This weekly feature is dedicated to Adventists who are looking for biblical insights into the topics discussed in the Sabbath School lesson quarterly. We post articles which address each lesson as presented in the Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, including biblical commentary on them. We hope you find this material helpful and that you will come to know Jesus and His revelation of Himself in His word in profound biblical ways.
Lesson 9: “Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord”
COLLEEN TINKER |
Problems with this lesson:
- The author states that the pre-advent judgment is mentioned in Daniel 7.
- The lesson accurately mentions Psalm 110 prefiguring the Lord Jesus as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, but it fails to connect that Psalm to Hebrews 7 where that priesthood is described.
- In a lesson showing Jesus prefigured in the Psalms, EGW is quoted identifying Him as our example and the provider of our power.
This week the author refers to many psalms that prefigure the Lord Jesus. Understanding the Psalms as being a rich source of allusions to our Messiah adds theological and prophetic depth to them that many people miss. The problem, however, is that while many psalms are correctly identified as messianic passages, the underlying Adventist understanding of Jesus diminishes or outright eclipses what these psalms really say.
The first problem we’ll address occurs in Wednesday’s lesson, and it is merely a mention of the investigative judgment (called the pre-advent judgment in the lesson) which, the author says, is depicted in the judgment scene of Daniel 7. The average Adventist reader would never notice the invalid assumption because it would sound normal. However, there is no pre-advent judgment, and this nonexistent event is certainly not in Daniel 7. Here is the judgment passage in question:
“I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His clothing [was] like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne [was] ablaze with fire, Its wheels [were] a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened. … I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And came near before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory, and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and [men of every] tongue Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not be taken away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed (Dan 7:9-10, 13-14).
This passage, in context, is describing the great white throne judgment that occurs at the end of the tribulation when the antichrist is destroyed and the Son of Man is given the eternal kingdom. Adventists have used this passage in Daniel to support their spurious investigative judgment, but nothing in the text resembles this EGW-generated doctrine.
The lesson’s reference to this passage supposedly describing Jesus in the investigative judgment is gratuitous. First, it does not refer to the Psalms, and second, the only reason to mention it is to subliminally confirm the validity of this doctrine.
Thursday’s lesson is marked by an egregious error of omission. The day’s study is devoted to Jesus’s being an “eternal priest in the Order of Melchizedek”. Psalm 110 describes a priest in who will be such a priest; in fact, Psalm 110 is one of only three places where the Bible mentions Melchizedek. The first is Genesis 14 where we first meet him as Abraham pays him tithe after his successful battle with the kings, and Melchizedek blesses Abraham, the recipient of God’s covenant promises.
Psalm 110 is the second place, and Hebrews 6:20–7:22 is the third place where we find Melchizedek.
The lesson makes several connections between Psalm 110 and other passages in an attempt to show that Melchizedek’s dual role of king and priest and Jesus’ “superiority over human priests and kings” is foreshadowed in this psalm. Yet the most detailed and powerful exposition of Jesus’ role as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek was utterly ignored.
Perhaps because the author is aware that Hebrews 7 explains the significance of Melchizedek’s prefiguring of the Lord Jesus but knowing that this New Testament passage would destroy Adventism’s doctrine of Jesus, he leaves it out completely. Yet he refers to a couple of passages in Hebrews 6 to emphasize God’s faithfulness. To be sure, the points are valid, but they are not the didactic passages which explain Jesus’s superiority over the levitical priesthood that necessitates a change in the law.
The fact that the author juxtaposes Hebrews 6 with Psalm 110 and not Hebrews 7 seems intentional. He does use Hebrews 6:20 which states that Jesus has become “a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,” but he completely ignores the following:
For this MELCHIZEDEK, KING OF SALEM, PRIEST OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, who met ABRAHAM AS HE WAS RETURNING FROM THE SLAUGHTER OF THE KINGS and BLESSED HIM, TO WHOM ALSO ABRAHAM APPORTIONED A TENTH PART OF ALL, was first of all, by the translation [of his name], king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest continually. Now observe how great this man was TO WHOM ABRAHAM, the patriarch, GAVE A TENTH of the spoils. And those indeed of the sons of Levi, who receive the priest’s office, have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brothers, although these are descended from Abraham. But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them had collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one [receives them], of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need [was there] for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become [such] not according to a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed [about Him], “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as [it was] not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER’”); so much more Jesus also has become the guarantee of a better covenant. And the [former] priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but [Jesus], on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens (Heb 7:1-26).
This omission can only be intentional. We learn in this passage of Hebrews 7 that Melchizedek was a king and priest BEFORE there was a law! Jesus’s priesthood is in the order of a priest who was not under the law. We further learn that Jesus is greater than the patriarchs, and we see that His unique priesthood is eternal.
Furthermore, we learn that the law was based on the levitical priesthood! In fact, without the levitical priesthood, the law could not have existed. It’s entire administration depended upon the human, fallible priests descended from Levi. This fallible foundation, moreover, is the evidence that the law is not eternal.
Even more, this passage tells us that Jesus, being a completely different kind of priest than the levites, necessitates a change of the law! This clear declaration in Hebrews 7:12 destroys the Adventist argument that the Ten Commandments are eternal and are the very transcript of God’s character!
I find the lesson’s omission of Hebrews 7 when making the point that Jesus’ priesthood is foreshadowed in Psalm 110 to be a blatant act of deception. Clearly the author knew about Hebrews 7 but chose to ignore it and to draw from Hebrews 6, a section of the book which didn’t begin to address the magnitude of the new covenant which demands a new law because Jesus has a new priesthood!
Finally, Friday’s lesson ends with another EGW quote. Here is what the lesson says:
Ellen G. White insightfully describes Christ’s unity with humanity: “By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey.
It is no surprise that, after omitting the most powerful description of Christ’s eternal priesthood when it is foreshadowed in Psalm 110, that the author ends his lesson on Jesus in the Psalms with a reminder to his Adventist readership that Jesus came to show us how to obey God, and He came to give us power to obey.
These two claims are false. Jesus came to fulfill the law and to die for sin. He doesn’t give us power to obey; rather, he gives us eternal life, bringing our naturally dead spirits to life when we hear and believe the gospel of our salvation. He makes us completely new; when we believe we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for the work He prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
Jesus came to do what we couldn’t do; He did not come to show us how to be saved. He Himself did everything necessary for our salvation.
He became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). He took our punishment and propitiated for our sin with His own blood. He broke death from the inside out because His blood was sufficient for all our sin. Finally, when we are born again we are hidden with Christ in God. We have completely new hearts that know and love Him. Our inseparable intimacy with sin is ended, and we now desire the things of God. We have passed from death to life—and eternal life cannot be ended.
Our Lord Jesus is truly a priest in the order of Melchizedek, and when we trust Him, we are transferred into a new kingdom under the law of Christ. He is not our example of obedience but our Source of eternal life.
Believe Him today! †
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