p. 92 | The Sanctuary

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 18, 1863

The Sanctuary.

(Continued.)

We have now seen that the earth is not the sanctuary; that the land of Canaan is not the sanctuary, but simply the place where the typical sanctuary was located; and that the church is not the sanctuary, but simply the worshippers connected with it. We now inquire,

5. What is the Sanctuary? Turn to the Revelation given through John, and while bearing continually in mind that he is looking not to any spot on earth, nor to the church, but into heaven, mark some of the objects which he there beholds. First he beholds a door opened in heaven. Chap. iv, 1. Mark, he does not say that he saw heaven opened, but he saw a door opened in heaven. He then sees seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. Verse 5. He beholds an angel with a golden censer offering incense upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Chap. viii, 3. And again, he sees the temple of God opened in heaven, (mark, he does not see heaven opened, but the temple of God opened in heaven,) and there beholds the ark of his testament. Chap. xi, 19. But we know nothing of the golden candlestick with its seven lamps, the golden censer, the altar of incense, and the ark of the testament, only as they are connected with the sanctuary. To the sanctuary all these instruments owed their existence. Had there been no sanctuary, these would never have been formed. From this fact may we not reason concerning the heavenly things. As here on earth, these instruments resulted from the sanctuary, so when we learn from the language of John that such instruments exist in heaven, may we not more than infer that there is a sanctuary there, and that these are its sacred vessels; more especially when John speaks definitely of a heavenly temple, and tells us that in this temple these things were seen. Are not these the patterns from which the earthly vessels were formed? and is there not in heaven a literal sanctuary, also, the antitype of the earthly building?

But an abundance of direct testimony waits to come in on this subject. That the reader is acquainted with the first seven chapters of the book of Hebrews, we take for granted. Paul there discourses upon the new covenant and the superiority of Christ's priesthood over that of Aaron's. He then opens in the eighth chapter as follows: "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." He declares plainly in chapter ix, 23, 24, that the holy places made with hands were "figures of the true," and that the earthly tabernacle and its sacred vessels, were "patterns of things in the heavens."

Here is positive testimony that there is a tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, and that this tabernacle is in the heavens, (not heaven itself,) and that of this sanctuary, Christ is the minister. That there are literal things in heaven the Scriptures abundantly testify. As the great offering for the world, made on Calvary was literal, and as our great High Priest, Jesus, the son of God, is a real and literal personage, so must he have a literal sanctuary in heaven, in which to perform his priestly office.

With a few Scripture testimonies concerning the existence of this temple in heaven, and a few of its declarations that it is the great original of which the earthly sanctuary was but a type, figure or pattern, we close this part of the subject.

Rev. xi, 19. "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament." Rev. xiv, 17. "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven." Rev. xv, 5. "And after that I looked and behold the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened." Rev. xvi, 17. "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple in heaven from the throne, saying, It is done." Ps. xi, 4. "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven." Heb. ix, 11, 12. "But Christ being come an 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." Heb. viii, 1, 2, has already been quoted. This heavenly sanctuary is called by Jesus "my Father's house;" John xiv, 2; by David, Habakkuk and John, "the temple of God in heaven;" Ps. xi, 4; Hab. ii, 20; Rev. ix, 19. God's "holy habitation." Zech. ii, 13; Jer. xxv, 30; Rev. xvi, 17. See also Ps. cii, 19; Jer. xvii, 12; 2 Sam. xxii, 7; Ps. xviii, 6; Isa. vi, 1-6; Rev. vii, 15; xiii, 6; xiv, 15, 17; xvi, 1, 7.

This "more perfect tabernacle," this "true sanctuary" which the Lord pitched and not man, is the great antitype of the earthly building. The word of God declares it; and we therefore believe it. There is one declaration of Paul's to which we would call particular attention. Speaking of the priests that ministered in the earthly tabernacle 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 showed to thee in the mount." Heb. viii, 5. Paul here declares that the priests served unto the example and shadow of heavenly things; and how does he prove it? By a reference to the building and the command that Moses had, to make it according to the pattern. His argument is this: The priests served unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, just as the tabernacle, built according to the pattern shown to Moses, was a shadow and example of heavenly things; and just as this tabernacle was a shadow of the heavenly building, just so the priests served unto the example of heavenly things.

Here, then, Paul calls the tabernacle erected by Moses, a shadow of heavenly things. One distinguishing feature of this tabernacle was that it had two apartments, a holy and a most holy place. The heavenly sanctuary therefore has the same; for a sanctuary in heaven with only one apartment would not cast a shadow upon earth with two. And if the pattern had but one holy place, and Moses erected a building with two, he did not follow the pattern; for there would then have been a great dissimilarity. But Moses did build it according to the pattern. Accordingly we hear Paul speaking of the holy places (plural) of the heavenly sanctuary. See Heb. ix, 8, 12; x, 19. The word rendered, holiest, or holy place, in each of these texts is in the original plural [holy places], and is so rendered in many translations.

But Paul makes use of expressions still stronger on this point. Speaking of the earthly tabernacle and its instruments of service, he says, Heb. ix, 23: It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; that is with the blood of calves and goats. What was cleansed by these? The two apartments of the earthly sanctuary and the altar. See Lev. xvi. And Paul explicitly tells us that these were patterns of things in the heavens. Is there need of more testimony here? Apparently not; but yet more given. As if anticipating that some would endeavor to be incorrigibly skeptical upon this point, the apostle makes use of still stronger language. "For Christ," says he, "is not entered into the holy places made with hands [the earthly sanctuary] which are figures of the true." Thus does inspiration, by applying to the earthly sanctuary these strong and unequivocal expressions "shadows of heavenly things," "patterns of things in the heavens," "figures of the true," teach us that there is in heaven a greater and more perfect tabernacle, a true sanctuary which the Lord pitched and not man, of which the earthly was a true shadow, resemblance, type or figure.

At the close of the seventy weeks, when the old covenant gave place to the new, the typical sanctuary of that covenant was superseded by the true sanctuary in heaven. The type could not reach beyond its antitype.

The shadow must have ceased when it reached the substance. The offering of goats and calves was no longer serviceable when the great offering for the world had died on Calvary. Christ declared to the Jews as he departed from the temple, "Behold your house is left unto you desolate." Matt. xxiii, 37, 38. And when amid the terrific scenes of the crucifixion day, the vail of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, it was a solemn demonstration that its services were forever finished. That blood was then 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 way into the heavenly holy places, says Paul, "was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing." Heb. ix, 8. That is, God did not during the typical dispensation, lay open the true tabernacle, but gave to the people a figure or pattern of it. But when the time came that the services of the worldly sanctuary ended, when the dying Saviour cried with a loud voice, It is finished, and darkness overspread the land, and the earth quaked, and the rocks burst, then the way of the temple of God in heaven was laid open. The true church has had since that time neither sanctuary nor priesthood in old Jerusalem, but it has had both in heaven.

We have before shown that only 490 years of the 2300 belonged to the Jews and the earthly sanctuary. Gabriel, in his instructions to Daniel concerning the events to transpire at that time, shows him, first, that the earthly sanctuary should be destroyed shortly after their rejection of the Messiah, and never be built, but be desolate till the consummation. Dan. ix, 26, 27. Second, he brings to view the new covenant: "He (the Messiah) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week." Verse 27. Third, he brings to view the new-covenant church, or host, namely, the "many" with whom the covenant is confirmed. Fourth, he brings to view the new-covenant sacrifice, namely, the cutting off of the Messiah, but not for himself. He brings to view also the Mediator of the new covenant. Verse 26; chap. xi, 22; Heb. xii, 24. And, fifth, he brings to view, lastly, the new-covenant sanctuary, viz., "to anoint the Most Holy." Verse 24. This has reference, doubtless, to an act preparatory to the commencement of the ministration of the sanctuary, which was, to anoint both the holy places and all the sacred vessels. Ex. xl, 9-11. On this point we quote the following from the Advent Shield, No. 1, p. 75:

"And the last event of the 70 weeks, as enumerated in verse 24, was the anointing of the 'Most Holy,' or the 'Holy of holies,' or the 'Sanctum sanctorum.' Not that which was on earth, made with hands, but the true tabernacle, into which Christ, our High Priest, is for us entered. Christ was to do in the true tabernacle, in heaven, what Moses and Aaron did in its pattern. See Heb. vi; vii; viii; ix; Ex. xxx, 22-30; Lev. viii, 10-15."

The fact that the most holy of the heavenly sanctuary is mentioned in Dan. ix, 24, is proof that it has two apartments, as otherwise this distinction would not exist, while it cannot be claimed because only the anointing of the most holy is mentioned that Christ commenced his ministration in that apartment, as the sanctuary when anointed was anointed in both its departments, and immediately following that event, the ministration commenced, not in the most holy, but in the holy place.

There can be no doubt, then, concerning the object which the angel had in view when he said, "Unto 2300 days then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." What that cleansing is, and how it is to be accomplished, we shall find made equally clear in the sacred record.

(To be Continued.)