By John Thiel, The Sanctuary Series, study 12, mp3

As we saw in our last study, the sanctuary message was the key that unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844.

The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people. {GC 423.1}

It brought to light present duty. It was a system of truth, connected and harmonious. We also read that as Jesus went into His high priestly ministration new duties would be revealed.

There was still a work of preparation to be accomplished for them. Light was to be given, directing their minds to the temple of God in heaven; and as they should by faith follow their High Priest in His ministration there, new duties would be revealed. Another message of warning and instruction was to be given to the church. {GC 424.4}

We concluded also that as we look at the presiding power of the sanctuary message, we would now venture into all those connected truths that were to be gained out of the sanctuary message, and what we especially want to do now is study these new duties that are highlighted here in this whole system of truth. We want to launch out into this system of truth in its duties upon us. In 1844 the High Priest moved into the most holy place. It was the Day of Atonement, a day of judgment. Our study is to investigate the investigative judgment in respect to what our duty is in such a time. First and foremost it is to appreciate our duty in this message. The investigative judgment brings this to our attention. As we proceed here we are looking directly at this duty. We want to explore the first and foremost duty on the day of investigative judgment, and here is the introduction to that duty:

Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

In the Hebrew sanctuary when the high priest went from the holy place into the most holy place he would pull aside the veil and walk in. Then what would happen? The veil would close again. The concept of a veil between the holy and most holy place helps us to understand to wording of Revelation 3:7. “I open and no man shuts, and I shut and no man opens.” Jesus walks through, opens up the veil, and then it closes behind Him. The work of the holy place is then complete. It is now the most holy place. He says, As I walks through I set before you an open door. As we contemplate the very messages that are connected with the sanctuary study, with the work of Jesus going into the most holy place, the open door that He sets before the people is the introduction and the work of these three angels that are telling the people how to move on from there, to go into the most holy place. Because the first angel’s message says, The hour of His judgment is come. I set before you an open door. I’m going into judgment. Follow me.

As He goes into the most holy place, and this is the point, there is a duty that lies upon God’s people. He says very plainly, I know your works, I who have opened and no man shuts, and shut and no man opens, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut that. When Jesus says to His people, I set before you an open door, what is the duty? Go through the door. That is the important issue of the duty. We now read the clarification of this duty. He says, I know your works, I know you have a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. This has something to do with God’s people who are to occupy themselves.

Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour’s mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. {GC 488.2}

What was that? I set before you an open door. I have given you a duty. What is the duty? To perfect holiness in the fear of God. We should permit nothing to interfere with us in this process to benefit from the Saviour’s mediation.

The precious hours, instead of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain seeking, should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the word of truth. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. {GC 488.2}

That is what the sanctuary study was about as I introduced it. Through the study of the sanctuary people could know and understand the position of God’s people. The duty that devolves upon people is to be occupied in the knowledge of what Jesus is doing in the most holy place. This statement is extremely important, it tells us so vividly that we must permit nothing to interfere with this all important work that is going on. It is the subject of the sanctuary and of the investigative judgment which must be clearly understood by us, we need a knowledge for ourselves of the position and work of the great High Priest. Because if we don’t have this knowledge it will be impossible for us to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs us to fill. This is a weighty quote and we must really permit to let it sink in. Something has been set before God’s people to engage in very earnestly.

We then move on to investigate further into this duty. As Jesus’ work in the most holy place needs to be understood, we have here something very fascinating to compare with. If we don’t know our duty and position now, have a look at those who should have known their position and their duty in the time when Christ came.

The condition of the unbelieving Jews illustrates the condition of the careless and unbelieving among professed Christians, who are willingly ignorant of the work of our merciful High Priest. {GC 430.3}

Were the Jews ignorant of Jesus’ work when He came to this earth? Willingly so. The condition of the unbelieving Jews is an illustration for us if we do the same thing with regards to Jesus now.

In the typical service, when the high priest entered the most holy place, all Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary and in the most solemn manner humble their souls before God, that they might receive the pardon of their sins and not be cut off from the congregation. How much more essential in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest and know what duties are required of us.  {GC 430.3}

There is that word again, duties, duties that we must know, as Jesus is there, duties that are illustrated by the Jews who did not know their duties when Jesus Christ came to spend time with them. We see it when you meditate about it, when they cried, Let his blood be on us and our children, we who are living in the period of the Day of Atonement, have an illustration plainly laid out before us according to what we just read from Sister White in Great Controversy, that the condition of the unbelieving Jews illustrates the condition of the careless and unbelieving among the professed Christians. It’s very fascinating that to the people living in this period, the experience of the holocaust of the Jews is laid out before their minds’ eye. “Let His blood be on us and our children.” How many were there? 6 million Jews slaughtered. Here it is. It is played out right in front of the people to wake them up who are Christians that they must be aware of what Jesus is doing now. It’s a fascinating lesson that the Lord is trying to teach His people. There are duties here:

How much more essential in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest and know what duties are required of us. {GC 430.3}

This is a life and death message for us like it was a life and death message for the Jews that they should receive Jesus. We are called upon to be in tune with Jesus and what He is doing. As we are so conscious that this has been going on for so long, we are to be in tune with His work that is about to close, let us explore the following quote and consider what it said before, that each one must have a knowledge for themselves, a personal consideration. Not as a whole, but every person individually must know what is their duty at this time. The personal implications of this message are contained in the following quote. It is mentioned that a book of remembrance is written before God, and all the different books are identified, and the records that are there in the heavenly sanctuary, then it says:

There is a record also of the sins of men. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” {GC 481.2}

Every man’s work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel. {GC 482.1}

As Jesus goes into the most holy place, there is an investigation in examining these books.

The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgment. {GC 482.2}

Those who in the judgment are “accounted worthy” will have a part in the resurrection of the just. {GC 482.3}

Jesus will appear as their advocate, to plead in their behalf before God.  {GC 482.4}

There is our High Priest, and there are the records with the terrible exactness of everything. Jesus is there:

“If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1. “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself,   {GC 482.4}

As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. {GC 483.1}

The whole believing multitude is being examined ever since 1844, and then He closes with the living. That is where we come into the picture now, because it is so close to being completed. The living are being examined? Very much so I believe.

Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life,  {GC 483.1}

This is why we need that personal knowledge of what Jesus is doing. All must have an understanding of this.

When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God’s remembrance. {GC 483.1}

Then comes a very important ingredient:

All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life.  {GC 483.2}

Here you can see our duty as we understand our position at this time. Because it says, not only are we to have our sins repented of, but it also says, as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God. Not only are we to repent but our characters are to be in harmony with the law of God. That is required so that our names will not be blotted out. The perfection of our character as Jesus is teaching us through justification and sanctification, this is the specific work that now needs to be enacted by the people who must know what Jesus is doing there. As the understanding of this occupies the mind,

The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts when the names entered in the book of life come up in review before the Judge of all the earth. The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in His blood be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home, and crowned as joint heirs with Himself to “the first dominion.” {GC 483.3}

Pondering upon that, we notice that the divine Intercessor presents a plea. He himself is personally pleading for our case. The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts. If anyone of us were being convicted for murder, though we know we have not murdered, but we have to go to court, and our family is anxious, Is this going to come out right? That is being suggested here, the interest manifested in earthly courts over issues, that’s only so faint in comparison to this one. Because here there is an intense desire that this is going to be an eternal outcome for good, not just for a temporary thing.

There is something to understand, the intense interest that we need to have in this subject. We should all know and permit nothing to interfere with this work. Now is the time, especially as we know the attention is turned away from the dead to the living. The question is, Has pardon been written against their names, and are their characters in harmony with the law? All the things that have been done need to have been confessed, and the character needs to be in harmony with the law of God. Not only is our eternal life at stake, but during this time the duty is to do something about our character.

Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.  {GC 482.1}

The books of heaven record the sins that would have been committed had there been opportunity.  {5BC 1085.4}

Not only the things that have been committed, but that would have been committed had there been opportunity.

God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing. By His law He measures the character of every man. As the artist transfers to the canvas the features of the face, so the features of each individual character are transferred to the books of heaven. God has a perfect photograph of every man’s character, and this photograph He compares with His law. (ST July 31, 1901). {5BC 1085.4}

That photograph that is conveyed here, a photograph of every man’s character, is spoken of here also:

All is recorded in heaven. Page after page the history of our life experience is written, with the motives that prompted us to action. All will appear as a real life-picture, {RH, January 13, 1891 par. 3}

We understand that today. The video streaming, the DVDs, and more up to date even the sending from computer to computer. From this computer (the brain) everything is recorded in the heavenly computer as pictures, so that even the things we would have done if we had opportunity, the motive behind the sins that we have committed, all is recorded there in living picture.

…showing how much of our life was given to pleasing self, how much to blessing others, how much to honouring God, how much to answering the purpose of God in our creation. {RH, January 13, 1891 par. 3}

These statements need to be prayerfully assessed and we need to be aware of what is going on.

The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts when the names entered in the book of life come up in review {GC 483.3}

As we look at this it comes up as a living picture. It comes up revealing my whole motive of life, everything.

How Anxious Are You?

How anxious are you to remove the record of the past, to have your wrong-doings blotted out? {RH, January 13, 1891 par. 11}

How anxious are you? Notice now how anxious God is. This is not just a tribunal of God coldly saying you are faulty, you are sinful, chop. This is what He is actually saying:

He reveals to man the defects that mar his life, and calls upon him to repent and turn from sin (ST July 31, 1901). {5BC 1085.4}

Are we anxious? God is anxious. As our names come up before him, He is desiring us to know what is going on. If we know our duty, if we can understand this message, if we will apply ourselves completely to it, then we will actually sense Him anxiously working with us as He is trying to show us our character so that we might repent and turn from these things. He is actually anxious about us, and so many people aren’t anxious as much as He is. How anxious are we? God is anxiously trying to help us if we will be in tune with that, He will actually show us the things and we can have them blotted out. Here is the consideration of the seriousness of the time we are in:

The grand judgment is taking place, and has been going on for some time. {7BC 972.1}

Sister White wrote that in 1888. Where are we today? It’s been going on for quite some time.

Now the Lord says, Measure the temple and the worshipers thereof. Remember when you are walking the streets about your business, God is measuring you; when you are attending your household duties, when you engage in conversation, God is measuring you. Remember that your words and actions are being daguerreotyped  {7BC 972.1}

That is another word in Sister White’s time that is equated with us today to the recording of the pictures live with a camera. “Daguerreotyped”

Remember that your words and actions are being daguerreotyped [photographed] in the books of heaven, as the face is reproduced by the artist on the polished plate. . . . {7BC 972.1}

Here is the work going on, measuring the temple and its worshipers to see who will stand in the last day. Those who stand fast shall have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When we are doing our work  {7BC 972.2}

Remember, as it was brought out, it is to preside. This message is to preside in every area of our life. Now here it comes out very vividly:

When we are doing our work remember there is One that is watching the spirit in which we are doing it. (MS 4, 1888). {7BC 972.2}

The work that we do, Jesus is watching. How am I doing it? Am I doing it joyfully, cheerfully to the glory of God? Or am I underneath going, If only I didn’t have to do this? He knows exactly what is going on. It is recorded in living picture.

Shall we not bring the Saviour into our everyday lives, into our secular work and domestic duties? Then in the name of God we want to leave behind everything that is not necessary, all gossiping or unprofitable visiting, and present ourselves as servants of the living God (MS 4, 1888). {7BC 972.2}

What a subject for us to contemplate. If we are truly occupied with this all-important message then there is a totally different life than what we do when we forget these things. Remember that this is going on. It has been going on in the past, and here we are, it’s going on right over our heads, and we are called upon to participate and to know the position and work of God’s people. The seriousness that we see here, that God is working for us and He is examining and measuring us in our daily activities, that calls for us to participate with Him. Not only is He doing His work but He wants us now to work together with Him. This participation with Him is portrayed in Leviticus in the typical from which we can learn.

The Typical Service on the Day of Atonement

The Hebrews are a typical picture for the people of God.

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

This is the typical service. This is exactly what we have been reading for the real service, our lives are to be cleansed from everything. God is calling upon the people to afflict their souls, Ye shall afflict your souls. This is their work as the priest is doing his work. As the Father in heaven is interacting with the priest, what is our work?

What Is Our Work?

What were they doing on that day in the typical service?

Every man was to afflict his soul while the work of atonement was going forward. All business was laid aside, and the whole congregation of Israel spent the day in solemn humiliation before God, with prayer, fasting, and deep searching of heart.  {PP 355.4}

Here was their participation. That was the typical. In the anti-typical, we need to know, exactly as they were told, what we must do to participate in this work. In Isaiah 22, you have it very vividly laid out as to the real work that is going on and what we must do to participate. We see the duty that devolves upon us in this message.

Isaiah 22:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him [as] a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

Does this ring a bell? This is the exact source of the statement of Revelation 3. In Revelation 3 is the transcript of this statement. Jesus identifies this statement as directly applicable as the work that He is doing in the most holy place, in reality. What was the duty of the people who are spoken to by Jesus here? The one that opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens?

Isaiah 22:12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. 14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Fasting

When God is doing this serious work on the Day of Atonement, Jesus is opening and shutting, and shutting and no man opening, He is going to the Father and presenting our cases before him, if we are not participating with Him, are we going to be saved? He wants us to participate with Him in doing exactly what the children of Israel did in the typical service to afflict their souls, and here is the description of the affliction of the soul. It says to take it so seriously as to what is going on. Of course it’s serious, my life is coming up before Him. All my motives, all my character defects, they’re all there. Is that something serious? It’s something to cause me to come before the Lord in deep repentance.

Anybody that was not repenting and was not participating in that, what were they doing? They were “eating flesh, and drinking wine,” “killing sheep” and oxen. There was the instruction that they were to be fasting, and they were eating flesh and drinking wine, because, Well we are going to die tomorrow so we may as well enjoy ourselves today. They are totally doing the same thing as the Israelites did in the time of Christ. This is a vivid description of the reality that God wants us to take so seriously so that we can be saved. The instruction that is given here is to fast. That is what they did. They fasted and afflicted their soul. The fast that is mentioned here is not to eat flesh and not to drink wine. We will go into more detail on that in our next study. But we just want to follow this through at the moment. This is our duty that we are to enter into, To fast. The true fasting in a time of long drawn out activity that is happening in heaven, we have a description of this fast that is to take place at the time of Jesus in the most holy place:

The true fasting which should be recommended to all, is abstinence from every stimulating kind of food, and the proper use of wholesome, simple food, which God has provided in abundance. Men need to think less about what they shall eat and drink, of temporal food, and much more in regard to the food from heaven, that will give tone and vitality to the whole religious experience. {CD 90.1}

What should we be occupied with? We should be occupied with the serious work that Jesus is doing by studying carefully His word and bringing tone and vitality to our religious experience. We should not be concentrating on enjoying certain foods, of which we were reading in Isaiah, those flesh eating foods, those wines, those kinds of things that are not necessary. “Abstinence from every stimulating kind of food, and the proper use of wholesome, simple food, which God has provided in abundance.”

We observe that the truth and the food are an interconnected subject. As we seek to understand this, we look into the sanctuary investigative judgement as a subject by which we can understand how our participation is involved here. We must identify this participation. We must identify the investigative judgment as a subject that opens before us a duty that is encumbering upon us in consequence of this work. The health reform, which has to do with self-denial, is what the sanctuary calls for us to enter into as an affliction of ourselves. That affliction is for our good.

The Third Angel

This is connected so vividly with Jesus’ high priestly work and the three angels’ message. When Jesus opened the door He laid before the people duties. How did He open it? Through the messages of the three angels.

The third angel closes his message thus: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” As he repeated these words, he pointed to the heavenly sanctuary. The minds of all who embrace this message are directed to the most holy place, where Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom mercy still lingers and for those who have ignorantly broken the law of God.  {EW 254.1}

The third angel is pointing the people to that work.

After Jesus opened the door of the most holy, the light of the Sabbath was seen, and the people of God were tested, as the children of Israel were tested anciently, to see if they would keep God’s law. I saw the third angel pointing upward, showing the disappointed ones the way to the holiest of the heavenly sanctuary. As they by faith enter the most holy, they find Jesus, and hope and joy spring up anew. I saw them looking back, reviewing the past, from the proclamation of the second advent of Jesus, down through their experience to the passing of the time in 1844. They see their disappointment explained, and joy and certainty again animate them. The third angel has lighted up the past, the present, and the future, and they know that God has indeed led them by His mysterious providence. {EW 254.2}

The third angel’s message together with the first and the second are the messages that direct the people to participate in this work of Jesus in the most holy place. We read something fascinating, as we have been reading that God is calling for a fast, the third angel is connected with that very message of the fast of the health reform. Many people do not always understand the health reform in connection with the third angel, they have a slightly off-track understanding here:

To make plain natural law, and urge the obedience of it, is the work that accompanies the third angel’s message to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.  {3T 161.2}

The third angel proclaims that message. Had men ever been obedient to the law of Ten Commandments, carrying out in their lives the principles of those precepts, the curse of disease now flooding the world would not be.  {3T 161.1}

The third angel upholds the law of God in the ark of the covenant, and he is also uplifting natural law, which is part of God’s laws.

And in love and pity to the race, He causes the light to shine upon health reform. He publishes His law and the penalty that will follow the transgression of it, that all may learn and be careful to live in harmony with natural law. He proclaims His law so distinctly and makes it so prominent that it is like a city set on a hill.  {3T 161.2} 

The third angel is giving the messages of the laws of God which include natural laws. That is the reason why in the Spirit of prophecy it says, The health reform is the right arm of the third angel’s message, because it is also interconnected. The day of fasting is used to achieve this understanding. I marvel at the way the Lord gets this across to people. He says, I want you to fast on that day. I want you to put away your flesh and stimulating foods, and I want you to pursue the eating of wholesome food so that you will be able to enjoy the health that you need. The mind and spiritual tone will be benefitted in this terrible time when you are to examine and purify your lives. You need to have clear thinking. He gives this health reform in this manner to help people. The seriousness of the time in which we live must be understood and clearly appreciated, and this is where the health reform comes in. But there is another item in the sanctuary that deals with health reform besides the fasting on the Day of Atonement.

The Manna

In the holiest I saw an ark; on the top and sides of it was purest gold. On each end of the ark was a lovely cherub, with its wings spread out over it. … Jesus stood by the ark, and as the saints’ prayers came up to Him, the incense in the censer would smoke, and He would offer up their prayers with the smoke of the incense to His Father. In the ark was the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of stone which folded together like a book. Jesus opened them, and I saw the Ten Commandments written on them with the finger of God.  {EW 32.3}

There is Jesus and in the ark you have the golden pot of manna, and that represents something.

The light that God has given and will continue to give on the food question is to be to His people today what the manna was to the children of Israel. The manna fell from heaven, and the people were told to gather it and prepare it to be eaten.  {MM 267.2}

Notice now:

So in the different countries of the world light will be given to the Lord’s people, and health foods suited to these countries will be prepared.  {MM 267.2}

That is the manna.

The members of every church are to cultivate the tact and ingenuity that God will give them. The Lord has skill and understanding for all who will use their ability in striving to learn how to combine the productions of the earth so as to make simple, easily prepared, healthful foods, which will take the place of flesh-meat, so that the people will have no excuse for eating flesh-meat.–MS. 78, 1902. {MM 267.3}

Intelligent Understanding

Think carefully about those statements. The people think they have to eat flesh meat, but God will give manna, which is an intelligent understanding to the minds of God’s people to so combine the foods, as it said, with the ability to combine the productions of the earth so as to make simple, easily prepared, healthful foods, so that the people who eat them and who have to put away flesh will not have an excuse. It must be so well done as to provide that. That is manna from heaven.

Over the fifty years that the truth was to be established, this subject of the health reform was establishing. It took fifty odd years. In 1858, October 21, a statement was made, in the very early years, when Brother Haskell raised the question of pork-eating, that it shouldn’t be eaten. Sr. White writes to him and says something very interesting, because at that time God’s people were not shown the purity of the health reform message, it was still only in the beginning. You can see here that the health reform was a subject that was being established among them. She says:

I saw that your views concerning swine’s flesh would prove no injury if you have them to yourselves; but in your judgment and opinion you have made this question a test, and your actions have plainly shown your faith in this matter. If God requires His people to abstain from swine’s flesh, He will convict them on the matter. He is just as willing to show His honest children their duty, as to show their duty to individuals upon whom He has not laid the burden of His work. If it is the duty of the church to abstain from swine’s flesh, God will discover it to more than two or three. He will teach His church their duty.  {1T 206.3}

This is a vivid description that the church was not yet ready to get onto the health reform. But as they proceeded from there, by 1902 not only was swine’s flesh a test of fellowship, but there is statement in Counsels on Diet and Foods which leaves you without the shadow of a doubt that the progression of the health message over those fifty years was taking place. In 1902 this statement was made:

Greater reforms should be seen among the people who claim to be looking for the soon appearing of Christ. Health reform is to do among our people a work which it has not yet done. There are those who ought to be awake to the danger of meat eating, who are still eating the flesh of animals, thus endangering the physical, mental, and spiritual health. Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat eating will go from God’s people to walk no more with them. {CD 382.1}

Swine’s flesh is out of the way, that’s already a test, but she says that if the people are going to continue on this half conversion on that, they will eventually be tested and will no longer walk with God’s people. Can you see the progressive message here? Later on came another message that people need to cook without milk and eggs. The progression takes place.

The strict health reformers are to be deeply conscious of the seriousness of the Day of Judgment. This is what the health reform is geared to make them aware of, because it says that they were to fast.

1. A strict health reformer is somebody who is conscious of Jesus the High Priest examining his life.
2. They remember the pot of manna which is a symbol of God providing the right kind of food to replace meat.
3. The third angel’s message upholds the law of God which includes the natural law.

These are the three reasons for being health reformers. Our study is concluded on that. In our next study we will enter the actual health subjects which must be enlarged, but here we see it in reference to the duty in the Day of Atonement. Then we will go from that into the health message in the sanctuary and explore it with more lighting.

May God bless us to understand the seriousness that is involved in this message of the health as a duty to the Day of Atonement.

Amen.