APOLOGETICA ADVENTISTA...on the sanctuary doctrine

A POLEMIC REVIEW OF A. F. BALLENGER'S DISPUTATION ON THE SANCTUARY DOCTRINE TITLED "CAST OUT FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST" (1909 Ed.)

Concerning chapter 1, there is hardly anything to rebut. The man very clearly explains himself according to Gospel order and lays out the case that it is not wrong to differ with official church positions. Like Martin Luther, to go against conscience is neither safe nor right, and his conscience must only be convinced by Scripture and by plain reason. Seeing that is the case, I will attempt to do so beginning with his 2nd chapter.

Chapter two - On the Throne

For sake of understandability, I have seen it prudent to approach this review by means of cutting it down into pieces of issues rather than the standard method of chapter by chapter. Ballenger's first disputation is as following

My first difficulty with the doctrines taught by Seventh-Day Adventists is the teaching that Christ began his ministry at his ascension, in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. - Ballenger, pg 5, par. 4

The reason he gives for this is that the throne of God is apparently reported by Scripture only to be present in the second compartment known as the holies of holies. And...

The Scriptures of truth again and again declare in the most explicit terms that Christ, at his ascension, went directly to the Father's throne. - Ballenger, pg 5, par, 5

After which he gives copious amounts of verses to effect that Christ ascended to His Father's throne for example:

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12:2 

"Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places." Eph. 1:20.

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and AM SET down with my Father in his throne. Rev. 3:21. 

Minor Rebuttal

The question has been set up well. It is true that Christ did ascend to His Father's throne but as we shall see, the questions to crack are which of the two compartments of God's temple in heaven is the throne room and whether the throne can actually be moved from the throne room. Let us allow Ballenger to land his disputation.

Ballenger continues. - Which is the 'Throne Room'

In the Mosaic sanctuary, the pattern of the true tabernacle, God's dwelling place in heaven, the throne of God abode in the second apartment. - Ballenger, pg 6, par. 4

"And thou shalt put the mercy seat ABOVE UPON THE ARK, and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony which I shall give thee. And THERE will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are UPON THE ARK of the testament, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." Ex. 25:21,23. 

Inasmuch as the Mosaic tabernacle was a shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, it follows that the "throne-room" of God in the heavenly sanctuary is in the second apartment. - Ballenger pg 7, par. 3.

Polemic Rebuttal

I would like to make a response here before he begins quoting from Ellen White. Ballenger has made his case thus far that the throne of God is in the second compartment, the most holy place and that therefore this is where Christ ascended to after his resurrection.

My point of correction here begins with the fact that the word mercy seat as used in Exodus 25:21 is a mistranslation in the King James from the Hebrew. This goes back to Martin Luther's translation into German, which was later used by the King James translators. The Hebrew word is Kapporeth which means lid, but Luther couldn't find a fitting German word and so translated it as Gnadensthul meaning mercy seat

H3727

כַּפֹּרֶת

kappôreth

kap-po'-reth

From H3722; a lid (used only of the cover of the sacred Ark): - mercy seat.

Total KJV occurrences: 27

an illustration of the ark with angels on the lid and the 10 commandments, Aaron's rod and pot of manna inside

Essentially it was a lid representing the covering of grace and mercy. The significance of this is that the law of God was to stay hidden until the work of Grace would be complete in God's people. This is so because the law of God condemns the sinner "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God"(Galatians 3:11) "But now the righteousness of God without (outside) the law is manifested" (Romans 3:21) and where outside the law was it manifested? in Christ Jesus whose grace is thereby able to justify the repentant sinner and cover him until he grows in character to reflect the image of Jesus. Then the covering lid will be taken off and the law will look to find something to judge in him but all it will see is Jesus' perfect image reflected on the redeemed.

So when is the covering lid taken off? Quite simply when earth's probation would cease and this Scripture would be fulfilled:

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19)

This like so many examples in Bible translations shows how minor translation mistakes have come to be accepted as they are yet for someone who may not know of them, it could mean a complete misunderstanding of Biblical doctrine. Because of this misnomer, the second compartment has come to be known as the throne room of God. Yet there is no single Bible verse nor an inspired statement from Ellen White designating such a name exclusively to the second compartment. If any I challenge any one to produce it. The fact is that wherever the throne of God is, there is the throne room.

Ballenger draws from Ellen White's book The Great Controversy pg 414 where she says the following

"And beyond the second veil was the Holy Shekinah, the visible manifestation of God's glory, before which none but the high priest could enter and live. The matchless splendor of the earthly tabernacle reflected to human vision the glories of that temple where Christ our forerunner ministers for us BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD." - (Ellen White, GC pg 414) [Emphasis Ballenger's]

Ballenger means to intimate that the throne room was beyond the second veil. But the throne room is not mentioned and more sinisterly, he has very cunningly cut the quote to suit his purposes. I could not believe this at first.

The Great Controversy Ballenger would have used is the 1888 edition (above) in which as you can see, it will appear to the not so keen reader as though the second sentence is a continuation of the first. But any contextual reading of the paragraph is clear that the sentence in teal is a not a continuation of the one in green. When mentioning the holy Shekinah, Ellen White is at the end of an address where she has outlined everything contained in the sanctuary and of course ending with the second compartment. Meanwhile, in the new sentence where she starts with "The matchless splendor..." she is speaking generally of the whole sanctuary and not just the second compartment. This distinction is so obvious that in the revised edition of 1911, the second sentence is separated into a whole new paragraph.

Whether Ballenger did this misquoting by mistake or knowingly only God knows. But it is difficult to accept that no one in his whole publishing journey pointed this out to him. I must call him out on this. After all, Mrs. White herself warned of this saying:

If isolated sentences, separated from their true setting, are taken from my writings and used to substantiate erroneous positions, I must meet this effort by publishing some things that I would prefer to withhold. - Manuscript Release vol 7 pg 188

There are some, who upon accepting erroneous theories, strive to establish them by collecting from my writings statements of truth, which they use, separated from their proper connection and perverted by association with error. Thus seeds of heresy, springing up and growing rapidly into strong plants, are surrounded by many precious plants of truth, and in this way a mighty effort is made to vindicate the genuineness of the spurious plants. - Letter 136, April 27, 1906. To Bros. Butler, Daniells and Irwin

Next, I would like to examine Ballenger's bold assertion where he says:

Nowhere in the Scriptures are we taught that the throne of God dwelt in the first apartment, either of the earthly or heavenly sanctuary - Ballenger, pg 7, par.6

With no fear or favor, let us put it to the test of Scripture. Until then, the grace of God be with you.