Righteousness by Grace, Righteousness by Faith, and The Righteousness of Christ: Part 3

This is our final of a three part study on righteousness that concludes with a detailed analysis of the 430 year time prophecy found in the fourth chapter of Ezekiel.  This prophecy concludes with the experience of the Seventh-day Adventist church, a present truth lesson which has never before been explained and now is unveiled for those who will finally obtain the righteousness of Christ and be fitted as citizens in God’s soon coming kingdom. Why not make your preparations to be there?

“To find exactly the beginning of the 430-year period, we must first find the year the period ended, the year in which antitypical Ezekiel arose and began to sound the warning, the year in which the Spirit of Truth unrolled the scroll and brought in an abundance of Divinely inspired, pure and unadulterated Truth (not baked upon dung), not by weight and not by measure either, — the truths which we have been feasting on from this series of studies and which the Association has so freely and faithfully published in the Timely Greetings and other publications, and has scattered world-wide as leaves of Autumn — a phenomenon which the Church has never before seen! And when I say as the leaves of Autumn, I really mean just that, for these leaves — yes, millions of them — are dropped everywhere among the Laodiceans unsparingly, without price, and without obligation.

This message, as some of you already know, began to unfold in 1930. Hence, if we subtract 430 years from 1930, we are taken back to 1500, the time Martin Luther’s call came, the time he began to study the Bible, the time he started to prepare for the work of the Reformation. This message was, therefore, by God Himself planned and timed back in Ezekiel’s time, all for your good and mine! How thoughtful God is! And how unworthy we are.

As the 430-year period during which our sins were laid upon Ezekiel, is behind us, we ourselves, not Ezekiel, are henceforth to be responsible for our sins if we now fail to give heed to the message of the hour and to attain to “righteousness by faith.” How important, then, that we not neglect our opportunity now to accept what God sends, and to attain to “righteousness by faith” in order that we be rewarded with “the righteousness of Christ.” Thus only can we expect to escape the slaughter weapons of the angels and to live and reign with Christ during the thousand years.

According to this fresh unfolded prophecy there is to be no other chance, you see, no other opportunity for the Laodiceans, the house of Judah. This message to the Laodiceans, therefore, is the last message, their final chance! Looking forward to the people of this cleansing the prophet Isaiah wrote: “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean…. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” Isa. 52:1, 7.

Since we have seen that the 430 years ended in 1930, we had better now find out when the 390 years ended, the time the 40 years of grace began. To find this date we subtract 40 years from 1930, which takes us back to 1890. What happened then to mark the beginning of the 40 years? — Just this: The denomination then wholly rejected the message that was to unfold the truth of “righteousness by faith” and the “righteousness of Christ,” the very truth that again began to unfold years later, the Truth that we are now feasting on! God in His mercy, therefore, laid their iniquity upon the prophet Ezekiel during those 40 years, — gave them a chance through “righteousness by grace” so that they might have opportunity now to enter into “righteousness by faith,” and thus reap the reward of “the righteousness of Christ.”

Here we see that history repeats itself: Ancient Israel’s giving ear to the evil report which the ten spies brought caused them to lose faith in the power of God, and did therefore, set themselves back 40 years from entering the Promised Land.

In like manner, the Denomination, you see, has from 1890 to 1930 been wandering in the wilderness, as it were. They have, we might say, been put on trial. Here is where you plainly see that the ancient wilderness wandering was typical. Here type meets antitype. And their rejecting “righteousness by faith,” you perceive, did not mean that God was defeated and that He would therefore never again bring to us the same Truth which could have been theirs forty years ago.

Moreover, just as those who in Moses’ time refused to advance by faith died in the wilderness, so the men who in the years 1888-1890 were responsible for refusing to advance in Truth, died before God came back with it the second time. Finally, as the second ancient effort to take the land succeeded immediately after Achan, the last sinner in that day, was stoned, so the second effort of today must, too, succeed right after the Achans of today are destroyed by the angels of Ezekiel Nine.

What a rebuke for the leading brethren this is! What a lesson for us! And how little chance they stand if they continue blindly to fight back! The laity, though, who come in contact with this Truth could be of great help to them if instead of consenting to the opposition’s unreasonable demand that the laity give up studying these scriptures upon threat of losing their membership, they would themselves demand from the opposition a better, or at least an equally reasonable, exposition of the scriptures in question rather than give up. Foolish it is to reject Truth in order to retain your name in Laodicea. Better to accept the Truth and retain your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

I say it is foolish to reject Truth merely on someone’s say so rather than to go to God in prayer and to act in harmony with your own convictions through the Spirit that leads into all Truth. To do otherwise is to deny any personal connection with Heaven, and to put your trust in man, to make “flesh your arm.” Isa. 2:22. Do not, therefore, let the enemy talk you out of this Truth, especially in the face of the fact that the opposition has nothing substantial, nothing authoritative, or official, nothing to take its place. And how foolish for one to try to ascertain Truth by the mind of the opposition! It is as sensible as if you should solicit the opinion of a Republican politician about your desire to vote on a Democratic ballot! There would be some sense in going for help to someone who is unbiased, but never any sense in going to one who is as opposed to this Truth as were the priests, scribes, and Pharisees opposed to Christ’s teachings.

If you do not see every point as clearly as you would like, why not take the counsel of the Spirit of Prophecy? Let me read to you a few paragraphs:

“…if a message comes that you do not understand, take pains that you may hear the reasons the messenger may give, comparing scripture with scripture, that you may know whether or not it is sustained by the word of God. If you believe that the positions taken have not the word of God for their foundation, if the position you hold on the subject cannot be controverted, then produce your strong reasons; for your position will not be shaken by coming in contact with error. There is no virtue or manliness in keeping up a continual warfare in the dark, closing your eyes lest you may see, closing your ears lest you may hear, hardening your heart in ignorance and unbelief lest you may have to humble yourselves and acknowledge that you have received light on some points of truth.” — Counsels on Sabbath School Work, pg. 29.

“Precious light is to shine forth from the word of God, and let no one presume to dictate what shall or what shall not be brought before the people in the messages of enlightenment that He shall send, and so quench the Spirit of God. Whatever may be his position of authority, no one has a right to shut away the light from the people. When a message comes in the name of the Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims. No one can afford to stand back in an attitude of indifference and self-confidence, and say: ‘I know what is truth. I am satisfied with my position. I have set my stakes, and I will not be moved away from my position, whatever may come. I will not listen to the message of this messenger; for I know that it cannot be truth.’ It was from pursuing this very course that the popular churches were left in partial darkness, and that is why the messages of heaven have not reached them.” — Id., pg. 28.

“There is yet much precious truth to be revealed to the people in this time of peril and darkness, but it is Satan’s determined purpose to prevent the light of truth from shining into the hearts of men. If we would have the light that has been provided for us, we should show our desire for it by diligently searching the word of God. Precious truths that have long been in obscurity are to be revealed in a light that will make manifest their sacred worth; for God will glorify His word, that it may appear in a light in which we have never before beheld it. But those who profess to love the truth must put to the stretch their powers, that they may comprehend the deep things of the word, that God may be glorified and His people may be blessed and enlightened. With humble hearts, subdued by the grace of God, you should come to the task of searching the Scriptures, prepared to accept every ray of divine light, and to walk in the way of holiness.” — Id., pg. 25.

Moreover, you never see the whole world at a glance. You only see a part of it at a time. Likewise you cannot expect to see the whole Truth all at once, but only a little at a time. Cling to that little, and as you continue in prayer and study, it will all become as clear as the sun and you will begin to comprehend the subject in its entirety.

Brother, Sister, no longer pass up your opportunity. Act now and make peace with God. Flee now from the abominations, and take your stand at God’s right hand if you wish His blessing and life forevermore. “Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Heb 4:7. Realize that God Himself is speaking to you, that these are not mortal words, not myths, that this is a message which has remained sealed through the centuries, and which is now unsealed and brought to you as fresh as lilies covered with summer’s dew.

One of the most important parts of this study, you see, is the fact that during the 430 years — from 1500 to 1930 — the iniquity of us all has been laid on the prophet of God. I say, because of this abundant “grace” that has prevailed all through the years, we are permitted to be here today. Men, though, have taken advantage of God’s “grace,” and have come to think that He has forsaken the earth, that He has left us to do as we will, and to get along as best we can. We all will change our minds as soon as God’s forewarning is completed.

Hence, those Laodiceans who would avail themselves of the opportunity to partake of this feast of fresh and unadulterated “meat in due season,” who would now at the last call hold to the “righteousness by grace” already given them, — they all may enter into the “righteousness by faith” that is to be rewarded with “the righteousness of Christ,” and thus crowned with eternal life. Obviously, all others will have to bear their own iniquity and pay their own penalty. They will have to perish.

True, you think you have need of nothing, but God Who really knows says you are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked,” in need of everything. Would you not take His advice and anoint your eyes with the eyesalve that you may see?

Finally, when the warning message has reached the people, then those who do not profit by it, who do not reform, — who fail to “sigh and cry for all the abominations in the midst thereof,” — then it is that those who do not now attain to “righteousness by faith,” shall find themselves without the “mark.” They will consequently have to pay the penalty for their sins, perish under the slaughter weapons of the angels. (Read Ezekiel Nine; Testimonies For The Church, Vol. 3, pp. 266, 267; Testimonies For The Church, Vol. 5, pp. 210, 211.)

Plainly, the house of Judah, since 1930 stands in the same need as the house of Israel stood after 1890. They all now need the message of today if they expect to have a home in the kingdom of God. Moreover, it is plain to see that what the house of Judah failed to accomplish after 1890 we must now accomplish against greater odds and in less time.

The lessons that are taught in this chapter are these: First it is pointed out that the period of “righteousness by grace” is now in the past; that we have now come to the time in which our safety lies only in practicing “righteousness by faith,” if we expect to be rewarded with the “righteousness of Christ,” and crowned with eternal life. The second lesson teaches that the Church does not yet have all the Truth, and that which she does have is contaminated, “baked on dung.” Hence the great need that we have Inspired Truth from the Throne of God; for with it we are saved, and without it we are lost.” — Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 39, pp. 17-25

Tagged as: 430 years, Christ's righteousness, Ezekiel, Seventh-day Adventist