Chapter 23—The Open Mystery of the Sanctuary

The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the statement, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed” (Daniel 8:14). These had been familiar words to everyone who believed in the Lord's soon coming. But the Lord had not come. The believers knew that God's Word could not fail; their interpretation of the prophecy must be at fault. But where was the mistake? 5TC 238.2

God had led His people in the great Advent movement. He would not permit it to end in darkness and disappointment, condemned as false and fanatical. Though many abandoned their calculation of the prophetic periods and denied the movement based on them, others were unwilling to renounce points of faith and experience that the Scriptures and the Spirit of God upheld. It was their duty to hold securely the truths they had already gained. With earnest prayer they studied the Scriptures to discover their mistake. Since they could see no error in their calculations of the prophetic periods, they examined more closely the subject of the sanctuary. 5TC 238.3

They learned that there is no Scripture evidence to support the popular view that the earth is the sanctuary. But they found a full Bible explanation of the sanctuary, its nature, location, and services: 5TC 239.1

“Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat” (Hebrews 9:1-5). 5TC 239.2

The “sanctuary” was the tabernacle that Moses built at God's command as the earthly dwelling place of the Most High. “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8), was the direction God gave to Moses. The tabernacle was a magnificent structure. Besides the outer court, the tabernacle itself consisted of two rooms or apartments called the Holy and the Most Holy Place, separated by a beautiful curtain, or veil. A similar veil closed the entrance to the first room. 5TC 239.3

Holy and Most Holy Places

In the Holy Place was the lampstand on the south with its seven lamps giving light both day and night. On the north side stood the table of showbread. In front of the veil separating the Holy from the Most Holy was the golden altar of incense, from which the cloud of fragrance, with the prayers of Israel, ascended daily before God. 5TC 239.4

In the Most Holy Place stood the ark, a chest overlaid with gold, which held the Ten Commandments. Above the ark was the mercy seat holding two angels made of solid gold. In this apartment the divine presence appeared in the cloud of glory between the cherubim. 5TC 240.1

After the Hebrews settled in Canaan, the tabernacle was replaced by the temple of Solomon. Though it was a permanent structure and built on a larger scale, it had the same proportions and was furnished in the same way. The sanctuary existed in this form—except while it lay in ruins in Daniel's time—until the Romans destroyed it in A.D. 70. This is the only sanctuary on earth about which the Bible gives any information, the sanctuary of the first covenant. But does the new covenant have no sanctuary? 5TC 240.2

Turning again to the book of Hebrews, the seekers for truth found that a second or new covenant sanctuary was implied in the words already quoted: “Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.” Turning back to the beginning of the previous chapter, they read: “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at 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 erected, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1, 2). 5TC 240.3

Here the Bible reveals the sanctuary of the new covenant. Moses made the sanctuary of the first covenant; this one is made by the Lord. In that sanctuary earthly priests performed their service; in this, Christ, our great High Priest, ministers at God's right hand. One sanctuary was on earth, the other is in heaven. 5TC 240.4

The tabernacle Moses built was made according to a pattern. The Lord directed, “According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.” “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” The first tabernacle “was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are [were] offered,” its Holy Places “copies of the things in the heavens.” The priests served “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” “Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” (Exodus 25:9, 40; Hebrews 9:9, 23; 8:5; 9:24.) 5TC 240.5

The sanctuary in heaven is the great original. The sanctuary that Moses built was a copy of it. The splendor of the earthly tabernacle reflected the glories of that heavenly temple where Christ ministers for us before the throne of God. The earthly sanctuary and its services taught important truths about the heavenly sanctuary and our redemption. 5TC 241.1

The Two Apartments

The Holy Places of the sanctuary in heaven are represented by the two apartments in the sanctuary on earth. John received a view of the temple of God in heaven. He saw there “seven lamps of fire ... burning before the throne.” He saw an angel “having a golden censer.... He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” (Revelation 4:5; 8:3.) Here the prophet saw the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven, and he saw there the “seven lamps of fire” and the “golden altar,” which the golden lampstand and the altar of incense represented in the sanctuary on earth. 5TC 241.2

Again, “The temple of God was opened,” and he looked past the inner veil into the Holy of Holies. Here he saw “the ark of His covenant,” represented by the chest that Moses constructed to contain the law of God. (Revelation 11:19.) 5TC 241.3

And so the believers studying the subject found proof that a sanctuary existed in heaven. John testifies that he saw it in heaven. 5TC 241.4

In the temple in heaven, in the Most Holy Place, is God's law. The ark that holds the law is covered with the mercy seat, in front of which Christ pleads His blood for sinners. These things represent the union of justice and mercy in the plan of redemption, a union that fills all heaven with amazement. This is the mystery of mercy that the angels would like to understand—that God can be just while He justifies the repenting sinner, that Christ could stoop to raise great numbers of people from ruin and clothe them with the spotless robes of His own righteousness. 5TC 241.5

Zechariah presents the work of Christ as our intercessor: “He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His [the Father's] throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (Zechariah 6:13). 5TC 242.1

“He shall build the temple of the LORD.” By His sacrifice and mediation Christ is the foundation and builder of the church of God, “the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:20, 21). 5TC 242.2

“He shall bear the glory.” The song of those who are saved will be, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ... to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 1:5, 6). 5TC 242.3

He “shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne.” The kingdom of glory has not yet arrived. Not until His work as a mediator is over will God give Him a kingdom of which “there will be no end” (Luke 1:33). As priest, Christ has now sat down with the Father in His throne. Upon the throne is the One who “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,” “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin,” that He might be “able to aid those who are tempted” (Isaiah 53:4; Hebrews 4:15; 2:18). The wounded hands, the pierced side, the marred feet, plead for fallen humanity whose redemption Jesus purchased at such cost. 5TC 242.4

“And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” The love of the Father is the fountain of salvation for the lost race. Jesus said to His disciples, “The Father Himself loves you.” God was “in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 16:27; 2 Corinthians 5:19; John 3:16.) 5TC 242.5

The Sanctuary Mystery Solved

The “true tabernacle” in heaven is the sanctuary of the new covenant. When Christ died, the symbolic service of the earthly sanctuary ended. Since Daniel 8:14 extends down to our era, the sanctuary to which it refers must be the sanctuary of the new covenant. So the prophecy, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed,” points to the sanctuary in heaven. 5TC 242.6

But what is the cleansing of the sanctuary? Can there be anything in heaven that needs to be cleansed? Hebrews 9 plainly teaches the cleansing of both the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary: “According to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these [the blood of animals], but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” (Hebrews 9:22, 23), even the precious blood of Christ. 5TC 243.1

The Cleansing of the Sanctuary

The cleansing in the real service in heaven must be accomplished with the blood of Christ. “Without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Remission, or putting away of sin, is the work to be accomplished. 5TC 243.2

But how could there be sin connected with the sanctuary in heaven? We can find the answer by looking at the symbolic service, since the priests on earth served in “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5). 5TC 243.3

The ministry of the earthly sanctuary consisted of two parts. The priests ministered each day in the Holy Place, while once a year the high priest performed a special work of atonement in the Most Holy, to cleanse the sanctuary. Day by day repentant sinners brought their offerings. They placed their hands on the victim's head, confessed their sins, symbolically transferring the sins from themselves to the innocent sacrifices. The animals were then killed. “The life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). The broken law of God demanded the life of the transgressor. The priest carried the blood, representing the life of the sinner whose guilt the victim bore, into the Holy Place and sprinkled it in front of the veil, behind which was the law that the sinner had broken. This ceremony transferred the sin symbolically to the sanctuary. In some cases the priest did not take the blood into the Holy Place, but then he ate the flesh. Both ceremonies symbolized the transfer of sin from the repentant sinner to the sanctuary. 5TC 243.4

This was the work that went on throughout the year. The sins of Israel were transferred in this way to the sanctuary, and a special work became necessary to remove them. 5TC 244.1

The Great Day of Atonement

Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Two young goats were brought and lots were cast, “one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:8). The goat for the Lord was killed as a sin offering for the people, and the priest was to take his blood past the veil and sprinkle it in front of the mercy seat and also on the altar of incense just in front of the veil. 5TC 244.2

“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land” (Leviticus 16:21, 22). The scapegoat would never again come into the camp of Israel. 5TC 244.3

The ceremony was designed to impress the Israelites with the holiness of God and His hatred of sin. Every Israelite was required to examine his own heart while this work of atonement was going on. All business was laid aside, and Israel spent the day in prayer, fasting, and searching of heart. 5TC 244.4

God accepted a substitute in the sinner's place, but the blood of the victim did not cancel the sin; rather, the sin was transferred to the sanctuary. By offering the blood the sinner acknowledged the authority of the law, confessed his sin, and expressed his faith in a Redeemer to come, but he was not yet completely free from the law's condemnation. On the Day of Atonement the high priest took an offering from the congregation and went into the Most Holy Place. He sprinkled the blood of this offering on the mercy seat, directly over the law, to satisfy its claims. Then, as mediator, he took the sins on himself and brought them out of the sanctuary. Placing his hands on the scapegoat's head, he symbolically transferred all these sins from himself to the goat. The goat then carried them away, and they were considered forever separated from the people. 5TC 244.5

Heavenly Reality

What happened symbolically in the services of the earthly sanctuary happens in reality in the heavenly sanctuary. After His ascension our Savior began His work as our High Priest: “Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). 5TC 245.1

The service of the priest in the first apartment, “behind the veil” which separated the Holy Place from the outer court, represents the work that Christ began when He ascended. In the daily service the priest presented before God the blood of the sin offering and also the incense that went up with the prayers of Israel. Likewise, Christ pleaded His blood before the Father for sinners and presented to Him the prayers of repentant believers with the fragrance of His own righteousness. This was the ministry in the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven. 5TC 245.2

The faith of Christ's disciples followed Him to that first apartment when He ascended. This is where their hopes centered. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil; where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever.” “He entered once for all into the Holy Place ... with His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 6:19, 20; Hebrews 9:12, NRSV.) 5TC 245.3

For eighteen centuries this work continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ obtained pardon and acceptance with the Father for repentant believers, but their sins still remained on the books of record. As in the symbolic service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ's work for humanity is done there is a work of atonement to remove sin from the sanctuary. This began when the 2,300 days ended. At that time our High Priest entered the Most Holy Place to cleanse the sanctuary. 5TC 245.4

A Work of Judgment

In the new covenant the sins of the repentant believers are by faith placed on Christ and transferred in fact to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the symbolic cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was accomplished by removing the sins that had polluted it, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is accomplished by removing, or blotting out, the sins recorded there. But before this can happen, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. So the cleansing of the sanctuary involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment—before the coming of Christ, because when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every one according to his works. (See Revelation 22:12). 5TC 246.1

So those who followed the light of the prophetic word saw that, instead of coming to the earth at the end of the 2,300 days in 1844, Christ entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to perform the closing work of atonement in preparation for His coming. 5TC 246.2

When Christ, by the power of His blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministry, He will put them on Satan, who must bear the final penalty. The scapegoat was sent away into an uninhabited land, never to come again into the congregation of Israel. Likewise, Satan will be banished forever from the presence of God and His people, and he will be blotted out of existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners. 5TC 246.3