Bible Reading on the Sanctuary by Mrs. S. N. Haskell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 8, 1910

Bible Reading on the Sanctuary

By Mrs. S. N. Haskell

(Concluded)

MRS. S. N. HASKELL

1. LEV. 16: 29-34. In the typical service on the tenth day of the seventh month each year, the service was performed in the second apartment. The object of this service was to cleanse the people of Israel from all their “sins before the Lord.” Only sins that had been transferred in type and shadow to the sanctuary,—or, in other words, had been forgiven through the merits of the great Sin-offering, of which all the sin-offerings were a type,—could be cleansed or removed by the blood of the Lord’s goat on the day of atonement. This typified the service that must take place near the close of the work in the heavenly sanctuary. The blood of the Lord’s goat, slain on the day of atonement, did not remove the sins from the people; it removed the sins from the sanctuary. The sins were removed from the people (in type) by the blood of the sin-offerings slain during the year. The blood of the Lord’s goat typified the blotting out of the sins from the books of heaven after they were forgiven, or the work of the judgment.

2. Num. 29: 7-11. While the blood of every offering typified the blood of Christ, the work was so infinite that it took many offerings to represent the complete work wrought by the blood of Christ. The blood of the Lord’s goat on the day of atonement removed all confessed sins, and typified the wonderful work of Christ, finally blotting forever every sin of the righteous from the books of heaven. The day of atonement represented a period of years; and as the blood of the Lord’s goat removed only confessed sins from the sanctuary, sin-offerings were offered by sinners on the day of atonement as well as on other days.

3. Lev. 16: 18-20. The last work of the high priest in the sanctuary on the day of atonement was to pause in the first apartment, and touch the horns of the golden altar with the blood. An article in “Early Writings” describes this same scene: “Jesus tarried a moment in the outer apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, and the sins which had been confessed while he was in the most holy place were placed upon the head of Satan.”

4. Dan. 8: 14. This text shows us that the time set for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary was in 1844.

5. Dan. 7: 9, 10. The prophet was permitted to behold in vision the service that took place when the work was begun in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. He says, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit.” The reading in the Authorized Version plainly shows that the expression refers to the Oriental custom of casting down divans or mats for guests. Any one who has visited Oriental countries is acquainted with this custom; for as soon as guests enter a home, the mats or divans are cast down for them to be seated upon.

Daniel says that the “thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit,” which corresponds perfectly with the Oriental custom. The Revised Version gives a translation of the expression that corresponds more with modern customs, and reads, “I beheld till thrones were placed.” Either expression, “were placed,” or “were cast down,” shows clearly that Daniel saw a change in the position of the thrones. The position of the thrones was changed, and the Ancient of days took his seat in judgment. If God’s throne had been in the most holy place when the judgment began, Daniel’s words would be unnecessary. But Daniel says, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down.” The word beheld shows that Daniel’s attention was held till the thrones were placed; or, in other words, until a change was made, the position of the thrones changed, and the Ancient of days took his seat upon the throne in its changed position. And when the Ancient of days had taken his seat upon the throne in its new position, the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

6. Dan. 7: 13, 14. Daniel in vision saw the Son of man, or Christ our Saviour, enter the apartment where the thrones had been placed for the Ancient of days to sit upon. “I saw, . . . and behold, One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days; and they brought him near before him.” This gives a vivid picture of Christ’s coming in before the Father to judgment. It also shows clearly that he was brought in; that in view of the mighty work which he had wrought for the sons of men, the heavenly beings bore him in triumph in before the Father. If earthly victors are often borne upon the shoulders of those who have served under them, it is not strange that the great Prince of the heavenly hosts, when he enters upon the final work of the judgment, should be borne in by the heavenly beings who have served so faithfully under his command. When we realize that this is the judgment, and that these angels no doubt had been the ministering spirits to the very ones whose cases are to come up in review in this judgment, and that Christ enters the judgment to confess the names of the faithful ones before the Father, we see that it is only fitting that he should be borne in, in state, by the heavenly hosts.

This same scene is described in a short article in “Early Writings,” “The End of the 2300 Days:” “I saw the Father rise from the throne, and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down.”

Daniel speaks especially of the thrones being placed, or changed; while this writer speaks especially of the Father moving from one apartment to the other. Daniel agrees with this when he says the Ancient of days took his seat upon the throne after it was placed.

We quote from the same article again, as follows: “Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, came where Jesus was. He stepped into this chariot, and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat.” This corresponds perfectly with Daniel’s description, as given in Dan. 7: 13, 14.

Oakland, Cal.