When giving a study, let us try to adopt the method best suited to the student. As the majority of people know very little about the Bible, the simple story method is the most appropriate to start with. The subject of the sanctuary, given in story form, is both interesting and easily understood. Following is one way used in presenting this, the most beautiful subject on the plan of salvation.
"Good morning, Mrs. Brown. This is a bright, sunshiny day, and our study this week will make us feel happy within. You remember the subject we studied last week—the millennium. We learned that in the end those who have been faithful will dwell with God, but that the wicked will be destroyed by fire. Today we shall hear of the great plan of salvation whereby mankind may escape the final fires of destruction and dwell with God forever.
"The sanctuary service reveals to us the wonderful love of our Saviour, the love of One who died that all may have salvation. Turning to Acts 4, verse 52, we read that 'there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. In spite of this, many people, rich and poor, think they can buy salvation; but salvation is a gift. It is free. Peter says in his first epistle, the first chapter, verses 18 and 19, that we are not 'redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.'
"In the beginning God made a perfect world; He planned that it should continue as such, but sin came and marred that which God had made perfect. Now the great plan of salvation came into operation. John 3 :16 tells us: 'God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish have everlasting life.' This plan of salvation troduced the great sacrificial service, for we are not redeemed with silver or gold, but by the precious blood of the Lamb.
"Wherever the people of God built an altar and sacrificed a lamb thereon, God met with the sinner. As Moses led the children of God out of Egypt to the land of Canaan, God spoke to him about the matter of worship. In Exodus 25:8, we read that God told Moses to have the people make Him a sanctuary where He could meet with them and commune with them, and He told Moses to make it after the pattern shown him in the mount. (Verse 40.) What kind of pattern was this? Hebrews 8 :5 tells us that it was a shadow of the heavenly, a perfect miniature of the heavenly sanctuary.
This sanctuary was divided into two apartments. (Ex. 26:33.) {Draw a sketch.] It was a large room divided by a beautiful, hand-embroidered curtain, separating the holy from the most holy place.
What kind of furniture was placed in the sanctuary? First of all, we read in Exodus 25:21, 22. that the ark of the testimony, with the two cherubim above the mercy seat, was placed in the most holy apartment. Hebrews 9:3-5 mentions that the ark of the covenant held the golden pot that contained manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, also the tables of the covenant. [Indicate on sketch.] The Lord met with His people between the two cherubim above the mercy seat.
"In the holy place we find several articles. Note Exodus 40 :22-33. Verse 22 says that the tabl shewbread was placed on the north side. [cate on sketch.] Jesus says, 'I am the breath of life.' John 6:35. The candlestick was placed on the south. [Indicate.] Jesus says, 'I am the light of the world.' John 8:12. Right before the veil the golden altar of incense was placed [indicate], whereon sweet incense was burned and ascended up before God, just as the prayers of the saints ascend as sweet incense before the throne of God. The altar of burnt offering was placed by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. On it the lamb was offered as a burnt offering unto the Lord; this reminded the people of the promise of a Saviour, Jesus the true Lamb, who would one day be slain for their salvation.
"Between the tent of the congregation and the altar the laver was placed, where the priests could wash before apPearing before the mercy seat, or the throne of God, as it were. Christ has promised to wash away our sins if we come to Him in faith, and to present us before His Father in heaven. We now have before us a sketch of the sanctuary.
"This sanctuary was so made that it could be taken down and folded up neatly, and easily carried when the children of God moved. The high priest went into the holy place every day for morning and evenino-s worship. (Num. 28:3, 4.) He would lay his hands on the head of the lamb, confessing the sins of the congregation, transferring them in type to the lamb, which was then slain. The blood was taken into the holy place and sprinkled before the golden altar. [Indicate.]
"Besides this the people brought sacrifices throughout the day, sin offerings, peace-offerings, thank offerings, etc. (Lev. 4:27-30.) The sinner would lay his hand on the offering, transferring in type his sin to the lamb. Then he would himself slay it, and the high priest would take the blood and sprinkle it before the golden altar. [Indicate.] Yes, it does make one shudder at the thought of slaying a lamb, but God wanted to impress upon the sinner the awfulness of sin, and how Christ, the true Lamb, would suffer for us.
"The greatest day of all came once a year—the of Atonement. (Ex. 30 :ro.) This day ended ear's rites and sacrifices. Before this great Day of Atonement all were to prepare themselves spiritually. (Lev. 16:29, 30.) Just picture this great day—all the congregation before the tabernacle in fear and trembling, pleading in their hearts that God would accept their sacrifice and cleanse them from all sin. The priest, after offering a sacrifice for the priesthood, would take two goats and cast lots at the gate of the tabernacle, one goat for the Lord and the other for Azazel, or the devil. The Lord's goat was offered as a sacrifice (Lev. 16:15, 16). The blood was taken by the priest into the most holy place and sprinkled before the mercy seat. [Indicate.]
"As the priest came out of the most holy place, he would linger a while in the first apartment, then proceed to the gate of the tabernacle and place his hands on the head of the live goat, transferring in type the sins of the people onto the Azazel goat, which was then 'taken into the wilderness and turned loose. (Lev. 16:20-22.)
"All this was a figure for the time (Heb. 9:9, so), and pointed forward to the sacrifice of , Christ, the true Lamb. [Stand a book upon the table and draw attention to its shadow.] When the people offered the lamb, they lived in the shadow of the cross ; then when type met antitype, it all came to an end. (Matt. 27:50, 51.) Christ, the true Lamb was slain.
"Now, this side of the cross, we partake of the communion service, thus showing the Lord's death till He comes. (i Cor. 11:26.) Baptism is evidence of believing in the cleansing and resurrecting power of Christ. We also have the privilege of evening and morning worship. We now have a High Priest, Jesus Christ the righteous; lie is ' pleading for us before the throne of God in the heavenly sanctuary. (Heb. 9:23-26.) Just as the earthly priest entered once a year into the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary, so Christ, our High Priest, has entered once into the most holy place in the sanctuary in heaven, there to plead for us. When He lays down His priestly robes and dons his kingly robes, probation will have closed; it will then be too late to be saved. Now is the day of our salvation.
"Mrs, Brown, Christ is pleading for you before the heavenly Father. Will you respond to His pleading call? We know when Christ entered the most holy place, but we do not know when He will come out. Not even the angels in heaven know, (Matt. 24:36.) But this we do know, that when probation closes the plagues will fall, the one thousand years, or millennium, will begin; then it will be too late for salvation to be sought.
"In the end sin and sinners will be destroyed, just as the live goat was taken into the wilderness to die. Let us live faithfully day by day so that when Christ comes to our names in the book of life, He will be able to confess us before the Father. Always remember that 'in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.' Matt. 24:44.
"Next week we shall find out when Christ entered the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary."
[I usually open and close with prayer. At the close of a study the reader receives a paper on the subject studied, and also the texts to copy into, a notebook, to be used for study during the week.]
