How to live in the time of the Judgement.

Hartland Summer Campmeeting 2017: Abiding in Christ

<p>How to live in the time of the Judgement.</p>

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Hartland Institute of Health and Education

Stephen Bohr

Living in the Day of Atonement

Father in Heaven, what a privilege it is to call you Father.

We can come to you every moment when we want to, when we need you, when we just want to have someone to embrace us and to tell us how much He loves us.

Father, we thank you for the privilege of being here at Camp Meeting.

It's been such a blessing already and we know that today, a high Sabbath is going to be a special blessing.

We ask Father that as we study your word that your Holy Spirit will be with us, that you will open our minds that we might be able to understand, you might open our hearts that we might receive, that you might empower us to live the life that you would have us live in this final stage of Earth's history.

We believe we're living in the last days.

Thank you Lord for being with us and for answering our prayer.

For we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

I want to begin by reading a passage that we find in the book of Hebrews chapter 8 and verses 1 through 5, Hebrews chapter 8 verses 1 through 5.

Here a comparison is being made between the sanctuary and its services on earth and the sanctuary and its services in heaven, and it reads in the following way Hebrews 8 1 through 5.

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying.

We have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man.

For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices.

Therefore it is necessary that this 1 also have something to offer.

For if he were on earth he would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law.

Who serve, now here comes the key part verse 5.

Who serve, that is the earthly sanctuary and its services, serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle.

For He said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

Now you'll notice in this passage very clearly that the earthly sanctuary and its services were a shadow of the heavenly sanctuary and its services.

In other words the earthly priesthood was a symbol of the priesthood of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.

Now this morning we're going to talk about the Day of Atonement.

Sometimes I believe that we focus so much on what Jesus does in the heavenly sanctuary during the Day of Atonement that we don't focus on what the people are supposed to do while Jesus is ministering in the heavenly sanctuary.

You see when we study the day of atonement not only do you have what the priests did in the sanctuary on the day of atonement, but you also have very clear prescriptions about what the people were supposed to do on the day of atonement.

So we can't say that the sanctuary on earth and its services on earth are a symbol of what Jesus does in the heavenly sanctuary on the day of atonement, and not say that what the people did on earth needs to be done by the people as well while Jesus is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary.

And so we need to focus not only on what Jesus does up there, we need to focus on what His people should be doing down here.

So let's take a look at what the people did on the day of atonement here on earth which becomes a symbol or an illustration of what we should be doing during the Day of Atonement.

First of all, we all know that the Day of Atonement was announced by the sound of trumpets.

And of course, we know that the feast of trumpets was fulfilled as a result of the Millerite movement.

In other words for several years before October 20 to 1844 the Millerites as well as others preached about the upcoming day of atonement, that people needed to get ready for the day of atonement.

Now at the end of the Christian dispensation right before the close of probation we know that there is going to be once again the attention of people attracted to the heavenly sanctuary.

In Revelation Chapter 18 verses 1 through 5 we have the loud cry.

The loud cry is the call of God for people to come out of Babylon.

In other words this will be the earthly announcement that the judgment of the living is about to begin.

It's kind of like a feast of trumpets announcing that the day of atonement is about to come to an end, that the judgment of the living is about to begin.

It's kind of like a feast of trumpets announcing that the day of atonement is about to come to an end, that the judgment of the living is going to take place and that people need to get ready to meet their God.

When the day of atonement ends, you're going to have only 2 groups, you're going to have those who remain in Babylon and those who come out of Babylon and belong to God's people.

So you have first of all the Feast of Trumpets which announces the beginning of the judgment of the dead in 1844 and at the very end of the Christian dispensation the announcement that the judgment of the living is going to take place.

Now another thing that happened on the day of atonement was that everyone was commanded to assemble around the sanctuary.

In other words you can read this I'm only going to mention the verses Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 21, 24, and 27 3 times in this passage it says that people were required to gather around the sanctuary, and the main reason was because their mind had to be focused on what the high priest was doing inside the sanctuary.

And so today our minds should also be in heaven following what Jesus is doing in the heavenly day of atonement.

In other words we are to assemble around the sanctuary as well, we don't do it physically because the sanctuary in heaven has taken the place of the sanctuary on earth, but we can follow in our minds what Jesus is doing in the heavenly sanctuary.

The second thing that I want to mention is that while the sanctuary was being cleansed on the earth people were supposed to be afflicting their souls.

This is mentioned several times in Leviticus 16 as well as Leviticus 23.

Leviticus 16 29 and 30 as well as Leviticus 23 and verse 27 clearly tells us that on the day of atonement people not only were to gather around the sanctuary but they were to afflict their souls, they were to search out sin in their lives to make sure that their lives were in harmony with the will of God.

You see what we need to do today as we behold Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary is also to afflict our souls.

As we come closer to Jesus we see His absolute perfection, His absolute beauty, His absolute sinlessness, and we feel our sin, our terrible condition, we say Jesus I'm a wretch, I'm a sinner, please cleanse me from sin.

In other words we are supposed to be afflicting our souls just like Israel afflicted their souls on the day of atonement in relation to the earthly sanctuary.

Another thing which people did on the day of atonement was to fast, and perhaps we have not fully understood what fasting means.

We can't fast from 1844 on because everybody would be dead.

So what does this mean fasting on the day of atonement for us?

Well perhaps we need to understand what true fasting is.

In the book Medical Ministry page 283 Ellen White wrote what true fasting is.

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.

What do you think about that definition of fasting?

Fasting once again is abstinence from every stimulating kind of food and the proper use of wholesome simple food which God has provided in abundance, and the purpose is so that we have a clear mind on the day of atonement to be able to follow what Jesus is doing in the heavenly sanctuary.

The purpose of health reform is not to prevent us from getting cancer, although that's a fringe benefit I might say.

The purpose is to have a healthy body and a clear mind in a healthy body that can grasp the will of God on the day of atonement.

Now fasting is also defined in another way in the Bible, a very unusual way I might say.

Isaiah 58 verses 6 and 7, we're talking about the true fast.

What it means to fast on the day of atonement it doesn't mean that you quit eating for 24 hours.

Isaiah 58 verses 6 and 7 God is speaking and he says, Is not this the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out, when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh.

It says here that practical godliness, helping the needy, is the true fast that God expects His people to practice on the day of atonement.

And so we must fast on the day of atonement as Jesus is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary, but it means being careful with our health principles and it means sharing what we have with individuals who are less fortunate than us.

Another thing which the people did on the Day of Atonement was to abstain from work.

People did not work on the Day of Atonement.

You say, well that's good news we don't have to work from 1844 on.

There's some people that might think that's a good thing, but of course it doesn't mean that we're not supposed to work during the day of atonement as Jesus is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary.

The reason why people were told not to work is because their minds had to be focused on what the high priest was doing in the sanctuary.

Anything that distracts our minds today, we might have some kind of work that distracts our minds from what Jesus is doing in the heavenly sanctuary, if that's the case we need to set that aside so that we can concentrate on the cleansing of the sanctuary that Jesus is performing in heaven.

Basically on the day of atonement as the high priest was cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the sins of the people, the people on earth were supposed to be cleansing sin from their lives, because the high priest would not cleanse anything from the heavenly sanctuary that was not cleansed from the soul temple.

So let's review what happened on the day of atonement.

It was announced by the sound of trumpets.

People were commanded to assemble around the sanctuary, they had to have a single focus to what was happening in the sanctuary.

They had to afflict their souls, search out sin, and through the grace and power of God overcome sin.

They were to fast, and fasting is practicing health reform, to have a clear mind on the day of atonement.

It also means sharing what you have with those who are needy.

They were to abstain from work, which means that anything that distracted them, any kind of work that distracted them from having a focus on the sanctuary was to be laid aside.

And as the high priest was cleansing the sanctuary from the sins of the people, the people were to be cleansing the sanctuary of the soul in a parallel fashion.

The Bible tells us what would happen if people did not sympathize with the high priest on the day of atonement.

In fact 2 expressions are used, 1 this is Leviticus 23 28 to 30 we're told that whoever did not sympathize would be cut off from among God's people.

Basically what that means is the individual would be erased from the book of life as it applies today, because those who are in the book of life are God's people.

And even a stronger term is used, it is said that whoever did not sympathize with the high priest on the day of atonement not only would be cut off from among the people but would be destroyed from among the people.

A very serious thing what needed to transpire among the people on the day of atonement.

Now the New Testament makes it very clear that God expects His people to gain the victory over sin before the second coming of Jesus Christ, actually before the close of probation.

The spirit of prophecy is very clear on that point as well.

Let me read some statements from the New Testament and then we will read also a couple of statements from the spirit of prophecy.

Hebrews 12 Verses 14 through 16 and then we'll read verses 28 and 29 is referring to the second coming of Jesus and the type of people that will be prepared for the second coming.

It says there here the Apostle Paul, pursue peace with all people and what?

Holiness, without which no 1 will see the Lord.

Holiness without which no 1 will see the Lord.

And then God uses an example to illustrate this point.

Looking carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many may become defiled.

Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for 1 morsel of food sold his birthright.

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Living in the Day of Atonement

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