Ptilinopus
Well-Known Member
Loveaboveall has referred to a number of Biblical texts concerning the satanic rebellion in heaven, and the casting out of Lucifer and his angels. One could take the time to go through the origin of sin, but unless it is requested, I think most of us know the scenario fairly well.
What I do not much hear discussed is the situation from the point of view of those angels who remained faithful to God. On what basis did they choose to remain faithful to God? It was not from knowledge, for the results of sin had never been manifested at least not in their fulness. No-one had yet died. Disease was still an unknown concept. The peace and harmony of heaven was disrupted, yes. There was a polarization of opinion, yes. But the end results of choosing to worship oneself instead of the Creator were not yet made fully manifest.
From what we know of Gods character, He would have borne long with Lucifer tried to win him and his following over. No doubt some angels wavered before committing themselves to one side or the other. But ultimately, all would have to make a choice based on faith. Follow a God they had always known and loved, or an exciting leader who promised adventure into self-aggrandizement. Isaiah 14:12-14 would in essence have been Lucifers challenge, his declaration of defiance.
Finally, there was war in heaven and Lucifer and his followers were removed. Choices had been made, and the harmony of heaven was to be roiled no longer.
Jump down to just before the Second Coming. Jesus plans to return to take His saved sinners home to Heaven. A heaven from which sinning angels were expelled. The angels who by faith had chosen loyalty to God, and helped expel those sinning angels, must see unequivocally that ALL who are to be admitted to heaven, have just title to heaven the robe of righteousness of Christ Himself. Does this not demand a judgment?
Not a judgment for the Lord to determine who is saved for the Lord knoweth them that are His (2 Timothy 2:19). Not to for the Lord to judge who are lost he that believeth not is condemned already (John 3:18). Since all have sinned, all already are lost, BUT for the intervention of Christ, and the acceptance of His sacrifice. No, the judgment is not for determining the lost or saved, but that the unfallen universe may have absolute certainty that all who enter heaven have just title.
Some will argue that God has no need to justify Himself to His Creatures. But God has already declared, What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. (Nahum 1:9). If sin is never to rise again, through all eternity, then all inhabitants of the universe must be convinced of their own free will, that the avenue taken by Lucifer (and later the human race) is a dead end. And so, the first phase of an Investigative Judgment. God is sovereign, yes but God is also just, and merciful.
But what does the Investigative Judgment have to do with the cleansing of the sanctuary?
Think about the sacrificial system. What was the point of the sin offerings, and sacrifices done on a daily basis? What was the procedure? The sinner brought his sin offering, confessed his sin over the head of the animal (commonly a lamb), and then slew it. The priest caught some of the blood in a bowl, and took it into the sanctuary to sprinkle some before the veil behind which was the ark of the covenant, and its mercy seat, symbolizing the presence of God.
In effect, the sin was transferred from the sinner, via the sacrifice, to the presence of God Himself, and the sinner went home, forgiven. This went on all year. The sinner was FORGIVEN. Salvation was his based on His faith and acceptance that the Messiah, the Saviour, was to come, and die for him, symbolized by the sacrifice.
At Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, one of the two goats chosen was sacrificed as a sin offering FOR THE TABERNACLE, the HOLY PLACE. (Leviticus 16:16,20). Why? To cleanse the sin which had been transferred to the presence of God. Thereafter, this sin was symbolically transferred from the sanctuary, confessed over the head of the other goat, the scapegoat, who was led into the wilderness to be abandoned till it died.
What is happening here in symbol? The sin offering, representing Christs sacrifice for us, His becoming SIN for us, meant His blood atoned for our sin, which was transferred to heaven, to the most holy place, the presence of God, who, though not responsible for the sin problem, voluntarily accepted to bear our sin and its guilt its responsibility that we might be saved. And Christs sacrfice makes this possible, His blood pays for our sin.
The day of atonement, then, must symbolize the removal of that accumulated sin, from God, the validation of Christs sacrifice for us, and the universally public demonstration that God is NOT responsible for sin, and the transfer of that sin to the one actually responsible Satan. This implies the Investigative Judgment which is also the heavenly Day of Atonement. Note too, that the Day of Atonement takes place AFTER the cross AFTER forgiveness is assured, but BEFORE the Second Coming. The scapegoat event happened after the atonement was complete. Satans being bound takes place takes place AT/AFTER the Second Coming. Satan has no role in our salvation (the scape goat was not slain as a sacrifice ever!) this is more in the tying up of loose ends category.
So the Investigative Judgment has multiple facets it is to test before the unfallen universe the validity of the choices made by the saved (God already knows who is saved); it is to satisfy the unfallen universe of Gods justice and mercy in admitting self-confessed sinners into a heaven from which sinners were expelled; and it is to demonstrate that the forgiven sin which has accumulated in Gods presence in heaven is in fact forgiven, and the responsibility to be placed where it belongs on the author of sin.
So in Daniel 7, the panorama of history flows through to where a judgment is set and books are opened (vs 9-12), followed by the Second Coming (vs.13,14). And in Daniel 8, the same panorama of history (showing different aspects of events) leads to the cleansing of the sanctuary the Day of Atonement in vs 14. This judgment and the cleansing of the sanctuary are the same event, at the same time in history.
What I do not much hear discussed is the situation from the point of view of those angels who remained faithful to God. On what basis did they choose to remain faithful to God? It was not from knowledge, for the results of sin had never been manifested at least not in their fulness. No-one had yet died. Disease was still an unknown concept. The peace and harmony of heaven was disrupted, yes. There was a polarization of opinion, yes. But the end results of choosing to worship oneself instead of the Creator were not yet made fully manifest.
From what we know of Gods character, He would have borne long with Lucifer tried to win him and his following over. No doubt some angels wavered before committing themselves to one side or the other. But ultimately, all would have to make a choice based on faith. Follow a God they had always known and loved, or an exciting leader who promised adventure into self-aggrandizement. Isaiah 14:12-14 would in essence have been Lucifers challenge, his declaration of defiance.
Finally, there was war in heaven and Lucifer and his followers were removed. Choices had been made, and the harmony of heaven was to be roiled no longer.
Jump down to just before the Second Coming. Jesus plans to return to take His saved sinners home to Heaven. A heaven from which sinning angels were expelled. The angels who by faith had chosen loyalty to God, and helped expel those sinning angels, must see unequivocally that ALL who are to be admitted to heaven, have just title to heaven the robe of righteousness of Christ Himself. Does this not demand a judgment?
Not a judgment for the Lord to determine who is saved for the Lord knoweth them that are His (2 Timothy 2:19). Not to for the Lord to judge who are lost he that believeth not is condemned already (John 3:18). Since all have sinned, all already are lost, BUT for the intervention of Christ, and the acceptance of His sacrifice. No, the judgment is not for determining the lost or saved, but that the unfallen universe may have absolute certainty that all who enter heaven have just title.
Some will argue that God has no need to justify Himself to His Creatures. But God has already declared, What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. (Nahum 1:9). If sin is never to rise again, through all eternity, then all inhabitants of the universe must be convinced of their own free will, that the avenue taken by Lucifer (and later the human race) is a dead end. And so, the first phase of an Investigative Judgment. God is sovereign, yes but God is also just, and merciful.
But what does the Investigative Judgment have to do with the cleansing of the sanctuary?
Think about the sacrificial system. What was the point of the sin offerings, and sacrifices done on a daily basis? What was the procedure? The sinner brought his sin offering, confessed his sin over the head of the animal (commonly a lamb), and then slew it. The priest caught some of the blood in a bowl, and took it into the sanctuary to sprinkle some before the veil behind which was the ark of the covenant, and its mercy seat, symbolizing the presence of God.
In effect, the sin was transferred from the sinner, via the sacrifice, to the presence of God Himself, and the sinner went home, forgiven. This went on all year. The sinner was FORGIVEN. Salvation was his based on His faith and acceptance that the Messiah, the Saviour, was to come, and die for him, symbolized by the sacrifice.
At Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, one of the two goats chosen was sacrificed as a sin offering FOR THE TABERNACLE, the HOLY PLACE. (Leviticus 16:16,20). Why? To cleanse the sin which had been transferred to the presence of God. Thereafter, this sin was symbolically transferred from the sanctuary, confessed over the head of the other goat, the scapegoat, who was led into the wilderness to be abandoned till it died.
What is happening here in symbol? The sin offering, representing Christs sacrifice for us, His becoming SIN for us, meant His blood atoned for our sin, which was transferred to heaven, to the most holy place, the presence of God, who, though not responsible for the sin problem, voluntarily accepted to bear our sin and its guilt its responsibility that we might be saved. And Christs sacrfice makes this possible, His blood pays for our sin.
The day of atonement, then, must symbolize the removal of that accumulated sin, from God, the validation of Christs sacrifice for us, and the universally public demonstration that God is NOT responsible for sin, and the transfer of that sin to the one actually responsible Satan. This implies the Investigative Judgment which is also the heavenly Day of Atonement. Note too, that the Day of Atonement takes place AFTER the cross AFTER forgiveness is assured, but BEFORE the Second Coming. The scapegoat event happened after the atonement was complete. Satans being bound takes place takes place AT/AFTER the Second Coming. Satan has no role in our salvation (the scape goat was not slain as a sacrifice ever!) this is more in the tying up of loose ends category.
So the Investigative Judgment has multiple facets it is to test before the unfallen universe the validity of the choices made by the saved (God already knows who is saved); it is to satisfy the unfallen universe of Gods justice and mercy in admitting self-confessed sinners into a heaven from which sinners were expelled; and it is to demonstrate that the forgiven sin which has accumulated in Gods presence in heaven is in fact forgiven, and the responsibility to be placed where it belongs on the author of sin.
So in Daniel 7, the panorama of history flows through to where a judgment is set and books are opened (vs 9-12), followed by the Second Coming (vs.13,14). And in Daniel 8, the same panorama of history (showing different aspects of events) leads to the cleansing of the sanctuary the Day of Atonement in vs 14. This judgment and the cleansing of the sanctuary are the same event, at the same time in history.
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