IN DEFENSE OF THE FAITH 

The Truth About Seventh-day Adventists

A REPLY TO CANRIGHT

by William H. Branson  

THE CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY

Daniel 8:14 introduces us to a work called the cleansing of the sanctuary: He said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. In Hebrews 9:6, 7, Paul mentions the fact that in the sanctuary service on earth the priests served daily in the first apartment, but that the high priest went into the second apartment only once each year. During the daily ministration in the first apartment the sins of the children of Israel accumulated in the sanctuary. The arrangement was that when one committed sin in the camp of Israel, he should bring a lamb or other sin offering, place his hands upon its head, and confess his sins over it. Thus the sins of the individual were in type transferred to the sacrifice. Then the animal was killed, and a portion of its blood put on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. The rest of the blood was poured out at the base of this altar, and the flesh was taken into the holy place of the sanctuary, where it was eaten by the priest. This service typified the transfer of the sin from the individual to the sanctuary, and thus the repentant sinner went away free. This slaying of the sacrifice prefigured the death of the Lamb of God, who was to be slain for the sins of the world. The bringing of sin offerings to the sanctuary continued for the whole year, until the tenth day of the seventh month. On that day the sanctuary was to be cleansed.

The book of Leviticus, chapter 16, tells about the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary. Full details are given here as to what happened on that day. Two goats were brought before the priest, who was to cast lots on them, thus choosing one to be the Lord's goat and the other Azazel's. (Azazel is the enemy, or adversary.) In other words, one goat was to represent the Lord, and the other God's adversary, Satan. When the lots were cast and the Lord's goat was selected, it was slain, and the priest carried its blood into the sanctuary, beyond the second veil, into the most holy place. Verse 15 says that he was to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat and before it, and this was to make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation. Verse 16. Thus this special service was a cleansing service. It was to accomplish the cleansing of the holy place from the sins of the people.

This is further emphasized in verse 19, where we read: He shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it. The cleansing, then, was accomplished by the sprinkling of the blood. But from what does he cleanse it? He shall cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. Verse 19. So the cleansing of the sanctuary was a cleansing from sin. This is definitely established. It was not a cleansing from physical, but from spiritual defilement.

If, as is argued by some, the cleansing of the sanctuary consisted only in the removal of idols brought into it when Israel was in apostasy, that could have been done with men's hands. No blood would be necessary for such a work; but this cleansing of the sanctuary was accomplished with blood. He shall sprinkle of the blood. . . . and cleanse it, and hallow it. Now the priest could not have removed the idols out of the sanctuary by simply sprinkling blood on them. The only uncleanness that can be cleansed by blood is that of sin. Therefore the cleansing of the sanctuary that is brought to view here is a spiritual cleansing from the sins of the people which had been received there.

The transfer, in figure, of the sins of the people went forward day after day during the entire year, until the Day of Atonement. Thus there was a constant accumulation of sins in the sanctuary, and by these sins it was defiled. For this reason the cleansing, or purging, of sin from the sanctuary became necessary.

Thus the Lord said:

He [the high priest] shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. Leviticus 16:16.

THE SCAPEGOAT

After the atonement was thus made for the sins of the people, the high priest passed out of the sanctuary, bearing the accumulated sins of the year out with him, and the live goat was brought. Placing his hands upon the head of the, goat, the high priest confessed over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. Leviticus 16:2

1. Thus there was a removal of sin from the sanctuary, a cleansing from spiritual defilement. The sins that had accumulated there were now all disposed of as they were placed upon the head of the goat, which was sent away into the wilderness to die.

Why was this second goat necessary? Did not the blood of the first goat atone for the sins of the people? Yes, it must be so. Verse 20 indicates that when the scapegoat was brought, the priest had already made an end of reconciling the sanctuary. When he bath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. What part, then, did Satan's goat have in the removal of sin? Just this: Satan is the instigator of all sin. He is primarily responsible for the. sins of all men, and the death of Christ does not atone for his share of the responsibility and guilt.

Therefore when our sins have been atoned for by the blood of Christ, Satan must yet answer for his part in those same sins. That is why they are eventually placed upon his head and he is made to suffer for them. He has no part in atoning for man's guilt, but he must suffer for his own guilt in leading men into sin.

A WORK OF JUDGMENT

This work of the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was a work of judgment. This is indicated in Leviticus 23:27-30.

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And you shall do no work in that same day: for it is a Day of Atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that does any work in the same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

The Jewish people always recognized the Day of Atonement as a judgment day. Even to the present time it is so regarded. The following is a copy of a statement published in a Jewish paper in the city of San Francisco in 1892. The Jewish Day of Atonement was coming on, and the rabbi issued this announcement:

The monitery sounds of the shophar [trumpet] are to be heard every morning in the orthodox synagogues, advising preparation for the day of memorial and of the final judgment of Yom Kippur [Yom-day, Kippur atonement]. - Jewish Exponent_ September, 1892.

In 1902 Isador Meyer, a Jewish rabbi, spoke of the Jew on the Day of Atonement as follows:

He is also summoned by the voice of the same trumpet, or shophar, to scrutinize retrospectively his actions of the past year, while he stands trembling before the all-seeing eye of Eternal justice sitting on the throne of judgment.

From this we see that the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement was a work of judgment. And the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was a type of the cleansing of the heavenly. Therefore it follows unquestionably that the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is a work of judgment also.

THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY TO BE CLEANSED

Let us now return to Daniel's prophecy, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. Daniel 8:14. The beginning and ending of the 2300 days is made very clear in the prophecy. In Daniel 9:24-27 this period is divided and subdivided in such a way as to leave us in no uncertainty whatever. Note the words of the prophecy.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the over spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Now we can be absolutely certain that we have the right dates for the beginning and ending of this period if we begin counting from the cross. From that as the starting point in our reckoning, we can count backward to find the beginning and forward to find the close. The first 69 and a 1/2 weeks of this period were to reach down to the cross. At the end of 69 and a 1/2 weeks or 486 and a 1/2 years (reckoning a prophetic day as a literal year), the sacrifice and oblation was to cease (verse 27), which signified that at that time the earthly sanctuary service would come to an end.

The event which terminated the earthly service was the crucifixion of Jesus, therefore we know that when Christ was crucified, 69 and a 1/2 weeks, or 486 and a 1/2 literal years, of the 2300 - year period had passed. We have only to figure back 486 and a 1/2 years to 457 B.C, to find the correct starting point; and forward 1813 and a 1/2 years to 1844, to find the end of the period. It is clear, therefore, that the earthly sanctuary came to an end before the close of the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, and that this prophecy could not refer to its cleansing. Since there were still 1813 and a 1/2 years of the 2300 year period to be fulfilled after the cross, we must of necessity conclude that this prophecy of Daniel refers to the only sanctuary that was in existence at that time, that is, the heavenly.

Let us take it in another way. The period of seventy weeks, or 490 days, brought to view in the scripture already quoted, is only a division of the full period of 2300 days. The seventy weeks also had several divisions, each terminating with some definite event, such as the completion of the work of rebuilding Jerusalem, the baptism of the. Savior, the cutting off (or crucifixion) of the Messiah, and the completion of the time of the Jews. Taking the Bible method of reckoning prophetic time, i.e., each prophetic day for a literal year (Ezekiel 4:6), these seventy weeks, or 490 days, would equal 490 literal years, and they would date from 457 BC., at which time the final and complete decree to restore Jerusalem went forth.

A THREEFOLD DECREE

We find this threefold decree given first by Cyrus, the king of Persia (Ezra 1:24), repeated by Darius (Ezra 6:6-12), and again repeated by Artaxerxes (Ezra 7: 12-26). In E= 6:14 we read these words:  

The elders of the Jews builds, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

The commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem was, then, according to the Scripture itself, a threefold decree, given lastly by Artaxerxes in 457 BC. From this date, therefore, we begin to count that long period of 2300 years reaching to 1844. Seven weeks, or forty-nine years, of this time were to cover the period of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Forty-nine years this side of 457 BC., would bring us to 408 BC., the year in which the reconstruction work was completed. Sixty-nine weeks, 483 years, were to reach to Messiah the Prince. This would bring us to AD. 27, and that is the year when Jesus was baptized of John in the Jordan, upon which occasion He was anointed, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34), and was proclaimed the son of God, by a voice from heaven. (See Luke 3:21, 22; Acts 10:38.)

THE SEVENTIETH WEEK

In the midst (middle) of the last, or seventieth, week, Messiah was to be cut off. A week would be seven prophetic days, or literal years, and half a week would be three and a half years. Christ was anointed for His earthly ministry in AD. 27. Three and a half years later, or in AD. 31, He was cut off by crucifixion.

The whole of the last, or seventieth, week was to be devoted especially to the Jews. He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. Daniel 9:27. This was fulfilled by Christ's personal ministry of three and a half years, and by the ministry of His apostles, who for another three and a half years labored almost exclusively for the Jews. After that time the Jews were no longer to be considered the specially chosen people of God.

Beginning with Christ's ministry in AD. 27, this week, or seven literal years, would reach to AD. 34. It was in that year that Stephen was martyred, Paul was sent to the Gentiles, and the Jewish nation, as such, was rejected. In rejecting Christ and His gospel, they had rejected the only means of salvation, and God could no longer count them His chosen people. Soon after this it was boldly announced that the disciples had turned to the Gentiles.

Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou should be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. Acts 13:46, 47.

This first division of the 2300 day prophecy - the seventy weeks-absolutely confirms the fact that we have the correct starting date for the entire period. Figured from the year 457 as a starting point, every detail of the prophecy works out to perfection; and therefore shows beyond all doubt that the initial date is correct.

This evidently was one of the reasons this subdivision of the prophecy was made. This seventyweek period was to seal up (make sure) the vision and prophecy. It serves to prove the starting point. When we therefore take 457 BC., as the date for beginning this period of 2300 prophetic days, or literal years, it clearly brings us down to the year AD. 1844. Or, to state it another way: The first seventy weeks, or 490 years, reached down to AD. 34. The difference between 490 years and 2300 years is 1810, and if we add 1810 years to AD. 34, we have AD. 1844. The 2300 - year prophecy ended, therefore, in 1844. The evidence of this is absolutely conclusive, as the subdivisions of the prophecy leave no room whatever for doubt. But what was to happen at the end of the 2300 years?

He said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. Daniel 8:14. The time had come for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.

CHRIST'S PRIESTLY MINISTRY

As we have already seen, the only sanctuary of God in existence in 1844 was the heavenly sanctuary. The earthly sanctuary, with its services, had passed away, having no further meaning after the cross; and the priesthood had changed from the sons of Aaron to Christ. At the time of Christ's ascension He began His priestly ministry in the sanctuary above as our High Priest. But this ministry was performed in the holy place, or first room of the tabernacle. The second apartment, within the dividing veil, known as the holy of holies, was not to be entered except on the Day of Atonement, when the sanctuary was to be cleansed from sin.

The time for this event to take place in heaven arrived in 1844. In Daniel 8:17, where the angel explains to Daniel the prophecy of the 2300 years, he declares, At the time of the end shall be the vision. This expression is used in numerous places in the Bible to designate a little period of time just before the return of our Lord, and during which the final preparations for that event are being made both in heaven and upon earth. The heavenly sanctuary, therefore, was to be cleansed in the time of the end, and the actual work was to begin in the year AD. 1844.

This is in harmony with the type, for in the earthly sanctuary the priest, as we have already seen, spent the greater part of the year in the first apartment; and only a short time at the close of the yearly round in the most holy place, where he would be engaged in the work of cleansing the sanctuary. So in heaven Jesus went first into the first apartment, and served there as priest until 1844. That corresponded to the long period spent by the priest in the first apartment on earth. He entered the second apartment in 1844, in the last end of His priestly ministry, to do a short work, and to make an end of sin. That work is called the cleansing of the sanctuary.

But it may be asked: Is there anything in heaven that needs to be cleansed? Yes, there is sin. As we have already observed, the cleansing of the sanctuary is not a cleansing from physical defilement but a spiritual cleansing, and has to do with the removal of the record and defilement of sin. In 1 Timothy 5:24 we are told: Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Those who have through the years accepted Jesus as their sacrifice have been sending their sins into the sanctuary for judgment.

The only way that sin can get into the sanctuary is by confession and the offering of a substitutionary sacrifice. Therefore only the sins of those who have accepted Christ as their Redeemer are found there. The sins of the wicked have never been brought into the sanctuary, and so unrepentant sinners will have to be judged at a later time judgment begins at the house of God; the righteous will be judged first. Thus all confessed sins are transferred to the sanctuary, and in this manner the sanctuary is defiled.

In the earthly sanctuary service man confessed his sins over the lamb, which was slain on his behalf, and thus the sins were, in type, transferred to the sanctuary. Just so, I am a sinner; Jesus is my sacrificial Lamb and also my High Priest. He has died for me, but His death is of no avail to me until I accept Him as my substitute. When I do accept Him I then confess my sins to God through Him, just as the man in Israel confessed his sins over his offering. And thus my sins are transferred from myself to the sanctuary above, where Christ ministers as priest on my behalf. He takes away my sins, and gives me His righteousness. But where does He take them? He takes them to the sanctuary, where He is ministering as priest; and although they are forgiven, the record of them must there remain until they are blotted out in the judgment.

Someone may say: I thought that when Christ forgave my sins, He took them clear away. Yes, He did, so far as you are concerned. He promises to make us as white as snow. But this does not mean that the sins are finally disposed of. He takes them from us, but the record is still there. We are free because we have accepted Him as our substitute and sin bearer, but the record of sin is held in the sanctuary. Someone else may say: But was not the death of Christ on the cross a complete atonement for sin?

We answer the question by asking another: In the earthly sanctuary, when the goat was brought and killed in the outer court by the altar, was the atonement completed by that act? No, the blood had to be taken into the sanctuary and brought into contact with the broken law and the sins of the people. There was a priestly work to be performed after the shedding of the blood.

So when Christ died on the cross He had fulfilled the type of the Lord's goat being slain, but the atonement could not be complete until the blood He had shed on the cross was offered before God and His broken law in the sanctuary. Therefore the death of Christ on the cross was not the completion of the atonement. It was a part of the work of atonement, but the priestly work was all to follow. The offering of the blood before the law and before the throne had not yet taken place. If the atonement was completed at the cross, then why did Jesus become a priest? What priestly work was there to do? There would be none.

The fact that Christ became a priest shows that there was a priestly service to be performed in the heavenly sanctuary in order to make the work of atonement effective and complete. It may be asked, Is it not possible that after Christ made the sacrifice He went back to heaven, and immediately performed His priestly work, including the cleansing of the sanctuary, and closed it all zip in just a little while? Possibly He might have thus dispensed with the sins of those who lived before the cross, but if Christ finished His priestly work immediately upon His ascension, then those born since are eternally lost, having no High Priest, no Advocate, no priestly service for sins. Christ could not go into heaven and offer His blood to the Father on my behalf, as my substitute, until I had decided that I wanted Him to act for me. His ministry in heaven does not avail for me until I accept Him as my sacrifice and priest. He died for me 1,900 years ago, but His death is not counted for me until I accept Him.

Therefore the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary could not be completed until the work of redemption is completed. The offering of the blood of Christ in heaven is a continual offering. He died only once, but every time a sinner comes to God through Him, He pleads His shed blood on his behalf, and in that moment the sacrifice of Christ becomes efficacious in that man's case.

Another may ask, Why could not Christ have immediately blotted out the sins of the people? Why wait until after 1844? We reply: There must come first an investigation of the records. That is essential.

Here is a man who has accepted Christ. His sins have gone on before him into the sanctuary, but Christ cannot blot those sins out of the record until the man's life is finished, or until probation closes for him. Why not? Because he may not continue in faith, and we are told in Ezekiel 33:12, 13, that if the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, all the righteousness that he has done shall not be remembered. If he does not continue in faith, all his past sins will come back upon him again. Jesus does not plead before the throne of God in the final judgment for one who has died in sin. He cannot plead His blood in behalf of one who, though once a Christian, refuses to continue in His grace. Thus before the Lord can blot out the sins from the record books, a very careful examination has to be made to see whether those who accepted Christ have remained true. Be thou faithful unto death, says the Scripture, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:10. It is not the beginning of the race that gives assurance of the crown of life; it is the successful finishing.

THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT

The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary necessarily is a work of judgment, just as was the cleansing of the earthly. When this work is completed, probation will close and Christ's priestly ministry on behalf of sinners will cease.

There are two phases to any work of judgment. One is the trying of the case, the searching of the records, the hearing of the witnesses, and the pronouncing of the sentence. The other is the work of executing that sentence after the case has been fully tried and the decision rendered. The first is the investigative judgment; the other, the executive judgment.

When God's judgment begins, it begins with those who have at some time in life accepted the plan of salvation, and have been numbered with the household of God. Their names have been written in the Lamb's book of life, and the judgment determines whether their names should be eternally retained there, or whether they should be blotted out from the book of life. Thus Peter declares: 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.

This phase of the judgment work-the investigation of the records of the righteous-is carried on while people still live on the earth, and while the call to repentance is still being sounded throughout the nations. Thus we read:

'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. Revelation 14:6, 7.

Here is a solemn announcement that is to be carried to all nations and kindreds and tongues, and the burden of the message is, The hour of His judgment is come. It is a warning direct from heaven that the judgment has begun, and that men should hasten to worship God and give glory to Him. Since it would begin first with those who lived in Adam's time, and who are now dead, there would yet be time for those still living upon the earth to make their peace with God, and hence the final appeal from heaven for men to prepare for that great and solemn hour when their own names would be called in review before God. This message, announcing that the hour of God's judgment is come, was due to go to the nations in A.D. 1844, for that is the time pointed out by the prophecy as the starting point of the judgment, and it was in the year 1844 that the pioneers of the people who are now called Seventh-day Adventists discovered this mighty truth and began to herald it to the world. They believe, therefore, that they are literally fulfilling this prophecy of Revelation 14:6, 7, and that they have as solemn a commission from God as did Jonah when he was sent to warn Nineveh of its impending destruction.

The opening of the judgment in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 is graphically described by the prophet Daniel. Said he: I beheld till thrones were placed, and One that was ancient of days did sit: His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool; His throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousands of thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Daniel 7:9, 10, A.R.V.

Thus we see that the judging is done from books of record, in which is recorded every secret thing, even to every idle word that men shall speak.

SO, then, there is a time of judgment. It corresponds to the Day of Atonement in the earthly sanctuary service. And in that day of judgment the record books in heaven are opened and searched. After this investigation sins are blotted out as Jesus pleads His spilled blood in behalf of sinners who trusted in Him for salvation, and who remained faithful to the end. In the cases of those who have proved unfaithful, the record of the sin remains against them.

During the judgment the names of those who were once Christians but who have given up their faith in Christ, are blotted out of the book of life. But the promise abides: He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. Revelation 3:5.

It is clearly stated in the Scripture that this blotting out of sins is to take place just before the return of Jesus. Thus Peter declares:

Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God bath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:19-21.

It is to be at the time of refreshing, which is the outpouring of the latter rain upon the remnant church. (See Acts 2:17; Joel. 2:28-32.) It will be just before Jesus comes. It will be just before the restitution of all things. Therefore it will be in the very last days of the world's history, and this blotting out of sins is the result of the investigative judgment, and constitutes a work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary, where the record of all the sins of God's people has been kept.

The mere fact that one at some time in life has become a Christian and has united with the church, is no guarantee of his final salvation. Said Jesus, He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:13. And again we read: Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:10.

The doctrine of once in grace, always in grace, will not do. There are thousands who start well, but who cast away their confidence (Hebrews 10:3), and who in the final judgment will be weighed and found wanting. This is clearly set forth in Ezekiel's prophecy, as follows:

When the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Therefore I will judge you, 0 house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Ezekiel 18:24. The idea of a final judgment of the righteous is also conveyed by other passages of Scripture. In the parable of the wicked servant, narrated in Matthew 18:23-35, the thought is conveyed that even though one is forgiven and accepted of God, if he goes out from the merciful presence of his Lord, and treats his fellow servant unmercifully and cruelly, he will at last find himself condemned without mercy. In the parable a servant who had just been forgiven a great debt by his lord, beat his fellow servant who owed him a small sum, and even cast him into prison. When his lord learned of this, he judged him worthy of the severest punishment, even though he had previously been forgiven all his debt; and so likewise, said Jesus, shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

When the work of the investigative judgment is completed, and Christ is about to return, to reward every man according as his work shall be, then the divine fiat will go forth from the throne, fixing the destiny of every soul: 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. Revelation 22:11.

At that solemn moment human probation will be closed forever. The righteous will be sealed for eternal life, and the unjust and filthy must remain so until they receive their just reward of eternal death.

THE LAW OF THE JUDGMENT

Every judiciary must have a code by which the cases brought before the court are tried. Without this, trial would be a farce, and the decisions rendered, a travesty on justice. God must of necessity, therefore, have a law by which He will test men's lives, a standard by, which they will be measured; and if  so, surely in this solemn hour, when court week has actually begun and cases are already being tried, it behooves every man to inquire seriously what that standard, or code, is, and to take the necessary steps to bring his life into harmony with it before his name is called.

We inquire, therefore, What is the standard of God's judgment? What is the code that will be used by the Ancient of days? And the reply comes from the Sacred Book, clear as a voice from heaven:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.

And again:

Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak you, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. James 2:10-12.

And the third time the answer is given:

Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14.

Could God have made it plainer or more easily understood? The standard of the judgment will be God's Ten Commandments that were spoken by His mighty voice from Sinai, of which, according to Christ's sermon on the mount, not one jot or tittle has passed away. (See Matthew 5:18.) This law has ten distinct and definite points. James declares that a man may keep the whole law except just one point, and still be pronounced guilty in the judgment. Do not allow yourself to be deceived, therefore, into believing that nine points of the law will suffice, and the Sabbath point can be dropped out as nonessential.

Mr. Canright's nine commandment law which he tries to discover in the New Testament, which has no Sabbath, will not do. It is one point short. And that one point is just what James warns us about. We may keep the nine points faithfully, but that will not suffice. Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:10. When our names are called before the tribunal of heaven, it will be a full, complete moral code, without the change of a jot or a tittle, by which we will be measured. If we are short on one point the sentence can be only, Weighed in the balance, and found wanting.

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he bath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10. He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, bath One that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. John 12:48.