Normal
Theology as “skew” and Slanted Theology as “Straight”
How
many times have you seen something as skew and it was actually straight or
straight and it was actually skew? Not many times but that does not mean it
does not happen. Or so many think. But what about the case where you are a long
time Adventist and many writings on subjects in your faith is “watered down” or
“shaded over”. Making the nuances disappear, nuances that were the cornerstone
of your difference with other faiths and other denominations in Christianity.
Well, you may say that is not important or that it doesn’t matter really.
Really?
Recently
I ran into cases of slanted views in my surrounded area, which is of course
South Korea, but I was quickly corrected that it is not only here but a
worldwide phenomenon these days. As dr. Alberto Treiyer, former associate of
the BRI told me, there is the push-drive to fuse Adventist Theology with
Evangelical Theology and that is a major concern for him. But what about us?
First
it was the case I saw where Vicarius Filii Dei that adds up in Roman letters or
Latin numerical system as 600+60+6. Discovered in 1611 and published in re-editions
of 1618 and 1630 by Andreas Helwig. No other explanation can substitute this
explanation. I thought. Until “Evangelical minded ones” it seems, try their
best to nullify it with feeble excuses. Feeble, because Edwin de Kock came out
with a 1000+ page research documenting the term from the start of the Catholic
Church to recent times even if they transformed the same title into a equal
semantic title Vicarius Christi. Christ is the Son of God is He not? So this
attempt to jump find excuses to rationalize for computer chips and other
options will not succeed. It is a case of taking normal theological thinking
and slanted it and hold it out for straight. Times Roman Fonts is made Italics.
It
is extra-biblical hermeneutics you may add, and agreeably so. What is wrong
with that? If you have slanted theology said long enough and repeated
uncontested in more houses on more lips then the skew will be considered “straight”.
The outcome is that the “straight”, and I mean real straight with biblical
exactitude and verification, the biblical faithful saint that is, is left on
the margin of this new phenomenon creeping into our church: they are considered
“skew”.
This
Trojan Horse of Liberalism moves into the church and affects every level of the
church life and church doctrine.
They
try to create a new-normal. They want to Italicize Theology. They package the
old truths with new content and flavor, hoping the fusion with Evangelical
Theology will wake up sleeping saints in Laodicea. It is still the old jargon,
a glimpse of continuity that one recognize the same Advent doctrinal “brand
name” but the content has been shaken out or removed and replaced by
Evangelical calls of the “Jesus movement”. The secular turned liberal or vice
versa mind from a similar lifestyle, come forward with the so-called
innovation.
But
what about the slanted view of the Investigative Judgment as Investigative Judgment. It is God
calling throughout the Old Testament saying, “Let us get together at Judgment
to speak” (Isaiah 41:1). He meant the Investigative Judgment for there Books
will be opened (Daniel 7:13). Books, yes, records of our works, deeds,
thoughts, and everything. As Edward Heppenstall said in his book Our High
Priest, we are not saved by our works but we are judged by it. The Investigative
Judgment was not an ongoing process from Adam’s Fall time. That is why God is
calling: “Let us….” It was not yet. God set a time and the discovering of the
year-day principle applied in Daniel not only for the First coming of Christ as
Thomas Aquinas and the Reformers did and the ecumenist papist-Calvinist Hugo
Grotius also. However they stopped applying the principle to other long prophetic
numbers in the same book. But Adventists did just that. Thus the 2300 days
ended in 1844 using the same starting number. But the other denominations
stultified and did not follow Adventists in this new discovery. And still not. Instead
of embrazing that rich development in understanding the proper application of
the Sanctuary message of the Bible, the other older denominations are
distracted with a “bible-less” or “bible-lesser” or “bible-least” approach
(Culture over Bible importance) or (Modern over Ancient ideas) or (message for
our time over message for their time, thus antiquated ideas to be skipped or
bypassed). They have no room for it. The Book of Hebrews has not been studied
for a long time carefully by them.
So
Adventists are the only denomination in Christianity with this Sanctuary
Message understanding and the Investigative Judgment doctrine role of the High
Priest in the most Holy that Paul spoke of in Hebrews 9:8 as not yet as well as
in 1Peter 4:17. Peter and Paul (Hebrews) are very clear that the Investigative
Judgment (not of evil, sinners) are still to be in their time, namely of the “house
of God”. Job was complaining exactly about that namely, if only there was an
Advocate on his side in Heaven. He meant in the Investigative Judgment, he felt
that he would prevail. Why? The judgment did not start yet and Job lived around
2154 BC. Nearly two millenniums after Creation and Fall. Traditional
Christianity missed the separation of the processes of the Investigative
Judgment and the Executive Judgment (see Isaiah 5:1-7). Jesus said similarly
that the harvest of the one is first and then the harvest of the other.
Revelation 14 the last part also.
We
have to be worthy of the price He paid for us. Accepting Christ is always the
requirement, not only for Baptism. Living a victorious overcoming lifestyle
with the Holy Spirit washed daily is essential for a record to be kept of our
progress. Progress is an outcome of a life tapped in Him. Angels keep careful
record of this in Books. Books to be opened in the Investigative Judgment in
Daniel 7:13ff.
The
relationship is positive and very effective. God helps us getting over our
slips of the ear, eye, hand, tongue and emotions. Cheap grace, said
Heppenstall, is to emphasize the emotional over the intellectual. It is to
dichotomize that I want Jesus not doctrines, which is a false dichotomy. Paul
says it is not either or but both. We must not read Scripture selectively and profess
a half-truth. The inroads of Evangelicalism into Adventism is serious and a
current problem Treiyer warns us. End item.