The Sanctuary

"AND the temple of God was opened in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament." Rev. 11:19.

Doubtless the temple of this text is the "true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man;" the sanctuary in which the "Mediator of the New Testament" ministers as High Priest. Heb. 8:1-6, 9:15, and 12:24. As there was a "sanctuary of the first covenant," so there is one belonging to the new. The old covenant sanctuary was rebuilt on the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon; and remained in use among them till Christ came. When they had rejected him, on leaving the temple for the last time, he said to them, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate;" and as he went out he predicted its utter destruction. From that time it was no longer the dwelling place of God; and in a few years it was destroyed by the Romans. This was foretold in Dan. 9:26.

"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." There is now no sanctuary on earth. According to the prediction of Jesus, and that also of Daniel, that sanctuary was destroyed; and the testimony further states, "He shall make it desolate, even until the consummation." It will never be rebuilt. It has been superceded by the sanctuary of the better covenant.

The greater part of the 2300 days belong to the gospel dispensation, and to the new covenant sanctuary. Only seventy weeks, 490 years, were given to the Jews and their holy city. Therefore the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the days is that which pertains to the new covenant, the one in which Jesus is the minister or mediator.

The sanctuary of the first covenant was cleansed on the tenth day of the seventh month. This was the close of the yearly round of service. A description of this work is found in Lev. 16. Till that day came, no one entered within the second veil, the place of the ark and mercy-seat. But on that day a sin-offering was made in both apartments for the whole house of Israel; that they might be cleansed from all their sins before the Lord. It was a decisive, judgment work. In figure, all their past sins, which had been remitted, were borne out of the sanctuary by the high priest, placed on the head of the scape-goat, and sent away to a land not inhabited. This was a type—"the example and shadow of heavenly things."

Jesus, in his ministration, must follow this example. At the time appointed for the cleansing of the sanctuary, he must enter upon his ministry within the second veil. Here the atonement must be consummated in behalf of all his people that have lived from the beginning of the world to the last one who shall be sealed to eternal life. It is the blotting out of all their sins, as it is written, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ," etc. Acts 3:19-21. This final work of blotting out of sins decides the cases of his people for eternal life. This investigative judgment takes place in the sanctuary in Heaven; so that when Christ comes, he brings the reward to all his people. Hence it was right, that when we came to the end of the days in 1844, that it should be proclaimed as it was, "The hour of his judgment is come."

When the time for this work is come, that portion of the sanctuary where the ark of God is, must be opened. Accordingly its opening was predicted as a grand event to transpire under the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Rev. 11:15-19. During the sounding of this trumpet the nations are angry, the wrath of God comes, the time of the dead that they should be judged, and the reward given to all the people of God. The great day of unmingled wrath cannot come, until the intercessions of Christ in the sanctuary are ended; but the closing work of his ministration, the cleansing of the sanctuary, may be going forward while the nations are angry. Then the wrath threatened in the last message, that of Rev. 14:9-12, will follow. The time appointed for the opening of the inner sanctuary or temple came at the end of the 2300 days in 1844. The anger of the nations was manifest in 1848, and will continue till the close of probation. Then will come the great day of wrath.

It is the inner temple which is opened: for the ark is there. The prophet does not say, "I saw," as in many instances, but, "There was seen;" as if, at its opening, the people would be led to the discovery of the true temple in Heaven as the anti-type of the earthly sanctuary, and would have their attention especially called to the ark as the shrine containing the moral law, the ten commandments. This has been verified in the history of the advent movement. There was incontrovertible evidence that the 2300 days would end in 1844. It was inferred that the Lord would then come, which failing to be realized, the disappointment was great. This led to deep and prayerful searching of the Scriptures in regard to the sanctuary and its cleansing; and the consequence was that the true view of the temple of God in Heaven, and the closing work of our High Priest there, was opened to their view. Before, it was hidden from the view of all; now, it is open to every humbly inquiring mind. Glorious view! overlooked by the proud, because of its simplicity; but hailed by the humble with solemn and grateful delight.

The ten commandments are not abolished, nor changed. They are in the ark, beneath the mercy-seat in the temple of God in Heaven. The atonement is being made in respect to that law which man has transgressed. Pardon may still be obtained; for our High Priest pleads at the mercy-seat. And while this solemn, judgment work is going forward in Heaven, the attention of the people on earth is being called by a special message of warning to that law which is the rule of life to every living person, and the rule by which all are to be judged.

The closing work of intercession is already in progress, the work that will decide the destinies of mankind. The last message of warning is fast making its way to the nations of the earth, hearing to men "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:9-12. The result is that people in many nations are beginning to keep the commandments as they are written in the law of God.

The Sabbath commandment is still a part of the Divine law. It is securely enclosed from the strife of tongues within the sacred ark in the heavenly temple. It still demands of all men that they rest from their secular labor on the seventh day, the day on which God rested from his creative work, and which, for this reason, he sanctified and blessed. The story that it has been changed to another day, the first day of the week, is only a fable. There is no higher authority for the change than the Antichristian power described in Dan. 7:20-26; Rev. 13:1-10; 2 Thess. 2:3-8. Hence the warning against the worship of the beast results in turning men to the keeping of the commandments as they are. And this work is going forward in many nations. Men are turning to the Sabbath of the Lord—the day so long trodden under foot of men.

This work is of God, and not of men. It will be known in the end that, notwithstanding the fallibility of human agency, the Unseen Hand has guided this advent movement from first to last. The prophecy of the advent messages (Rev. 14:6-12) have been in process of fulfillment; and truths sublime and grand, though simple and plain, have been developed from the word of God. A work of greater importance never occupied any period of the history of our race. The closing work of our High Priest is the order of God's work in Heaven. On earth the last message of mercy is sounding to prepare a people for the close of the work in Heaven. Soon the work of salvation will be ended, and the time for every one to receive as his work shall be, will come. May the Lord help us to interest ourselves in the work of God; and then give us a place in his everlasting kingdom.