THE SANCTUARY — A TRUTH LOST SIGHT OF
Introduction Part A
-
Contents
- Introduction Part A
- Introduction Part B
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
We are however absolutely sure of one thing. Sin did not bring about a change in God, Malachi 3:6; neither did it bring about a change in His way of doing things. For the safety of all created beings and the vast universe that He has created, the existence of sin necessitated an eternal record in heaven, to show forever thereafter, that in God’s universe there is only one governmental reign for life--the law of Love.
The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should
be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves
of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for
them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the
position which God designs them to fill.
GC 488.
We need to understand the lessons God desires to teach us from the sanctuary if we are to exercise the ‘faith of Jesus’ and understand the work God is doing for us at this time in heaven. But first we must know what is revealed concerning the sanctuary.
What is the Sanctuary?
The term ‘sanctuary’ as used in the Bible refers, first,
to the tabernacle built by Moses, as a pattern of heavenly things; and,
secondly, to the ‘true tabernacle’ in heaven, to which the earthly sanctuary
pointed. At the death of Christ the typical service ended. The ‘true
tabernacle’ in heaven is the sanctuary of the new covenant.
And as the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 is fulfilled in this dispensation, the
sanctuary to which it refers must be the sanctuary of the new covenant. At
the termination of the 2300 days, in 1844, there had been no sanctuary on
earth for many centuries. Thus the prophecy ‘Unto two thousand and
three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed, ’ unquestionably
points to the sanctuary in heaven.
GC 417.
The sanctuary in heaven has a close connection with the 2300 day/year prophecy, and therefore cannot be separated from the focal point in this prophecy.
But what is this focal point? The 2300 day/year prophecy focuses on the re-building of the city Jerusalem and the sanctuary. First, the old one, that was built by Solomon, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and rebuilt by the returning exiles. This was spearheaded by Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel etc. This temple was decorated by King Herod and was in use in the days of Jesus. It was however destroyed again in AD 70, never to be rebuilt. Secondly the new temple of the new covenant that was built between AD 27-34 which stands forever. Daniel 9:24-27; John 2:18-22 and 4:20-24. This temple was the building of Christ for our salvation and redemption. It means that when we read the terms ‘temple’, ‘sanctuary’, or ‘tabernacle’ in the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy, they can refer to a person or place.
Thus the term ‘true tabernacle of the new covenant’ has an application to a place in heaven and also to a person in heaven. We call this a double application. This will be made clearer in our second introduction. If this is not understood, the sanctuary truth will be confusing and we will not be able to make an application to ourselves as intended by God.
Before sin, the Lord God Almighty was the temple or sanctuary in heaven. After sin, the sanctuary or temple is again the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. Revelation 21:3; 22. For there will again be universal harmony. In other words, the sanctuary in heaven before sin was God himself, just as it will be at the end of sin.
The purpose therefore of record keeping (the place called sanctuary) in heaven was to bring back this oneness with God in heaven, and thus to the universe. Therefore in the study of the sanctuary, we must start at the beginning, so as to understand what is presently taking place in heaven, where it is leading us to, and the purpose for it. Let us consider the following quote from the book ‘Desire of Ages’; the chapter ‘Christ in His Temple’.
In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the
Messiah, and entering upon His work. That temple, erected for the abode of the
divine Presence, was designed to be an object lesson for Israel and for the world.
From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the
bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the
Creator.
Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled
by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One. But
by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God
dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His
temple. God designed that the temple at Jerusalem should be a continual witness
to the high destiny open to every soul.
But the Jews had not understood the significance of the building they regarded
with so much pride. They did not yield themselves as holy temples for the
Divine Spirit. ...In cleansing the temple from the world’s buyers and
sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement
of sin,--from
the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the
soul.
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger
of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of
hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth?
for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall
sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi,
and purge them as gold and silver.
Malachi 3:1-3.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall
God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians
3:16, 17. No man can of himself cast out the evil throng that have taken
possession of the heart.
Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple. But He will not force an entrance.
He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says, “
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him.” Revelation 3:20. He will come, not
for one day merely; for He says, “I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and they shall be My people.” “He will subdue our iniquities;
and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” 2 Corinthians
6:16; Micah 7:19. His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul, so that
it may be a holy temple unto the Lord, and ‘an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Ephesians
2:21, 22.
DA 161, 162.
When God first made the angels, they were temples for the presence of God. Divinity dwelt in each angel, and thus each individual angel was a temple for God. With God dwelling in each temple, there was a oneness in heaven, and it is this oneness that enables them to dwell in the presence of His Glory as His attendants. Thus God dwells in the midst of His tabernacles. Psalm 46:4,5. Heaven was in harmony and at one with God. God’s purpose has not changed. He made man for this same purpose, and the work in the sanctuary in heaven focuses on this, and is bent on returning man to this condition of oneness. Let us consider this other quotation from the book ‘Education’, as to why the sanctuary was given.
Precious were the lessons taught to Israel during their sojourn at Sinai....On
the summit of Sinai, overshadowing the plain where the people spread their
tents, rested the pillar of cloud which had been the guide of their journey...Here,
by the manifestation of His glory, God sought to impress Israel with the
holiness of His character and requirements, and the exceeding guilt of transgression.
But 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, page 34, 35.
From the quoted paragraph above, we understand that the sanctuary was a representation, a symbol of God--Himself, but in character. Israel was accustomed to material representations for false gods in Egypt by the heathens. And so God pitied their weakness and ignorance.
In the building of the sanctuary as a dwelling place for God, Moses was directed
to make all things according to the pattern of things in the heavens. God called
him into the mount, and revealed to him the heavenly things, and in their similitude
the tabernacle, with all that pertained to it, was fashioned.
So to Israel, whom He desired to make His dwelling place, He revealed His glorious
ideal of character. The pattern was shown them in the mount when the law was
given from Sinai and when God passed by before Moses and proclaimed, ‘The
Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth.’ Exodus 34:6.”
Education, page 35.
From above, we learn that the sanctuary was ‘the pattern’ of God’s law, His character. Moses saw a sanctuary with instruments which he was commanded to build. This was the pattern he was given. But the pattern given to Israel was God’s law spoken to them on the mount of Sinai. One pattern--a building, and the other pattern--a law of Love.
We can therefore conclude that the sanctuary was a representation of His character broken down in detail, so that Israel then and now could learn how to build characters of love.
But this ideal they were, in themselves, powerless to attain. The revelation
at Sinai could only impress them with their need and helplessness. Another
lesson the tabernacle, through its service of sacrifice, was to teach--the
lesson of pardon of sin, and power through the Saviour for obedience unto life.
Through Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose of which the tabernacle was
a symbol--that glorious building, its walls of glistening gold reflecting in
rainbow hues the curtains inwrought with cherubim, the fragrance of ever-burning
incense pervading all, the priests robed in spotless white, and in the deep
mystery of the inner place, above the mercy seat, between the figures of the
bowed, worshiping angels, the glory of the Holiest. In all, God desired His
people to read His purpose for the human soul. It was the same purpose long
afterward set forth by the apostle Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit:
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the
temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 3:16, 17.
In the preparation of the sanctuary and in its furnishing, all the people were
to co-operate. There was labor for brain and hand. A great variety of material
was required, and all were invited to contribute as their own hearts prompted.
What an industrial school was that in the wilderness, having for its instructors
Christ and His angels.
Thus in labor and in giving they were taught to co-operate with God and with
one another. And they were to co-operate also in the preparation of the spiritual
building--God’s temple in the soul.
Education 36, 37.
How do we prepare our spiritual building? With a thorough understanding of all that is revealed in scripture concerning the sanctuary, since it represents what we may become-- God-like in character. Therefore we begin with the first character temple built on earth--the first Adam.
The light that was in Mr and Mrs. Adam was also their outer covering. The word of God was in them through the Spirit of God, and they obeyed that word, because the Spirit of love kept that word in their thinking. Compare Genesis 2:7 with John 20:22. “This sinless pair wore no artificial garments. They were clothed with a covering of light and glory, such as the angels wear.” 1SP 25.
When the angels in heaven fell, the light that was around them did not go out, even though the light in them did. This is a mystery, for the bible tells us that the devil will come to us as an ‘angel of light’. 2Corinthians 11:14; Galatians 1:8. When Eve sinned, the light that was around her did not go out, until Adam had eaten. “The covering of light about them soon disappeared,...” 1SP 40. The thought pattern of man’s mind went to its logical end, of justifying self for its actions after the fruit was eaten, thus completely expelling the Holy Spirit.
The angels in heaven did not understand at the beginning of the reign of sin, what the logical results would be. They did not comprehend what should have happened to Satan and his followers, had God allowed sin to take its natural course. They were in fact beginning to see a mystery unfold before their very eyes, from generation to generation. Colossians 1:26.
A mystery which involved light and darkness. And that is what the sanctuary is all about, light versus darkness. That is what redemption is about, man being saved through the ‘light of the gospel of Christ, from the ‘gross darkness that is in the world’. The sanctuary had no windows, and therefore if the lamp in it was extinguished, the sanctuary became full of darkness. When the outer light went out from Adam and Eve, it showed that the inner light of the soul temple had been extinguished and they were now in total darkness. They were darkened and defiled by evil, and their hearts no longer revealed the glory of Divinity. Their thoughts were now evil, and this is shown in their response to God when He came looking for them.
The heavenly sanctuary then is all about holy beings, and their purpose is to cleanse the soul temple of man from sin, that he too may be a perfect temple, lighted up by the glory of God -- His character. Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple, but He will not force an entrance. God’s dwelling in the seraphim and cherubim is represented in scripture as God dwelling in His temples, by His Holy Spirit making them one with Him that they may live in the presence of the Father.
The study of the sanctuary is the study of how God will take a man in darkness and make him into a creature full of light, thus becoming a fit temple for His abode that he may live in His presence. And therefore the temple in heaven with its furniture, and accompanying instruments must be the Godhead as one, with the angels in oneness with God, carrying out their respective functions, under supervision of Christ the mighty mediator and intercessor, thus enabling God to return humanity to the same oneness with Him, as was at the beginning before there was sin.
It is the desire of Christ to make your body temple a fit vessel for His abode. Remember we are God’s temple building in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Ephesians 2:21. May you yield yourself to Him that this may be accomplished in you today.
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