XXXI - 6 (98)
““Watchman,
what of the night?”
"The hour has come, the hour is
striking and striking at you,
the hour and the end!" Eze. 7:6 (Moffatt)
THE ATONEMENT
(Part II)
Page 2
An Alonzo T. Jones
Letter
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Editor's Preface
With this issue of WWN we conclude
the series on the Eternal Verities. The discussion of the Atonement centers on
the unique perception in Adventism of the significance of the typical Day of
Atonement as assigned by God in the Hebrew sacrificial system. The reason why
the pioneers of Adventism believed that the atonement on the tenth day of the
seventh month was the only atonement, and that no
atonement was involved with
We had intended to continue our
discussion of the break-a-way churches of a liberal hue from the main
Seventh-day Adventist body, as well as begin a discussion of further
developments in the dialogue involving Evangelicals and Roman Catholics.
Hopefully with the next issue we can realize our intentions. During this past
week, as our Librarian was cataloging various manuscripts and letters from an
acquisition we had received previously, she discovered a letter written by
Alonzo T. Jones which we have reproduced in its entirety in this issue.
Inasmuch as the letter gives Jones' perception of events both prior to and
following 1888, extending to the crisis involving Kellogg, any abridgment of
the letter was out of the question. It was the whole letter or none at all.
Jones was not hesitant to name names, and this is what gives this letter its
importance. The two personal testimonies which he describes as to how both he
and E. J. Waggoner thought and how they arrived at their positions
independently of the other, gives pause for thought and evaluation of the
message they brought as "messengers of the Lord."
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THE ATONEMENT 2
The concept of a final atonement is
based in the typology of the sanctuary services associated with the tenth day
of the seventh month - Yom Kippur. In the Old Testament this day is noted as
the Day of Atonements, plural. Leviticus
The Septuagint in translating
Leviticus 23:27 uses the singular, exilasomoV, for
the Hebrew plural, which adds support to the position that the majestic plural
was used to designate the typical Day of Atonement. This being the case, then
the atonement of the tenth day of the seventh month was considered of greater
significance than the atonement ministered by the common priests in the daily
sin ofterings brought to the sanctuary.
This background also helps one to
understand why our pioneers in their writings placed the emphasis as they did
on the antitypical Day of Atonement, even denying that an
atonement was ever made on
Traditionally, we have perceived
that the High Priest went only once into the
Traditionally, we have pictured the
ministry of Jesus in the
Traditionally, we have literalized
the offering of the bullock as an atonement made by the High Priest for his
immediate family, failing to consider that the High Priest typified the coming
great High Priest in all aspects of the services on the typical day. In
fact, the introduction in the book of Hebrews to the sanctuary typology is
based on this concept of the house of Moses, of which Aaron was High Priest,
and the house of Christ, of which He Himself is the High Priest. (See Heb.
3:1-6) The contrast of the two houses is prefaced with the admonition -
"Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ
Jesus" (v.1). As the bullock was provided by the High Priest, so Christ
offered Himself, as well as being the "Lord's goat" taken from the
congregation (Deut, 18:15, 18), as the offering of God. For the bullock no
confession was made, and its blood was taken first
into the most holy place following the pouring of the incense upon the coals of
fire. While in the Old Testament, the ministry of the sanctuary was limited to
the tribe of Levi, and the priesthood to the house of Aaron, the New Testament
pictures the ones who believe in Jesus "as lively stones" "being
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood" even "a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people" (I Peter 2:5, 9). In its
entirety, the new
Traditionally, we have limited the
ministry of Jesus as High Priest on the antitypical Day of Atonement and
restricted it to the
In the outline of the typical
service of the Day of Atonement, it is stated that the atonement was necessary
for two reasons: 1) "the
uncleanness of the children of
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bullock and the blood of the Lord's goat
were mingled (v. 18). This gives some suggestion of how Heaven views the final
atonement, and the magnitude of what God purposes to accomplish through the
"Surety" of the better covenant.
How can this be related to the
prophetic picture of Daniel 7? First, one must recognize a basic premise. Sin
began with a covering cherub in the very presence of God (Eze. 28:14-15). The
first point of reference for the final eradication of sin must be where sin
began and the issue involved which sparked the rebellion. At this point, the
statements of Scripture and the revelation found in the Writings must be
combined. Man, created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), was to be only "a
little while inferior to the angels" (Heb. 2:7, margin).
[The Greek of this
verse is
bracu
ti. Thayer observes that here Paul
"transfers to time what the LXX in Ps. 8:6 says of rank" (p.105.) In
the context of this verse, the same wording is used of Jesus (2:9). In His
condescension, time not rank was the factor. (See Heb. 1:4; Phil. 2:9)]
From the Writings we learn that
"human beings were a new and distinct order" (Review & Herald,
It is with the angelic host that the
scene of judgment in Daniel 7 begins. All are assembled. God who changes not
desires that His original plan be activated. Will the angels of heaven accept
the exaltation of the redeemed? The picture is far different now than when first
suggested. The books are opened, and there is recorded the dark history of
man's continual transgression and uncleanness. Will the angels consent that
these who have sinned be placed above themselves who have never sinned? What
plea can God make? Here the significance of the service of the Day of Atonement
enters. First, Jesus who gave Himself, typified as the high priest who provided
his own bullock, asks, "Did I give enough?" Across the minds of the
angelic hosts races the recall of the agonies of
Three angels go forth with the final
call of the Everlasting Gospel, announcing first the setting in which it is
being given - "The hour of the judgment of Him is come" (Lit.).
Worship Him; "Be ye reconciled to God." Cease in rebellion; keep His
commandments. The man "clothed in linen" completes His work, and
returns to the Throne, declaring, "I have done as thou has commanded
me" (Eze.
While the "house" is not
limited to the last generation, but includes all who have availed themselves of
"the redemption in Christ Jesus" (Rom.
This then raises the question of
when the commission of sin ceases. Those who go to the grave can by faith in
the Surety, who is still interceding in the sanctuary above, claim the promise
of victory (I Cor.
[The book of Revelation is clear
that there is a period of time between the cessation of the priestly ministry
of Jesus Christ, and His coming as King of kings and Lord of lords. (15:8,
Seeking the answer to this question
has been the basis of various aberrant movements within Adventism as well as
divisions of thought resulting from the introduction of what is called
"the new theology." One movement at the turn of the last century
received encouragement from the preaching of A. F. Ballenger at the
campmeetings of 1898.
He said - "You and I can afford
to resist unto blood, striving against sin; but we cannot afford to sin.
It is too late to sin in thought, word, or action; for it is time to receive
the Holy Ghost in all of its fullness, - time to receive the seal of God."
(Review & Herald, October 18,1898, p.671; emphasis his) He couched his message in the
motif of the typical Day of Atonement. In another report on a campmeet-
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ing in
When I am conscious that I am not clean, I cannot preach
with power, neither can I preach with "unwonted power" when I know my
people are not clean. Cleanse the
The next year the Holy Flesh
Movement began in
In the 1960s another Movement began
in Adventism led by Robert Brinsmead. In his "constitutional"
publication, God's Eternal Purpose, he sets forth his perceptions and
the basis for them, as well as the objective which he believed was the purpose
of the final atonement. He wrote:
Through Christ's ministry in the holy of holies, humanity is
to be fully united (married) to divinity. Hence the
significance of the final atonement - at-one-ment.
... When his faith reaches to the last supreme act of the atonement, he will be
fully united (married) to divinity for eternity. Then he will be as sinless in
the flesh as Christ was sinless in the flesh.
[A diagram of the relationship
between Christ and the Christian is inserted at this point]
Christ's perfect humanity is the standard which His true
followers must possess to pass through the last scenes of earth's history. God
must have, and will have a people to reveal the full stature of Christ. All
those who work in harmony with Christ in the cleansing of the sanctuary will
reach this standard.
(p.199)
In this, Brinsmead
was simply trying to answer the same question which concerned the men of
Actually, the position of Brinsmead as noted above is basically the position of most
of those who perceive of themselves as "historic" Adventists. The
fact remains; we are still here and the evidences of fulfilling
prophecy tells us that God is not going to delay the end much longer.
The answer must be found. The answers being set forth focus on "the latter
rain." This is a nebulous concept from the Judean harvest but with
significance in the light of Peter's call to repentance to those assembled on
Solomon's porch of the Temple area (Acts 3:19). [This text, Brinsmead
used with emphasis]
The Writings indicate that the
objective of "the latter rain" is to bring "the seed to
perfection" (Testimonies to
Ministers, p.506). In the same chapter, "Pray for the Latter
Rain," is found the suggestion that this experience is involved with the
reception of the advancing light of truth: - "Only those who are living up
to the light they have, will receive greater light" (p.507). The result is
clearly written - "We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of
Christ" (p.506.) The "how" is also defined - "It is God who
began the work, and He will finish His work, making man complete in Jesus
Christ" (p.507). Paul wrote that in Christ "dwelleth
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are
complete in Him" (Col. 2:9-10). This returns us again to the "in
Him" concept of the Pauline epistles, and that Christ is the "Surety
of a better covenant." We are His "house," the new house of
With all the failures of the past
century to find the answer which the typical service of the Day of Atonement
demands, one hesitates to even offer a suggestion as to what the answer might
be. However, we would do well to consider a suggestion found in the Writings
which reads - "Zechariah's vision of Joshua and the Angel [Chapter 3]
applies with peculiar force to the experience of God's people in the closing of
the great day of atonement" (Testimonies
for the Church, Vol. V, p.472).
In analyzing this vision, the first
revelation is that Satan will resist every effort not only to understand the
final atonement, but also its realization. Joshua, the ministering high priest
in the days of Zechariah, is seen standing before the Lord, and "Satan
standing at his right hand to resist Him" (v.1). Satan is just as envious
and just as set in his opposition to the plan of God for man as when God first
suggested it in the beginning. He seeks to set himself at "the right
hand" for power and control. In the vision the Lord first rebukes Satan
before turning His attention to Joshua. "Is not this a brand plucked out
of the fire," He asks. Joshua has no means to escape - his clothes are
flammable - "filthy garments" ripe for the fire. Then the Lord
commands those who stood before Him - those who have assented for God to carry
out His original intent for man - "Take away the filthy garments from
him" (v.4).
Here is the first test to those who
would be cleansed. They can either yield their "filthy" garments, and
become naked before whom they stand, or they can hold to them so as to cover
their nakedness. This is the critical test –
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self is involved. It is embarrassing to
have to admit that all the "righteousnesses" which sustain our egos
are nothing but "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6). But unless we are willing
for this to happen, the next step cannot be taken. The Lord will not put His
righteousness over our righteousnesses. He alone is righteous and He does not
intend to share that righteousness in which there is not a thread of human
devising with the fig-leaf devisings of men.
When Joshua yielded up his filthy
garments - the angels of the Lord will remove them if we permit - the Lord
declares - "Behold I
have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment" (v.4). The
emphasis is on what God can and will do, not on what man can do, for his is
only to surrender so that it can be done for him. On the typical Day of
Atonement, it was the high priest alone who accomplished the atonement. The
recipients were to afflict their souls and do no work (Ex. 23; 29-30). Soul affliction - how few understand what this is all about.
Self denial - and this does not mean in material things of life - but
the actual emptying of self even as He did, whose mind we are suppose to accept
(Phil. 2:5-7 RSV). How painful to those who profess they can keep the
commandments of God, and tell the Lord, "All these have I kept from my youth up, what lack
I yet?"
After being clothed with the
garments provided and a fair mitre being set on his head, the messenger of the
Lord solemnly affirmed the intent of the Lord of hosts - "Thus saith the
Lord of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge,
then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will
give thee places to walk among these that stand by" (v.7).
The result - "Hear now, O
Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are
men wondered at" (Heb. "men of wonder"). Through the bestowal of
the final outpouring of God's grace,* human beings still clothed in flesh of
sin, will fully reflect the image of Christ, for God will bring forth His servant,
the BRANCH in each - "Christ in you the hope of glory." The final
atonement will have been accomplished. "For we through
the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith" (Gal. 5:5).
* "Divine
grace is needed at the beginning, divine grace at every step of advance, and
divine grace alone can complete the work." (Testimonies to Ministers, p.508)
+++++
In cataloguing an
acquisition of a group of manuscripts, letters, etc., we discovered a letter
written by A. T. Jones which gave his perspective on details both prior to, and
following the 1888 General Conference session. We believe that the contents of
this letter will be enlightening to our readers and to all those who are deeply
interested In the 1888 Message. The letter is being
reproduced just as written by Jones.
An A. T. Jones Letter:
ALONZO T. JONES
925 E
Dear Brother ----------,
My answer to your letter of inquiry
of April 12 has been delayed by many things. And now I do not think that I can
do justice to it in the time that I have. That
From 1885 to 1888 Bro. Waggoner and
I both worked on the "Signs of the Times" and the "American
Sentinel" at
And that was the way all the time.
Oh! yes, another illustration proves this. Bro.
Prescott and his wife went to
To the General Conference of 1887 in
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tification by faith." As I remember it,
his pamphlet was entitled, "The Law in Galatians."
By their known agreement of Bro.
Waggoner and me in the Gospel of Righteousness by Faith, which included of
course both Galatians and Romans; and that did not agree at all with the views
of Butler and the other General Conference heads; Butler and the others had
framed in their imagination that "these two young men" - Bro.
Waggoner and me - had concocted a scheme to revolutionize the doctrine of the
denomination and to carry the denomination into new, and of course
"heretical" fields. For along with the truth and "heresy"
of righteousness by faith for which Bro. Waggoner was held as the leader, I had
carried through the Signs of the Times a study of the four beasts and the ten
kingdoms as in Daniel 7. In tracing the ten kingdoms to know exactly what they
were in the history, I found that the old traditional list of those kingdoms as
held by the denomination, was not correct. When I began
the study Bro. Uriah Smith wrote to me that he was
glad that I was going to search that out, for it had never been done: but that
the list that was used in the 1844 movement had been simply carried along by
the denomination without any attempt having been made to verify it. But when I
brought out the truth that that list was not correct, Bro. Smith was not a bit
glad; and opposed it, and defended the old list. This made me the head of that
new "heresy" as Bro. Waggoner was of the other; and this was a double
proof to the other men that Bro. Waggoner and I had got up a new doctrine for
the denomination which at the Minneapolis Conference we were going to have
settled as the orthodox denominational doctrine. But neither Bro. Waggoner nor
I alone or together ever in our lives thought of any such thing. All that we
were doing any of the time was studying the Scripture to know the truth.
An institute of three or four weeks duration had been appointed to precede the actual
General Conference that was to come at
When the institute opened I was
invited or appointed to lead out in the study of the prophecies, and this
brought in the ten kingdoms of course. But there was nobody to give any
historical studies in opposition to this for none of them knew the history well
enough; so all that they could do on that was to appeal to tradition. And Eld.
Thus the real fight in the institute
and conference came over "Righteousness by Faith." Bro. Waggoner led
in the studies on that. Eld. J.H. Morrison was chosen by the General Conference folks
to lead the opposition. And he did it: and it was righteousness by anything and
everything else than faith.
I cannot now name anyone who
definitely and openly accepted there the truth of righteousness by
faith. But in the times following I could not name the numbers who told that
their true Christian experience in the Gospel began with the study on
righteousness by faith in that meeting. In that meeting and conference the tide
of things was indicated by what one of the
The opposers
were Geo. I. Butler, J.H. Morrison and all who could be swung by General
Conference influence.
But as you know Sr. White stood out
openly and strongly all the way for righteousness by faith; and after the
conference was over, the preaching of righteousness by faith was followed up by
her and Bro. Waggoner and me through the winter following, and by her and me in
Battle Creek direct, and it was given the greater force by the message of
religious liberty that was endorsed in that General Conference, and which by
resolution of the Conference, I was directed to carry to the Senate Committee
in Washington in opposition to the Blair Sunday Bill. This went on through the
winter and spring. Then when camp meeting time came we all three visited the
camp meetings with the message of righteousness by faith and religious liberty;
sometimes all three of us being in the same meeting. This turned the tide with
the people, and apparently with most of the leading men. But this
latter was only apparent: it was never real, for all the time in the General
Conference Committee, and amongst others, there was a secret antagonism always
carried on; and which finally in Daniells, Spicer and Co. gained the day in the
denomination, and gave to the Minneapolis spirit and contention and men
the supremacy as the accompanying leaflet will demonstrate to you.
Please read this leaflet through
carefully, and when you get to the marked place on page 31, you will appreciate
along with this letter what is there said. For as you will see, what is there
said is a
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synopsis of what I have here written.
And I personally know that if a
testimony that was written in 1902 and was read to me by Sr. White herself,
that was addressed to Daniells and Prescott, had ever been published as other
testimonies were published, those two men with that gang never could have run
the course that they did run. But so far as I know no copy of that testimony
was ever allowed to get out of her house; and I know that for this W.C. White
was in no small measure responsible. I do not know whether even Daniells or
Prescott ever saw a copy. Even if copies of it ever did get out, I very
seriously doubt that they ever got out as that testimony was originally
written and read to me: for it is morally certain, and practically
physically certain, that if it had been made public as important testimonies
usually were, as it was originally written, it would have put a quietus on
their campaign against Dr. Kellogg as they began it in Battle Creek in Nov.
1902.
When I returned from that meeting in
In justice to Bro. J. H. Morrison,
he should be given credit by name for the truth and fact that some time
after the Minneapolis Conference was all over, I cannot state definitely just
what year, he cleared himself of all connection with that opposition, and put
himself body, soul and spirit into the truth and blessing of righteousness by
faith by one of the finest and noblest confessions that I ever heard.
Wishing you only all blessing always, I remain,
(Signed) Truly, Alonzo T. Jones
Let's Talk It Over
The letter written by A.T. Jones
which we have reproduced in full, written as a result of an inquiry, merits
more than a casual reading. In this brief editorial, we intend to call your
attention to certain convictions of A.T. Jones for your further contemplation.
He wrote - "That Minneapolis meeting and conference embraced much more and
meant much more than what occurred in the meeting and conference." Could
it be that the emphasis given which focuses primarily on the session and what
the men taught has short changed us in understanding all that was involved?
Jones' testimony of how he and E.J.
Waggoner studied needs thoughtful consideration. Note again - "Each of us
pursued his own individual study of the Bible and
teaching and preaching. Never in our lives did we spend an hour in study together
on any subject or upon all subjects. Yet we were led in perfect agreement in
the truths of the Bible all the way." After thinking the implication
through again read the illustrations Jones gives. The conclusion is inescapable.
Jones and Waggoner were men commissioned by God with a message regardless of
what the detractors both in their life time and now have said and written.
A.T. Jones' comments on the
opposition led by J.H. Morrison against the message of "Righteousness by
Faith" is apropos for today - "it was righteousness by anything and
everything else than faith.”
In reading the letter one dare not
overlook the implications and far reaching effect of the charge Jones leveled
at W.C. White. However, it is interesting, that one of the men - Prescott -
whom Willie's action sought to protect, actually wrote
to him - "The way your mother's writings have been handled ... have
brought great perplexity and trial to me." One is left to wonder if
It is our conviction that the past
should speak, and we shall continue to share other letters that come to light.