1. WHAT IS THE SANCTUARY?—Our only aim being Bible truth, the Bible shall answer our inquiry. In the book of Exodus, we find our instructions respecting what is called the sanctuary. In chapter xxiv, we learn that Moses went into the cloud that covered Mount Sinai, while the glory of the Lord rested upon it; and Moses was in the Mount forty days and forty nights. Here the Lord gave him directions in regard to building the sanctuary. Hence the sanctuary is something to be built. This we may learn from chapter xxv. “And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, . . . and let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” The sanctuary, then, was the habitation of God. Let us now examine the plan of it, and the instruments thereof, which were made according to the pattern shown Moses in the mount. In chapter xxvi, we find these facts: that the tabernacle consisted of upright boards set in sockets of silver; each board was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide; on the north side, and on the south side, were twenty boards each; hence the tabernacle was thirty cubits in length, (or about 55 feet, a cubit being nearly 22 inches,) ten cubits, about 18 feet, in height, and about the same width. All these boards were overlaid with gold; and five bars, (also overlaid with gold,) running the length of the sides of the building, through golden rings fixed in these boards, joined them all together. The whole structure, then, had the appearance of being solid gold. The tabernacle had four coverings; and in it was hung up a vail, of blue and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen, of cunning work, which divided between the holy place, and the most holy; and at the east end there was also another vail, or hanging which was called the door of the tent or tabernacle.
The instruments or vessels of the sanctuary which were made according to their patterns, were these: 1. The ark; which was a small chest of wood overlaid with pure gold within and without. Its length was two cubits and a half, and a cubit and a half the height and the breadth of it. This was to contain God’s testimony, or testament: the ten commandments written on two tables of stone. Ex. xxv, 10–17. Its position in the sanctuary was within the second vail, in the most holy place. Ex. xxvi, 32, 34. 2. The mercy-seat; which was the cover of the ark. On either end of this stood a cherub; and the cherubim stretched forth their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat; and their faces were one towards the other. The mercy-seat and the cherubim were one solid work of beaten gold. Ex. xxv, 17–23. 3. The table of shew-bread. This was about three and a half feet in length, two and a half feet in height and two in width: it was for the purpose of keeping shew-bread always before the Lord: [verses 23–31;] it was placed in the first apartment of the sanctuary, or holy place. Ex. xxvi, 35. 4. The golden candlestick. This was solid work of beaten gold, about the weight of a talent: it contained seven lamps; its place was in the first apartment. Ex. xxvi, 35. 5. The altar of incense. This was about two feet square, and three and one half in height: it was overlaid with gold, and was used for the purpose of burning incense before the Lord: its position was before the vail in the holy place. Ex. xxx, 1–7. 6. The golden censer, was used by the priests to burn incense before the Lord. Lev. xvi, 12. 7. The altar of burnt offering. Ex. xxvii, 1–9. This altar was placed without the door of the tabernacle: [chap. xl, 6;] it was about nine feet square, and 5½ feet in height: it was overlaid with brass, and was used for the purpose of offering up sacrifices to God. 8. The brazen laver; which was a vessel containing water for the use of the priests. Verse 7. Around the whole was then reared the court of the tabernacle.
The construction of the sanctuary, with all its parts is particularly described in Exodus, chapters xxxvi–xxxix. The building with all the instruments thereof is now complete: the tabernacle overlaid with gold, with its richly wrought coverings; and within that tabernacle the vail dividing between the holy and most holy place; within the vale the ark containing God’s testimony or ten commandments, called the ark of his testament, and thereon the mercy-seat, with its cherubim of beaten gold; in the holy place the golden altar of incense, the golden candlestick with its seven lamps, and the table of shew-bread;—this is the building which God commanded to be erected that he might dwell among his people: this was his habitation; this was his sanctuary. “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Ex. xl, 34. God had now taken possession of his dwelling.
The history of this building may be traced through the period of the children of Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness, till they carried it with them into the promised land, and it was set up at Shiloh. Josh. xviii, 1. It is called the Lord’s tabernacle; [xxii, 19;] the sanctuary of the Lord; [xxiv, 26;] the house of God; [Jud. xviii, 31;] the temple of the Lord; [1 Sam. i, 9; iii, 3;] and God calls it “my habitation, or tabernacle, margin. 1 Sam. ii, 32. This was at length succeeded by the temple erected by Solomon, which differed from the tabernacle principally in being an enlargement of that plan, and in being a permanent instead of a temporary building. Everything in the temple being finished, we read that “they brought up the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.” “And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.” 1 Kings viii, 4, 6. “And it came to pass when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord.” Verse 10. Thus the Lord took possession of the temple, and this thenceforward was the sanctuary. This was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and suffered to remain desolate through the 70 years’ captivity. It was afterwards rebuilt by Zerubbabel; and finally destroyed by Titus in A. D. 70. Since then, it has never been rebuilt; consequently since that period there has been no sanctuary on the earth. But it must somewhere be in existence; for at the end of the 2300 days it is to be cleansed; and those days as we have already seen could not terminate earlier than A. D. 1844. Where then shall we now look for the sanctuary?
The tabernacle and instruments, as we have seen, were made according to the pattern shown Moses in the mount. By this we learn that there is a pattern somewhere, a great original from which they were made. But where shall we find this pattern? God has not left us in darkness on this point. In the year A. D. 96, heaven was opened to the beloved disciple, in vision, on the isle of Patmos. Rev. iv. And he looked and behold a door was opened in heaven, and a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Recollect the golden candlestick with its seven lamps. We have now found something that it resembles; something that may answer for its pattern.
But still further in chap. viii, 3, he sees an angel with a golden censer, and much incense was given to him that he should offer it with the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Then we have here found something that may be a pattern of the golden altar of incense; and we would bear in mind that the golden candlestick and altar of incense were placed by the express direction of God in the first apartment of the sanctuary, in accordance with the pattern; and we are now looking into the temple in heaven.
But yet another point is shown us in this revelation in St. John. In chapter xi, 15, 19, where we are carried down in the course of events, to the sounding of the seventh angel, he says: And the temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament. We recollect the ark, and also its position in the most holy place in the tabernacle built by Moses. Hence we should conclude that the patterns of the earthly things, the tabernacle and its appendages, were found in heaven; and on this point we are forever established by the direct testimony given by Paul. He plainly states, [Heb. ix, 24,] that “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true,” and in the verse above he calls them (the holy places made with hands) the patterns of the things in the heavens; and in chap. viii, 5, he says: “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for see (saith he) that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”
Now we’ve found the pattern for which we were seeking, the great original of the earthly sanctuary. We have found that it is in heaven the “True Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man,” and contains two holy places as the earthly building, its true copy, teaches. This Jesus calls “my Father’s house.” John xiv, 2. David, Habakkuk and John call it “the temple of God in heaven.” Ps. xi, 4; Hab. ii, 20; Rev. xi, 19. It is also called God’s holy habitation; [Zech. ii, 13; Jer. xxv, 30;] and Paul speaks of it as the “greater and more perfect tabernacle.” Heb. ix, 11. A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our Sanctuary, says Jeremiah; [xvii, 12;] and the Psalmist adds, “For he hath looked down from the height of his Sanctuary: from heaven did the Lord behold the earth. Ps. cii, 19.
Thus definitely is our first inquiry answered, and we are plainly told what constitutes the Sanctuary. It includes, first, the tabernacle erected by man, embracing the tabernacle of Moses, the temple of Solomon, and the temple of Zerubbabel, and, second, the great original in heaven, the True Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. This point being settled, we are led to inquire,
2. HOW IS THE SANCTUARY CLEANSED? or, What is the nature of its cleansing, and how is it accomplished? With the earthly sanctuary there was connected a ministration, which Paul says served unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. By the ministration therefore of the earthly sanctuary, is shadowed forth the ministration of the heavenly Sanctuary. And when we see the work that was carried on on earth, we may understand the work that is carried on in heaven. We will then notice, briefly,
The Ministration and Cleansing of the earthly sanctuary. This ministration was accomplished by the Levitical order of priesthood, and consisted of two great divisions: the daily ministration in the holy place, and the work in the most holy place at the end of the year. The daily ministration embraced the regular morning and evening burnt-offering, [Ex. xxix, 38–43,] the burning of sweet incense on the golden altar, every morning when the high priest dressed the lamps, and every evening when he lighted them; [Ex. xxx;] also, the additional work appointed78for the Sabbaths of the Lord, and the annual sabbaths, new moons and feasts, [Num. xxviii; xxix,] besides the particular work to be accomplished for individuals as they should present their offerings throughout the year.
This latter was an important part of the service and was performed as follows: Whoever had sinned brought his victim, that was to be offered up for him, to the door of the tabernacle. He then laid his hand upon the head of the victim which signified that his sin was transferred to it; it was then slain on account of that transgression, and the blood borne in by the priest and sprinkled in the sanctuary. Lev. i; iii; iv. Thus the sin of the individual was transferred first to the victim, and then through his blood to the sanctuary itself.
This ministration went on continually through the year; and so through the sacrifices were the sins of the people transferred to the sanctuary; hence, the necessity of its being cleansed; which brings us to the second division of the ministration; namely, the yearly service, or cleansing of the sanctuary. To accomplish this, the work of the high priest was changed from the holy place, where he had ministered during the year, to the most holy within the vale. It took place on the tenth day of the seventh month. Lev. xvi, 29. Here he entered with the blood of a bullock as a sin-offering for himself. Lev. xvi, 3. He was then to take of the congregation of the children of Israel, (verse 5,) two kids of the goats for a sin-offering; upon these he was to cast lots, (verse 8,) one lot for the Lord and the other for the scape-goat. He then offered up the goat upon which the lot fell for the Lord, for a sin-offering for the people, (verse 15,) and bore his blood within the vale, and sprinkled it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward, and before the mercy-seat seven times, and made an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins, &c. Verse 16. And when he had made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he brought the live goat, (that is the scape-goat,) and laid both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confessed 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 sent him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness; and the goat bore upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited. Verses 20-22. This done, the cleansing of the sanctuary was finished; the sins of the people were borne away, and the yearly round of ministration in both the holy places was complete. In view of these facts, let us listen to the teachings of Paul in regard to
The Ministration and Cleansing of the heavenly Sanctuary. '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.' Heb. viii, 2. This settles the point that there is a minister in the heavenly Sanctuary as there were ministers or priests in the earthly sanctuary. Verse 3. 'For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.' This fixes another fact; namely, that the minister of the heavenly Sanctuary has an offering to make as well as the priests of the earthly or typical sanctuary.
Who is this minister, and what is his offering? Chap. ix, 11, 12. 'But Christ being come as high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 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.' We have now learned that Christ is our great High Priest, and the minister of the heavenly Sanctuary; that he offers his own blood instead of the blood of goats and calves which the priests offered in the earthly ministration, and the earthly ministration is typical of the heavenly, as Paul says, [Heb. viii, 6,] 'Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.'
Between them there was this difference: the earthly priests were many, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death; [Heb. vii, 23;] and their ministration was many times repeated, one round being completed every year; but the priesthood of Christ is an unchangeable priesthood; [Heb. vii, 24;] for he is made a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec; (verse 21;) and once for all hath he offered up himself a sacrifice for our sins. Heb. vii, 27; ix, 25, 26, 28. On him was laid the iniquity of us all, [Isa. liii, 6,] and he bare our sins in his own body on the tree. 1 Pet. ii, 24. In this connection study carefully Hebrews, chapters vii-x. Christ, then, is the great antitype of the offerings connected with the typical sanctuary; and he who brought his victim to the door of the tabernacle, to be then slain on account of his transgression, through that sacrifice pointed to 'the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'
Here is made manifest the wisdom and goodness of God. Thus was instituted that system of types and shadows that through them the people of that dispensation might lay hold on the merits of a coming Saviour; and that we, while there is now no sanctuary on earth with its ministration carried on before us, might look back upon these, and thus learn the work of the heavenly Sanctuary where our great High Priest is now ministering for us.
By our investigation, thus far, we have found that several important points are established by the Word of God; viz., 1. That the Sanctuary, the pattern or antitype of the earthly building is in heaven. 2. That Christ is the minister of that Sanctuary. 3. That the ministration of the priests connected with the earthly sanctuary, pointed to the ministration of Christ in the heavenly Sanctuary.
We will now consider the time when the heavenly Sanctuary took the place of the earthly, when the type met its antitype, and the shadow was lost in the substance—and the events that marked the change.
In regard to the point of time there can be no dispute: the shadow ceases when the substance comes: the type cannot reach beyond the antitype: the offering of goats and calves was no longer serviceable when the great offering for the world, Christ the Son of God, had died on Calvary. Here then is the dividing point. Christ said as he departed from the temple. 'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and atonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold your house is left unto you desolate.' Matt. xxiii, 37, 38. And when amid the terrific scenes of the crucifixion day, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, it was a solemn demonstration that its services were forever finished; for that blood was now shed that was to be ministered for us in the heavenly Sanctuary, and there from henceforth, the world was to look for salvation and pardon.
The sacrifice of the New Testament being offered up, at once connects us with that Tabernacle where his blood is to be ministered; it is impossible to disconnect the idea: we cannot unlink the chain and step off upon the land of Palestine or any other portion of the earth as the Sanctuary: those who attempt to do this destroy all the significance of these types, and render the whole typical dispensation from Moses to Christ, void and of none effect.
We have now seen when the typical or earthly sanctuary gave place to the Sanctuary in heaven; and Christ, when he ascended, there began, as a minister of that Sanctuary, his mediation for us. He began his ministration in the first apartment, as we may learn from these facts: 1. That the Sanctuary in heaven has two apartments, or it was not, as declared to be, the pattern of the earthly. 2. If there are two apartments, they are both designed for some purpose. 3. As the blood of those sacrifices of which Christ was the antitype, was offered in both apartments of the earthly sanctuary, so his blood must be ministered in both apartments of the heavenly Sanctuary to fulfill the type.
Since, then, we are perfectly satisfied when the service commenced in heaven, and where it commenced, i. e., in the first apartment, we next inquire, How long will it thus continue? How long will that division of the ministration continue, ere the final work of cleansing the Sanctuary is commenced?
This is that question which is graciously answered by the Word of God. Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed. But how do we know that this refers to the heavenly Sanctuary? We know from the fact that only 490 of the 2300 days are allotted to the Jews and the earthly sanctuary. 'Seventy weeks are cut off upon thy people and upon thy holy city.' Dan. ix, 24. The Prophet then introduces the heavenly Sanctuary with these words, 'To anoint the most Holy.' This refers to an act preparatory to the commencement of the ministration in the sanctuary, which was to anoint both the holy places and all the sacred vessels. Ex. xl, 9-11.
Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed. We are now prepared to understand the nature of the cleansing of the Sanctuary, and what is to be understood by that expression. Look back to the type ordained expressly to shadow forth the work in heaven, and what are we taught? We there see the high priest on the tenth day of the seventh month entering in within the vail into the most holy place, to make an atonement for the people and cleanse the sanctuary. Lev. xvi. Hence we learn that our great High Priest at the end of the 2300 days entered into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary, and there commenced the final work of cleansing that Sanctuary.
But it may be asked, How can there be anything in heaven that needs cleansing, anything that is impure? We would reply, that the expression, 'then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed,' does not imply that the Sanctuary is of itself impure. Look at the earthly sanctuary. Into the holiest of all, where God manifested his glory, the high priest alone entered, once only, every year. Was there any thing to make that literally impure? certainly not; yet it was, according to law, to be cleansed. Why? Because the sins of the people had been borne in there by the blood of sin-offering, and from these it must be freed: in this sense only it was impure.
So with the heavenly Sanctuary. The sins of all those who come to Christ for salvation and pardon, are through his blood transferred to the Sanctuary: from these it must be cleansed. All can understand this. Paul also bears direct testimony to this point. He says: And 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; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Heb. ix, 22, 23. That is, the patterns of things in the heavens (the earthly holy places) were cleansed with the blood of goats and calves, but the heavenly things themselves (the True Tabernacle in heaven) with better sacrifices than these, that is, with the blood of Christ; and Paul here plainly states that both were cleansed for one and the same reason.
Again, we read in Dan. viii, 13, about treading the Sanctuary under foot; and it may be asked how a Sanctuary in heaven can be trodden under foot. These expressions are figurative as will be seen by Heb. x, 29, which speaks of treading under foot the Son of God. The Sanctuary can be trodden underfoot in the same sense that the Son of God, its minister can. Thus the Pope has trodden under foot the Sanctuary, by calling his own sanctuary, or temple, the temple of God, and turning away the worship of men from the temple of God in heaven to his own sanctuary at Rome. And he has trodden under foot the Son of God, the minister of that Sanctuary, by exalting himself above all that is called God, and assuming to be the head of the church in the place of Jesus Christ.