Thoughts on the Book of Daniel.
By Uriah Smith
CHAPTER VIII.—(VERSE 14, CONTINUED).
4. There remains but one more position to be examined; namely, That the sanctuary mentioned in the text is what Paul calls in Hebrews the “true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man,” to which he expressly gives the name of “the sanctuary,” and which he locates in “the heavens;” of which sanctuary, we had, under the former dispensation, first in the tabernacle built by Moses, and afterward in the temple at Jerusalem, a pattern, type, or figure. And let it be particularly noticed, that on the view here suggested rests our only hope of ever understanding this question; for we have seen that all other positions are untenable. No other object which has ever been supposed by any one to be the sanctuary, neither the earth, the land of Canaan, nor the church, can for a moment support its claim. If, therefore, we do not find it in the object before us, we may abandon the search in utter despair; we may discard so much of revelation as still unrevealed, and may cut out the numerous passages which speak on this subject, as so much useless lumber on the sacred page. All those, therefore, who, rather than that so important a subject should go by default, are willing to lay aside all preconceived opinions and cherished views, will approach the position before us with intense anxiety and unbounded interest. They will lay hold of any evidence that may here be given us, as a man bewildered in a labyrinth of darkness would lay hold on the thread which was his only guide to lead him forth again to light, or as the perishing man would leap for the last life-boat that could rescue him from destruction.269 It will be safe for us to put ourselves in imagination in the place of Daniel, and view the subject from this stand-point. What would he understand by the term sanctuary as addressed to him? If we can ascertain this, it will not be difficult to arrive at correct conclusions on this subject. His mind would inevitably turn, on the mention of that word, to the sanctuary of that dispensation; and certainly he well knew what that was. His mind did turn to Jerusalem, the city of his fathers, which was then in ruins, and to their “beautiful house,” which, as Isaiah laments, was burned with fire. And so, as was his wont, with his face turned toward the place of their once venerated temple, he prayed God to cause his face to shine upon his sanctuary, which was desolate. By the word sanctuary, Daniel evidently understood their temple at Jerusalem. But Paul bears testimony which is most explicit on this point. Heb. 9:1: “Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.” This is the very point which at present we are concerned to determine: What was the sanctuary of the first covenant? Paul proceeds to tell us. Hear him. Verses 2–5: “For there was a tabernacle made; the first [or first apartment], wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary [margin, the holy]. 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; of which we cannot now speak particularly.” There is no mistaking the object to which Paul here has reference. It is the tabernacle erected by Moses according to the direction of the Lord, with a holy and a most holy place, and various vessels of service, as here set forth. A full description of this building, with its various vessels and their uses, will be found in Exodus, chapter 25, and onward. If the reader is not familiar with the subject, he is requested to turn and carefully examine the description of this building. This, Paul plainly says, was the sanctuary of the first covenant. And we wish the reader to carefully mark the logical value of this declaration. By telling us what did positively for a time constitute the sanctuary, Paul sets us on the right track of inquiry. He gives us a basis on which to work. For a time, the field is cleared of all doubt and all obstacles. During the time covered by the first covenant, which reached from Sinai to Christ, we have before us a distinct and plainly-defined object, minutely described by Moses, and declared by Paul to be the sanctuary during that time. But Paul’s language has greater significance even than this. It forever annihilates the claims which are put forth in behalf of the earth, the land of Canaan, or the church, as the sanctuary. For the arguments which would prove them to be the sanctuary at any time would prove them to be such under the old dispensation. If Canaan was ever the sanctuary, it was such when Israel were planted in it. If the church was ever the sanctuary, it was such when Israel were led forth from Egypt. If the earth was ever the sanctuary, it was such during the period of which we speak. To this period the arguments urged in their favor apply; and if they were not the sanctuary during this time, then all the arguments are destroyed which would show that they ever were, or ever could be, the sanctuary. But were they the sanctuary during that time? This is a final question for these theories; and Paul decides it in the negative by describing to us the tabernacle of Moses, and telling us that that, not the earth, nor Canaan, nor the church, was the sanctuary of that dispensation. And this building meets all the requirements of the true sanctuary. 1. It was the earthly dwelling-place of God. “Let them make me a sanctuary,” said he to Moses, “that I may dwell among them.” Ex. 25:8. In this tabernacle, which they erected according to his instructions, he manifested his presence. 2. It was a holy or sacred place: “The holy sanctuary.” Lev. 16:33. 3. It is over and over again called the sanctuary, in the word of God. Of the one hundred and forty-two instances in which the word is used in the Old Testament, it refers in almost every case to this building. The tabernacle was at first constructed in such a manner as to be adapted to the condition of the children of Israel at that time. They were just entering upon their forty years’ wandering in the wilderness, when this building was set up in their midst, as the habitation of God and the center of their religious worship. Journeying was a necessity, and removals were frequent. It would be necessary that the tabernacle should often be moved from place to place. It was, therefore, so fashioned of movable parts, the sides being composed of upright boards, and the covering consisting of curtains of linen and dyed skins, that it could be readily taken down, conveniently transported, and easily erected at each successive stage of their journey. After entering the promised land, this temporary structure in time gave place to the magnificent temple of Solomon. In this more permanent form it existed, saving only the time it lay in ruins in Daniel’s day, till its final destruction by the Romans, in A. D. 70. This is the only sanctuary connected with the earth, about which the Bible gives us any instruction, or history any record. But is there nowhere any other? This was the sanctuary of the first covenant; with that covenant it came to an end; is there no sanctuary which pertains to the second or new covenant? There must be; otherwise there is no analogy between these covenants; and, while one has a system of worship, which, though minutely described, is without which the other is unintelligible, the other is indefinite and obscure. And Paul the same as asserts that the new covenant, in force since the death of Christ the testator, has a sanctuary; for when, in contrasting the two covenants, as he does in the book of Hebrews, he says in chapter 9:1, that the first covenant “had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary,” it is the same as saying that the new covenant has likewise its services and its sanctuary. Furthermore, in verse 8 of this chapter, he speaks of the worldly sanctuary as the first tabernacle. If that was the first, there must be a second; and as that existed so long as the first covenant was in force, the second must have succeeded to it when that came to its end, and must be the sanctuary of the new covenant. There can be no evading this conclusion. U. S.