,
[00:35:28] can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually.
[00:35:33] See?
[00:35:33] That's the earthly sacrifice.
[00:35:35] Make the comers there unto perfect.
[00:35:36] For then would they not have ceased to be offered,
[00:35:40] because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
[00:35:44] But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
[00:35:49] You see?
[00:35:50] The earthly has to be offered.
[00:35:52] And then it talks about Christ all the way down through to verse 11.
[00:35:57] Well, don't pass up verse 10.
[00:35:59] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
[00:36:06] Verse 11.
[00:36:06] Every high priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices,
[00:36:12] which can never take away sin.
[00:36:14] But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
[00:36:19] sat down on the right hand of God,
[00:36:20] from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool,
[00:36:24] for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
[00:36:28] Now that's the end of that.
[00:36:30] There's one more reference to the Tahagia in chapter 10, verse 19.
[00:36:35] Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest.
[00:36:39] It didn't say holiest.
[00:36:41] In the original it said Tahagia, the holies, which should be translated to sanctuary.
[00:36:47] Now, Paul builds an argument there which comes to its climax.
[00:36:51] He compares Jesus with the prophets.
[00:36:54] He compares Jesus with the angels.
[00:36:56] He compares Jesus with Abraham.
[00:36:58] He compares Jesus with the Levites.
[00:37:00] He compares Jesus with Aaron.
[00:37:02] He compares the two sanctuaries.
[00:37:04] He compares the two covenants.
[00:37:05] And then finally and most emphatically, he compares the two sacrifices.
[00:37:09] And the burden of his message is, with Jesus Christ, once is enough.
[00:37:15] Never mind about what's not happening at the toothly temple anymore.
[00:37:18] Never mind about the priesthood being driven away from the temple.
[00:37:21] Never mind that the temple is lying in ruins.
[00:37:23] That doesn't matter.
[00:37:24] Jesus' sacrifice once is enough.
[00:37:27] Once, once, once, once, once.
[00:37:29] That's all you need, you see.
[00:37:31] Now, I want to show you that Ellen White travels the same pathway.
[00:37:34] And here's a point where some people have stubbed their toes and had a little trouble
[00:37:38] talking about Ellen White's use of the word atonement.
[00:37:47] Sometimes they get to fussing with each other about,
[00:37:50] well, didn't Ellen White say that the atonement was all done on the cross?
[00:37:53] Yes, in certain passages, but with certain qualifying words.
[00:37:58] Certain qualifying words were always there.
[00:38:01] And we'll see how that works out as we go along.
[00:38:03] But what I first want to show you is that she focused her attention on the magnitude,
[00:38:08] the great magnitude of that sacrifice of Christ,
[00:38:11] and nothing else can be compared with it.
[00:38:14] And so she focuses on that with things like this.
[00:38:17] Here are a series of 11 statements.
[00:38:19] I won't read them all to you.
[00:38:21] 11 statements in which she uses the word made atonement.
[00:38:25] Made atonement.
[00:38:28] Christ satisfied the demands of the law in his human nature.
[00:38:31] He bore the curse of the law for the sinner.
[00:38:33] Made an atonement for him that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
[00:38:38] That's God's amazing grace, page 177.
[00:38:41] I said there are 11 of these here, but I'll just give you the credit lines, all right?
[00:38:46] In Heavenly Places, page 71.
[00:38:49] Lift Him Up, page 235.
[00:38:51] Medical Ministry, page 44.
[00:38:54] Bible Commentary, Volume 4, page 1178.
[00:38:58] Bible Commentary, Volume 5, page 1145.
[00:39:02] That I May Know Him, page 100.
[00:39:05] Signs of the Times, December 17, 19-2.
[00:39:11] Signs of the Times, December 30, 19-3.
[00:39:15] Manuscript Releases, Volume 14, page 81.
[00:39:19] Battle Creek Letters, page 56.
[00:39:21] A total of 11 times she said Christ made atonement.
[00:39:26] And some people grab a hold of that.
[00:39:28] See, it was all done on the cross.
[00:39:30] Take it easy.
[00:39:31] Take it easy.
[00:39:32] We're not finished yet.
[00:39:34] Here are a series of four statements when she refers to that atonement on the cross as full atonement.
[00:39:42] But don't draw any wrong conclusions.
[00:39:44] We're not finished yet.
[00:39:46] Lift Him Up, page 345.
[00:39:48] Christ made a full atonement, giving His ransom for us.
[00:39:51] See also, Testimonies for the Church, Volume 4, page 124.
[00:39:56] Signs of the Times, November 24, 1890.
[00:40:00] Use Instructor, May 2, 19-1.
[00:40:05] A total of four times which she calls that sacrifice on the cross a full atonement.
[00:40:10] But don't jump to any conclusions.
[00:40:12] We're not done.
[00:40:13] The word Complete Atonement.
[00:40:15] She uses the word Complete Atonement seven times.
[00:40:18] The Faith I Live by, page 91.
[00:40:21] God has accepted the offering of His Son as a complete atonement for the sins of the world.
[00:40:26] Signs of the Times, December 30, 19-3.
[00:40:28] February 1889.
[00:40:30] Use Instructor, June 14, 1900.
[00:40:34] Review and Herald, November 11, 1890.
[00:40:37] Signs of the Times, July 31, 19-1.
[00:40:41] Faith I Live by, page 50.
[00:40:44] Bible Commentary, Volume 7a, page 459.
[00:40:47] In all of those, she calls the atonement on the cross the Complete Atonement.
[00:40:51] You say, hey, Brother Larson, are you going into Calvinism?
[00:40:54] No, no, no.
[00:40:55] Wait till we get finished.
[00:40:57] Don't draw any early conclusions.
[00:41:01] She calls it a perfect atonement twice that I know of.
[00:41:05] Lift Him up, page 319.
[00:41:07] A perfect atonement made for the sins of the people when He died on the cross.
[00:41:11] That I may know Him, page 73.
[00:41:13] A perfect atonement again made for the sins of the people.
[00:41:17] Then we have a little change.
[00:41:21] The word making atonement.
[00:41:24] She changes from the past tense to the present tense.
[00:41:27] Making atonement.
[00:41:29] Great Controversy, page 623.
[00:41:32] While our great high priestess may king the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ.
[00:41:37] Maranatha, page 275 is another one.
[00:41:40] Total of seven of these.
[00:41:42] Bible Commentary, Volume 7a, page 481.
[00:41:45] Review and Herald, May 6, 1884.
[00:41:49] Review and Herald, November 24, 1885.
[00:41:52] Review and Herald, April 4, 1890.
[00:41:57] Ellen G. White, 1888, materials, page 127.
[00:42:01] All of these refer to making present tense an atonement.
[00:42:05] Of course, now in heaven, making it there.
[00:42:07] And then we come to the climax of this with another word that she has never used before.
[00:42:13] Final atonement.
[00:42:15] F-I-N-A-L.
[00:42:17] Final atonement.
[00:42:18] We have a total of four of these that I know of.
[00:42:22] The Great Controversy, page 480.
[00:42:24] So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment.
[00:42:29] Patriarchs and Prophets, 357.
[00:42:31] Another one.
[00:42:31] Manuscript Releases, Volume 10, page 157.
[00:42:35] Spiritual Gifts, Volume 1, page 162.
[00:42:37] All of those talk about the final atonement.
[00:42:40] So she joins the Apostle Paul
[00:42:44] in saying that the sacrifice of Christ cannot be compared with any earthly sacrifice.
[00:42:49] It cannot be compared with all of them.
[00:42:51] You put all of those sacrifices together.
[00:42:54] The morning and the evening and the ministration through the week, whatever it was.
[00:42:58] And the extras on the Sabbath.
[00:43:00] They all are far excelled by the single sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
[00:43:05] Then she introduces the word final to talk about what he's doing in heaven now.
[00:43:10] And this is very, very biblical.
[00:43:12] This is strange.
[00:43:13] I don't know if you happen to ever see over here a video called The Ankerberg Program.
[00:43:24] It would have been probably 1986,
[00:43:26] shortly after I returned from the Philippines where I was teaching in the seminary.
[00:43:31] A fellow named Ankerberg down in the south Tennessee, I think,
[00:43:35] has a television program that he calls The Ankerberg Program.
[00:43:39] And he persuaded Walter Martin, the great enemy of Adventism,
[00:43:43] who induced our brethren to write the book Questions on Doctrine,
[00:43:47] and Elder Dr. William Johnson, the editor of The Review,
[00:43:50] to meet there on his program for a discussion.
[00:43:54] I was able to see a video shortly after I got back.
[00:43:59] It made my heart sick.
[00:44:00] Our good review editor didn't know how to handle the sanctuary.
[00:44:05] And they pinned him down with questions on it that he didn't know how to answer.
[00:44:08] And it was just frightful.
[00:44:10] It made my heart sick.
[00:44:12] Well, I sent a message to Ankerberg that I would be willing to appear on a program
[00:44:16] and give him the Adventist answer to those questions if he was interested.
[00:44:19] But he did not accept that offer.
[00:44:21] So I don't know why.
[00:44:23] But it would have been a bit different, I can assure you.
[00:44:26] Because this is what I would have done.
[00:44:27] When they said,
[00:44:28] What is this business of atonement in heaven now?
[00:44:31] I would have taken them right straight to the book of Leviticus.
[00:44:33] Would you go with me now to Leviticus chapter 1?
[00:44:40] Leviticus chapter 1,
[00:44:42] we have the beginning of the use of the word atonement.
[00:44:46] And that carries us through the first 16 chapters of Leviticus.
[00:44:51] And what I want you to see is that in the first 15,
[00:44:56] in the first 15 chapters of Leviticus,
[00:44:59] you have 18 uses of the word atonement.
[00:45:03] 18 situations in which it is described that a sinner
[00:45:06] comes to the sanctuary with a sacrifice
[00:45:10] and atonement is made for him.
[00:45:14] And in 8 of those 18,
[00:45:17] in 8 of those 18,
[00:45:19] it says not only atonement is made,
[00:45:21] it also says sin is forgiven.
[00:45:23] Now the first one is in chapter 1, verse 4,
[00:45:27] the last part of the verse.
[00:45:29] To make an atonement for him.
[00:45:31] Now let's go quickly through here.
[00:45:32] I know you're getting tired.
[00:45:35] Let's go from there to chapter 4, verse 20.
[00:45:42] No, that's all right.
[00:45:43] Chapter 4, verse 20.
[00:45:45] Last part of the verse.
[00:45:46] You see the words make an atonement for him.
[00:45:48] And it shall be forgiven them.
[00:45:50] Here you have the beginning of the 8 times that it says
[00:45:53] atonement is made and sin is forgiven.
[00:45:56] Chapter 4, verse 26.
[00:45:57] You see it again.
[00:45:59] Chapter 4, verse 31.
[00:46:00] You see it again.
[00:46:02] Chapter 4, verse 35.
[00:46:03] You see it again.
[00:46:05] Chapter 5, verse 6.
[00:46:07] Again.
[00:46:08] Chapter 5, verse 10.
[00:46:10] Again.
[00:46:12] Chapter 5, verse 13.
[00:46:14] Again.
[00:46:15] Chapter 5, verse 16.
[00:46:17] Again.
[00:46:17] And that's the last of the ones where it says
[00:46:20] that shall be forgiven him.
[00:46:21] Excuse me, the last one is the next one
[00:46:23] in chapter 6, verse 7.
[00:46:26] And then you have chapter 7, verse 7.
[00:46:29] And then you have chapter 8.
[00:46:35] Or do we?
[00:46:36] No, you go to chapter...
[00:46:45] How far do we have to go?
[00:46:46] We have to go clear over to chapter 12 now.
[00:46:50] Chapter 12, verse 7.
[00:46:51] You have another one.
[00:46:52] Some of these are matters of ceremonial defilement,
[00:46:55] but it says atonement is made.
[00:46:57] And chapter 14, verse 18.
[00:47:02] And chapter 14, verse 29.
[00:47:05] And chapter 14, verse 31.
[00:47:09] And chapter 15, verse 15.
[00:47:13] And chapter 15, verse 30.
[00:47:15] There you have a total of 18 times
[00:47:18] that it says that a sinner came to the tabernacle
[00:47:21] on a certain day or any day.
[00:47:24] Days really have nothing to do with it.
[00:47:27] And atonement is made.
[00:47:32] Now, go into chapter 16.
[00:47:35] And here we find five statements
[00:47:38] that on the great day of atonement,
[00:47:41] the sinner has to have atonement again made for him
[00:47:44] by the high priest, the final atonement.
[00:47:48] Look at chapter 16, the last part of verse 17.
[00:47:53] Have made an atonement for himself and for his household
[00:47:56] and for all the congregation of Israel.
[00:48:00] And chapter 16, verse 24, the last part.
[00:48:04] To make an atonement for himself and for the people.
[00:48:09] And same chapter, verse 30.
[00:48:11] For on that day shall the priest make an atonement
[00:48:13] for you to cleanse you.
[00:48:15] You is the people,
[00:48:16] that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.
[00:48:20] And verse 33, the last part.
[00:48:22] Make an atonement for the priest
[00:48:24] and for all the people of the congregation.
[00:48:27] And verse 34, the last part.
[00:48:29] To make an atonement for the children of Israel
[00:48:31] for all their sins once every year.
[00:48:33] Do you see what I'm saying, folks?
[00:48:36] A sinner comes any day, every day.
[00:48:40] A lamb is sacrificed.
[00:48:42] Atonement is made.
[00:48:43] Sin is forgiven.
[00:48:45] That does not change the fact
[00:48:47] that on the great day of atonement
[00:48:49] there is a final atonement
[00:48:51] and atonement must be made
[00:48:53] for the very same people on that day.
[00:48:55] Otherwise, the first atonement doesn't count.
[00:48:57] The final atonement must be made
[00:48:59] in the heavenly sanctuary, you see.
[00:49:02] And so when they argue,
[00:49:04] as some of our own ministers
[00:49:05] are picking up the argument from the Calvinists now
[00:49:07] and are saying,
[00:49:08] it was all done on the cross.
[00:49:10] There's no atonement being made in heaven now.
[00:49:13] They're canceling out the first atonement.
[00:49:15] They're canceling out the whole thing.
[00:49:17] They're canceling out the whole book of Leviticus.
[00:49:19] Now that's what I would have showed to people
[00:49:21] when they said,
[00:49:22] what's this business about an atonement in heaven now?
[00:49:25] The atonement that is made in the sanctuary every day
[00:49:28] does not cancel out the atonement
[00:49:30] that is made on the great day of final atonement.
[00:49:32] And so our position on that
[00:49:34] is just as biblical as it can possibly be.
[00:49:37] Now I'm going to fudge a little bit
[00:49:39] and take two and a half more minutes maybe.
[00:49:42] While you're here in Leviticus,
[00:49:43] look at chapter 8
[00:49:47] about the dedication of the sanctuary.
[00:49:51] Look at chapter 8
[00:49:53] about the dedication of the sanctuary.
[00:49:55] It tells us here
[00:49:56] in chapter 8
[00:49:57] verses 1 and 2
[00:49:59] that they were to prepare an anointing oil.
[00:50:03] And they also used blood
[00:50:04] as the Apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews chapter 9.
[00:50:07] We read that.
[00:50:08] Verse 10
[00:50:09] They took the anointing oil
[00:50:10] and they took the blood, we're told.
[00:50:13] Anointed the tabernacle
[00:50:14] and all that was therein.
[00:50:16] He sprinkled the altar.
[00:50:17] He sprinkled the laver.
[00:50:19] He sprinkled everything.
[00:50:20] He sprinkled the oil upon Aaron's head
[00:50:23] and he anointed Aaron's garments
[00:50:24] as we shall see.
[00:50:25] Verse 30
[00:50:28] Moses took of the anointing oil
[00:50:30] and of the blood which was upon the altar
[00:50:32] and sprinkled it upon Aaron
[00:50:34] and upon his garments.
[00:50:35] Now that's important.
[00:50:36] Please notice that.
[00:50:37] And upon his son's garments with him.
[00:50:39] This is the only time
[00:50:41] that any blood was ever sprinkled
[00:50:43] on the garments of the priest.
[00:50:45] This did not happen every day and every day.
[00:50:48] This was only once.
[00:50:49] Those garments were kept in the sanctuary
[00:50:51] and were removed
[00:50:52] when the priest left the sanctuary.
[00:50:54] You say,
[00:50:55] why are you stressing that, Ralph?
[00:50:57] Well, for this reason.
[00:50:59] Some of the Calvinists among us
[00:51:00] have fastened on to a statement
[00:51:02] where Ellen White writes,
[00:51:04] Jesus has gone into the place,
[00:51:06] the most holy place,
[00:51:07] and sprinkled the mercy seat
[00:51:08] and the garments,
[00:51:09] his own garments.
[00:51:11] Ah, you see,
[00:51:12] he's performing the ritual
[00:51:13] of the final atonement
[00:51:16] way back there in A.D. 31.
[00:51:18] No, no, no, no, no.
[00:51:19] He's just dedicating the sanctuary
[00:51:21] just like it was dedicated here.
[00:51:23] Now follow on, if you will.
[00:51:26] He anoints them
[00:51:27] and he says in verse 33,
[00:51:31] And ye shall not go out
[00:51:33] of the door of the tabernacle
[00:51:34] of the congregation
[00:51:35] in seven days
[00:51:37] until the consecration be at an end
[00:51:39] for seven days
[00:51:40] shall he consecrate you.
[00:51:42] And so they did that.
[00:51:43] And on the eighth day,
[00:51:45] when the seven days are finished,
[00:51:47] they come out
[00:51:47] and they make the first sin offering
[00:51:49] on the altar.
[00:51:50] That's in chapter 9.
[00:51:51] You come to the end of chapter 9,
[00:51:54] they had the first offering
[00:51:55] on the altar
[00:51:56] and fire came down.
[00:51:57] Look at verse 24,
[00:51:58] chapter 9, verse 24.
[00:52:00] Fire came out
[00:52:01] from before the Lord
[00:52:02] and consumed upon the altar
[00:52:04] the burnt offering and the fat,
[00:52:05] which when all the people
[00:52:07] saw they shodder
[00:52:08] and fell on their faces.
[00:52:11] Get clearly in your mind
[00:52:12] this picture of the dedication
[00:52:14] of the earthly sanctuary.
[00:52:15] It was only done once.
[00:52:17] Only done once.
[00:52:18] When they had it built,
[00:52:20] fully completed
[00:52:21] in its construction,
[00:52:22] but they never had used it.
[00:52:24] Before they used it,
[00:52:25] they went through
[00:52:26] this dedication
[00:52:27] this consecration ceremony.
[00:52:29] All right?
[00:52:30] When that was over,
[00:52:32] fire came down
[00:52:33] from God out of heaven.
[00:52:33] Now turn to Acts chapter 1,
[00:52:35] if you will.
[00:52:38] Acts chapter 1,
[00:52:44] and we read about
[00:52:45] the time of the apostles
[00:52:46] and Pentecost.
[00:52:50] Acts chapter 1,
[00:52:52] the first few verses.
[00:52:54] The former treatise have I made,
[00:52:56] O Theophilus,
[00:52:57] of all that Jesus began
[00:52:58] both to do and teach
[00:53:01] until the day
[00:53:02] in which he was taken up.
[00:53:04] After that,
[00:53:05] he through the Holy Ghost
[00:53:06] had given commandments
[00:53:07] unto the apostles
[00:53:08] whom he had chosen,
[00:53:10] to whom also
[00:53:11] he showed himself alive
[00:53:13] after his passion
[00:53:14] by many infallible priests,
[00:53:15] being seen of them
[00:53:17] forty days,
[00:53:18] forty days.
[00:53:20] Now we are told
[00:53:21] that they spent
[00:53:22] ten days
[00:53:22] in the upper room
[00:53:23] at Pentecost.
[00:53:24] And how many days
[00:53:25] does that make?
[00:53:26] Fifty days.
[00:53:28] And on the fiftieth day
[00:53:30] after Passover,
[00:53:31] you have Pentecost.
[00:53:33] And on Pentecost,
[00:53:34] when the apostles
[00:53:35] were preaching,
[00:53:36] what happened?
[00:53:37] Fire fell.
[00:53:39] Now that has some meaning.
[00:53:42] Ellen White writes about that
[00:53:44] in Acts of the Apostles,
[00:53:47] page 38 and 39.
[00:53:51] When Christ passed
[00:53:52] within the heavenly gates,
[00:53:54] he was enthroned
[00:53:55] amidst the adoration
[00:53:56] of the angels.
[00:53:57] As soon as this ceremony
[00:53:59] was completed,
[00:54:00] the Holy Spirit
[00:54:01] descended upon the disciples
[00:54:02] in rich curse.
[00:54:03] Did you get that?
[00:54:05] When the ceremony
[00:54:06] of enthroning him
[00:54:08] was completed,
[00:54:09] then the Holy Spirit fell.
[00:54:12] Christ was indeed glorified
[00:54:14] even with the glory
[00:54:15] which he had
[00:54:16] with the Father
[00:54:16] from all eternity.
[00:54:18] The Pentecostal outpouring
[00:54:20] was heaven's communication
[00:54:21] that the Redeemer's
[00:54:22] inauguration
[00:54:23] was accomplished.
[00:54:24] According to his promise,
[00:54:26] he had sent the Holy Spirit
[00:54:27] from heaven
[00:54:27] to his followers.
[00:54:29] As a token
[00:54:30] that he had
[00:54:30] as priest and king
[00:54:31] received all authority
[00:54:33] in heaven and on earth
[00:54:33] and was the anointed one
[00:54:35] over his people.
[00:54:37] There is a word
[00:54:39] in the English dictionary,
[00:54:40] it's in your dictionaries
[00:54:41] here I'm sure,
[00:54:43] because ours
[00:54:44] follow yours.
[00:54:46] It's taken from
[00:54:47] two Greek words,
[00:54:48] pro,
[00:54:48] which means before,
[00:54:49] and lambano,
[00:54:50] which means to take
[00:54:51] or receive.
[00:54:52] And it's in a participial
[00:54:53] form there,
[00:54:54] proleptic.
[00:54:57] Proleptic,
[00:54:57] your English dictionary
[00:54:58] tells you,
[00:55:00] means to treat
[00:55:01] a future event
[00:55:02] as if it had
[00:55:03] already happened.
[00:55:06] Ponder that for a while,
[00:55:07] would you please?
[00:55:09] When the sinner
[00:55:10] comes to the sacrifice
[00:55:11] a thousand,
[00:55:12] two thousand,
[00:55:13] three thousand years
[00:55:14] before Christ,
[00:55:15] makes a sacrifice,
[00:55:17] comes with a sacrifice,
[00:55:18] makes a sacrifice,
[00:55:19] what's he doing?
[00:55:21] He's treating
[00:55:22] the future death
[00:55:22] of Christ on the cross
[00:55:23] as if it had
[00:55:24] already happened.
[00:55:25] He's taking it
[00:55:26] to himself.
[00:55:28] Now,
[00:55:29] I'll have to borrow
[00:55:30] an illustration
[00:55:31] from our practice
[00:55:32] in the United States.
[00:55:33] We're getting ready
[00:55:33] to elect a president,
[00:55:34] which is always
[00:55:35] kind of a rough
[00:55:36] scene over there.
[00:55:38] We make a hard job
[00:55:39] out of it.
[00:55:40] We don't do it
[00:55:40] like you do
[00:55:41] with your prime minister.
[00:55:44] And so,
[00:55:45] if I remember correctly,
[00:55:46] it's in November
[00:55:48] that the election
[00:55:49] takes place
[00:55:51] and the president
[00:55:52] becomes the president-elect.
[00:55:55] The newly elected
[00:55:55] president
[00:55:57] becomes the president-elect,
[00:55:58] but he doesn't take office
[00:55:59] until January.
[00:56:01] Now,
[00:56:02] what's he doing
[00:56:02] between November
[00:56:03] and January?
[00:56:04] Oh,
[00:56:04] he's very,
[00:56:04] very busy.
[00:56:05] He's busy
[00:56:06] on his telephone.
[00:56:07] He's calling up
[00:56:07] a man in San Francisco.
[00:56:09] I want you to be
[00:56:10] my secretary of state.
[00:56:11] Please sell your house
[00:56:12] or rent your house,
[00:56:13] close up your business,
[00:56:14] get out of everything
[00:56:15] they have there,
[00:56:15] get over here
[00:56:16] and get settled.
[00:56:17] I want you to be ready
[00:56:18] to go to work
[00:56:18] on the first day
[00:56:19] after my inauguration.
[00:56:21] And he's calling
[00:56:22] somebody to be
[00:56:22] his secretary
[00:56:23] of the treasury
[00:56:24] and somebody to be
[00:56:24] his secretary
[00:56:25] of this
[00:56:26] and secretary
[00:56:26] of this
[00:56:27] and secretary
[00:56:27] of this
[00:56:27] and secretary
[00:56:28] of that,
[00:56:28] his cabinet.
[00:56:30] And they all
[00:56:31] treat a future event
[00:56:33] as if it had
[00:56:33] already happened.
[00:56:34] They all say,
[00:56:35] well,
[00:56:35] he's going to be
[00:56:35] inaugurated on the 11th.
[00:56:37] We'll go ahead
[00:56:38] in faith in that
[00:56:38] and we'll do
[00:56:39] what he says.
[00:56:40] So they put their houses
[00:56:42] in order,
[00:56:43] take care of what
[00:56:44] they have to do
[00:56:44] business-wise.
[00:56:45] They go to Washington,
[00:56:46] D.C.
[00:56:47] to be all ready
[00:56:48] to have their first
[00:56:49] cabinet meeting
[00:56:50] the day after
[00:56:50] the inauguration.
[00:56:51] They're going to do
[00:56:52] a lot of work
[00:56:52] real fast.
[00:56:53] That's what they all
[00:56:54] talk about anyway.
[00:56:56] And so,
[00:56:57] what would happen
[00:57:00] if on the night
[00:57:01] before the inauguration
[00:57:03] the president-elect
[00:57:04] was killed
[00:57:04] in an automobile crash?
[00:57:05] What would happen then?
[00:57:08] You cannot treat
[00:57:09] a future event
[00:57:10] as if it already happened
[00:57:11] if there is no future event.
[00:57:13] These people would all
[00:57:14] have to go back
[00:57:15] where they came from.
[00:57:17] We'd have to go through
[00:57:18] that process
[00:57:18] all over again.
[00:57:20] Now,
[00:57:20] are you with me?
[00:57:21] I'm talking about
[00:57:22] the sacrifice
[00:57:23] of a lamb.
[00:57:24] Long,
[00:57:25] long,
[00:57:25] long before Christ
[00:57:26] died on the cross
[00:57:27] you sacrificed a lamb
[00:57:28] and you treated
[00:57:29] a future event
[00:57:29] as if it had already happened.
[00:57:32] The sacrificing
[00:57:33] was done proleptically.
[00:57:36] Not only that,
[00:57:37] but the priesthood
[00:57:38] is performed proleptically.
[00:57:39] When you take
[00:57:41] your lamb
[00:57:41] to the sanctuary,
[00:57:43] you do your part
[00:57:44] and then the priest
[00:57:45] has to do his part
[00:57:46] before the atonement
[00:57:47] is made.
[00:57:48] If there is not
[00:57:49] any priestly ministry
[00:57:50] up here,
[00:57:51] there cannot be
[00:57:51] any priestly ministry
[00:57:52] back here.
[00:57:53] It's just an empty exercise.
[00:57:54] It doesn't mean a thing.
[00:57:56] Number three,
[00:57:57] if there is no dedication
[00:57:58] of the heavenly tabernacle,
[00:58:00] then the dedication
[00:58:01] of the earthly tabernacle
[00:58:02] doesn't mean a thing.
[00:58:03] It's all canceled out,
[00:58:04] you see.
[00:58:05] You cannot treat
[00:58:06] a future event
[00:58:07] as if it had already happened
[00:58:08] if there is no future event.
[00:58:11] And so those
[00:58:12] who tell us,
[00:58:13] and I want to believe
[00:58:14] that they mean well,
[00:58:15] I hope so anyway,
[00:58:16] that we must adjust
[00:58:18] our minds to believing
[00:58:19] that it was all done
[00:58:21] on the cross.
[00:58:21] There's no atonement now.
[00:58:23] There's no priestly ministry now.
[00:58:25] They're canceling out
[00:58:26] everything that ever
[00:58:27] was done on earth.
[00:58:28] They're telling all
[00:58:29] of those people
[00:58:30] way back there,
[00:58:30] that didn't mean a thing,
[00:58:31] that didn't accomplish a thing.
[00:58:32] You are yet in your sins.
[00:58:34] Now let me give you
[00:58:35] just one more verse
[00:58:36] and then I promise you
[00:58:36] this time I'll quit.
[00:58:39] Ministers are entitled
[00:58:40] to say I'm enclosing
[00:58:41] five times.
[00:58:42] You understand that,
[00:58:43] don't you?
[00:58:44] I've got one more to go.
[00:58:45] Would you turn to
[00:58:45] 1 Corinthians chapter 15
[00:58:47] for a very significant
[00:58:49] verse on this topic
[00:58:52] where Paul tells you
[00:58:53] in his language
[00:58:53] the very same thing
[00:58:54] I just got through
[00:58:55] telling you.
[00:58:57] 1 Corinthians chapter 15
[00:58:58] beginning with verse 14.
[00:59:03] 1 Corinthians 15, 14.
[00:59:05] And if Christ be not crucified
[00:59:07] then is our preaching vain.
[00:59:09] Is that what it says?
[00:59:11] If Christ be not risen
[00:59:15] then is our preaching vain
[00:59:16] and your faith is vain.
[00:59:18] And go to verse 17
[00:59:19] is stronger still.
[00:59:22] And if Christ be not raised
[00:59:24] your faith is vain.
[00:59:26] You are yet in your sins.
[00:59:28] You're not forgiven.
[00:59:30] The death of Christ
[00:59:31] on the cross
[00:59:32] didn't do anything for you
[00:59:34] unless Christ is raised.
[00:59:35] Why?
[00:59:36] Romans 8, 34.
[00:59:37] I told you
[00:59:37] this is the fifth time.
[00:59:39] Romans 8, 34 in closing.
[00:59:41] Fifth time.
[00:59:44] Paul will make it very clear.
[00:59:46] Romans 8, 34.
[00:59:48] Who is he that condemneth?
[00:59:50] It is Christ that died.
[00:59:51] Yea, rather that is risen again.
[00:59:53] Who is even at the right hand of God
[00:59:56] who maketh what?
[00:59:58] Intercession for us.
[01:00:00] That's what a priest does.
[01:00:01] Right?
[01:00:02] That's what a priest does.
[01:00:03] All right.
[01:00:05] I've run over a little bit
[01:00:06] but I'm just cheating myself
[01:00:07] I guess so it's all right.
[01:00:09] Now if you have questions
[01:00:11] we'd like to have them
[01:00:11] focused on this subject
[01:00:12] if we can
[01:00:13] and focus on each subject
[01:00:14] as we go along.
[01:00:15] Does anybody have questions
[01:00:16] about what we've talked about here?
[01:00:18] Hebrews, the sanctuary.
[01:00:27] All right.
[01:00:28] We will...
[01:00:30] Question.
[01:00:31] Yes.
[01:00:38] Blood on the garments
[01:00:39] not in the book of Hebrews.
[01:00:40] The blood on the garments
[01:00:41] is in Leviticus.
[01:00:43] Leviticus chapter 8
[01:00:46] the last part of the chapter
[01:00:49] there's a general statement
[01:00:51] in Hebrews
[01:00:51] which I better show to you.
[01:00:53] In chapter 9
[01:00:55] there is a general statement
[01:00:57] in Hebrews
[01:00:57] about the blood
[01:01:14] beginning with verse 18.
[01:01:19] Whereupon neither
[01:01:20] the first testament
[01:01:21] was dedicated
[01:01:22] without blood.
[01:01:23] For when Moses
[01:01:25] had spoken every precept
[01:01:26] to all the people
[01:01:28] according to the law
[01:01:29] he took the blood
[01:01:30] of calves and of goats
[01:01:31] with water
[01:01:32] and scarlet wool
[01:01:33] and hyssop
[01:01:33] and sprinkled both the book
[01:01:34] and all the people
[01:01:36] saying this is the blood
[01:01:37] of the testament
[01:01:38] which God has joined to you.
[01:01:40] Moreover
[01:01:40] he sprinkled with blood
[01:01:42] both the tabernacle
[01:01:43] and all the vessels
[01:01:44] of the ministry
[01:01:45] and almost all things
[01:01:47] are by the law
[01:01:48] purged with blood
[01:01:49] but without shedding of blood
[01:01:50] there's no remission.
[01:01:52] So that's a general statement
[01:01:54] that there had to be blood
[01:01:55] used along with
[01:01:56] the anointing oil
[01:01:57] but the reference to garments
[01:01:58] is in chapter 8
[01:01:59] of Leviticus.
[01:02:00] of Leviticus.
[01:02:01] Thank you.