Carlos A. Steger
“Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator”.1 This idea, which Ellen G. White repeated more than once,2 has been a cause of fear and anxiety for many. Realizing that Christ's intercession is indispensable for obtaining forgiveness, many are terrified by the thought that when Christ ceases to minister in the heavenly sanctuary, they will be left to their own devices, with the risk of falling into sin at any moment and being lost forever. Such a possibility has sparked serious discussions regarding the correct interpretation of Ellen G. White's statements on this subject and their soteriological implications.3 Since there will indeed be a faithful group that will emerge victorious through the time of trouble (Dan. 12:1), some infer that human beings are capable of living a perfect and holy life by their own strength.4 But this idea is dangerously close to salvation by works and perfectionism. For this reason, others try to neutralize Ellen G. White's statements with rather forced explanations that are not entirely satisfactory.5
This article will examine the idea that, at the end of probation, “the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor”,6 in order to clarify what the real consequences will be when Christ's intercession in the heavenly sanctuary ends, and how it will be possible for believers to live without a mediator during the time of trouble.
To understand the significance of the end of probation, it is necessary to briefly review the events that will precede this momentous moment. As the climax of history approaches, the great conflict between good and evil will become more acute. The devil will unleash his wrath against God's faithful children (Rev. 12:12, 17), and he will induce rulers and religious leaders to join in imposing the false Sabbath, Sunday. Those who accept it will thereby receive the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-17). But God “will leave none who desire a knowledge of the truth, to be deceived as to the issues of the controversy”.7 “Not one is made to suffer the wrath of God until the truth has been brought home to his mind and conscience, and has been rejected”.8 To this end, the remnant will loudly proclaim the triple angelic message (Rev. 14:6-12), inviting the inhabitants of the Earth to fear God and worship Him as the Creator. This worship of the true God will be manifested through the observance of the true Sabbath, Saturday, which exalts the Creator. The three angels’ messages also include a serious warning of the terrible consequences that disobedience will ultimately bring. Unreserved fidelity to God and His Law will be at stake. As a visible sign, “the Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty”.9 Those who are faithful to the commandments of God will be sealed on their foreheads with the seal of God (Rev. 7: 3).
But how can a small group of faithful people, comparatively insignificant in number, make the message known to the whole world? God does not require the accomplishment of a mission without at the same time providing the training and the means to accomplish it. Through the symbol of a mighty angel who lights up the whole earth with his glory, Revelation 18:1-4 describes the work that the remnant church will accomplish under the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit, who will be poured out in the latter rain. Through his power, all the world will know the present truth and will have the opportunity to accept or reject it. At the same time, the Spirit will accomplish the sealing of those who have fully given their lives to Christ and obey the commandments of God.
When all who have been faithful to the divine precepts receive the seal of the living God, Christ “will rise” (Dan. 12:1) and “ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, ‘It is done;’ and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the solemn announcement: ‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still’ ”.10
From that moment on, the eternal destiny of all human beings will be fixed forever. Everyone will have made his or her decision for or against God in a definitive way. Even if the inhabitants of this Earth do not know it, there will be no further possibility of change.11 The end of probation will be God's decision, but it will not be arbitrary. It will simply be God's recognition that all human beings will have made their final decision, being fully aware that salvation or eternal damnation will be at stake.12
The most obvious consequence of the termination of Christ's mediatorial ministry in the heavenly sanctuary will be that there will no longer be atoning blood to cleanse the guilty.13 It will be impossible to obtain divine forgiveness, and the door to salvation will be closed once and for all. While this is the most important result of the end of probation, there are other, no less important, consequences that will also affect life on this planet.
A second consequence of the cessation of Christ's mediation has to do with the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). There is a close relationship between Christ's intercession in the heavenly sanctuary and the intercession of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of human beings. The Spirit appeals to the consciences of human beings, inviting them to repentance and calling them to accept the forgiveness that Christ offers from the sanctuary. Even if most do not accept the Spirit's invitation, the conscience-soothing action of the Spirit restrains sinners to some extent from committing worse things. “So long as Jesus remains man's intercessor in the sanctuary above, the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is felt by rulers and people”.14 But, “when Jesus leaves His position as man's intercessor before God, […] the restraining Spirit of God is withdrawn from the earth,”15 leaving unbelievers free to do all kinds of evil. By then, the time of grace will have ended for the ungodly. Having stubbornly opposed the Spirit of God, He will turn away from them once and for all.16 Once Christ ceases His mediatorial ministry, there will be no further purpose for the Holy Spirit to continue calling sinners to repentance.
A third consequence of the termination of Christ's intercessory ministry is that the way will be cleared for God to begin meting out the punishment that transgressors of the holy Law deserve. While the Savior intercedes in the sanctuary, His atoning blood prevents sinners from receiving the full punishment of their guilt.17 Christ pleads for the guilty before the Father, saying: “Spare, spare the sinner a little longer.”18 Looking back, Ellen G. White wrote:
It was impossible for the plagues to be poured out while Jesus officiated in the sanctuary; but as His work there is finished, and His intercession closes, there is nothing to stay the wrath of God, and it breaks with fury upon the shelterless head of the guilty sinner, who has slighted salvation and hated reproof. In that fearful time, after the close of Jesus’ mediation, the saints were living in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor.19
It is clear that, in this context, “living without an intercessor” means living in a world that will be receiving the seven last plagues of God's wrath without any mixture of mercy.20
The fact that Christ has finished his intercessory ministry in heaven does not mean that he will turn his back on his faithful children on earth. More than ever, he will be with them to sustain them during the time of trouble.21 Just as He was with the three young Hebrews in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:24-25), Christ will accompany His faithful children in the end time; “His abiding presence will comfort and sustain” them.22 The Lord will send his angels to be with the righteous during times of trouble, to encourage them and protect them in times of danger.23
Though enemies may thrust them into prison, yet dungeon walls cannot cut off the communication between their souls and Christ. One who sees their every weakness, who is acquainted with every trial, is above all earthly powers; and angels will come to them in lonely cells, bringing light and peace from heaven.24
Clearly, the end of Christ's work in heaven does not mean that His work on earth has ceased. He who has promised to be with His followers “always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20) will keep His word and will not abandon His faithful children to face the time of trouble alone. While the wicked will suffer for having deliberately chosen to exclude Christ from their lives, the righteous will enjoy intimate communion with their Savior, who will sustain them in the hour of their most difficult trial.25
Despite these promises, there is a widespread misunderstanding among Adventists about the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from the earth. Perhaps due to a hasty reading of certain statements by Ellen G. White mentioned above, some believe that the Holy Spirit will withdraw from the righteous when probation ends. Deprived of the heavenly Intercessor and without the presence of the Holy Spirit on earth, there would seem to be more than enough reason to fear the arrival of that time.
In fact, the immediate context of these quotes clearly shows that the Holy Spirit will withdraw only from those who have definitively rejected Him, but not from the righteous.26 Referring to members of apostate churches, Ellen G. White wrote that “the forms of religion will be continued by a people from whom the Spirit of God has been finally withdrawn”.27
As the rejection of the majority of human beings drives the Holy Spirit further and further from their lives, God's faithful children will receive Him more fully into their hearts. This will empower them to proclaim the last message to the world and, at the same time, prepare them for life after probation is over. “As the members of the body of Christ approach the period of their last conflict, ‘the time of Jacob's trouble,’ they will grow up into Christ, and will partake largely of His spirit […]. It is the latter rain which revives and strengthens them to pass through the time of trouble”.28 Before the end of probation “the ‘latter rain,’ or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out”.29 In this way, the people of God will have “received ‘the latter rain,’ ‘the refreshing from the presence of the Lord,’ and they are prepared for the trying hour before them”.30 The refreshing of the latter rain is something “that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy God” after the end of probation.31
Before Christ leaves the sanctuary, the Holy Spirit will seal those who choose to be faithful to God no matter the cost. Although the seal as a mark of belonging to God is initially placed on each believer when he accepts Christ as his personal Savior (Eph. 1:13), in the time of the end a special sealing work will be accomplished to protect the righteous from the punishment that will fall upon the wicked (Ezek. 9:3-6; Rev. 7:3; 9:4). This eschatological sealing will prepare the righteous to live without an intercessor.32
Sabbath observance, as a visible sign of loyalty and obedience to God, constitutes a fundamental element of God's seal.33 However, the seal encompasses much more than that. It will be placed on the foreheads of the faithful, symbolizing the place of the thoughts, the feelings, and the will. Therefore, the seal of God on the forehead “is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved”.34 The seal involves what we call a person's character. As the Holy Spirit fills the life of every believer, He not only encourages faithful Sabbath observance, but He transforms character into Christlikeness. “By the power of the Holy Spirit the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character. We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ”.35 The Savior grants the power of the Holy Spirit “to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church”.36 “God places His mark of approval upon all who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, reflect the image of Jesus”.37 In short, the seal of God implies having a character similar to that of Christ.38
Seals are placed on various documents every day. For the contemporary believer, it is easy to fall into the error of thinking that the seal of God can be placed instantly, as if it were something external and independent of both the person receiving it and the person placing it. However, the seal of God is not an object that a person can put on or take off according to circumstances. It is the result of the permanent presence of the Holy Spirit in the minds and hearts of believers, who have been “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). According to Christ's promise, the Spirit will be with us “forever” (John 14:16).
When the Spirit dwells in the believer, He produces the “fruit of the Spirit” (John 14:16-17; Rom. 8:11; cf. Gal. 5:22-23). Just as the branch separated from the vine cannot bear any fruit (John 15:4), the believer, without the Holy Spirit, cannot produce or manifest the “fruit of the Spirit.” Therefore, the seal of God will remain in the righteous as long as the Spirit dwells in them. Without the Holy Spirit, they would automatically lose the seal of God. For this reason, Paul states that God “has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 1:22). In Bible times, the “guarantee” was the permanent assurance that a transaction would be completed. In this case, the Holy Spirit will remain in the hearts of the righteous until the Second Coming, as a guarantee that redemption will be completed (Eph. 1:14; 4:30).
The presence of the Holy Spirit permeating the minds and hearts of believers will be what enables them to live without an intercessor, since their characters will be sealed in a definitive manner. Far from feeling proud of this, they will be fully conscious of their own faults. Although they will be persecuted for their obedience to God, what will distress them most during the time of trouble will be the fear “that every sin has not been repented of, and that through some fault in themselves […] should they prove unworthy”.39 “But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness, they will have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins will have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and they cannot bring them to remembrance”.40
Neither the Bible nor Ellen G. White mentions the fear of falling into sin after there is no longer an Intercessor as the cause of the distress of those who are sealed. On the contrary, their greatest concern will be that some past sin has remained unconfessed. They will have learned to trust fully in Christ and His grace and to be guided by the Holy Spirit at all times (Rom. 8:14). More than ever, they must cling by faith to Him who is able to keep them from falling (Jude 24).
Does this mean that when Christ ceases to intercede in the heavenly sanctuary, believers will have already reached a state of sinlessness? Will the process of sanctification be complete in them? Will they have reached perfection?
It is important to remember that, by then, believers will have learned to trust solely in Christ's atoning sacrifice for their salvation. They will have repented daily and confessed all their sins before the Lord, so that their names will be completely cleansed of sin in the books of heaven thanks to the blood of Christ. “Those who live in the last days […] must depend solely upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour”.41
They will also have learned to remain constantly united to Christ through faith (John 15:4); the Holy Spirit will have molded their characters into the likeness of Christ's character. By the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, they will no longer commit willful, deliberate, or premeditated sins (1 John 3:6, 9).42 Nor will they consciously harbor any cherished sin or cultivated habits contrary to the revealed will of God.43
They will not consider themselves perfect or holy, nor will they boast of their spiritual achievements. On the contrary, the closer they are to Christ, the more conscious they will be of their imperfections and unworthiness.44
They will understand that sanctification is a process of daily growth, in which they will more and more fully reflect the character of Christ. “Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime”.45 “So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, I have fully attained”.46 “We cannot say, ‘I am sinless,’ till this vile body is changed and fashioned like unto His glorious body” at His second coming.47
The Bible and Ellen G. White present a dynamic and progressive concept of perfection.48 “At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God's purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement”.49 Even during the time of trouble, the children of God will pass through the furnace of affliction because “their earthliness must be consumed, that the image of Christ may be perfectly reflected” in them.50
The righteous may be considered perfect in the sense that they will no longer harbor cultivated sins or deliberately commit sins. At the same time, they will still be imperfect in the sense that they will still possess a sinful nature with its limitations, unavoidable shortcomings, and unintentional or unconscious mistakes. However, they will not intentionally indulge in sin or commit premeditated acts of transgression.51 In this context, it is imperative to remember that, although every sin is an imperfection, not every imperfection is a sin.52
While these reflections are legitimate from a theological point of view, “we should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. […] Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him”.53 It is imperative to stop focusing on personal liberation in order to focus on the Liberator, who is the only one who can give us salvation.54
While Christ still intercedes for His children in the heavenly sanctuary, they must prepare for the end of probation. “Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil”.55
“Now, while the precious Saviour is making an atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ”.56 How to achieve this? Through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit seeks to abide in each soul. If it is welcomed as an honored guest, those who receive it will be made complete in Christ”.57
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1 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), p. 425.
2 White, The Great Controversy, p. 614; Ellen G. White, Early Writings (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1882), p. 280; Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1947), p. 403; Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1890), p. 201.
3 Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, Living Without an Intercessor in the Writings of Ellen G. White (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2020), analyzes the main statements of Ellen White on the subject in the chronological order of her writings, looking for the theological meaning of each statement in its context. He explains that Ellen White addressed the subject for several purposes and describes what preparation should be necessary to live during the time of trouble. See also the chapter entitled “Perfection and Closing Events”, in Woodrow Wilson Whidden, Ellen White on Salvation: a Chronological Study (Hagerstown: Review and Herald, 1995), pp. 131-142; and Marvin Moore, “How to Anticipate the Close of Probation without Going Crazy” (unpublished manuscript, undated).
4 Herbert E. Douglass, et al., Perfection: The Impossible Possibility (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Association, 1975), pp. 9-56.
5 Morris L. Venden, Never Without an Intercessor (Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Association, 1996), pp. 57-70.
6 White, The Great Controversy, p. 614.
7 Ibid., p. 605.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid., p. 613.
11 Ibid., p. 615, 618.
12 Marvin Moore, The Crisis of the End Time (Boise, ID: Pacific Press, 1992), p. 53.
13 White, The Story of Redemption, p. 404; White, Early Writings, p. 281; White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 201.
14 White, The Great Controversy, p. 610.
15 White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 201. “As Jesus moved out of the most holy place, I heard the tinkling of the bells upon His garment; and as He left, a cloud of darkness covered the inhabitants of the earth. There was then no mediator between guilty man and an offended God. While Jesus had been standing between God and guilty man, a restraint was upon the people; but when He stepped out from between man and the Father, the restraint was removed and Satan had entire control of the finally impenitent”. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 403.
16 White, The Great Controversy, p. 614.
17 Ibid., pp. 628, 631.
18 White, The Story of Redemption, p. 404; White, Early Writings, p. 281.
19 White, The Story of Redemption, p. 403. See also White, The Great Controversy, p. 627.
20 The one hundred and forty-four thousand are those who “have passed through the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation; they have endured the anguish of the time of Jacob's trouble; they have stood without an intercessor through the final outpouring of God's judgments.” White, The Great Controversy, p. 648.
21 Jiří Moskala, “Misinterpreted End-Time Issues: Five Myths in Adventism”, in God's Character and the Last Generation, ed. Jiří Moskala and John C. Peckham (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2018), pp. 247-249.
22 White, Prophets and Kings (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 1917), p. 513.
23 White, The Great Controversy, pp. 618, 629; Elena G. de White, Maranatha (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1976), 270; Elena G. de White, Testimony Treasures (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1949), vol. 3, p. 286; White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 256.
24 White, The Great Controversy, p. 627. See also White, Testimony Treasures (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1949), vol. 2, p. 178.
25 Norman Gulley, Christ is Coming! (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1998), p. 519.
26 Moskala, pp. 246, 247.
27 White, The Great Controversy, p. 615.
28 White, Testimony Treasures (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1949), vol. 1, p. 131.
29 White, Early Writings, p. 85.
30 White, The Great Controversy, p. 613.
31 White, Early Writings, p. 71.
32 Moskala, pp. 237-241, clearly presents what the Bible teaches about the two moments of the sealing.
33 White, Testimony Treasures, vol. 3, p. 232. “EGW Comments – Revelation,” in SDA Bible Commentary, ed. F. D. Nichol (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association., 1957), vol. 7, p. 981. From now on SDABC.
34 “EGW Comments – Ezequiel,” SDABC, vol. 4, p. 1161.
35 Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1923), p. 506. “The mighty power of the Holy Spirit works an entire transformation in the character of the human agent, making him a new creature in Christ Jesus”. “EGW Comments – Ephesians,” SDABC, vol. 6, p. 1117.
36 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1898), p. 671. “The Christian's life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit”. Ibid., p. 172.
37 “Mark” [Eze. 9:4], SDABC, vol. 4, p. 606.
38 “EGW Comments – Revelation,” SDABC, vol. 7, p. 970.
39 White, The Great Controversy, p. 619.
40 White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 202.
41 Ibid., p. 202.
42 “In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong”. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 429. In contrast, “it is vain for us to think that we are prepared for the finishing touch of immortality, while we live in willful transgression of any of God's holy precepts”. Ellen G. White, “The Test of Doctrine”, Review and Herald, August 27, 1889, par. 4.
43 “If we cling to any known sin, the Lord will not hear us”. Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), p. 95. “If one sin is cherished in the soul, or one wrong practice retained in the life, the whole being is contaminated”. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 313. “The indulgence of one known sin will cause weakness and darkness”. White, Maranatha, p. 95. “The righteousness of Christ will not cover one cherished sin”. Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1900), p. 316.
44 “The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature”. White, Steps to Christ, p. 64. “The more closely they view the spotless character of Christ, the stronger will be their desire to be conformed to His image, and the less will they see of purity or holiness in themselves”. White, Testimony Treasures, vol. 2, p. 174. See also Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), p. 448.
45 White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 560.
46 Ibid. Sanctified lips will never give utterance to these presumptuous words: “I am sinless; I am holy”. Ibid., p. 561.
47 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980), vol. 3, p. 355. See also Ellen G. White, That I May Know Him (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1964.), p. 361.
48 Woodrow W. Whidden, “Perfection”, in The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia, ed. Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon, 2nd ed. (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2013), p. 1023.
49 White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 65. “As God is perfect in His high sphere of action, so man may be perfect in his human sphere. The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. There is opened before us a path of continual advancement”. Ellen G. White, Our Father Cares (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1991), p. 176.
50 White, The Great Controversy, p. 621. See also White, Testimony Treasures, vol. 2, p. 177.
51 Whidden, Ellen White on salvation, p. 136.
52 Erwin R. Gane, “He Is Able,” Adventists Affirm 11, nº 3 (1997), p. 11.
53 White, Steps to Christ, p. 71.
54 Norman Gulley, Final Events on Planet Earth (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Association, 1977), p. 122.
55 White, The Great Controversy, p. 425. “We are in the anti-typical day of atonement. Every individual soul should now be humbling himself before God, seeking pardon for his transgressions and sins, and accepting the justifying grace of Christ, the sanctifying of the soul by the operations of the Holy Spirit, the implanting of a new nature, and putting on the righteousness of Christ; thus the carnal nature is transformed, renewed in holiness after the image of Christ's righteousness and true holiness”. Ellen G. White to O. Olsen, 23 November, 1892, Letter 22, 1892, parr. 11.
56 White, Maranatha, p. 275.
57 Ellen G. White, Ye Shall Receive Power (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1995), p. 33.