| |
The scripture
which above all others had been both the foundation and the central
pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: "Unto two thousand
and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
Daniel 8:14. These had been familiar words to all believers in the
Lord's soon coming. By the lips of thousands was this prophecy
repeated as the watchword of their faith. All felt that upon the
events therein foretold depended their brightest expectations and
most cherished hopes. These prophetic days had been shown to
terminate in the autumn of 1844. In common with the rest of the
Christian world, Adventists then held that the earth, or some
portion of it, was the sanctuary. They understood that the cleansing
of the sanctuary was the purification of the earth by the fires of
the last great day, and that this would take place at the second
advent. Hence the conclusion that Christ would return to the earth
in 1844.
But the appointed time had passed, and
the Lord had not appeared. The believers knew that God's word could not
fail; their interpretation of the prophecy must be at fault; but where
was the mistake? Many rashly cut the knot of difficulty by denying that
the 2300 days ended in 1844. No reason could be given for this except
that Christ had not come at the time they expected Him. They argued that
if the prophetic days had ended in 1844, Christ would then have returned
to
Page 410
cleanse the sanctuary by the purification
of the earth by fire; and that since He had not come, the days could not
have ended.
To accept this conclusion was to
renounce the former reckoning of the prophetic periods. The 2300 days
had been found to begin when the commandment of Artaxerxes for the
restoration and building of Jerusalem went into effect, in the autumn of
457 B.C. Taking this as the starting point, there was perfect harmony in
the application of all the events foretold in the explanation of that
period in Daniel 9:25-27. Sixty-nine weeks, the first 483 of the 2300
years, were to reach to the Messiah, the Anointed One; and Christ's
baptism and anointing by the Holy Spirit, A.D. 27, exactly fulfilled the
specification. In the midst of the seventieth week, Messiah was to be
cut off. Three and a half years after His baptism, Christ was crucified,
in the spring of A.D. 31. The seventy weeks, or 490 years, were to
pertain especially to the Jews. At the expiration of this period the
nation sealed its rejection of Christ by the persecution of His
disciples, and the apostles turned to the Gentiles, A.D. 34. The first
490 years of the 2300 having then ended, 1810 years would remain. From
A.D. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. "Then," said the angel, "shall the
sanctuary be cleansed." All the preceding specifications of the prophecy
had been unquestionably fulfilled at the time appointed.
With this reckoning, all was clear and
harmonious, except that it was not seen that any event answering to the
cleansing of the sanctuary had taken place in 1844. To deny that the
days ended at that time was to involve the whole question in confusion,
and to renounce positions which had been established by unmistakable
fulfillments of prophecy.
But God had led His people in the
great advent movement; His power and glory had attended the work, and He
would not permit it to end in darkness and disappointment, to be
reproached as a false and fanatical excitement. He would not leave His
word involved in doubt and uncertainty.
Page 411
Though many abandoned their former
reckoning of the prophetic periods and denied the correctness of the
movement based thereon, others were unwilling to renounce points of
faith and experience that were sustained by the Scriptures and by the
witness of the Spirit of God. They believed that they had adopted sound
principles of interpretation in their study of the prophecies, and that
it was their duty to hold fast the truths already gained, and to
continue the same course of Biblical research. With earnest prayer they
reviewed their position and studied the Scriptures to discover their
mistake. As they could see no error in their reckoning of the prophetic
periods, they were led to examine more closely the subject of the
sanctuary.
In their investigation they learned
that there is no Scripture evidence sustaining the popular view that the
earth is the sanctuary; but they found in the Bible a full explanation
of the subject of the sanctuary, its nature, location, and services; the
testimony of the sacred writers being so clear and ample as to place the
matter beyond all question. The apostle Paul, in the Epistle to the
Hebrews, says: "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of
divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle
made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the
shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the
tabernacle which is called the holiest of all; which had the golden
censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold,
wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded,
and the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubims of glory
shadowing the mercy seat." Hebrews 9:1-5.
The sanctuary to which Paul here
refers was the tabernacle built by Moses at the command of God as the
earthly dwelling place of the Most High. "Let them make Me a sanctuary;
that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8), was the direction given to
Moses while in the mount with God. The Israelites were journeying
through the wilderness,
Page 412
and the tabernacle was so constructed
that it could be removed from place to place; yet it was a structure of
great magnificence. Its walls consisted of upright boards heavily plated
with gold and set in sockets of silver, while the roof was formed of a
series of curtains, or coverings, the outer of skins, the innermost of
fine linen beautifully wrought with figures of cherubim. Besides the
outer court, which contained the altar of burnt offering, the tabernacle
itself consisted of two apartments called the holy and the most holy
place, separated by a rich and beautiful curtain, or veil; a similar
veil closed the entrance to the first apartment.
In the holy place was the candlestick,
on the south, with its seven lamps giving light to the sanctuary both by
day and by night; on the north stood the table of shewbread; and before
the veil separating the holy from the most holy was the golden altar of
incense, from which the cloud of fragrance, with the prayers of Israel,
was daily ascending before God.
In the most holy place stood the ark,
a chest of precious wood overlaid with gold, the depository of the two
tables of stone upon which God had inscribed the law of Ten
Commandments. Above the ark, and forming the cover to the sacred chest,
was the mercy seat, a magnificent piece of workmanship, surmounted by
two cherubim, one at each end, and all wrought of solid gold. In this
apartment the divine presence was manifested in the cloud of glory
between the cherubim.
After the settlement of the Hebrews in
Canaan, the tabernacle was replaced by the temple of Solomon, which,
though a permanent structure and upon a larger scale, observed the same
proportions, and was similarly furnished. In this form the sanctuary
existed--except while it lay in ruins in Daniel's time--until its
destruction by the Romans, in A.D. 70.
This is the only sanctuary that ever
existed on the earth, of which the Bible gives any information. This was
declared
Page 413
by Paul to be the sanctuary of the first
covenant. But has the new covenant no sanctuary?
Turning again to the book of Hebrews,
the seekers for truth found that the existence of a second, or
new-covenant sanctuary, was implied in the words of Paul already quoted:
"Then verily the first covenant had
also
ordinances of divine service, and a
worldly sanctuary." And the use of the word "also" intimates that Paul
has before made mention of this sanctuary. Turning back to the beginning
of the previous chapter, they read: "Now of the things which we have
spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the
right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a Minister of
the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and
not man." Hebrews 8:1, 2.
Here is revealed the sanctuary of the
new covenant. The sanctuary of the first covenant was pitched by man,
built by Moses; this is pitched by the Lord, not by man. In that
sanctuary the earthly priests performed their service; in this, Christ,
our great High Priest, ministers at God's right hand. One sanctuary was
on earth, the other is in heaven.
Further, the tabernacle built by Moses
was made after a pattern. The Lord directed him: "According to all that
I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all
the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." And again the charge
was given, "Look that thou make them after their pattern, which was
showed thee in the mount." Exodus 25:9, 40. And Paul says that the first
tabernacle "was a figure for the time then present, in which were
offered both gifts and sacrifices;" that its holy places were "patterns
of things in the heavens;" that the priests who offered gifts according
to the law served "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things," and
that "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which
are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in
the presence of God for us." Hebrews 9:9, 23; 8:5; 9:24.
Page 414
The sanctuary in heaven, in which
Jesus ministers in our behalf, is the great original, of which the
sanctuary built by Moses was a copy. God placed His Spirit upon the
builders of the earthly sanctuary. The artistic skill displayed in its
construction was a manifestation of divine wisdom. The walls had the
appearance of massive gold, reflecting in every direction the light of
the seven lamps of the golden candlestick. The table of shewbread and
the altar of incense glittered like burnished gold. The gorgeous curtain
which formed the ceiling, inwrought with figures of angels in blue and
purple and scarlet, added to the beauty of the scene. And beyond the
second veil was the holy Shekinah, the visible manifestation of God's
glory, before which none but the high priest could enter and live.
The matchless splendor of the earthly
tabernacle reflected to human vision the glories of that heavenly temple
where Christ our forerunner ministers for us before the throne of God.
The abiding place of the King of kings, where thousand thousands
minister unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Him
(Daniel 7:10); that temple, filled with the glory of the eternal throne,
where seraphim, its shining guardians, veil their faces in adoration,
could find, in the most magnificent structure ever reared by human
hands, but a faint reflection of its vastness and glory. Yet important
truths concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the great work there
carried forward for man's redemption were taught by the earthly
sanctuary and its services.
The holy places of the sanctuary in
heaven are represented by the two apartments in the sanctuary on earth.
As in vision the apostle John was granted a view of the temple of God in
heaven, he beheld there "seven lamps of fire burning before the throne."
Revelation 4:5. He saw an angel "having a golden censer; and there was
given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of
all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."
Revelation 8:3. Here the prophet was permitted to behold the first
apartment
Page 415
of the sanctuary in heaven; and he saw
there the "seven lamps of fire" and "the golden altar," represented by
the golden candlestick and the altar of incense in the sanctuary on
earth. Again, "the temple of God was opened" (Revelation 11:19), and he
looked within the inner veil, upon the holy of holies. Here he beheld
"the ark of His testament," represented by the sacred chest constructed
by Moses to contain the law of God.
Thus those who were studying the
subject found indisputable proof of the existence of a sanctuary in
heaven. Moses made the earthly sanctuary after a pattern which was shown
him. Paul teaches that that pattern was the true sanctuary which is in
heaven. And John testifies that he saw it in heaven.
In the temple in heaven, the dwelling
place of God, His throne is established in righteousness and judgment.
In the most holy place is His law, the great rule of right by which all
mankind are tested. The ark that enshrines the tables of the law is
covered with the mercy seat, before which Christ pleads His blood in the
sinner's behalf. Thus is represented the union of justice and mercy in
the plan of human redemption. This union infinite wisdom alone could
devise and infinite power accomplish; it is a union that fills all
heaven with wonder and adoration. The cherubim of the earthly sanctuary,
looking reverently down upon the mercy seat, represent the interest with
which the heavenly host contemplate the work of redemption. This is the
mystery of mercy into which angels desire to look--that God can be just
while He justifies the repenting sinner and renews His intercourse with
the fallen race; that Christ could stoop to raise unnumbered multitudes
from the abyss of ruin and clothe them with the spotless garments of His
own righteousness to unite with angels who have never fallen and to
dwell forever in the presence of God.
The work of Christ as man's
intercessor is presented in that beautiful prophecy of Zechariah
concerning Him "whose name is the Branch." Says the prophet: "He shall
Page 416
build the temple of the Lord; and He
shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His [the Father's]
throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the
counsel of peace
shall be between Them both." Zechariah
6:12, 13.
"He shall build the temple of the
Lord." By His sacrifice and mediation Christ is both the foundation and
the builder of the church of God. The apostle Paul points to Him as "the
chief Cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth into an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also," he says, "are
builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Ephesians
2:20-22.
"He shall bear the glory." To Christ
belongs the glory of redemption for the fallen race. Through the eternal
ages, the song of the ransomed ones will be: "Unto Him that loved us,
and washed us from our sins in His own blood, . . . to Him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever." Revelation 1:5, 6.
He "shall sit and rule upon His
throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne." Not now "upon the
throne of His glory;" the kingdom of glory has not yet been ushered in.
Not until His work as a mediator shall be ended will God "give unto Him
the throne of His father David," a kingdom of which "there shall be no
end." Luke 1:32, 33. As a priest, Christ is now set down with the Father
in His throne. Revelation 3:21. Upon the throne with the eternal,
self-existent One is He who "hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows," who "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin," that He might be "able to succor them that are tempted." "If any
man sin, we have an advocate with the Father." Isaiah 53:4; Hebrews
4:15; 2:18; 1 John 2:1. His intercession is that of a pierced and broken
body, of a spotless life. The wounded hands, the pierced side, the
marred feet, plead for fallen man, whose redemption was purchased at
such infinite cost.
"And the counsel of peace shall be
between Them both." The love of the Father, no less than of the Son, is
the fountain of salvation for the lost race. Said Jesus to His disciples
before
Page 417
He went away: "I say not unto you, that I
will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you." John
16:26, 27. God was "in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2
Corinthians 5:19. And in the ministration in the sanctuary above, "the
counsel of peace shall be between Them both." "God
so loved
the world, that He gave His only-begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." John 3:16.
The question, What is the sanctuary?
is clearly answered in the Scriptures. The term "sanctuary," as used in
the Bible, refers, first, to the tabernacle built by Moses, as a pattern
of heavenly things; and, secondly, to the "true tabernacle" in heaven,
to which the earthly sanctuary pointed. At the death of Christ the
typical service ended. The "true tabernacle" in heaven is the sanctuary
of the new covenant. And as the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 is fulfilled in
this dispensation, the sanctuary to which it refers must be the
sanctuary of the new covenant. At the termination of the 2300 days, in
1844, there had been no sanctuary on earth for many centuries. Thus the
prophecy, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed," unquestionably points to the sanctuary in
heaven.
But the most important question
remains to be answered: What is the cleansing of the sanctuary? That
there was such a service in connection with the earthly sanctuary is
stated in the Old Testament Scriptures. But can there be anything in
heaven to be cleansed? In Hebrews 9 the cleansing of both the earthly
and the heavenly sanctuary is plainly taught. "Almost all things are by
the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the
heavens should be purified with these [the blood of animals]; but the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these" (Hebrews
9:22, 23), even the precious blood of Christ.
The cleansing, both in the typical and
in the real service, must be accomplished with blood: in the former,
with the
Page 418
blood of animals; in the latter, with the
blood of Christ. Paul states, as the reason why this cleansing must be
performed with blood, that without shedding of blood is no
remission
. Remission, or putting away of sin, is
the work to be accomplished. But how could there be sin connected with
the sanctuary, either in heaven or upon the earth? This may be learned
by reference to the symbolic service; for the priests who officiated on
earth, served "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things." Hebrews
8:5.
The ministration of the earthly
sanctuary consisted of two divisions; the priests ministered daily in
the holy place, while once a year the high priest performed a special
work of atonement in the most holy, for the cleansing of the sanctuary.
Day by day the repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the
tabernacle and, placing his hand upon the victim's head, confessed his
sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent
sacrifice. The animal was then slain. "Without shedding of blood," says
the apostle, there is no remission of sin. "The life of the flesh is in
the blood." Leviticus 17:11. The broken law of God demanded the life of
the transgressor. The blood, representing the forfeited life of the
sinner, whose guilt the victim bore, was carried by the priest into the
holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark
containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony
the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary.
In some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place; but the flesh
was then to be eaten by the priest, as Moses directed the sons of Aaron,
saying: "God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the
congregation." Leviticus 10:17. Both ceremonies alike symbolized the
transfer of the sin from the penitent to the sanctuary.
Such was the work that went on, day by
day, throughout the year. The sins of Israel were thus transferred to
the sanctuary, and a special work became necessary for their removal.
God commanded that an atonement be made for each of the
Page 419
sacred apartments. "He shall make an
atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children
of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so
shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among
them in the midst of their uncleanness." An atonement was also to be
made for the altar, to "cleanse it, and hallow if from the uncleanness
of the children of Israel." Leviticus 16:16, 19.
Once a year, on the great Day of
Atonement, the priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of
the sanctuary. The work there performed completed the yearly round of
ministration. On the Day of Atonement two kids of the goats were brought
to the door of the tabernacle, and lots were cast upon them, "one lot
for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat." Verse 8. The goat
upon which fell the lot for the Lord was to be slain as a sin offering
for the people. And the priest was to bring his blood within the veil
and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. The blood
was also to be sprinkled upon the altar of incense that was before the
veil.
"And Aaron shall lay both his hands
upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities
of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their
sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by
the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon
him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited." Verses 21, 22. The
scapegoat came no more into the camp of Israel, and the man who led him
away was required to wash himself and his clothing with water before
returning to the camp.
The whole ceremony was designed to
impress the Israelites with the holiness of God and His abhorrence of
sin; and, further, to show them that they could not come in contact with
sin without becoming polluted. Every man was required to afflict his
soul while this work of atonement was going forward. All business was to
be laid aside, and the
Page 420
whole congregation of Israel were to
spend the day in solemn humiliation before God, with prayer, fasting,
and deep searching of heart.
Important truths concerning the
atonement are taught by the typical service. A substitute was accepted
in the sinner's stead; but the sin was not canceled by the blood of the
victim. A means was thus provided by which it was transferred to the
sanctuary. By the offering of blood the sinner acknowledged the
authority of the law, confessed his guilt in transgression, and
expressed his desire for pardon through faith in a Redeemer to come; but
he was not yet entirely released from the condemnation of the law. On
the Day of Atonement the high priest, having taken an offering from the
congregation, went into the most holy place with the blood of this
offering, and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat, directly over the law,
to make satisfaction for its claims. Then, in his character of mediator,
he took the sins upon himself and bore them from the sanctuary. Placing
his hands upon the head of the scapegoat, he confessed over him all
these sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the goat.
The goat then bore them away, and they were regarded as forever
separated from the people.
Such was the service performed "unto
the example and shadow of heavenly things." And what was done in type in
the ministration of the earthly sanctuary is done in reality in the
ministration of the heavenly sanctuary. After His ascension our Saviour
began His work as our high priest. Says Paul: "Christ is not entered
into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true;
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."
Hebrews 9:24.
The ministration of the priest
throughout the year in the first apartment of the sanctuary, "within the
veil" which formed the door and separated the holy place from the outer
court, represents the work of ministration upon which Christ entered at
His ascension. It was the work of the priest in the
Page 421
daily ministration to present before God
the blood of the sin offering, also the incense which ascended with the
prayers of Israel. So did Christ plead His blood before the Father in
behalf of sinners, and present before Him also, with the precious
fragrance of His own righteousness, the prayers of penitent believers.
Such was the work of ministration in the first apartment of the
sanctuary in heaven.
Thither the faith of Christ's
disciples followed Him as He ascended from their sight. Here their hopes
centered, "which hope we have," said Paul, "as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high
priest forever." "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His
own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us." Hebrews 6:19, 20; 9:12.
For eighteen centuries this work of
ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The
blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their
pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained
upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of
atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ's work for the
redemption of men is completed there is a work of atonement for the
removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when
the 2300 days ended. At that time, as foretold by Daniel the prophet,
our High Priest entered the most holy, to perform the last division of
His solemn work--to cleanse the sanctuary.
As anciently the sins of the people
were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood
transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant
the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and
transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the typical
cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by
which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is
to be accomplished by
Page 422
the removal, or blotting out, of the sins
which are there recorded. But before this can be accomplished, there
must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through
repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of
His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work
of investigation--a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior
to the coming of Christ to redeem His people; for when He comes, His
reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works.
Revelation 22:12.
Thus those who followed in the light
of the prophetic word saw that, instead of coming to the earth at the
termination of the 2300 days in 1844, Christ then entered the most holy
place of the heavenly sanctuary to perform the closing work of atonement
preparatory to His coming.
It was seen, also, that while the sin
offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest
represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the
author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly penitent will finally be
placed. When the high priest, by virtue of the blood of the sin
offering, removed the sins from the sanctuary, he placed them upon the
scapegoat. When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of
His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration,
He will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgment,
must bear the final penalty. The scapegoat was sent away into a land not
inhabited, never to come again into the congregation of Israel. So will
Satan be forever banished from the presence of God and His people, and
he will be blotted from existence in the final destruction of sin and
sinners.
|
|
Survival guide for the end of time!
About us
