What Happened in 1844?
This morning I’d like to review a little history regarding the sanctuary doctrine, which is the central pillar of our faith according to The Great Controversy, page 409. This means that if our understanding of the sanctuary doctrine is wrong, then the outside pillars surrounding it are in jeopardy, and the whole building could collapse as the winds of false doctrine begin to blow in a more powerful way than they’ve done in the past. So it’s important that we get this right.
Everything, and I mean everything about the earthly and heavenly sanctuaries, as they relate to one another, are important for us to understand, or at least the basics of it, because the whole plan of salvation is portrayed in the service performed by the common priest, the high priest, the sacrifices offered, the building materials used, and the arrangement of the courtyard and the two separate apartments. Literally a lifetime could be spent studying these things and we would still have a lot to learn about what it all means and how it relates to the earthly life of Christ, His sacrifice on the cross, His ministry for us in heaven, how He’s going to return to gather His people to Himself, and even how it relates to our own experience as we travel through the sanctuary as priests ourselves. What do I mean by that?
Remember what Peter said in 2 Peter 2:9? He said, “But ye are a chosen generation, a (what?) royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” And the truth we have the privilege of knowing and studying is indeed marvellous, and I hope you agree.
The priesthood of all believers was a teaching that came out of the Protestant Reformation when the people understood that the common person didn’t have to go to a sinful earthly priest, which was often more sinful than they were, to have their sins forgiven, but they could “come boldly to the throne of grace, . . . (as Hebrews 4:16 says, and) obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” The Catholic church didn’t like that very much, and they still don’t like it, and millions of Christians have been persecuted and put to death over this important truth, and it’s all related to the sanctuary and its services.
The particular verse, more than any other, which is both the foundation, and the central pillar of the advent faith is found in Daniel 8:14, you know it well, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Every true believer back in 1844 understood that this was an important time prophecy that indicated that the second coming of Christ was imminent. By thousands of voices all over the world, people back then understood that this prophecy, that spanned 2300 years, was soon to reach its fulfillment, and that message was proclaimed loud and clear that the end of all things was at hand.
Can you imagine how they all felt when they discovered these things? I mean, how would you feel if you knew Jesus was coming back on a certain date? Granted, they were wrong, but how would you have felt? As you look at your life now, would you be thrilled, or would you be terrified? Or perhaps you would say, “not now Lord, I’ve got other things to do. Can we put it off a little longer when I have a more convenient season.” No doubt many people stayed up late the night of October 22, 1844, waiting for the clock to toll midnight, and can you imagine their disappointment when Jesus didn’t come as expected? And can you imagine the relief of those who weren’t ready and glad when it didn’t happen?
For those waiting saints, the Lord’s coming was everything to them, but now they would have to face those who had told them they were crazy for believing such a thing in the first place and would now have to look forward to many more years living in this sin cursed earth to toil on in their former employment. And really, the majority couldn’t handle the disappointment and ridicule they knew they would have to face, and they denounced the message as of Satan and went back to their former churches with their tails between the legs and had to admit that they had been snookered.
So, what was the problem with their understanding of the cleansing of the sanctuary as foretold by Daniel? You may not know this, but it was a common teaching back then in the Christian world in general and not just among those who had become known as Adventists, that the earth was the sanctuary mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy, and that it would be purified and cleansed by fire at Christ’s return. And if we had been living during that time, I’m pretty sure that’s what we would have believed too, because it seemed logical to believe that, because certainly this evil world needs cleansing, doesn’t it? More so now than ever before. And so, this is the reason they concluded that Jesus would return to cleanse the earth by fire when the 2300-year prophecy of Daniel 8:14 reached its fulfillment on October 22, 1844.
Now, just quickly for those of you who may not know that a day in Bible prophecy always represents a year. In other words, the 2300 days mentioned in Daniel 8:14 are actually 2300 years, and the way we arrive at that is because of what it says in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6, which are both future predictions that make them time prophecies. Check me out! Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. We’re not going to take time to read it, you can do that yourself, but in both cases it’s clear that one day in Bible prophecy = one year, and if you don’t calculate time prophecy that way you will come to wrong conclusions about what it all means and very likely become confused and be led into other erroneous beliefs that could affect your salvation.
Now, it’s true that the majority denounced the message when Jesus didn’t come as expected, but there were about 50 people out of 50,000 that knew and believed that God’s word could not fail and that it must be their interpretation of the prophecy that was at fault; but where was the mistake?
You know, it’s easy to see in retrospect what the mistake was, but back then it wasn’t so easy to figure out. Some just flat out denied that the 2300 days ended in 1844 and seized upon some other date for its fulfillment, and this was done several times when the set upon date came and went, but the only reason they could give for their date setting was that the Scriptures say Christ is coming back, which wasn’t a very good reason by itself, was it? And so, they set upon date after date after date until discouragement set in.
We know now that the 2300-year time prophecy is the longest and last time prophecy in the Bible, and we are not to set another date for the Lord to come, but that we should be ready all the time. However, that was something the folks back then didn’t figure out for a while, and unfortunately there are those even today who are trying to pinpoint a certain time or reinterpret the prophecies that have already reached a fulfillment, but it will certainly fail as they all have in the past. So don’t even entertain the idea, but rather focus on character preparation and doing what you can to share the truth with others. That is our work for this time. We know that Jesus is coming soon, because there are many other things in the Bible that indicate this, but we don’t know how soon soon is, so we shouldn’t get involved in time setting.
But we can thank God this morning that there were those who just couldn’t accept that the various elements of the time prophecy were wrong and began to question their own understanding of what was supposed to take place. And that’s exactly what we should do when things don’t turn out the way we expected them to.
Rather than questioning or having doubt about the Scriptures, we should question our understanding, or our interpretation of the Scriptures. If ever we experience these kinds of things, we need to understand that there’s nothing wrong with the Scriptures, but there’s something wrong with our thinking! There have been a few things over the years that I’ve had to rethink since I first became a Christian that I thought were set in concrete, and it’s always difficult to do, and to admit, because who like to be wrong? Pride can sometimes get in the way, but when God reveals something new to us, and when we have a teachable spirit, we need to accept it, as long as, and this is an important point, as long as we have thoroughly studied it out and gone to the bottom of the subject as we’ve been counseled to do.
So, in order to accept that their former understanding was not correct, those 50 dedicated and faithful souls that were left out of that 50,000 had to renounce their former understanding that the earth was the sanctuary to be cleansed, and to admit that they were mistaken, and only then could they move on. As the faithful ones continued to study the Scriptures, it was reaffirmed in their minds that indeed the 2300 days, or years, began when the commandment of Artaxerxes went into effect for the restoration and building of Jerusalem in the autumn of 457 BC. And so, they knew that that was still true. By the way, this is a historical fact that can be verified, and it’s also mentioned in Ezra 7. So, taking that as the starting point, they saw that there was perfect harmony in the application of all the events foretold in the explanation of that period in Daniel 9:25-27. Maybe we should just read these three verses to refresh our memory.
In Daniel 9:25-27, the angel said to Daniel, and we’re going to have to follow this closely, because it’s deep stuff, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (457 BC) unto the Messiah the Prince (capitol P) shall be seven weeks (that’s 7X7 equaling 49 years using the day for a year principle), and threescore and two weeks (totaling 69 weeks, which equals 483 years): the street (of Jerusalem) shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times, (that was completed in 408 BC under Nehemiah, or 49 years after the starting date of 457 BC, and it was a very troubling time as you read the story. Then it says) and after (“after” is an important word here) and after threescore and two weeks (or after the total of 7 weeks + 62 weeks equaling 69 weeks or 483 years) and after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah (or the anointed One) be cut off (and when was Messiah cut off? He was cut off in the midst of the 70th week “after” the completion of the 69 weeks in 31 AD when He was crucified, but what happened in 27 AD, which was the starting date of the 70th week? The Messiah was baptized, or anointed with the Holy Spirit and officially began His public ministry. This will be further explained by the angel in a minute) and after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself (Jesus wasn’t crucified for His own sins, because He never sinned, it was to save us that He laid down His life!): and the people of the prince (small “p”) that shall come (who was that? that was Titus, the Emperor’s son, which made him a prince) and the people of the prince (or the Roman army) that shall come shall destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (or the temple); and the end thereof shall be with a flood (a flood of persecution), and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he (back to Jesus now) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (or 7 years, bringing us to the end of the 70th week in 34 AD): and in the midst of the week (backing up 3 ½ years brings us to 31 AD, and what happened at that time? It says) he (the Messiah) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation (or offerings) to cease (signified by the curtain of the temple being ripped in twain from top to bottom when Jesus died), and for the overspreading of abominations (or because the whole system was brought to an end because sin became so rampant) he shall make it (the sanctuary, or Jewish temple) desolate (desolate of God’s presence, and indeed, their house was left unto them desolate as Jesus said in Matthew 23:38), even until the consummation (or it’s complete destruction in 70 AD. Not one stone was left upon another as Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:2), and that determined (or that accomplished by divine providence) shall be poured upon the desolate”, or desolator as the Bible margin reads, the desolator being the pagan Roman Empire, and I believe the last part of this prophecy will not be fulfilled until papal Rome, that took the place of pagan Rome, is given to the flames.
Now, through this prophecy of Daniel, Christ taught His disciples something important in Matthew 24:15. What did He say? Let’s look at it. He said, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation (the Roman power), spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (when they would come to destroy the temple), (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” What were the Christians supposed to do? They were to flee to the mountains, and we’re told in The Great Controversy, page 30 that not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem, because they followed Christ’s counsel.
Now, I don’t want to get too much farther into the weeds than we already are with this prophecy, but this is some of the basic information we need if we’re going to rightly understand it. So, let’s go just a little bit further for a couple minutes and focus on some numbers.
At the beginning of Gabriel’s explanation of this 70-week prophecy in Daniel 9:24 he said, “Seventy weeks are determined (which means to “cut off.” In other words, the 70 weeks we’ve been talking about were “cut off” from the longer time prophecy of 2300 years) “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people (the Jewish nation) and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem and the temple), to finish the transgression (that was accomplished when the Jewish nation filled up it’s cup of iniquity when they rejected and crucified Christ), and to make an end of sins (with their sin offerings, which took place when Christ offered Himself on Calvary), and to make reconciliation for iniquity (again, Reconciliation for iniquity was available through the sacrificial death of Christ), and to bring in everlasting righteousness (the righteousness that Christ manifested in His sinless life, which is imputed to us when we accept Him as our Saviour), and to seal up (or make an end of) the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” That is, the “most holy place” of the heavenly sanctuary. Just as the earthly sanctuary had to be anointed before the services began, so did the heavenly sanctuary as Jesus entered there when He ascended to heaven.
All this was fulfilled during the 70-week prophecy, or the 490 prophetic years that were “cut off” from the beginning of the 2300 years, because these years pertained especially to the Jews. At the end of that period the nation of Israel sealed its rejection of the truth by the persecution of Christ’s disciples, and as a result, the apostles turned to the Gentiles with the gospel in 34 AD.
So, the first 490 years of the 2300-year prophecy having ended in 34 AD meant that there were 1810 years left to make 2300, which extended to 1844. “Then,” said the angel, “shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” That means that the sanctuary, whatever our pioneers thought it represented at that point, began to be cleansed in 1844, which was nearly 180 years ago. So obviously the sanctuary couldn’t be the earth being cleansed by fire at all but must represent something else. Why? Because we’re still here, and Jesus has not yet come, plain and simple. And so, all of the events that transpired from 457 BC to 1844 AD, equaling 2300 years, they knew was the correct interpretation, but where and what was the sanctuary to be cleansed. They didn’t see any cleansing take place on earth, so what was the sanctuary, if not the earth?
Well, you can bet that God wasn’t going to allow their understanding to end in any lasting darkness and disappointment to be called a false and fanatical movement and leave His word involved in doubt and uncertainty, but He revealed the truth to them not long after the disappointment as they continued to pray and to study.
Even though approximately 49,950 people abandoned their former reckoning of the prophetic periods and denied the correctness of the movement, there were about 50 that refused to renounce points of faith and experience that were sustained by the Scriptures and by the witness of the Holy Spirit. In their study they knew they had adopted sound principles of interpretation in their study of the prophecies, and so they held fast the truths already revealed to them and continued on with their Bible study. And of course, they prayed earnestly, and as they reviewed their position and studied the Scriptures to discover their mistake, they couldn’t see any errors in their reckoning of the prophetic periods. And so, they were led to examine more closely the subject of the sanctuary itself.
And guess what? As they studied, the Holy Spirit opened their eyes, and they saw that there was no Scripture evidence sustaining the popular view that the earth was the sanctuary and found the answer to their dilemma in Hebrews 9:1-5. Let’s read that. “Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all; which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid roundabout with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat.”
So, that was a description of the earthly tabernacle, or sanctuary, but down a little further in verse 24 it says there‘s also a heavenly sanctuary of which the first was patterned after. Verse 24 says, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
The fact that there was an earthly sanctuary and a heavenly sanctuary, is so clear that it’s astounding to me that they didn’t see it until after the great disappointment on October 22, 1844. The only thing I can figure is that the Holy Spirit withheld that information from them for a reason, and that reason, I believe, was to reveal hearts. You know what I mean? Approximately 49,950 people were not ready for Jesus to come, and that had to be revealed that others might understand that God cannot take people to heaven if their hearts are not right. I don’t know if any of those 49,950 people got the message and turned their lives around, but for us today, we need to understand that character preparation is a must if we want to be ready when Jesus comes. We must be both justified and sanctified, or pardoned and made holy if our feet are going to leave the ground when Jesus comes.
And so, the people back then got to thinking, if there was an earthly sanctuary that was patterned after something, where could that pattern be other than in heaven? The old covenant had a sanctuary, so there must be a sanctuary for those living under the new covenant as well. And as they read and studied Hebrews 8 and 9, they found out that there was indeed a new-covenant sanctuary. In fact, Paul made that clear in Hebrews 8:1, 2 when he said, “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: we have such an high priest, who is set on 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 pitched, and not man.”
And so, they discovered the sanctuary of the new covenant. The sanctuary of the first covenant was pitched by man and built by Moses, and the second was pitched by the Lord and not by man. That’s pretty clear. In the earthly sanctuary earthly priests performed the service, but in heaven Christ is our great High Priest who ministers at God’s right hand. One sanctuary was on earth, the other is in heaven, simple! The sanctuary in heaven is the great original, and the sanctuary built by Moses was a copy of the original. But the pioneers of our faith missed it at first, and today Seventh-day Adventists seem to be the only ones who ever mention it, and even them not very often. Doesn’t that seem odd to you that this teaching in the Scriptures that is so important and so clear is not being taught by other churches? I think it’s by design, don’t you? Same with the seventh-day Sabbath, it’s right in your face as you read the Bible, and yet people can’t see it! The devil doesn’t want people to know what Jesus is doing for us in the heavenly sanctuary today. He would rather they believe the atonement was finished at the cross and that they only need to believe that they are once saved always saved.
Is there really a sanctuary in heaven where Jesus ministers in our behalf, or is He just sitting up there next to the Father waiting for us to finish the work of spreading the gospel so He can come get us? If there isn’t a literal sanctuary in heaven, then how could the one on earth be copied after a pattern? If you have a copy, there has to be an original, right? The holy places of the sanctuary in heaven were represented by the two apartments in the sanctuary on earth. What were the three furnishings in the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary? The candle stick, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense. Now notice what it says in Revelation 4:5. In vision John saw the temple of God in Heaven and beheld there, “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.” And in Revelation 8:3 He saw an angel “having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” The throne being represented by the table of showbread, or “the bread of the presence.” What was John looking at? He was looking at the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven; and saw seven lamps of fire, a golden altar, and a throne. Then in Revelation 11:19 it says, John saw “the temple of God was opened in heaven” and he looked into the Most Holy place and saw “the ark” that contained the law of God.
The point is, heaven is a real place with a real sanctuary, and there’s a real Saviour up there performing a real work that is similar to the work that was done here on earth so many years ago! And so, those who were studying this subject back in the day found indisputable evidence that there was indeed a real sanctuary in heaven. Moses made the earthly sanctuary after a pattern, and in Hebrews Paul tells us that that pattern was the true sanctuary which is in heaven. And John testifies that he saw it in heaven as well, and it’s in the temple in heaven, the dwelling place of God, where His throne is established today.
In the most holy place is His law, by which all mankind are to be tested. Remember what it says in Revelation 22:14? “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city.” By the way, the Holy City is a real place as well, and it’s huge, and the temple is in there and it’s huge. Also, James 2:12 tells us that we are going to be judged by the law of liberty, which is the Ten Commandment law, and only those who keep it will be at liberty to go in the Holy City.
And here’s a very important point, and a comforting one to know. The ark containing the tables of the law is covered with What? A mercy seat, before which Christ pleads His blood in our behalf, representing the union of justice and mercy in the plan of salvation. We’re told in The Great Controversy, page 415 that this is “a mystery of mercy into which angels desire to look—that God can be just while He justifies the repenting sinner and renews His intercourse with the fallen race; that Christ could stoop to raise unnumbered multitudes from the abyss of ruin and clothe them with the spotless garments of His own righteousness to unite with angels who have never fallen and to dwell forever in the presence of God.”
As I was contemplating this subject I got to thinking about the heavenly sanctuary, as we now know it, that it will one day be no more. Have you ever thought about that? When we get to heaven, what need will there be of a sanctuary with an altar of sacrifice and a laver for cleansing? What need for a candlestick and table of showbread and altar of incense where the prayers of the saint arise? The reason for all these things will have reached their fulfillment in the ministry of our great high priest. As the popular song goes, “Farewell, farewell sweet hour of prayer,” because we will see God face to face.
In Revelation 21:22, speaking of the Holy City, John says, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
And in 1 Corinthians 3:16 it says that we “are the temple of God”, because the Spirit of God dwells in us, and 2 Corinthians 6:16 also says we “are the temple of the of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” And so, God is the temple, and we are a part of that temple. I don’t understand it all, but it’s going to be different than anything we’ve ever known. God may preserve a model of the heavenly sanctuary with all its furnishings as an illustration of the plan of salvation, especially for those who came to a knowledge of the truth in the 11th hour, I don’t know, but I do know that it will have been fulfilled by the time we get there and God Himself will be the temple.
In the Day Star Extra, February 7, 1846, Ellen White says the following, “I believe the Sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days, is the New Jerusalem Temple, of which Christ is a minister.” That temple, or that sanctuary, with its two apartments, which is still there today, will no longer be represented as such once Jesus says, “it is finished,” lays off His priestly attire, and clothes Himself with the garments of vengeance. That’s when the seven last plagues will be poured out just before His return to this earth. But afterward when God creates a new heaven and a new earth, John saw that in the Holy City there will be “no temple therein”, but God Almighty and the Lamb will be the temple of it, which means that nowhere in the Holy City, or in the earth made new will we find a sanctuary like is there now, because Revelation 21:5 says, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful.”
And so, the sacrifice and mediation of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary make Him both the foundation and the builder of the church, because in Ephesians 2:20-22 the apostle Paul points to Jesus as “the chief Cornerstone; in whom all the building (representing the church) fitly framed together grows into (what?) an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” So, what’s it going to be like? I don’t know exactly, but I know I want to be there, don’t you?
Now, we know that it’s the sanctuary in heaven that began to be “cleansed” in 1844 and not the earthly, because in 1844 there wasn’t even a sanctuary on earth to be cleansed. So the question to be answered at this point is, what is the cleansing of the sanctuary? Again, we know it’s the sanctuary in heaven that needs cleansing, but how can anything in heaven need cleansing? That seems like an oxymoron, and that was the question our pioneers had. You would think that after Lucifer and his crew were cast out that everything was cleansed. But when the Bible speaks of the cleansing of the sanctuary, it doesn’t mean there’s something physically dirty up there, or that God missed a few evil angels when He kicked them out, or that something happened to cause another rebellion to rise up. So what did the angel Gabriel mean when he told Daniel the sanctuary would be cleansed when the 2300-year time prophecy would be fulfilled?
Well, in Hebrews 9 the cleansing of both the earthly and the heavenly sanctuaries is plainly taught. Notice what it says in Hebrews 9:22, 23, “Almost all things are by the law purged (which means to purify or to cleanse) purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (or no release from sin). It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these (the blood of animals); but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
So, when Paul writes about “better sacrifices than these” animals, we’re talking about the cleansing blood of Christ. Remember what it says in Revelation 1:5? Let’s look at it. “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us (or cleansed us) from our sins in (what?) his own blood.” Also Revelation 7:14, speaking of the last generation to be alive upon the earth just before Jesus comes, John says, “And I said unto him (one of the elders), Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes (robes of character), and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” And how about 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to (what?) cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And how does Christ do it? By His shed blood! By faith in His shed blood!
The cleansing, both in the earthly sanctuary and the heavenly sanctuary, must be accomplished with blood: in the earthly with the blood of animals; in the heavenly with the blood of Christ. And Paul tells us that the reason why this cleansing must be performed with blood, is because “without shedding of blood is no remission.” No freedom from the penalty of sin. But the question is, how could there be sin connected with the sanctuary in heaven? In Hebrews 8:5 Paul refers to the earthly sanctuary and the priests who officiated there, and says they served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” And so, if we want to know what the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is all about, we need to look at what happened in the earthly sanctuary. Does that make sense?
Remember, the earthly sanctuary consisted of two divisions; the priests ministered daily in the holy place, but only once a year in the Most Holy where the high priest performed a special work of atonement, and while he was in there, he cleansed the sanctuary. How did he do that? Well, day by day anyone who sinned was to bring his offering, or sacrifice, in the form of an animal. They brought it to the courtyard of the sanctuary, and there, placing their hand upon the victim’s head, confessed their sins, and when they did that, they were transferring their sins from themselves to the innocent animal. The animal was then killed, because remember, “without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin,” and in Leviticus 17:11 we’re told that “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” So, during this service the life of the sacrifice took the place of the sinner’s life, so he didn’t have to die for his sin.
The broken law of God, which is defined as sin, according to 1 John 3:4, demands the life of the one who broke that law, because Romans 6:23 says the wages, or penalty that is earned by sin, is death—eternal death. So, during the daily service throughout the year, after the sacrifice was killed, its blood was taken by the priest and carried into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil that separated the holy from the most holy, and behind that veil was the ark containing the law that the sinner had broken. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred to the sanctuary, and this work went on day after day throughout the whole year. And because of this a special work of atonement, or cleansing, became necessary to remove all the sins that had transferred there. And so, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary, and the work he performed there completed the yearly round of service. On that day, according to Leviticus 16:8, two kids of the goats were brought to the door of the tabernacle, and lots were cast upon them, “one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.” The goat upon which fell the lot for the Lord was to be killed as a sin offering for the people. The priest then brought its blood within the veil, or within the most holy place, and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
Now notice what it says in Leviticus 16:21, 22, “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat (or the scapegoat), and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited.” And so, once the scapegoat was taken away, it never came back into the camp again. All the sins were upon him, and they were taken completely away.
One of the more important lessons taught by this daily typical earthly service was that a substitute was accepted on the sinner’s behalf; but the sin was not yet canceled by the blood of that sacrifice. Through the shed blood it was only transferred to the sanctuary. By that blood the sinner acknowledged the authority of the law, confessed his guilt, and expressed his desire for pardon through faith in a Redeemer to come; but he was not yet entirely released from the condemnation of the law. This was what the Day of Atonement was for.
On that day the high priest would take the blood from the Lord’s goat, an offering on behalf of the whole congregation, and go into the most holy place with the blood and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, directly over the law, to make satisfaction for its claims. Then he took all the sins upon himself and bore them from the sanctuary. Then, placing his hands upon the head of the scapegoat, he confessed over it all these sins and in figure transferred them from himself to the goat, and the goat then bore them away, and they were regarded as forever separated from the people. This is what happened every year in the earthly typical service, but one day soon this is going to happen in reality in the antitypical heavenly service. You see, ever since the 2300-year prophecy of Daniel 8:14 ended, this antitypical service in heaven of the day of atonement has been in progress.
Remember what we read earlier in Hebrews 8:5? These things happened “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.” In other words, what was done in type in the earthly sanctuary is done in reality in the heavenly sanctuary. After Jesus ascended to heaven, He began His work as our High Priest, because in Hebrews 9:24 it says, “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” What is He doing there? He’s doing in reality what the earthly high priest did in figure, or as an illustration. That’s why I said at the beginning that the earthly sanctuary service is a type of the plan of salvation.
The work of the earthly priest throughout the year in the first apartment of the sanctuary represents the work which Christ entered upon when He ascended to heaven and continued until He moved to the second apartment in 1844. Just as the earthly priest in the daily work of ministry presented before God the blood of the sin offering, so Christ did the same in presenting His blood before the Father on behalf of sinners. This is where He went, and this is the work He began after the faith of His disciples followed Him as He ascended from their sight. Remember what the angel said? “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven, this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.”
And so, when His work is completed in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, where He is now engaged in the antitypical day of atonement, He will step out and place all the sins upon the scapegoat, which is Satan, to be forever led away and separated from all those who have had their sins transferred, by faith, through the shed blood of Christ. This is what the cleansing of the sanctuary is all about friends, this is where our hopes are centered, “which hope we have,” says Paul in Hebrews 6:19, 20, “as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever.”
For eighteen centuries, think of it, from the time Christ ascended until the 2300 years of Daniel’s time prophecy ended on October 22, 1844, His work continued in the first apartment, or the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, and then it moved into the most holy place where Jesus has been ministering for nearly 180 years now, and I don’t think He’s going to be there much longer.
And so, the blood of Christ secures our pardon and our acceptance with the Father, but we need to realize that our sins still remain upon the books of record. Just as there was a work of atonement at the close of the year anciently, just so, before Christ’s work for us is completed, there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the heavenly sanctuary. Jesus is now performing the last division of His solemn work to cleanse the sanctuary of all the sins that have been accumulating there since the beginning of time, and I want mine removed, don’t you? Because if they’re not, then we will have to receive the wages of eternal death for those sins. That’s why we are not once saved always saved. We will be saved only when our sins are placed upon the head of the scapegoat to be separated from us forever, but until then we must remain faithful and learn to have victory over the temptation to sin so we’re not adding to our record of sins.
You see dear friends, there has to come a point where we hate sin enough to stop, because once Jesus leaves the most holy place, there will no longer be a mediator to plead our case. And the way we stop sinning is not through any power of our own, because we don’t have any, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. When love for Christ is our motivation for obedience, the power of the Spirit will be given to live the life of Christ, and when He has a people like that, He’s coming to get us.
In closing I’d like to read from The Great Controversy, pages 421, 422 where it gives a short recap of what we’ve been discussing the past hour. “As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded. But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior to the coming of Christ to redeem His people; for when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works. Revelation 22:12.”
This investigative judgment, which is going on in the heavenly sanctuary right now will be our subject next time. But until then may the Lord bless us and help us and baptize us with the Holy Spirit and empower us to victory so when it’s time for our name to come up in review before God, our sins may be blotted out and never to return.