24. What is the Significance of the 1844?

What is the significance of the 1844 - Day of Atonement in Understanding this doctrine? Part 2

When God Judges

The Temple: Type and Antitype

The Three Decrees: Type and Antitype

Prayer Thought: 

(Ephesians 2:19-22). A Type of God's Spiritual Temple.

The Jewish temple was built of hewn stones quarried out of the mountains; and every stone was fitted for its place in the temple, hewn, polished, and tested, before it was brought to Jerusalem. And when all were brought to the ground, the building went together without the sound of ax or hammer. 

This building represents God's spiritual temple, which is composed of material gathered out of every nation, and tongue, and people, of all grades, high and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned. These are not dead substances, to be fitted by hammer and chisel. They are living stones, quarried out from the world by the truth; and the great Master-Builder, the Lord of the temple, is now hewing and polishing them, and fitting them for their respective places in the spiritual temple. When completed, this temple will be perfect in all its parts, the admiration of angels and of men; for its Builder and Maker is God.  {2BC 1029.5}  

PURPOSE  - To trace the events prior to the rebuilding of the Second Temple (The Type), its significance to the last day people of God, as His Spiritual Temple (The Antitype)! 

INTRODUCTION:

This study reveals the different typologies and their anti-type regarding the first and second ancient temples and their events. For us to grasp the concept of this study, it is essential first to understand the chart. We will focus our concentration on the top half of the chart that deals with the temple types; there, we will find information about the two typical temples. The first picture on the top left represents Solomon's temple, and on the top right, the second temple that was built, or the rebuilding of the first after it was destroyed, after the seventy years of Israel's captivity. The information between the two temples is events that transpired between those two periods, they also serve as a type to those below.

Ephesian 2:19-22 - Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone];  

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.  

The second set of the information below the two temples reflects the anti-typical application of the top portion. 

For example, the anti-type of the first literal temple would represent the first section of the Christian church, and the second typical temple represents the second section. 

All the information on the top half of the chart will be explained in its chronological settings as displayed, starting from left to right. The bottom half of the chart is the continuation of the second temple, the study is on Zech. 4, and it is titled “God’s Mode Of Communication.

A Decree to Rebuilt the Literal Temple Up to the Message of Restoration of God’s People (His Spiritual Temple)

The Three Decrees: The Antitype - God’s Messages given to His People (The SDA Church)

The Three Decrees In Anti-Type

The type reveals three decrees by three different kingship for the rebuilding, restoration, and beautification of the literal temple. The first was by Cyrus to build the temple, but it was suppressed by the adversaries of God and brought to a stop. The second decree was renewed by Darius, and the third by Artaxerxes. 

The antitype should also reflect three messengers, each bearing a message (decree), that is essential for the rebuilding, restoration, and beautification of the spiritual temple.

William Miller, who brought the first and second angels message, cannot represent the first typical decree because the message of the 2300 day prophecy, the investigative judgment, the anti-typical cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the fall of Babylon, was never before taught or understood, they were new messages, they had nothing to do with the rebuilding or restoration of God’s spiritual temple (church), as was demonstrated by the type; therefore, there must be three other messages, other than the first two angel messages that is responsible for the rebuilding, restoration and beautification of the Gospel truth, messages of revival, reformation and reorganization. (See 1SM p127,128).

“...so Miller and his associates preached the message based on Daniel 8:14 and Revelation 14:7, and failed to see that there were still other messages brought to view in Revelation 14, which were also to be given before the advent of the Lord.” (GC p 353).

The First Decree In Anti-Type

Due to the fact that William Miller is disqualified as the first messenger in fulfillment of the antitype in bringing a message of the rebuilding / restoration of God’s spiritual temple, His church, the next person in line would therefore represent the third angel that came in Dec. of 1844, two months after the great disappointment when Ellen Harmon by name (E.G. White) received her first vision. (See EW p XV1).

 “The first and second messages [Revelation 14:6-8] were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third.” (CTr 338.4).

The message (decree) that was restored by the third angel was the Sabbath and the Sanctuary truth.These two truths (messages) were taken away by the Papacy in 508 AD, and were restored by the third angel, thus fulfilling the first typical decree. In addition, E.G. White also brought the message of the investigative judgment of the dead, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. E.G. White prophesied that the second angel's message would be repeated and be rejected. She identified this angel (messenger) as the fourth angel, thus introducing the coming of another messenger.

The Second Decree In Anti-Type

“Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation, in a message which is yet future, the people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon.” (GC p382. 1888 edition). “This scripture points forward to a time when the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as made by the second angel [Revelation 14:8] of Revelation 14, is to be repeated. (GC p603. 1888 edition).  

The Second Decree In Anti-Type

“The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many have lost sight of Jesus….This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world.” (TM pp. 91, 92).

The message of justification through faith was first preached by Habakkuk, then by Paul, Martin Luther, and again by Jones and Waggoner. Because this crucial salvific truth has also been lost sight of, God restored it in 1888. However, Satan realizing the validity of this truth, influenced the leadership to reject it. “In 1888 the general conference held at Minneapolis, the angel of Rev 18 came down to do his work, and was ridiculed, criticized, and rejected.” E.G. WHITE in “Taking up a reproach.” 

 “The true religion, the only religion of the Bible, that teaches forgiveness only through the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, that advocates righteousness by the faith of the Son of God, has been slighted, spoken against, ridiculed, and rejected.” (TM p 468).

“Says Elder Taylor G. Bunch in his booklet: ‘Just as Israel 'murmured in their tents' and criticized God's chosen leader who was endeavoring to lead them into the promised land, so modern Israel reenacted those scenes at Minneapolis in 1888....It must have been as terrible in the sight of the Lord as the rebellion at Kadesh-barnea, for it resulted in the same punishment, a turning back into the wilderness.’ (Forty Years in the Wilderness p. 15).

“Some have been cultivating hatred against the men whom God has commissioned to bear a special message to the world. They began this satanic work at Minneapolis. Afterward, when they saw and felt the demonstration of the Holy Spirit, testifying that the message was of God, they hated it the more, because it was a testimony against them.... Yet these men have been holding positions of trust, and have been molding the work after their own similitude, as far as they possibly could.” (TM p. 79, 80). “The whole of Revelation 18 will be fulfilled in the glorious closing of this work. It hasn’t yet been fulfilled, and the light of the FOURTH ANGEL’S message began to shine in that strange and impressive way at Minneopolis. The only reasonable conclusion is that the light was put out by human instrumentalities.” (E.G. WHITE, LETTER 106)

The Third Decree In Anti-Type

As the first and second decrees by the kings of Medo-Persia had failed to complete the construction of the temple and restore the sacred typical service, a third decree was enforced. The type reveals that the messages of 1844 and 1888 are followed by a third one. After the official announcement that the General Conference had rejected God's “most precious message,” the Lord sent another message, which was handed in writing to thirty members of the General Conference Committee while assembled at the 1930 San Francisco Conference session. It is interesting to note, E.G. White stated, if the church had accepted the Loud Cry message in 1888, we would been in the kingdom two years from that date (1890), instead, we will have to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Forty years from 1890, takes us to 1930. 

 In 1930 just such a message came again to the Seventh-day Adventist church; the loud cry message, and the investigative judgment of the living, and again it too was rejected, as predicted by E.G. White and A.T. Jones as the following references will prove. “In 1888 the general conference held at Minneapolis, the angel of Rev 18 came down to do his work, and was ridiculed, criticized, and rejected, and when the message he brings AGAIN will swell into a loud cry it will be ridiculed and spoken against and rejected by the majority.” E.G. WHITE in “Taking up a reproach.” “That [the 1888 experience] however, is but a sample. There will be things TO COME that will be more surprising than that was to those at Minneapolis, more surprising than anything we have yet seen.And brethren we will be required to receive and preach that truth. But unless you and I have every fiber of that spirit rooted out of our hearts we will treat that MESSAGE and the MESSENGER by whom it is sent, as God has declared we have treated this OTHER message.” (G.C.B, 1893 p 185) A.T. Jones.

“I have no specific time of which to speak when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will take place-- when the mighty angel will come down from heaven, and unite with the third angel in closing up the work for this world; my message is that our only safety is in being ready for the heavenly refreshing, having our lamps trimmed and burning.--The Review and Herald, March 29, 1892. (1SM p 192.1).

 “The prophecies in the eighteenth of Revelation will soon be fulfilled. During the proclamation of the third angel's message, ‘another angel’ is to ‘come down from heaven, having great power,’ and the earth is to be ‘lightened with his glory.’” (Mar. p 218). 

“We are to throw aside our narrow, selfish plans, remembering that we have a work of the largest magnitude and highest importance. In doing this work we are sounding the first, second, and third angel's messages, and are thus being prepared for the coming of that other angel from heaven who is to lighten the earth with his glory.” (4T p 406, 1900).

“The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth.” (RH Nov. 22, 1892). (1SM p 363).

Conclusion: The Time For Building The Second Anti-Typical Temple (Church)

As it was in the days of building the typical temple so it must be in the days of building the anti-typical, in our days. The Word of the Lord to all the people in Haggai's and Zechariah's day was that the builders should consider to their heart-breaking disappointment that the glory of the temple which they were building was in their eyes as nothing in comparison with the glory of Solomon's temple.

 “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Hag. 2:6-8).