THE SANCTUARY -- A TRUTH LOST SIGHT OF
Chapter 1
The Anointing of Daniel 9:24
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Contents
- Introduction Part A
- Introduction Part B
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
Stephen Haskell, on page 194 in his book 'The Cross and its Shadow' comments: "When the time came to begin the service in the earthly sanctuary, the entire sanctuary was anointed; Exodus 40:9 and when Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary to perform the work of which the earthly was a type, the heavenly sanctuary was anointed, before He began His ministry in the first apartment. The heavenly sanctuary is spoken of as most holy to distinguish it from the earthly."
F. C. Gilbert in his book 'Messiah in His Sanctuary' comments: "The Hebrew words translated "most holy" in Daniel 9:24 are kodesh ka-doshim, "holy of holies." This term is invariably applied to things, and not to persons. Never in the Scripture do we find the words kodesh ka-doshim applied to individuals. They are recognized as applying to the "holy of holies" of the sanctuary.
The only time the "holy of holies" of the earthly sanctuary was anointed was when it was dedicated. (See Ex. 30:25-28; Lev. 8:10; Num. 7:1.) "No sanctuary was erected on earth between 457 B.C. and 34 A.D. at the command of God. This anointing of "the most holy" mentioned by the angel Gabriel could not apply to a sanctuary on earth..." Messiah in His Sanctuary, page 169.
Some SDA believers in the past have always applied "the most holy" of Daniel 9:24 to the anointing of the heavenly sanctuary after the ascension of Christ. Like the Jews in the days of Jesus, they only interpreted 'sanctuary' as a place, but we need to test this interpretation of scripture for ourselves.
The use of the Terms 'most holy' or 'holy of holies' in the Bible
The words 'most holy' of Daniel 9:24 come from the Hebrew qodesh haq-qodashim, and are translated 'most holy' or 'Holy of Holies', says Dr. Young in his Analytical Concordance To the Bible, page 488.
The terms 'most holy' and 'holy of holies' in Adventism have only been applied to the second apartment of the earthly sanctuary which was a pattern of the heavenly. Let us now, for ourselves, examine some texts in the Bible to see how the term qodesh haq-qodashim is used, and what it refers to, for we must make some important conclusions.
The 'King James Version' translates qodesh haq-qodashim as 'most holy', but you may substitute the words 'holy of holies' where 'most holy' appear. Notice the following scriptures where these words are used:
- 1. The giving of the name for the second apartment. Exodus 26:33, 34; 2 Chronicles 3:8.
- 2. The altar of Sacrifice was an altar 'most holy'. Exodus 29:37; 40:10.
- 3. The altar of incense was an altar 'most holy'. Exodus 30:1, 10.
- 4. All the furniture of the sanctuary were 'most holy'. Exodus 30:26-29.
- 5. The incense was 'most holy'. Exodus 30:34-36.
- 6. The remnant of the meat offerings was 'most holy'. Leviticus 2:3; 6:17.
- 7. The sin offering was 'most holy'. Leviticus 6:25, 29.
- 8. The trespass offering was 'most holy'. Leviticus 7:1, 6; 14:13.
- 9. The shewbread was 'most holy'. Leviticus 24:5-9.
- 10. The devoted things (offerings) were 'most holy'. Leviticus 27:28.
From above, we can say that
(1) The second apartment with its furniture was most holy.
(2) We can also say that all the other pieces of furniture both inside and outside of the first apartment were 'most holy' or 'holy of holies'.
Since therefore things in the first apartment, and in the court are called 'most holy' just as the second apartment was called, we are to understand that these things have something in common with the second apartment. These things happen to be the furniture of the court and the first apartment. Therefore the furniture in apartment one and in the court are functional representations of the Holy of Holies.
In Part A of our introduction, we learned that "...the people were slow to learn the lesson". Accustomed as they had been in Egypt to material representations of the Deity, and these of the most degrading nature, it was difficult for them to conceive of the existence or the character of the Unseen One. In pity for their weakness, God gave them a symbol of His presence. "Let them make Me a sanctuary ," He said; "that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8. Education 35.
The sanctuary was a symbol or a representation of God. We can therefore conclude that the sacrificial offering, the furniture of apartment one and the court, pertain to a work which had to be performed by the 'most holy' or holy of holies'. A large number of texts in the bible however, do use the words 'most holy' in reference to the second apartment only. What are the lessons God desire to teach us concerning the sanctuary in this regard?
The answer:
(1) We are to understand that the focus of the second apartment is on God, for it is His dwelling place.
(2) We are to understand that whatever work was done in the first apartment and the court had to be carried out by and with furniture belonging to the second apartment, for this(the furniture) was 'most holy'. It is imperative then that we find out the work God intend to accomplish by this(the furniture), so we may learn to co-operate with Christ in His redemptive work for us.
The Anointing of the Earthly Sanctuary - A Figure
"Such was the service performed 'unto the example and
shadow of heavenly things.' And what was done in type in
the ministration of the earthly sanctuary is done in reality
in the ministration of the heavenly sanctuary..." GC 420.
The Meaning of Anointing
The word anoint comes from the Hebrew word mashach, and it means to rub with oil, to consecrate. This was not any kind of oil, but a special recipe given by God. Exodus 30:22-25. It was an oil of holy ointment. This is what was used to rub the furniture of the sanctuary during consecration. Exodus 30:26-33. No-one was to copy this recipe for common use, for it was holy. This oil was kept in the sanctuary with the altar. Leviticus 8:30; Exodus 35:15. We shall have a careful look at this when we study the altar of incense in a future chapter.
Let us now look at the anointing of the earthly sanctuary as given in Leviticus chapter 8 and Exodus 29. The consecration service was performed at the door of the sanctuary before the assembly of the congregation of Israel. Leviticus 8:3, 4. Moses first washed Aaron and his sons with water. Leviticus 8:6. This washing has its parallel in our day with baptism. Baptism is a symbolic washing of the entire body. The word 'washed' signifies a bathing of the entire body with water, before the high priest was clothed with his high priestly garments. Lev. 8:6-9. Christ, our high priest and sanctuary(John 2:19) was washed in water before being fully anointed by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:13-17. The anointing oil and ointment represented the Holy Spirit who alone can sanctify or call out and set apart for ministry.
After Aaron the high priest was adorned in his pontifical robe, but before adorning the sons, he was anointed by Moses. Lev. 8:10-12. The anointing of the sanctuary was done in two phases. The first phase -- the sanctuary and the high priest were anointed with oil. Leviticus 8:10-12 The second phase -- the high priest and his sons were anointed with oil and blood. Lev. 8:30. The second phase will be dealt with in a later chapter.
1st Phase
In the first phase of the anointing, all the furniture with their vessels were anointed, including those in the court. The bible then says, they were sanctified. Lev. 8:10, 11. The word sanctified means--called apart separately. Our fore-runner had to be called out and separated for the work He was now embarking on. Most significant of this phase is that the head of Aaron was anointed. Lev. 8:12.
This signified that the 1st phase of the anointing pertained to the high priest as an individual alone, and has its fulfillment in Christ when He was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. Christ is our head. He is the Head of the church, the minister of His sanctuary, and so it behooved Him first to be anointed before any of the sons could be. We also know that the holy oil ran from his head to his body, and so the body benefited from the first phase of the anointing as well. Psalm 133:2; 45:7, 8.
However, the 1st phase focuses on the high priest as an individual. The baffling part in this 1st phase(which confused our early pioneers, and scholars, and so they never used these passages in their sequence) is the anointing of the sanctuary with all its furniture. How could they use these passages in their sequence, when the sanctuary was supposed to be in heaven? The principle of the dual application is needed here or we too will be confused.
Of Christ in the new earth, the scripture tells us: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them,..." Revelation 21:3. "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up..But he spake of the temple of his body." John 2:19, 21. Christ is also called the heavenly sanctuary.
We need to understand that the heavenly sanctuary was pitched on earth. "Through all their weary wandering in the desert, the symbol of His presence was with them. So Christ set up His tabernacle in the midst of our human encampment. He pitched His tent by the side of the tents of men, that He might dwell among us, and make us familiar with His divine character and life. "The Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." John 1:14, R.V., margin." DA 23,24.
The apostle Paul is the only bible writer who used the word 'pitched' in referring to the sanctuary--Hebrews 2, and now we see the spirit of prophecy using it with reference to Christ.
"The Lord Jesus Christ came first to the Jewish nation. They thought themselves perfect; they were filled with self-righteousness, regarding themselves as rich and increased in goods and in need of nothing in the way of spiritual knowledge. They thought they had no need of depending upon, and drawing from, the resources that Jesus opened before them. He presented to them the field containing the hidden treasure, but they turned from it. The bright and holy seraphim, the hosts of heaven, who wondered at the glorious plan of salvation, watched with intense interest to see how the people of God would receive the divine Son of God, clothed in the garb of humanity. The wisdom of God was in his only begotten Son. The tabernacle of God was with men. God was hidden in the habitation of humanity." RH 1894-03-04.
"Through Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose of which the tabernacle was a symbol..." Education 36.
All that the tabernacle represented, has its fulfillment in and through Christ. Christ is our heavenly sanctuary. By now, some of our readers are confused, maybe asking the question, How can Christ be the sanctuary, and yet also the minister of the sanctuary? We will settle that scripturally in a future chapter. Just bear in mind for now, the principles which are being established at present on the word of God.
In our previous chapter--Part B, we saw that "...He is our tabernacle of witness for heavenly things..." Testimonies for the Church Containing Letters to Physicians and Ministers/Instruction to Seventh-day Adventists, page 47.
The anointing of every piece of furniture with their vessels, and the high priest met their fulfillment in and through Christ at the river Jordan by John the Baptist in that first phase. In other words the 1st phase of anointing the heavenly sanctuary met its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
The anointing of Daniel 9:24 unmistakably has its fulfillment in Phase 1; Jesus at the river Jordan being infilled with the Holy Spirit. "In A.D. 27, Jesus at His baptism received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and soon afterward began His ministry. Then the message was proclaimed, "The time is fulfilled."...
The time of Christ's coming, His anointing by the Holy Spirit,
His death, and the giving of the gospel to the Gentiles,
were definitely pointed out. It was the privilege of the
Jewish people to understand these prophecies, and to recognize
their fulfillment in the mission of Jesus..." DA 233, 234.
So the sanctuary with its high priest were both anointed after the symbolic washing of Jesus at Jordan river. An important question. Was Christ anointed high priest before or after ascension? The answer is found in Leviticus 8 as well as the passage we just read above. "In A.D. 27, Jesus at His baptism received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and soon afterward began His ministry..." DA 233. Christ was anointed high priest and sanctuary(temple) before His ministry began. We will examine His priesthood work on earth in a future study. And notice, while the old covenant used oil, the new covenant used the Holy Spirit descending and lighting on the head of Jesus, and then bathing His entire form(body).
The Most Holy
Finally, a significant point which we should note is the personalities present at the anointing of Jesus after baptism. We know that John the Baptist was present, for he baptized Jesus. We know that it was done with people present. Luke 3:21. "Of the vast throng at the Jordan, few except John discerned the heavenly vision...." DA 112. But were these all?
The spirit of prophecy comments on the actual anointing of Jesus: "The Savior's glance seems to penetrate heaven as He pours out His soul in prayer. Well He knows how sin has hardened the hearts of men, and how difficult it will be for them to discern His mission, and accept the gift of salvation. He pleads with the Father for power to overcome their unbelief, to break the fetters with which Satan has enthralled them, and in their behalf to conquer the destroyer. He asks for the witness that God accepts humanity in the person of His Son.
Never before have the angels listened to such a prayer. They are eager to bear to their loved Commander a message of assurance and comfort. But no; the Father Himself will answer the petition of His Son. Direct from the throne issue the beams of His glory. The heavens are opened, and upon the Savior's head descends a dovelike form of purest light,--fit emblem of Him, the meek and lowly One.
Of the vast throng at the Jordan, few except John discerned the heavenly vision. Yet the solemnity of the divine Presence rested upon the assembly. The people stood silently gazing upon Christ. His form was bathed in the light that ever surrounds the throne of God. His upturned face was glorified as they had never before seen the face of man. From the open heavens a voice was heard saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." DA 112.
The anointing of the head of Christ was such a significant event, angels could not have done it. The origin of Holy Spirit--God the Father had to perform it. And so all three divine and Eternal personalities were involved in the anointing of Jesus for us. The Father answered the prayer Himself by descending on Jesus. In the old testament, it was done by Moses. In the new testament, it was done by the Father. But the Father is Spirit, for He is God, and therefore mysteriously the three persons of the heavenly sanctuary, Father, Son and Holy Spirit were participants in this important anointing work of the heavenly sanctuary.
The three persons in the family of God are 'The Most Holy'. Therefore, of necessity it took a 'Most Holy' to anoint another 'Most Holy'-- Deity dwelling in human flesh(Christ). (2) If the Most Holy is anointed, then the complete sanctuary is anointed, for all the furniture in apartment one and the courtyard are functional representations of 'The Most Holy'. "Christ was the foundation and life of the temple" DA 165. Therefore, He has been anointed for us. All heaven was on earth, taking part in this glorious event. With this involvement of the heavenly family, can we refer to this anointing other than the anointing of 'the most holy' or 'holy of holies'? Can we? And since the anointing of Jesus benefited us, we ought to give the more earnest heed to Christ, to our Saviour, to our Redeemer, and now to our High Priest.
"And the word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, "This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," embraces humanity.
God spoke to Jesus as our representative. With all our sins
and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless. "He hath
made us accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6. The glory
that rested upon Christ is a pledge of the love of God for
us....By sin, earth was cut off from heaven, and alienated
from its communion; but Jesus has connected it again with
the sphere of glory. His love has encircled man, and reached
the highest heaven. The light which fell from the open portals
upon the head of our Saviour will fall upon us as we pray
for help to resist temptation. The voice which spoke to Jesus
says to every believing soul, This is My beloved child, in
whom I am well pleased." DA 113.
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