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Have We Followed Cunningly Devised Fables? — Robert J. Wieland

Preface

"The correct understanding of the heavenly sanctuary is the foundation of our faith.
"This [sanctuary] subject … is the central pillar that sustains the structure of our position at this
present time." (Ellen G. White, Evangelism 221; Letter 126, 1897).


We have all heard the story of a ship's captain who carefully piloted his precious vessel through dangerous waters by steering it exactly by the compass. But in spite of his best efforts, the vessel hit the rocks and sank. In the inquest, the ships compass was examined.

It was found that someone cleaning the wooden case had carelessly left a fragment of a knife lodged in a crack. This had deflected the compass enough to lead the vessel onto the rocks.

If any fundamental doctrine of the Seventh-day Adventist church can be likened to the ships compass, it is the sanctuary truth. This outline suggests that one of our illustrious leaders of a past generation deflected our compass by a false interpretation which has been accepted uncritically and thoughtlessly by generations of our scholars. Undetected by us, it has magnetized Brinsmead-Ford-Cottrell scholars into a repudiation of Bible support for the 1844 cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. They inherited a faulty compass. So this thesis suggests.

Daniel 8 and 9 provided direction for this church as a compass directs a ship. Our pioneers were virtually unanimous in their understanding of it. A key element was Daniel's figure of "the daily" taken away by the little horn. What they saw locked 1844 into Daniel 8:14, making the sanctuary in heaven the only one that could be cleansed, or justified. History shows that the pioneer's view was held practically unanimously by our people until about 1900, and enjoyed Ellen White's endorsement (EW 74, 75). Then came a change. Was it a disastrous one?

This outline suggests that Louis R. Conradi deflected our compass by introducing his new view about 1900. One of the first to accept this view, E.J. Waggoner, forthwith repudiated Ellen White, for he saw clearly that she upheld the pioneer's view. This was the beginning of his apostasy. Next, W.W. Prescott embraced Conradi's view, followed by A.G. Daniells, the General Conference president. These two gave the new view wide publicity, against Ellen White's counsel. In time, Conradi apostatized completely, and Prescott, in the end, virtually abandoned the sanctuary doctrine. Others were Ballinger, Fletcher, Grieve, - a questionable track-record for new light.

Many have not pursued Conradi's view to it's logical end. But some of our astute scholars have, and it has proved a short circuit that makes Antiochus Epiphanes of 168 B.C. to be the necessary "primary" fulfillment of the Daniel 8 prophecy. In their scheme, there is no room for an 1844 application except by a contrived "secondary" or "apotelesmatic" fulfillment. This is seen as a "face-saving" accommodation openly ridiculed by non-Adventist theologians and now by some of our own, built on Ellen White.

We must concede that the Seventh-day Adventist church has not as yet made the world conscious of the stupendous implications of an 1844 change in Christ's High Priestly ministry. And our own zeal in proclaiming the message is now considerably dissipated by these in-house misgivings. How can we expect to convince the world of a doctrine we are not ourselves sure of?

This outline is offered tentatively, soliciting criticism, comment or refutation from readers. Although I see evidence that Ellen White supported the pioneer view consistently, I appeal to a close study of the original Hebrew for its validation. I suggest the possibility that the pioneers were right, and Conradi was wrong. And had it not been for the latter, we would not be mired in our present confusion and controversy about the sanctuary.

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