Similarity between the Heavenly and the Earthly Sanctuary. 22 The heavenly sanctuary is like the earthly in the following particulars: (1) It has a ministration and a priesthood; but only one High Priest ministers. He can never die, and his priesthood is not the Levitical, but the Melchizedek. (2) It has two holy places, or compartments, the holy and the most holy.23 Compare the texts referred to with Rev. 4: 1, 2, 5; 5:8; 8: 3-5: 11:19; 15:5. (3) It is to be cleansed with blood." (This text must have reference to the heavenly sanctuary because the earthly sanctuary was destroyed long before the 2300 years ended.) 25 (4) It contains the law or testimony of (5) When the glory of God fills the tabernacle, there can be no ministration. 27 God. 26 The testimony was the ten commandments. 28 The tabernacle of the testimony was the sanctuary, or temple, wherein these commandments were kept. Therefore "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven" must be the heavenly temple wherein the ten commandments, or testimony of God, are kept. 29 Of this temple, or sanctuary, the earthly sanctuary was a shadow. There could be no shadow unless there was a reality from which the shadow came, and a true and good shadow or figure gives a good idea of the reality. The Atonement of the Sanctuary. The place called the most holy was year, on the great day of atonement. 30 used only once a The ministration. performed on this day was called "the atonement," and the day was called the "day of atonement.' 22 Heb. 8:1-5; 9: 24; 6: 20. 23 Heb. 9: 24; Ex. 26: 31-35. 24 Dan. 8: 14. 26 Ex. 25: 21, 22; Rev. 11: 19; 15: 5. " 31 The atone 25 Heb. 9: 11, 12, 23, 24. 27 Ex. 40: 34, 35; 1 Kings 8: 10, 11; Rev. 15: 8. 30 Lev. 16; Heb. 9: 7. 29 Rev. 15: 5. 31 Lev. 23: 28. ment and the cleansing of the sanctuary denote one and the same work, the work performed by the high priest on the great day of atonement, when he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat” to make atonement for the sanctuary and for the sins of the children of Israel." Thus the sanctuary was cleansed and hallowed from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." 33 Revelation 15: 8 informs us that when the seven last plagues are poured out, the ministration in the sanctuary ceases. Then Christ has finished his high-priestly service and comes to judgment, as King of kings and Lord of lords. Then the time of mercy has ended, and the eternal kingdom has begun. The atonement is not the same as the sacrifice. It is the service of the priest in the sanctuary, and it cannot be performed before the blood of the sacrifice is poured out. This the Bible teaches in many places. When the whole congregation of Israel had sinned through ignorance, and their sin became known, then they should offer a young bullock for their sin. "And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord." Then the priest should dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord; and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them." " If a man was guilty of a certain sin and confessed it, then. the priest should make an atonement for him for his sin, and it should be forgiven him. 35 When the priest had made atonement in the sanctuary for the sins of the people all through the year, the whole yearly service was finished or perfected on the day of atonement, by cleansing the sanctuary and making atonement for all the people in the most holy place. 32 Lev. 16: 13-16. 33 Verses 19, 20. 35 Lev. 55, 10. "Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat; and he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins." 36 "And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all." 37 "And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar; and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation." "138 The Atonement of the Heavenly Sanctuary. Christ does not enter the most holy once a year, but at the close of his high-priestly service he once for all enters the most holy place. Here he makes the real atonement which was shadowed forth by the ceremonies in the earthly sanctuary in the old covenant. Christ produces by his ministration in the heavenly sanctuary the great antitype which corresponds with the ancient type. This is the very work which Jesus began in 1844, when he shut the door to the holy place and opened the door to the most holy. Then he calls to his people as they are struggling in great weakness in the last days, saying: "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 139 That the heavenly sanctuary at the close of the 2300 prophetic days should be cleansed by the ministration of our divine High Priest, foreshadowed by the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary on the great day of atonement is clearly seen from Heb. 9:23. "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." 36 Lev. 16: 15. 16. 38 Verse 33. 37 Verse 29. The Investigative Judgment. How long the solemn work of cleansing the sanctuary shall continue in the heavenly sanctuary is not revealed. But we do see that the corresponding work on earth is progressing quickly while the gospel of the kingdom is being preached in the remotest parts of the earth, and the last message is sounding with great power. This rejoices our hearts, and we look forward with the deepest interest to the time when the mighty voice of God shall proclaim that the hight-priestly work of Jesus is finished, and the Lord comes to take his waiting people home to the heavenly city. With longing desire we look up and lift up our heads, knowing that our redemption draweth nigh. “o 40 The investigative judgment is carried on in connection. with the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary, and just as every person who would not humble himself on the great day of atonement should be cut off from among his people," so every one who does not confess his sins and humble himself before the Lord, will be excluded from the first resurrection and eternal life. Thus the investigative judgment is closely connected with the atonement, or cleansing of the sanctuary. May we consider these solemn facts and prepare for the great day of the Lord. 40 Luke 21: 28. 41 Lev. 23: 29. 42 Dan. 79, 10. CHAPTER XII. THE OPEN BOOK AT THE TIME OF THE END. NOTHING is more interesting and useful than to read and properly understand the Book of God. It leads every humble and willing heart to God in the way of faith and love. It leads us to Christ, who is "the way, and the truth, and the life."'1 It teaches us in faith and with a longing desire to pray, "Thy kingdom come."" In order to pray this prayer with the spirit and with the understanding also, we need light from the word of prophecy. 3 "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." In order to understand when the time of the end comes, and also understand other things spoken of in Daniel 12, we must first study Chapter 11. Some of the Kings of Persia. In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, B. C. 534, Daniel mourned and sought the Lord three weeks. He humbled himself before the Lord in order to get further light about those things which he had before seen in vision. Although he was now old, yet his greatest desire in this life was to get understanding of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." The Lord heard his prayer and sent his angel to give him information. 1 John 14:6. Dan. 12: 4. 2 M tt. 6: 10. 5 Dan. 10: 1-3. 31 Cor. 14: 15. |