THE SANCTUARY—CONCLUDING SUMMARY.
By Uriah Smith
What the Sanctuary Is—When It Is—Where It Is—Its Uses—Its Relation to the Law and Prophecy—End of All.
WE have now endeavored to trace briefly the connection of the subject of the sanctuary with numerous specific topics and object lessons of the Holy Scriptures, and the leading and most important themes belonging to the great plan of redemption. Everything connected with the subject has been found to be of living, vital importance. But so long have religious teachers been silent upon this subject, so long have the eyes of the world been turned away from it, especially as to its more unique and important features, that when we speak of the "sanctuary," the ordinary religious professor scarcely knows what we mean by that word; and still less has he an idea of the wonderful field it occupies in the great scheme of rescuing man from sin and death. But, as we have seen, the testimony of the Scriptures is full and clear upon this subject. Through every form of phraseology, and in every degree of emphasis, it has endeavored to impress upon the mind the importance of what has been revealed in this respect, giving studied and thrilling information upon all the questions which would naturally arise concerning it. Alas, that a subject embracing so much should have been so entirely ignored, and so completely lost sight of, in all the efforts to give instruction to the world on the teachings of the Holy Scriptures! In this we see the workings of that power which has endeavored to turn away the minds of men from the true temple of God in heaven, and to fix them upon a rival sanctuary here upon earth, where sitteth one who, as the vicegerent of God (an office which God has never ordained nor sanctioned), exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped. The reader will, therefore, kindly permit this recapitulation to assume somewhat the form of a catechism. 1. The Sanctuary—what is it?—A correct answer to this question is necessary to a right understanding of the subject. Right here many, by taking the wrong object as the sanctuary, are led into many forms of error, and to wrong conclusions. The answer of the Bible to this question is plain, that the sanctuary is not the earth; it is not the land of Canaan; it is not the church. But the Bible answer is not all negative; it just as plainly affirms what it is; it is a habitation prepared as the dwelling-place of God, the place where the ministry of pardon, in its outward forms, either in type or antitype, is carried forward. But be not confused or misled by the fact that the sanctuary is the dwelling-place of God. He dwells in the heart of the believer; but the heart is not the sanctuary. It was first that building erected by Moses in the wilderness. "Let them [the people] make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them," God said. And when in the fulness of time the old dispensation was merged into the new, the building which the Lord Himself had erected in the heaven of heavens, became the sanctuary. There our great High Priest is; there is the mercy-seat; and there now center the hope and work of salvation for the world. 2. The Sanctuary—when is it?—In type it was the sanctuary of Israel from Moses to Christ. In the antitype, under the Gospel, it is in heaven, now an object of paramount interest, because of the questions there soon to be decided. 3. The Sanctuary—where is it?—Now, in heaven; formerly, in the Hebrew commonwealth, here on earth, setting forth, by its services, an object lesson to the people of the world, to point out the real and greater work of Christ as our advocate in the sanctuary above. 4. The Sanctuary—its uses, what are they?—It is the great center around which all the worship of God revolves, and to which every act of devotion points. And why?—Because it is the habitation of God; and there, in the most holy place, He placed the transcript of His will, the Ten Commandments; and there on the mercy-seat, the cover of the ark, is the focal point in the plan of redemption, where "mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Ps. 85:10. There reposes the law which reveals what is transgression; and there is presented the blood which satisfies the law, and, so far as the sinner's record is concerned, blots out the sin. 5. The Sanctuary—its bearing on the law.—It shows the immutability and perpetuity of the law, beyond the possibility of any question. It reveals to us the law as inseparably connected with the Gospel; for the law reposes beneath the mercy-seat, where blood is provided for the violation of it, and mercy and pardon, for those who have transgressed it, are offered according to the provisions of the Gospel. It reveals the law as the foundation of God's throne, the very principles of His government; for over it were the cherubim and the shekinah of God's presence. 6. The Sanctuary—to what does it relate?—It relates to everything in the plan of salvation; and it has to do with every individual who comes within the range of Christ's redeeming work. 7. The Sanctuary—what prominence is given to it in that volume wherein God has given a revelation of His truth to man?—The very highest prominence. The word occurs one hundred and forty-four times in the Bible, not merely as casual mention, but oftentimes as the theme of the discourse itself; and, with but few exceptions, it is applied to the one definite object called the sanctuary. 8. The Sanctuary—its bearing on prophecy. What bearing has this subject upon the interpretation of the prophecies?—A bearing the most helpful and decisive. It shows that no prophetic period reaches to the coming of the Lord, but only to a momentous service called the "cleansing of the sanctuary," a comparatively brief service which just precedes that coming. It thus saves us from the folly of continually setting times for the Lord to come. It explains the mystery of the disappointment in the past Advent movement, at the passing of the time in 1844. The whole mistake was made on this subject, namely, mistaking the sanctuary to mean the earth, and the cleansing of the sanctuary to be the purification of this earth by fire, which was taken at once to mean the devouring fire at the second coming of Christ. This was a very natural conclusion if the earth is the sanctuary. But, being wrong here, they were led vainly to look for the Lord at the end of the 2,300 days, in 1844. But the prophecy only said, "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed," which is simply the closing work of Christ as our high priest in the temple above. It presents Christ in a vivid light in His various positions as the Saviour of lost men. He is not only the Sacrifice, but the "living Sacrifice." He is not only the Way, but the "living Way"—a Sacrifice ready at any moment to be presented to the Father, a Way always open for those who wish to return to God. It explains the parable of the wedding-garment (Matt. 22:11-13), shows where that preliminary work of examining the guests comes in, and how the sentence fixing the condition of both the righteous and the filthy, can go forth before the Lord appears. It shows how and when those who are "ready" go in to the marriage; how and when the latter rain, the refreshing, comes from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19); how and when the day star arises in the heart (2 Peter 1:19; Rev. 2:28; 22:16); and how we go in and sup with Christ, and He with us (Rev. 3:20), while the plagues are falling upon the unsheltered heads of the wicked around us (Rev. 14:10; 15:1). 9. Points of interest.—To the thoughtful reader the subject of the sanctuary is full of interest, both as to its past and present, and still further as to its future. As to the past, it is the text-book from which we learn the nature of the present work of our great High Priest above, and the manner and progress of His ministration; and its present work concerns us, because, in connection with the declarations of the prophecies concerning it, we learn more definitely than from any other source our proximity to the end; and its future interests us, because our dearest interests center there, in the court now in session, the decisions of which, for weal or woe, are for eternity. These are some of the claims which the subject of the sanctuary now has upon our attention,—the strongest and most urgent claims that can ever be brought to bear upon the hearts of thoughtful men. All through its history are epochs of great interest. It was a point of interest when the tabernacle was first erected in this world of ours, and the outward symbol of the work of salvation was given to mankind. It was a point of interest when the tabernacle gave place to the larger and more glorious structure of the temple, and when, in the dedication of that temple, the most imposing religious ceremony was performed which the world has ever witnessed. It was a point of still greater interest when the typical dispensation closed, and the transfer was made from the sanctuary below to the sanctuary on high. Thenceforward we come directly to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, and turn our attention to Jerusalem above. Heb. 12:22-24. A point of still deeper interest to us was reached when, at the end of the 2,300 days, in 1844, the time came for the cleansing of the sanctuary, and the ministration was moved from the holy place of that building to the holy of holies. Then the temple of God was opened in heaven. Rev. 11:19. Then the scene described in Dan. 7:9, 10, 13, 14, took place. Then the seventh trumpet began to sound. Rev. 10:7. Then was discerned by faith the ark of God's testament there. Rev. 11:19. Then the position of the moral law was seen, enthroned in the very presence of Jehovah, immutable, eternal. Then was discovered the connection between this subject and the seal of the living God, the sealing work, the last message of mercy, and the closing up of the great Advent movement of the present generation. Then the mystery of God began to be finished, the atonement to be made, and the sanctuary to be cleansed. Then the foretold judgment hour began, and7the church entered upon the great Sabbath reform. With this subject all portions of the messages of Rev. 14:6-12 are connected; this is the grand center and citadel of what can now be denominated "the present truth." Then it was seen that the time of probation could last but a very little longer; for the final work in the sanctuary must be brief. Should it be otherwise, it would destroy the type, and show a want of consistency and harmony in the plan and work of God which we know does not exist. And already for over half a century this work of examining the records of the lives of those who come into this portion of the judgment, has been going forward. The natural order would be, and doubtless is, as follows: Beginning with the human family at the opening of the world's history, the investigation passes along down the line of human development through successive generations, till at length the cases of the latest generation, the living, are reached, who, of course, come into the very close of the investigative judgment; and with them the work closes, and all is finished. And what generation has the work now reached? Has it reached the age of Noah? of Abraham? of Job? of Moses? of Daniel? Has it reached the age of the apostles and the early Christians? Has it come down to the setting up of the Papacy, to the Dark Ages, when the Waldenses and other few faithful witnesses kept the light of truth alive in the world? Has it come down to the time of Luther? of the Wesleys? Are their cases now in review before the great tribunal?—We know not. We know only that, while the world is flattering itself with the cry of, "Peace and safety," and is swallowed up in the mad rush of strife, and the race for power, riches, and pleasure, all for self, the investigative judgment is passing along with silent but fatal tread, and rapidly approaching the living. Then our cases come up for examination, and our destinies for decision, for eternity. And what is our course of action? Are we maintaining that aggressive attitude of faith and watchfulness without which we have been forewarned that the outcome for us will be disaster? But with even such thrilling considerations as these, our view of the subject can not end. We go forward a little into the future, and behold the sins of all the righteous loaded upon the head of the antitypical scapegoat, to be put away forever. We see that scapegoat,—Satan, the agent of all evil,—bound, and the saints forever free from his power. This is a point of transcendent interest to all the righteous. Then they take their first drafts from the cup of immortality. Their sins are borne away. They do not come up to trouble them any more. They can not recall them; and God Himself says that He will forget them. Heb. 8:12. He who instigated them will have received them all back again. Most fitting office for the scapegoat. Here the serpent's head is most effectually bruised, in its last and fullest sense, by the Seed of the woman, Christ. Gen. 3:15. Here the strong, armed man (Satan) who has been shutting up even the followers of Christ in his prison-house, the grave, for six thousand years, will be bound by a stronger than he (Christ), and his house be spoiled of its precious treasures. Luke 11:21, 22. Then will the tares have been bound in bundles for the burning, and the wheat gathered into the heavenly garner. Matt. 13:30. Then our High Priest will have come forth from the sanctuary, to pronounce the everlasting blessing upon His waiting people. Num. 6:22-27; Lev. 16:20, 21. Then we shall have come, not by faith merely, as we do now, but in deed and in truth, unto Mount Zion, and "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels." Heb. 12:22-24. Then will the redeemed, placing the foot of triumph upon the world, the flesh, and the devil, raise their glad voices in the song of Moses and the Lamb. Blessed day! Hasten it, Lord, in Thine own good time. One more scene remains,—the kindling of those final fires prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41), at the end of the thousand years (Rev. 20:7-11). Here is also the perdition of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:7. And here all the agents of evil, root and branch, Satan and all his followers, be they evil angels or wicked men, are destroyed from the universe of God. Mal. 4:1. The deepest taint of the curse is burned out of the earth; the last vestige of disgrace is removed; and from the ashes of the old system, by a new fiat of God's creative energy, who says, "Behold, I make all things new," there spring forth a new heaven and a new earth, to be the fitting abode of the redeemed forever. 2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:5. Of Satan's original rebellion then nothing remains but the great and solemn lesson of sin and its fearful results, which will tend to forever confirm in uprightness and holiness all the holy beings in the then happy universe of God. Thus triumphantly for God's name and glory does His controversy with sin and sinners end. Here are finished the results of all Christ's work, as connected with the sanctuary. In paroxysms of uncontrollable joy, redemption is successfully completed. The original purpose of God in regard to this world, that it should be the beautified abode of happy beings, is carried out. Isa. 45:18. The requisite number of beings, such as God contemplated, to people it, has been secured; and the earth is renewed, to be their eternal abode. Here the righteous are called to inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. Such are some of the wonderful scenes that are presented to our view by a brief study of the sanctuary, and its design; its divine ministry, and its results. URIAH SMITH.