For a number of years in my work, I was always glad when I had finished giving the study on the sanctuary and the twenty-three hundred days. I could then breathe a sigh of relief that my duty was done. And at times I have heard the minister with whom I might be workng say, "Well, tomorrow night I must give the sanctuary sermon and get it over with." It seemed that this was a subject little understood and rather unpleasant to present. But today I am convinced that there is no subject so important and so fascinating as this. I owe my present attitude to the fact that I was privileged to study for some weeks with one of our ministers who had a very clear perception of this principle.
As I searched the writings of the Spirit of prophecy and read the many statements on the importance of this subject, I truly found a new and real experience in the things of God. With increasing delight I sought to make this the real center of all my Bible studies. Note these wonderful statements:
"The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of man. It concerns every soul living upon the earth. It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time, and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin."—"The Great Controversy," p. 488.
"Such subjects as the sanctuary, in connection with the 2300 days, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, are perfectly calculated to explain the past advent movement, and show what our present position is, establish the faith of the doubting and give certainty to the glorious future. These, I have frequently seen, were the principal subjects on which the messengers should dwell."—"Early Writings," p. 63.
The study of the priesthood of Christ makes the whole plan of redemption most wonderful, for we are told:
"The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, 'whither the forerunner is for us entered.' There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption."—"The Great Controversy," p. 489.
I am convinced that the effectual presentation of the sanctuary question will enable us to meet Catholics, Mormons, members of the Pentecostal Church, or those of any other faith; for this subject is so broad that it answers almost any question that might be put to us, and it will surely meet the challenges of apostates. In "Life and Teachings," page 49, we are told that any who seek to lead us from the light that has come to us on the sanctuary should not be accepted as teachers.
"I know that the sanctuary question stands in righteousness and truth, just as we have held it for so many years. . . . Any man who seeks to present theories which lead us from the light that has come to us on the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary, should not be accepted as a teacher. A true understanding of the sanctuary question means much to us as a people. When we were earnestly seeking the Lord for light on that question, light came. In vision I was given such a view of the heavenly sanctuary and the ministration connected with the holy place, that for many days I could not speak of it."
Runs All Through Bible
The sanctuary truth runs all through the Bible. In the book of Genesis, we find the sanctuary principle projected—a simple service, with one altar, one sacrifice, and one priest. In Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers, the sanctuary is erected, and the services are elaborated. There is now a house for the altar.
In Kings, the sanctuary is enlarged, and the glorious temple of Solomon is builded. In Chronicles, the sanctuary is destroyed, the captivity of the Jews is recorded, and the sanctuary service is broken. In Ezra, Nehemiah, and the minor prophets, the sanctuary is restored and rebuilt.
In the Psalms, the sanctuary provision is beautifully unfolded and embellished as Christ's glory is revealed. In Ezekiel, both the earthly and the heavenly sanctuaries are desecrated and defiled by man and by Satan. In Daniel, the sanctuary is counterfeited, the Babylonian and papal sanctuaries are developed, and the earthly sanctuary is set aside and destroyed.
In the four Gospels, we have record of the work of Christ in the antitypical court (the earth). The service is changed from the typical to the antitypical, or from the earthly to the heavenly sanctuary. The antitypical-Lamb phase and the priesthood are developed. In Acts, we have the dedication of the heavenly sanctuary and the anointing of the High Priest.
In Hebrews, we have the earthly and the heavenly sanctuaries, the sacrifices, and the priests, compared and differentiated. In the Epistles, the sanctuary is applied, and a third sanctuary—the body temple—is brought to light.
In Revelation, Christ is ministering in the heavenly sanctuary. The divisions of the book give four records of Christ's work in the first and second apartments. Here the sanctuary reality is enacted and consummated.
Basis of All Studies
Keeping all this in mind, I start my studies with the sanctuary in heaven as God's dwelling place, and show how Satan defiled it. Then comes the creation of man and the study of the Deity, as this must be understood in order to understand the priesthood of Christ. The fall of man, with the institution of the sacrificial service, follows. The story of Cain and Abel shows the beginning of the two classes of people that will exist in the world till the close of time. "One class will avail themselves of the appointed sacrifice for sin. The other venture to depend upon their own merits; theirs is a sacrifice without the virtue of divine mediation and thus it is not able to bring man into favor with God."—"Patriarchs and Prophets," pp. 72, 73.
I then trace the two classes—represented by Enoch and Lamech, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau—to the bondage in Egypt. From thence I trace the giving of the two laws at Sinai, the institution of the sanctuary and its service, the two covenants, the restoration, and the captivity in Babylon. Here I introduce the study of Daniel 2 and follow. with the coming of Christ, the millennium, the home of the saved, Daniel 8, the 2300 days, and the temple of God in heaven. I give, at this point, a study on the three feasts. After this, I present the law, Daniel 7, etc. As we study the prophecies of Daniel, I bring out fully the characteristics of ancient Babylon, since the primary purpose of the books of Daniel and Revelation is to trace prophetic history from ancient to modern Babylon. When I come to the book of Revelation, the foundation has been fully laid for the mark of the beast, the fall of Babylon, and kindred subjects. Emphatic is the counsel:
"The things revealed to Daniel were afterward complemented by the Revelation made to John on the Isle of Patmos. These two books should be carefully .studied."—"Testimonies to Ministers," p. 114.
"When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience. They will be given such glimpses of the open gates of heaven that heart and mind will be impressed with the character that all must develop in order to realize the blessedness which is to be the reward of the pure in heart. .
"Sin is the transgression of the law of God; and those who will not accept the light in regard to the law of God, will not understand the proclamation of the first, second, and third angel's messages. The book of Daniel is unsealed in the Revelation to John, and carries us forward to the last scenes of this earth's history. . . . Read Revelation in connection with Daniel. Teach these things."—Id., pp. 114, "5.
Fundamental Parallels Revealed
When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they built the earthly sanctuary. When they came out of Babylon, they rebuilt the sanctuary. When the Jews came out of Judaism, they "built" (brought to light) the heavenly sanctuary. When God's people came out of Babylon, they "rebuilt" (rediscovered the light upon) the heavenly sanctuary—the sanctuary of the new covenant. How wonderfully does this whole line of study prove our message to be the last for mankind, and Seventh-day Adventists to be the remnant people of God !
"Satan led on those who rejected the message of John to go still further, to reject and crucify Christ. In doing this they placed themselves where they could not receive the blessing on the day of Pentecost, which would have taught them the way into the heavenly sanctuary. The rending of the veil of the temple showed that the Jewish sacrifices and ordinances would no longer be received. The great sacrifice had been offered, and had been accepted, and the Holy Spirit which descended on the day of Pentecost carried the minds of the disciples from the earthly sanctuary to the heavenly, where Jesus had entered by His own blood, to shed upon His disciples the benefits of His atonement. But the Jews were left in total darkness. They lost all the light which they might have had upon the plan of salvation, and still trusted in their useless sacrifices and offerings. The heavenly sanctuary had taken the place of the earthly, yet they had no knowledge of the change. Therefore they could not be benefited by the mediation of Christ in the holy place."—"Early Writings," pp. 259, 260.
Marvelous truths will be discovered in pursuing this line of study showing that in 1844 the same thing occurred to those who rejected the threefold message and failed to understand the priesthood of Christ and His coming to the second apartment to act as judge.
"We do not go deep enough in our search for truth. . . God can teach you more in one moment by His Holy Spirit than you could learn from the great men of the earth. . . . How eagerly do angels look to see who will avail himself of this opportunity! . . . We may have a feast of good things every day ; for God can open the whole treasure of heaven to us."—Review and Herald, Feb. 18, 1890. (See also "Testimonies to Ministers," p. 10.)
