Beings in Redemption

Answers to Divine Beings Questionaire

Plan of Redemption

How many Beings were involved in the plan of redemption before the foundation of the world?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

RH May 28, 1908, par. 12: The plan of redemption was arranged in the councils between the Father and the Son. Then Christ pledged himself to render an account for man if he proved disloyal. He pledged himself to make an atonement which would unite every believing soul to God.

YI June 14, 1900, par. 5-6: Father and Son are pledged to fulfill the terms of the everlasting covenant. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Christ was not alone in making his great sacrifice. It was the fulfilment of the covenant made between him and his Father before the foundation of the world was laid. With clasped hands they had entered into the solemn pledge that Christ would become the surety for the human race if they were overcome by Satan's sophistry.

PP 34.1: Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.

BEcho October 28, 1895, par. 4: Can anyone consider the condescension of God in preparing the gospel feast, and its great cost, and treat the invitation slightingly? No man, nor even the highest angel, can estimate the great cost; it is known only to the Father and the Son. . . .

ST June 17, 1903, par. 2: The Gospel is the hope of the world. The cross is God's agency for counterworking Satan's plans, and restoring man to his original purity. The plan of salvation devised by the Father and the Son will be a grand success. . .

ST January 13, 1909, par. 8: God and Christ alone know what the souls of men have cost. . . .

RH September 13, 1906. par. 4: Christ saw that the time had come when Satan's power over mankind must be broken. Before the fall of man, the Son of God had united with his Father in laying the plan of salvation.

DA 834.2: Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan.

ST October 10, 1892, par. 1: A covenant has been entered into by the Father and by the Son to save the world through Christ.

GC 493.1: Christ the Word, the Only Begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father,—one in nature, in character, and in purpose,—the only being in all the universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.

Creation of Man

How many Beings were involved when God said, "Let us make man in our image"?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. . ."

See SDA Trinity Verses: Genesis 1:26 for a detailed explanation.

Mount Sinai

How many Beings were present when the law was proclaimed on Mount Sinai?

ANSWER. Only two Beings. The Father and Son.

ST October 15, 1896, par. 4: When the law was spoken, the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, stood by the side of His Son, enshrouded in the fire and the smoke on the mount. It was not here that the law was first given; but it was proclaimed, that the children of Israel, whose ideas had become confused in their association with idolaters in Egypt, might be reminded of its terms, and understand what constitutes the true worship of Jehovah.

ST May 6, 1880, Art. A. par. 1: The principles of the law of God did not originate at Sinai; but by a long, degrading servitude in Egypt they had become confused in the minds of all Israel. The Lord had now brought them out into this place, grand with solitude, that he might more clearly impress upon their minds the nature of his requirements by speaking his law with an audible voice. They were here to receive the most wonderful revelation ever made by God to man. The cloud which rested upon the mount, enveloping the Father and the Son and the retinue of holy angels. . .

MB 45.1: It was Christ who, amid thunder and flame, had proclaimed the law upon Mount Sinai. The glory of God, like devouring fire, rested upon its summit, and the mountain quaked at the presence of the Lord.

Christ's Baptism

How many Beings were present at Christ's baptism?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

Matthew 3:16,17 And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Here, we are led to believe that there were three divine beings all in one place. The Son was baptized, the Father spoke, and the Holy Spirit descended on the Son in the form of a dove. Let us see how Ellen White describes this scene.

RH, January 21, 1873 par. 5: Never before had angels listened to such a prayer as Christ offered at His baptism, and they were solicitous to be the bearers of the message from the Father to His Son. But, no! Direct from the Father issues the light of His glory. The heavens were opened and beams of glory rested upon the Son of God and assumed the form of a dove, in appearance like burnished gold. The dovelike form was emblematical of the meekness and gentleness of Christ. . . . From the opening heavens came these words: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” . . . Notwithstanding the Son of God was clothed with humanity, yet Jehovah, with His own voice, assures Him of His sonship with the Eternal. In this manifestation to His Son, God accepts humanity as exalted through the excellence of His beloved Son.

ST, August 7, 1879 par. 7: After Christ was baptized of John in Jordan, he came up out of the water, and bowing upon the banks of the river, he prayed with fervency to his Heavenly Father for strength to endure the conflict with the prince of darkness in which he was about to engage. The heavens were opened to his prayer and the light of God's glory, brighter than the sun at noonday, came from the throne of the Eternal, and, assuming the form of a dove with the appearance of burnished gold, encircled the Son of God, while the clear voice from the excellent glory was heard in terrible majesty, saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."

RH, February 13, 1900 par. 14: John came bearing witness of the One whose divinity they were now questioning. Christ himself had gone to the Jordan, not to repent of sin, but to fulfill every specification required of the sinner. The Baptist saw the Saviour walking at a distance, and his face lighted up. "Behold the Lamb of God," he cried, "which taketh away the sin of the world." There Christ stood revealed before the people. The glory of God descended upon him in the form of a dove like burnished gold, and the voice of the infinite One declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

According to Ellen White the spirit of God is the glory of God. It is the Father's glory that assumed the form of a dove and encircled the Son of God. It is the spirit of God, God's spirit, which assumed the form of a dove. This same spirit of God descending on the disciples at Pentecost assumed the form of tongues of fire in Acts 2:3-4.

Great Commission

How many Beings are we to baptize in the name of?

ANSWER. The apostles baptized in the name of Jesus alone.

Acts 2:38: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ..."

Acts 8:16: "...they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

Acts 10:48: "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ..."

Acts 19:5: "On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

Acts 22:16: "...Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name."

In fact, there is no record in the Bible of anyone baptizing in any other name.

But what of the "Great Commission" text found in Matthew 28:19? See: The Great Commission text.

Second Coming

How many Beings will be present at the Second Coming?

ANSWER. Only two Beings. The Father and Son.

Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Revelation 6:12-17 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?"

In the book of Revelation, the one who is "seated on the throne" is God the Father, and "the Lamb" is Jesus Christ.

RH September 5, 1899, Art. A, par. 6: No human language can portray the scenes of the second coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven. He is to come with his own glory, and with the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. He will come clad in the robe of light, which he has worn from the days of eternity. Angels will accompany him. Ten thousand times ten thousand will escort him on his way.

The Father is on the cloudy chariot that ascends back to heaven in the Second Coming of Christ.

EW 35.1: Soon appeared the great white cloud. It looked more lovely than ever before. On it sat the Son of man. At first we did not see Jesus on the cloud, but as it drew near the earth we could behold His lovely person. . . . The voice of the Son of God called forth the sleeping saints, clothed with glorious immortality. The living saints were changed in a moment and were caught up with them into the cloudy chariot. It looked all over glorious as it rolled upward. On either side of the chariot were wings, and beneath it wheels. And as the chariot rolled upward, the wheels cried, "Holy," and the wings, as they moved, cried, "Holy," and the retinue of holy angels around the cloud cried, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" And the saints in the cloud cried, "Glory! Alleluia!"

Great Tribulation

How many Beings will the great multitude (coming out of the great tribulation) "cry out" to?

ANSWER. Only two Beings. The Father and Son.

Revelation 7:9-10: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Revelation 7:13-17: Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The great multitude "cry out" to only two Beings: God who sits on the throne and the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne.

New Jerusalem

How many Beings will be present in the New Jerusalem?

ANSWER. Only two Beings. The Father and Son.

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

Mediation

How many Beings are involved in our Mediation?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

That is, the Father is mediated to by the Son, who is the one mediator between God and men.

Heirs

How many Beings are we heirs with?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

Romans 8:17: and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Witness about Christ

How many Beings bear witness about Christ?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

John 8:18: I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.

Antichrist

How many Beings must one deny to be called the antichrist?
ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

1 John 2:22b: This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

Divine Beings to honor

How many Beings are we to honor?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

John 5:23: that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Divine Beings who are one

How many Beings are one?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son.

John 10:30: I [[Jesus]] and the Father are one.

Divine Beings in the Heavenly Sanctuary

How many Beings serve in the Heavenly Sanctuary?

ANSWER. Two Beings. The Father and Son. Jesus serves as our High Priest and the Father is on the throne as God the Almighty.