Adapted from: Roy Gane, Altar Call (Berrien Springs, MI: Diadem, 1999) chapters 33, 34, 36.

1. Why Does God Need A Pre-Advent Judgment? Adapted from: Roy Gane, Altar Call (Berrien Springs, MI: Diadem, 1999) chapters 33, 34, 36. See Adventist Book Center or www.preludefilms.com (book and DVD)

2. The Character of God

3. The Character of God • People are asking about God’s character. • If God is love (1 Jn 4:8) and has all power, why does evil happen to people? Is He fair? • The Psalmist found the answer in God’s sanctuary, which reveals the big picture of the Great Controversy (Ps 73:17). • “Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?” (Psa. 77:13).

4. The Character of God • God’s headquarters are at His heavenly sanctuary/throne (Ps 11:4; Jer 17:12). • God’s throne/sanctuary represents His character, authority, and reputation. • God’s “name” at sanctuary (Deut 12:5, 11). • His “name” involves His reputation (Ezek 20:9).

5. Two Stages Of Atonement • Evils came into the Israelite sanctuary throughout the year and were taken out of it on the Day of Atonement. • What goes in must come out!

6. Two Stages Of Atonement • Stage 1: Throughout the year, individual purification offerings (so-called “sin offerings”) removed sins from their offerers, so that the Lord could forgive them (Lev 4). • Stage 2: On the Day of Atonement, such sins were treated again, but this time they were corporately removed from the Lord’s sanctuary (Lev 16).

7. Two Stages Of Atonement Evils cleansed out of earthly sanctuary on Day of Atonement (Lev 16:16), clearing His reputation: • Physical ritual impurities • Rebellious sins (“transgressions”) • Forgivable “sins”

8. Forgiving Guilty People • Why would forgivable “sins” be handled twice at the sanctuary? • After forgiveness, what need for atonement could remain? • The woman of Tekoa to David: “The blame is on me, my lord the king, and on my father’s house, but the king and his throne are clean” (2 Sam 14:9; translation by R. Gane).

9. Forgiving Guilty People • As Judge, God is also morally responsible for forgiving guilty people (Deut 25:1; 1 Ki 8:32). • Having paid our ransom (Matt 20:28), God is just when He justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Rom 3:26). • Thus God balances justice and mercy, the two sides of love: “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed” (Ps 85:10).

10. Cleansed Through Judgment • “Cleansing” the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement represented vindication of God’s character for the way He treated people. • On that day, Israelites were judged according to their loyalty or disloyalty to God. • The loyal received moral “cleansing” (beyond forgiveness) through the cleansing of the sanctuary (Lev 16:29-31). • The disloyal were condemned (Lev 23:29-30).

11. Cleansed Through Judgment • End-time Judgment between loyal and disloyal (Dan 7). • = Justifying/cleansing God’s (heavenly) sanctuary (Dan 8). • Justifying God’s sanctuary through judgment clears God’s reputation.

12. Cleansed Through Judgment Connections between Lev 16 and Dan 7-8: • In Dan 7:13, Christ’s movement parallels movement of Israelite high priest on Day of Atonement (Lev 16). • “Cleansing/being pure” in Leviticus 16 and “being just/righteous” in Daniel 8:14 refer to legal cleansing/vindication.

13. Cleansed Through Judgment Lev 16 Job 4:17 Dan 8:14 righteous righteous pure pure

14. Cleansed Through Judgment • How can a judgment justify God’s sanctuary? • Just as David’s throne represented his authority and justice (2 Sam 14:9), so God’s throne represents His authority and justice. • God’s justice must be vindicated because He forgives guilty people. • He also must be vindicated when He condemns rebels who defame Him, illegitimately defiling His sanctuary (cf. Lev 20:3; Num 19:13, 20).

15. God’s Reputation

16. God’s Reputation • God’s reputation matters. • By forgiving guilty people, God lays Himself open to a charge of injustice. • In Christ, God took responsibility for forgiving guilty but repentant people. • God is vindicated when He justifies those who have faith (Rom 3:26). • But Satan continues to accuse (Rev 12:10) by saying that people do not really have faith.

17. God’s Reputation • God is not fully justified until an end-time judgment because He cannot save a person who does not have faith or who abandons faith after receiving forgiveness (Col 1:21-23). • The question is: Who has faith in Jesus? Not who has sinned (Rom 3:23).

18. God’s Reputation • God alone can read thoughts (see Ps 139:23; Lk 7:39-40). • So the judgment considers records (Dan 7:10) of works (Eccl 12:14) showing whether true faith exists (Jas 2:26; Gal 5:6). • The judgment reaffirms assurance of those who are forgiven (Dan 7:22).

19. God’s Reputation “God’s forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart.

20. God’s Reputation David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’ Psalm 51:10.” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 114).

21. God’s Reputation • We can look forward to God’s judgment as deliverance (Ps 26:1; 35:24)! • Unlike the woman of Tekoa, we need not bear responsibility for pardon (Isa 55:1). • We can leave to God the cost of mercy!

22. Remember • We do not vindicate God by our lives. He vindicates Himself by what He does for, in, and through us. • We determine our own eternal destiny by our choice. • We are judged by how we receive God’s gift of salvation through Christ. • “He who has the Son has life” (1 Jn 5:12).