the word atonement may be the most important word in all of the Bible because it's real meaning is at one mint something has gone tragically wrong in this universe what was once in harmony and peace and unity has been split apart so completely that it seems totally impossible forever to be put together again but that is exactly what the word atonement means to put together what has been torn apart if free choice has always been and will always be the way God relates to his created beings then the atoning process has to be complicated and lengthy if it has any choice any chance of restoring the harmony that once existed if we do not know how this at one mint is being accomplished in the most holy place and what it will take to complete it then we will never understand why we as a church exist and what lies ahead in our future this could well be the most important Bible subject for us to understand as completely as humanly possible now if we have any hope of understanding how this drama will end we must understand how it all started and so we have to go back to the beginning the greatest trial in history was brewing we're going to go to the time when the most majestic created being that God had ever created was filing suit against his creator God and remember Lucifer was the five-star general of the heavenly hosts from early writings page 145 but when God said to his son let us create man in our image Satan was jealous of Jesus he wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man and because he was not he was filled with envy jealousy and hatred so this tearing a part of God's harmonious universe began believe it or not over God's plans to create you and me Lucifer his specific charge was that God did not include him in the planning committee and he deserved to be there apparently apparently the work that Christ and Lucifer did in heaven was so similar that Lucifer saw no real difference between himself and Christ he could just as well be there to curb this brewing palace coup the father called an assembly of all the heavenly hosts and he made it absolutely clear that his son had from all eternity been one with him in omnipresence in omniscience in power and authority apparently even in heaven angels did not completely understand the precise relationships between father son and holy spirit so that God decided to make this crystal clear at this time so there could be no questions at all up to this point Lucifer had been raising questions some legitimate questions but it was at this point that the rebellion began and the universe was being torn apart from story of redemption page 17 and 18 Satan unblushing Lea made known as dissatisfaction that Christ should be preferred before him he stood up proudly and urged that he should be equal with God and should be taken into conference with the father and understand his purposes God informed Satan that to his son alone he would reveal all the family in heaven he would reveal his secret purposes and he required all the family in heaven even Satan to yield him implicit unquestioned obedience then Satan exalted Lee pointed to his sympathizers comprising nearly one-half of all the Angels and exclaimed these are with me will you expel the also and make such a void in heaven now it is at this point where scripture enters the picture of what happened in heaven in the Book of Isaiah Isaiah chapter 14 verses 13 and 14 for thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne above the stars of God I will sit also upon the Mount of the congregation in the sides of the north I will ascend above the heights of the clouds I will be like the Most High now what happened next is extremely important to understand God's plan of at one mint early writings 146 after Satan and those who fell with him were shut out of heaven and he realized that he had forever lost all its purity and glory he repented and wished to be reinstated in heaven both he and his followers wept and implored to be taken back into the favor of God here we have repentance with weeping and tears and imploring surely that would be enough for God to bring them back in the story of redemption 25 to 27 Ellen White continues this tragic drama Satan trembled as he viewed his work where is he is it not all a horrible dream is he shut out of heaven the loss he had sustained of all the privileges of heaven seemed to be too much to be borne he wished to regain these please notice what he wanted to regain the privileges of heaven it's purity and glory continuing his mighty frame shook as with a tempest an angel from heaven was passing he called him and entreated an interview with Christ this was granted him he then related to the Son of God that he repented of his rebellion and wished again the favor of God he was willing to take the place God had previously assigned him Christ wept Christ wept at Satan's wall but told him as the mind of God that the seeds of rebellion were still within him the last part of story of redemption 25 to 27 when Satan became fully convinced that there was no possibility of his being reinstated in the favor of God he manifested his malice with increased hatred and fiery vehemence can we see why even angels had questions at this point of how God was handling this disruption they can't read minds any more than we can all they can hear are the words and the actions only Christ could see inside Lucifer's heart and know what was really there and please notice there is a huge huge difference between outward repentance even with tears and genuine heart repentance of surrender if God is to restore the atonement at one ment to the universe then he must set in motion a far-reaching plan to answer all Satan's legitimate claims against God's system I found this by Elder Yan Paulson past in General Conference president in God's final and ultimate answer to the sin problem there are issues to be taken into account that are wider and larger than my personal salvation for the larger picture namely for the eternal security of all creation God will have provided a far-reaching answer that deals with the roots as well as the consequences of rebellion so my friends there's something way more important than your salvation or mine going on right here even the salvation of all who will be saved for all eternity there is something more important than that and that is found in Romans chapter 3 and verse 4 that as it is written that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art judged patriarchs and prophets page 68 the plan of salvation had a yet broader and deeper purpose in the salvation of men it was not for this alone that Christ came to this earth it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe now one of Satan's charges was very legitimate and needs and demands even today a clear answer we find it in testimonies volume 5 474 the people of God have been in many respects very faulty Satan has an accurate knowledge of the sins which he has tempted them to commit and he presents these in the most exaggerated light declaring will God banish me and my angels from hid from his presence and yet reward those who have been guilty of the same sins thou canst not do this o Lord in justice thy throne will not stand in righteousness and judgment and from patriarchs and prophets and kings 588 he pronounces them just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor of God are these he says the people who are to take my place in heaven in other words justice demands that if I am excluded from heaven then all sinners must also be excluded but if you can forgive them for the very same things that I did then you have to take me back also a very legitimate charge against God's plan how can it be answered what is the solution if God is going to vindicate his plan of at1 meant he has to resolve this problem of justice vs. mercy we find in Psalm 50 Psalm 85 verse 10 mercy and truth are met together righteousness and peace have kissed each other and so God takes the initiative in this all-out war we find it in genesis 3:15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman in between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel this was the first promise of that one meant the very beginning of our scriptural record in Satan's attempts to dethrone God his own efforts would destroy him that's what this promise is saying God's counter-attack is seen most clearly in Philippians chapter 2 verses 6 to 8 who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross you see God's answer to Satan's charges would not be arbitrary force but humbling himself to take the same human form as those who have to live under Satan's rule constantly you and me to allow Satan to attack Jesus Christ his son in the same way he attacks all of us the supreme evidence of the difference between God's Way and Satan's way we find in John 12 31 and 32 now is the judgment of this world now shall the Prince of this world be cast out and I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me you see God's Way is not driving or forcing it is drawing God humbles himself to our level of functioning and thinking and allows Satan to do whatever he can to discredit God's Way full freedom Luke chapter 10 verse 18 and he said unto them I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven after living a life of total obedience to God in spite of Satan's all attempt to get Christ to rebel just once Satan then takes it upon himself to destroy the life of his creator and the universe watches it all Hebrews chapter 4 verses 15 and 16 for we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need you see Christ's life and death was simply unfolding the law of God as it really was not the way Satan had described it the law of self-sacrificing love Calvary was simply unfolding the law of God this unique statement selected messages volume 1 page 212 the law of Jehovah is the tree the gospel is the fragrant blossoms and fruit which it bears God's justice and his fairness are the basis of all he does and it's fruit is at one mint putting it together again God refutes Satan's lie that justice and mercy cannot coexist in harmony Christ showed that sinners could be safely taken to heaven not just by being forgiven but by developing characters that would reflect the character of God himself this is the sacrificial phase of the plan of atonement it is the heart of the entire plan of God to restore this universe to harmony once again do we fully understand how important this phase of the atonement really is from signs of the times December 30 1889 the death of Christ upon the cross made sure the destruction of him who has the power of death there will be no danger of another rebellion in the universe of God it is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan of Satan angelic perfection failed in heaven all who wish for security in earth or heaven must look to the Lamb of God the plan of salvation making manifest the Justice and love of God provides an eternal safeguard against defection in unfallen worlds oh we do not comprehend the value of the atonement if we did we would talk more about but now if God guaranteed the destruction of Satan and sin by the sacrifice of Christ why didn't he just end the whole process right then why didn't the end the agony of sin on this planet why did he allow it to go on for 2,000 more years of Satan's rule from desire of Ages page 761 yet Satan was not then destroyed the angels did not even then understand all that was involved in the great controversy the principles at stake were to be more fully revealed and for the sake of man satan's existence must be continued man as well as angels must see the contrast between the prince of light and the Prince of Darkness he must choose whom he will serve if there's one thing we need to continually remind ourselves of God's Way is never happ hazzard he does not do things by chance he's never caught by surprise if there has been a 2000 years delay there must be a very good reason for it not just watching a clock it has to be part of his plan to restore this universe then make sure that sin will never raise its ugly head again for all eternity you see at the cross not all of Satan's lawyer-like charges were fully refuted not everything had been answered the Angels had some questions that they were unclear about human being certainly did not understand clearly the difference between Christ's mercy and Satan's ways more evidence more evidence had to be put in place so we come to the next step in the atonement plan and we go to Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14 seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession hebrews chapter 6 verse 20 whither the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek hebrews chapter 8 verse 6 but now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant which was established upon better promises hebrews chapter 7 verse 25 wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto god by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for him and so jesus begins the next step in the atonement plan as our high priest he is now able to legally forgive the sins of the people that want to have another chance and he can respond to their requests and give them that second chance he is applying the benefits of his atoning sacrifice on Calvary but there is still one nagging charge of Satan against God's atonement plan a charge which rears its ugly head in each new generation born on planet Earth selected messages volume 3 page 136 Satan the fallen angel had declared that no man could keep the law of God after the disobedience of Adam he claimed the whole race under his control some signs of the times January 16 1896 Satan declared that it was impossible for the sons and daughters of Adam to keep the law of God and thus charged upon God a lack of wisdom and love if they could not keep the law then there was fault with a lawgiver please notice Satan's charge was clearly levelled not just against Adam and Eve in a perfect garden but against you and me in a sin cursed world from review and Herald March 9 1905 he came to this world to prove to the universe that in this world of sin human beings can live lives that God will approve Satan declared that human beings could not live without sin do you see the charge and the response note against Satan's charge relates to human beings like you and me living in a world of sin part of Christ's mission consisted in quote revealing to the heavenly universe to Satan and to all the Fallen sons and daughters of Adam that through His grace humanity can keep the law of God my life today page 323 you see Satan's charge goes like this yes Christ was totally obedient and a few rare human beings may be like Enoch but what about the 99.99 percent of those who have been forgiven are they really obedient they don't obey a hundred percent of the time because they have fallen natures and they can't help but sin at least sometimes my influence over them Satan says is greater than your grace and your power over them all you can do is keep on forgiving their continued sinning that's all you can provide no matter what you do Jeremiah 50 verse 20 will never be fulfilled it just is impossible in those days and at that time set the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found neither will Ezekiel 36 verses 27 and 23 be fulfilled and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall ye shall keep my judgments and do them and I will sanctify another word for that the treasure can be translated vindicated and I will sanctify my great name which was profaned among the heathen which he have profaned in the midst of them and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord saith the Lord God when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes Satan says as long as forgiveness is all your atonement plan can offer my charge stands and you will never be fully vindicated because your grace is insufficient to protect your people from my power over them just show me any generation any generation that have accepted your forgiving Grace and are covered with your robe of righteousness who have stopped yielding to my temptations where are any people that are keeping your law 100% of the time you just keep covering up their sins under the cloak of mercy and forgiveness you haven't defeated me yet that's what Satan says the reality is that God has put himself at great risk by forgiving sinners because when we do the same things over and over again and God has to forgive us countless times it looks very much like obedience to God's laws not possible the evidence is in the we can decide God's law is too hard for fallen human beings to obey but if it can ever ever be demonstrated not just by angels in a perfect environment not just by Enoch or Jesus or John or Paul but by a host of garden-variety sinners who must live in Satan's world harassed constantly by a fallen nature and a lifetime of sinful habits that if it can be shown that forgiving grace leads directly to enabling grace then God will have proved Satan wrong but only then God's plan of salvation really works in other words it really works the only way it can be clearly seen where they went that God's enabling grace has been has taken total control of human beings who have surrendered their lives to him is by setting aside a period of time after the close of human probation in which the rules change no longer will forgiving grace be available the whole universe will watch while our heavenly priest steps out of his role as forgiver then they will see what will happen when only enabling grace is available to God's chosen people today we're still living in the time when forgiving grace and enabling grace work together with some successes and some failures but this epoch must come to an end a demonstration must be made and that is what the final aspect of the atonement is all about Satan's most powerful attacks must be matched up against God's enabling grace at a time when forgiveness is not an option does the gospel really were is God's grace really more powerful than Satan's deceptions will the future be safe from another rebellion the matter of greatest importance in the world my friends is not the salvation of mankind of each one of us as important as that may seem the most important thing is the clearing of God's name from the false accusations made by Satan the final atonement is Christ ministering his blood no longer in forgiveness but in enabling power power for victory over sin and it will be seen in our lives now all of this is foreshadowed by something that was very early in human history and that is the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament Leviticus chapter 16 verse 34 on that day shall the priests make an atonement for you to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord do we understand the full meaning of this day it is called notice making an atonement as important as the atonement that was done at the cross you see there had been sacrifices of atonement all year long people bringing their animals and asking forgiveness for their sins but this is something different this is a cleansing atonement with the end result being clean from all your sins before the Lord what does the Old Testament day teach us about our lives today testimonies volume 5 5:20 we are in the great day of atonement and the sacred work of Christ for the people of God that is going on at the present time in the heavenly sanctuary should be our constant study how are we doing on that our constant study God virtually says to Satan I will produce these people through my grace in the most degenerate age of Earth's history I will separate them from sin completely they will reflect the image of Jesus fully I will step out of my sanctuary and they will live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor to forgive their sins such a people will be developed that will be the wonder of the entire universe through them Satan will be forever defeated and every question that could ever be raised against the law of God and the power of God's grace will be destroyed it will be answered in that special group of people which the Bible calls the 144,000 Leviticus chapter 16 verses 20 and 21 and when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar he shall bring the live goat and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins putting them upon the head of the goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness you see after after cleansing and completing this work on the Day of Atonement the high priest goes into the sanctuary he takes up the sins he puts them upon the head of the scapegoat and then and then a fit man someone who is able someone who is prepared will lead that scapegoat out into the wilderness is very doubtful that this fit man represents Christ Christ is the high priest Christ is the sacrifice the live goat represents Christ that is sacrificed the high priest has completed his cleansing and now after that a fit man is chosen out of the congregation to do one thing to remove the scapegoat forever from the camp of Israel and all its sins that it bears this is now has nothing to do with atoning forgiveness or grace this is a job that has to be done I believe it's much more plausible that this fit man represents the 144,000 Ellen White records something about this dramatic scene in the year 1852 is found in the Spalding Spalding Magan collection page two I saw that Jesus worked in the sanctuary will soon be finished and after his work there is finished he will come to the door of the first apartment and confess the sins of Israel upon the head of the scapegoat then while the plagues are falling the scapegoat is being led away he makes a mighty struggle to escape but he is held fast by the hand that leads him if he should affect his escape Israel would lose their lives I saw that it would take time to lead away the scapegoat into the land of forgetfulness after the sins were put on his head this struggled to escape his Satan's last attempt last chance to prove that God's plan doesn't work if he can get God sealed people to sin after Christ has completed his forgiving work after his ended then Israel would lose their lives and remember Israel represents God's faithful people who are now called 144,000 notice it takes some time for God to prove his case after the scapegoat is led away to prove God's case after the close of probation the purpose of the period after the close of probation is to give enough time for that final demonstration about who is telling the truth God claims that his grace and power will enable a whole generation alive upon the earth at the same to live without sinning when Satan brings his greatest deceptions against that very group of people and persecution as well Satan claims that God cannot keep all this group from sin that's too hard for even God they will yield just once one or two of them to my deceptions who's telling the truth I think the universe needs to know who's telling the truth here about God's power and Satan's deceptions here is a people Satan has full charge of all the world and all the legions of evil all of them come against a whole whole Vanguard comes against this People of God at the end of time but he is held fast that's what the promise says if Satan could lead one of the hundred forty-four thousand into sin just wants to defy God's Way to go back into sin again he would triumph he would prove that God has lied here is a people for the first time in human history who have lived upon who this earth who have had all their sins blotted out for all eternity and they have been sealed God can say in the face of the whole universe here is a people that have been completely separated from sin and he says I promise they will not go back into sin again I promise it's a desperate struggle between Jesus and Satan on earth it was a struggle between Jesus and Satan in person but now during the time of the plagues it is again a struggle between Jesus and Satan but this time Jesus fully lived out in the experience of the 144,000 by the very fact that they do not fall into sin Satan is defeated his cause is lost and the universe is secure throughout the Bible God makes it very clear that guarding the name of God is the most important thing in all this earth's history and that is exactly what John is telling us in Revelation chapter 7 Jesus will not return it says until God as a people who make guarding the name of God the most important thing in the universe Revelation chapter 7 verses 1 to 3 and after these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding the winds of the earth that went no wind to might blow on earth or sea or against any tree and I saw another angel ascending from the east having the seal of the Living God and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads why is God holding back the winds of destruction why God's people are not ready hold back the east wind of human madness why God's people have not caught on yet as to the purpose of the gospel hold back the west wind of satanic fury until God's people are ready to carry out their last assignment hold the winds until God's people are ready to be sealed down here in the days of the held winds that's our time right now God is telling the universe when he writes his name in the foreheads of his faithful listened to them he is saying you can trust what they say the quality goes in before my name goes on now what is this seal that makes Satan so desperately angry last day events 2:19 just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads it is not any seal or mark that can be seen but a settling into the truth both intellectually and spiritually so they cannot be moved just as soon as God's people are sealed and ready for the shaking it will come one last point hebrews chapter 11 verse 40 in speaking of all the worthies that have passed on and are in their graves today it says God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect this is a chapter listing the heroes of faith through all of Earth's history and it says they will not receive immortality until something dramatic happens in the generation that is alive at the second coming of Jesus Christ in other words there can be no resurrection of the righteous dead until there is a demonstration through the hundred and forty-four thousand not until that is done can the work be finished and that work my friends is to finish with sin in our lives during the last thirty years we have heard much about Christ's work in the holy place and the most holy place since 1844 we have reviewed the prophetic evidence upon which our doctrine was based and we have found it to be sound but there has been a deafening silence about the cleansing work in our hearts that is corresponding to the cleansing work in the heavenly sanctuary the heavenly sanctuary cannot be cleansed from sin until our hearts are cleansed from sin the great cleansing in God's heavenly sanctuary cannot be completed until the work of final atonement is completed in your heart and my heart it is only when the final atonement shows that God can stop the flow of sins from our hearts that God can justly remove our record of sins from the heavenly sanctuary the blotting out of sins in my life will be followed by the blotting out of sins in the heavenly sanctuary only in that way can Satan charges be effectively dismissed Ellen White puts its very succinctly in Maranatha 249 there must be a purifying of the soul here upon the earth in harmony with Christ cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven and so this is our time this is the time for us to make sure that sin is being cleansed from our lives because our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary is still forgiving sins and he is cleansing hearts and this is our time to not throw that opportunity away to show how God's government really works that he is truly vindicated the day of atonement and the final atonement that we are living in is the reason for our existence as seventh-day adventists God's name is in jeopardy until he can demonstrate that his grace will produce a people who will love him completely all of the time they just love him because he first loved them and they will prove once and for all that love always produces obedience and for once this love and obedience will be continuous together Satan is fighting very hard to remove this concept from the minds of every seventh-day adventists today because if he can destroy this concept from our minds this understanding of what has to happen before the great controversy can come to an end he can nullify God's calling of this people 150 years ago and he can delay the coming of Christ much longer he's working very hard at this right now will you defy Satan my friends will you make the final atonement the focus of your study and of your daily living the core of everything you do from now until that glorious day when Jesus comes back I'm going to conclude this study with the thoughts of one whom God called to help him complete this work 120 years ago his name was 80 Jones the finishing of the mystery of God is the ending of the work of the gospel the taking away of all vestige of sin and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness everlasting righteousness Christ fully formed within each believer God alone manifest in the flesh of each believer in Christ only in this way can genesis 3:15 be completely fulfilled the chosen seed will bruise the Serpent's head completely the plan of atonement will be completed God's people will be completely at one with him for the rest of eternity you see every phase of the atonement process is vital from the sacrifice of the first lamb in the garden the resurrected life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the development of the fit man during the close of human probation and I just have one thing to ask Oh Lord Jesus may it be soon you
