God's law immutable--in depth end-time-events study: Part 1

Part 1

GC chapter 25—God’s law immutable


            What we are going over in this particular study involves a lot of the subjects we have already studied some on, such as the studies of the law (Ten Commandments), the Sanctuary, the Heavenly Sanctuary, and the Prophecies concerning the beasts of Rev 13. Additional subjects involved in this study also include the Three Angels Message, and the Judgement. Each of these subjects are very fascinating, intertwined together, and applicable to our time.
            The majority of Quotes compiled herein are from the Great Controversy, Chapter 25 (God’s law immutable), and Prophets and Kings. I would recommend the reading of the first chapter/introduction to PK, as well as the whole of GC chapter 25 in personal study.


“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament.” Revelation 11:19. The ark of God's testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” this apartment was opened only upon the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement. Those who by faith followed their great High Priest as He entered upon His ministry in the most holy place, beheld the ark of His testament. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary they had come to understand the Saviour's change of ministration, and they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God, pleading His blood in behalf of sinners. {GC 433.1}

            The events that took place in 1844, though known as a great disappointment, are a significant part of history and of the church. We know that 1844 marked the beginning of the “end Time,” and the beginning of Jesus ministry in the Most Holy place of the Heavenly Sanctuary (This we know by studying the 2300 day and 70 weeks prophecies). Though, because of a misunderstanding in the studying of the 2300 day prophecy by the people in 1844, the time was a disappointment. But there remained a number of people, a small number, who continued seeking after the truth and found greater light and truth involved with the Sanctuary message:

“The ark in the tabernacle on earth contained the two tables of stone, upon which were inscribed the precepts of the law of God. The ark was merely a receptacle for the tables of the law, and the presence of these divine precepts gave to it its value and sacredness. When the temple of God was opened in heaven, the ark of His testament was seen. Within the holy of holies, in the sanctuary in heaven, the divine law is sacredly enshrined—the law that was spoken by God Himself amid the thunders of Sinai and written with His own finger on the tables of stone. {GC 433.2}
The law of God in the sanctuary in heaven is the great original, of which the precepts inscribed upon the tables of stone and recorded by Moses in the Pentateuch were an unerring transcript. Those who arrived at an understanding of this important point were thus led to see the sacred, unchanging character of the divine law. They saw, as never before, the force of the Saviour's words: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law.” Matthew 5:18. The law of God, being a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, must forever endure, “as a faithful witness in heaven.” Not one command has been annulled; not a jot or tittle has been changed. Says the psalmist: “Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” “All His commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever.” Psalm 119:89; 111:7, 8. {GC 434.1}

            The sincere one’s who continued studying and seeking after the truth after the awful great disappointment started to see the law of God in a different light, and it was showed them it’s great and everlasting importance.

In the very bosom of the Decalogue is the fourth commandment, as it was first proclaimed: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. {GC 434.2}

            As was mentioned earlier, the law, written in stone by God’s hand, in the Ark of the Covenant in the literal Tabernacle among Israel, was just a transcript—a written or printed version of God’s law patterned precisely after the original law of God in Heaven. During the time following the beginning of the early Christian church started by the Apostles, 313 AD to be more precise, a change took place under the hand of Constantine. A new religion was created, and it was created to replace the true and pure form of Christianity. That “new” religion manifested into the Roman church (Catholicism). From that time forward, the Roman Church has taken that Transcript of God’s law and has changed it—predominantly the fourth commandment. The true Christians lost sight of the Original transcript of God’s law and began following after the changed version after Catholicism. There followed a time of awful spiritual conflict and darkness for many years afterward. For this reason, the “early” Christian church has kept Sunday worship, rather than God’s 7^th Day Sabbath, all the way up into our time. (Note: God’s has always had a people that did keep the Correct Sabbath all through history through—the true law was preserved by His providence).
            However, in 1844 the truth of God’s law and that blasphemous change was uncovered to those few members of the Christian church who kept seeking truth. By the Holy Spirit, these truth seekers were converted into the truth and began making repair to that which had been broken for more than a 1000 years.

The Spirit of God impressed the hearts of those students of His word. The conviction was urged upon them that they had ignorantly transgressed this precept by disregarding the Creator's rest day. They began to examine the reasons for observing the first day of the week instead of the day which God had sanctified. They could find no evidence in the Scriptures that the fourth commandment had been abolished, or that the Sabbath had been changed; the blessing which first hallowed the seventh day had never been removed. They had been honestly seeking to know and to do God's will; now, as they saw themselves transgressors of His law, sorrow filled their hearts, and they manifested their loyalty to God by keeping His Sabbath holy. {GC 434.3}

            These diligent and faithful ones took hold of this truth in its entirety and diligently went about to obey what they knew as truth—this birthed the Seventh day Adventist Christians again.

“Many and earnest were the efforts made to overthrow their faith. None could fail to see that if the earthly sanctuary was a figure or pattern of the heavenly, the law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact transcript of the law in the ark in heaven; and that an acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved an acknowledgment of the claims of God's law and the obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Here was the secret of the bitter and determined opposition to the harmonious exposition of the Scriptures that revealed the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. Men sought to close the door which God had opened, and to open the door which He had closed. But “He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth,” had declared: “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” Revelation 3:7, 8. Christ had opened the door, or ministration, of the most holy place, light was shining from that open door of the sanctuary in heaven, and the fourth commandment was shown to be included in the law which is there enshrined; what God had established, no man could overthrow. {GC 435.1}

                “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (Joh_8:32).” Amen?
The truth surely breaks the chains of Bondage. As the truth of the Sabbath brought joy and rejoicing to the Early Adventist Pioneers, so it can continue to bring joy unto those who are willing to hear it today. Yet, we see clearly, that there is evident retaliation against the true Sabbath—even amongst Christians. The true Sabbath is truth, and it is becoming more and more critical in these last days as we shall see further on in this study.