The Unnoticed Waymark by J. A. Hiebert review

I believe the weight of evidence is on the side of what this author is trying to prove, ie: that God had a very remarkable, large movement to signal the beginning of the investigative judgment in heaven which started October 22, 1844, and that the change from the judgment of the righteous dead, to the righteous living, will also entail some remarkable event – namely, the bringing forth of the physical Ark of the Covenant.

Those who know me, know that i rarely get onto “obscure bandwagons”. Yes, i believed in goofy conspiracy theories for a while around 20 years ago, but have not gotten into many of the mini-prophecies which have swept the fringes of Adventism. So why am i interested in being “fringe” now? I’m not sure myself. Actually, i read some of these quotes around 25 years ago, and in this same context, but it wasn’t so methodical, so i just put it in my memory banks, and basically let it rot. Then, in February of 2009, in some fashion i found this booklet on the internet. Having studied much more of the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation in the last 15 years, it hit me hard this time that this might just play a large role indeed in end-time events. But for some reason, i only made some notes, and then let it sit in my computer for 2 years, with no mention to anyone hardly, except to put it in a directory for the search engines on the internet.

Then last month i read something by Br. Franklin Fowler, where he puts the bringing forth of the Ark of the Covenant into his view of an end-time timeline. It hit me with fresh force, and made me realize that i must do something with this knowledge, whether people think i’ve gone off the deep end, or not. look for newsletter April 11, 2011

Why only a “B” if i think this booklet is very important? Mainly because while the first half stays mostly on subject, the last half is mostly a plug for the author’s work, asking for others to help distribute this booklet, and gets sidetracked into meat eating etc. Also, there are lots of spelling/grammar errors, perhaps some of which tho, were introduced in scanning this into pdf format.

One of the most powerful quotes supporting his position, is this one from Review and Herald, dated 1909/01/28:

“When the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, and every man shall be judged according to the things written in the books, then the tables of stone, hidden by God until that day, will be presented before the world as the standard of righteousness. Then men and women will see that the prerequisite of their salvation is obedience to the perfect law of God.”

Following are some quotes from the booklet, with some comments:

“Although Israel made the required morning and evening sacrifices all through the year, they had to do VERY SPECIAL work on the appointed day of atonement. And not only did they know the time for that special work, but for ten days before the atonement day, the trumpets were blown to warn everybody of the approach of that great event. The substance has to contain all that was in the shadowy work back there. As William Miller and his coworkers blew the trumpets for the judgment of the dead, so those who understand this judgment of the living work, now have to blow the I trumpets for the great atoning, Judgment day of the living.”

This sounds very reasonable to me.

“The “special” work of perfection required during the inv. judgment of the living, is a postgraduate course of holiness, the final touch for immortality.”

“The few called “the earnest voice”, who will awaken the ten sleeping virgins when the Bridegroom comes, these have to do this special purifying work right now. As soon as enough workers have attained to the required stage of “burning, and shining lights” perfection, the ark will be brought forth and the great closing work will start. So let us realize our responsibility, and do something about it. For one thing, help scatter these tracts like the leaves of autumn.”

There are 2 things of note in the preceding quotes. One is that there is a recurring theme in this booklet that God must wait for a core group of believers to get “perfect”, then he will start this end-time process. That seems a bit strange to me. It is made to sound like there is some study and test WE do to show God we’ve mastered something, and until we do that, his hands are tied. Of course we have a part to do, but the work of “making holy” is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit.Another thing of note, is the afore-mentioned problem in this booklet of many calls to spread this message.

“Now the Lord says, Measure the temple and the worshipers thereof. Remember when you are walking the streets about your business, God is measuring you; when you are tending your household duties, when you engage in conversation, God is measuring you. . . . Here is the work going on, measuring the temple and its worshipers TO SEE WHO WILL STAND IN THE LAST DAY.” ”

“This puts the seal on the truth, that there is an inv. judgment of the living about to begin. And this will begin whenever the tables of stone, which are in the ark, will be brought forth, and presented before the world.”

“As the Red Sea water represents the judgment of the dead people, so the fresh running, Jordan River, water represents the judgment of the living. Before they came to the crossing of the Jordan they had received the ark, and so will we receive it just before we come to the Jordan Receiver symbolized judgment of the living.”

This is an amazing analogy i had never thot of before!!

“So we can become as perfectly perfect, as we shall wish to be scaled for time and eternity. God has so graciously turned this vital phase of the sanctuary cleansing work over into our own hands. So let’s get busy and do a good job of it.”

“Isn’t it TOO BAD so many of us SO DISLIKE God’s way, that He cannot save them! We should delight in God’s way. It is the best way. But to be sure it is going to include the science of arkology.”

He’s trying hard to promote his theory here. While i mostly agree with it, there are many places in this booklet where he basically says this ark being brought forth theory is definintely the Lord’s work, and if you don’t go along with it, you are not right with God.

“And my dear S.D.A. brethren and sisters, this is just what will happen to you and whichever church, SLIGHTS, TURNS AWAY FROM, OR NEGLECTS TO SEEK, this wonderful “Message to Our Churches” now while it is being urged upon you.”

I am crowding over 30 years of intense study into all hours of the night, with much praying, into this little WAYMARKING messenger.

He quotes Review and Herald magazine to show the error of the position of those who believe the Judgment of the Living has already started:

“Now is the time of the judgment. We are living through its very hours. The tribunal of heaven in awful majesty is even now convened. The names of men and women who have lived, or are Irving, are being called before the judgment bar.” R&H June 7, 1951.

“Let us remember that, if so many of the living have already been judged, as these “a” to “d” writers teach that they have, then, if any one of these has rarely a spot, stain, or wrinkle upon his character, or makes any mistake in deed, word, thought, or look, or doesn’t represent Jesus fully in any act of life, then he or she is eternally lost. If that were true, none of us would be saved. This reveals just how sound asleep the ten-virgin church is, on the coining of the Bridegroom to the inv. Judgment of the living.”

This is a powerful statement, and i believe true, to show that it is not possible that the Judgment of the Living has started yet.

“So now as typified by the ark, it is the gospel truth relating to the ark that will weed out the 50,000 symbolized five foolish virgin laity, the 70 symbolic superficial workers, and the Uzzah type of leaders, who do not closely follow the writings in the prophetic instructions for our present time. “

His interpretations get pretty strange the further he goes in this booklet. It is a shame, as the main premise of the ark being brought forth seems very sound, but then there are lots of these “oddball” interpretations that may turn off some honest-in-heart souls.

“And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in THE MIDST of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it.” SG 4:113 Em. Being placed “in the midst of it” reveals that it was a one apartment tabernacle. This has deep significance for us. The first apartment was part of the tabernacle in which the second apartment had to be veiled. This represents the old covenant dispensation. But the new tabernacle that was constructed under divine directions, with just one apartment, and was hidden in a cave to come forth to serve in the atoning, judging, and sealing time of the 144,000, this represents the new covenant dispensation.”

A “one apartment tabernacle” for the new covenant? I don’t believe this for a moment. This is making a farce of the two-apartment sanctuary in heaven. Actually, Desmond Ford and Robert Brinsmead tried to bring this theory of a one-apartment sanctuary into the Seventh-day Adventist church, and i know 2 people who believe like this. Of course they don’t believe in Ellen White or William Miller anymore….

“Christ being partly divine and partly human is also so fittingly represented by there being two stones. The one stone containing the law defining our relation to God, represents Christ’s divine nature. And the other stone with the commandments governing our conduct to our fellow men, symbolizes Christ’s human nature.”

This is nice.

“In this last great sacred gospel work, it will not only take people who can look upon the ark and live, but an order of priests who can handle the ark, open it, and take out the sacred tables of stone, and present them before the world.”

This sounds very strange to me.

“And this says “The hour of His judgment is come”. This had its first application 1844 when the judgment of the dead began.”

This is true, which also means this 1st Angel’s Message may be given again to show the start of the judgment of the living. We do know that the 3 Angels’ Messages will be repeated.

“All who have read this WAYMARKING messenger can understand them if they will, but that is not enough, they also have to be RECEIVED, -accepted as God’s truth for this time, and live it. And all who do not will fare as described above.”

Believe me or you’re lost….

“So if any of my readers want to disturb Satan and his imps, help me distribute these WAYMARKING tracts.”

“And it shall come to pass, when ye be MULTIPLIED and INCREASED in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say NO MORE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it: neither shall they visit it: neither shall that be done any more.” Jer. 3:16 Em. This is a carbon copy of our present, “Multiplied and increased”, over a million strong, church’s attitude towards the ark.”

I disagree with the interpretation of the text. I believe Jer 3:16 is saying that all the land will serve the Lord, and they will no longer put their trust in a physical ark.

“So now whenever the ark will be brought forth, we will know that now is the time to proclaim the first angel’s message, announcing to the world that “the hour of His judgment IS come”.”

Persuasive.

“The message of definite time is now given to us for the same reason and purpose,”

Whoops! There is no more definite time after 1844. This is a big problem with nearly all of these one-man authored books. They don’t take the whole picture into view. This is why we need each other. We often get a blind spot, and just want to push our theory. It is very clear from Ellen White’s writings that there will never be another message based on time. That is not to say that time will never play a part in any future truth-message, but there will never be another message based on time. Yet here the author is talking about “definite time”, even tho he did not give an exact date for the ark to be brought forth. The only way his remark could be true, is the idea that when the ark is brought forth, that signals the time for the judgment of the living to begin.

“Statistics reveal that about 85% of our people cat meat now and then, they are half meat-eaters. Elijah beheading 850 priests and prophets of Baal, which typifies 85% the world over, shows that this half meat-eating had to be cut out on penalty of loss of eternal life.”

Odd.

As an aside note, he shows that there have been some changes and deletions to the Ellen White books – Interesting.

If anyone understand what is meant by “A M. to 0. C.”, would they please t ell me in the Comments section to this post? Thank you.

This quote from Christ’s Object Lessons has haunted my mind for many years: “So now, a sudden and unlooked-forcalamity, something that brings the soul face to face with death, will show whether there is any real faith in the promises of God. It will show whether the soul is sustained by grace. The great final test comes at the close of human probation, when it will be too late for the soul’s need to be supplied.”

What could be a “sudden and unlooked-for calamity”? – an asteriod-like thing in the 7Trumpets? I know many of us Seventh-day Adventists have thot it might be referring to the National Sunday Law, which gives rise to lots of conspiracy theories about the pope and president secretly introducing this law. But no, we know that the common people will cry out for this law, and the legislators will bend to the public will. So that cannot be a “sudden and unlooked-for” thing at all. This booklet makes me consider that perhaps a sudden and unlooked-for thing could be the bringing out of the Ark of the Testament, but how could that be a “calamity” that brings the soul face to face with death? hmmmm.

Let’s be ready for the soon-coming Time of Trouble, and heed the call to come to the judgment. It is exciting to think that the great consummation of all hopes with Jesus in the clouds may be coming very soon, and to have such a definite sign as the physical Ark of the Covenant being brought forth should electrify us, and give great impetus to the Third Angel’s Message – “Keep the Sabbath”.